Forme

This 'forme' was produced by compositors at The Guardian newspaper on Farringdon Road. Formes were part of the complex and highly skilled 'hot metal' printing process. Typesetting machine operators would be supplied with copy by journalists. The machines produced lines of type called 'slugs' which would then be put together to form 'takes'.

After being proofed and collated, 'takes' would then be transported on a galley to the compositors who would assemble the 'forme' on a steel table called a 'stone'. The forme would be the complete page including headers, photographs, adverts and text.

A mould would be taken from the forme by stereotypers. This was called a 'flong' and from this a stereo plate would be cast in metal. The newspaper page would then be printed from this using a rotary printing press.

This 'forme' is for the front page on 11 February 1987. The Guardian stopped printing using 'hot metal' processes in May 1987. This forme was donated along with a Harris Intertype typesetting machine to the Museum of London the following year.