Stereo plate

This stereo plate was produced at The Guardian newspaper on Farringdon Road. Stereo plates were part of the complex and highly skilled 'hot metal' printing process. Typesetting machine operators would be supplied with paper copy by journalists. The machines produced lines of type called 'slugs' which would then be put together to form 'takes'. 'Takes' would then be transported on a galley to the compositors who would assemble the 'forme'. 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 made using 'flong' (consisting of layers of card, blotting paper and tissue paper) and from this the stereo plate would be cast. The newspaper page would then be printed from this on a rotary printing press.

This plate is for the front page on 8 May 1982. The Guardian stopped printing using 'hot metal' processes in May 1987. This plate was donated along with a Harris Intertype typesetting machine to the Museum of London the following year.