Handset

The process of setting type by hand has not changed since Gutenberg's time in the mid-15th century. The compositor, or typesetter, works with the same tools now as he did then: a composing stick, a type case (a shallow tray, divided into compartments, that holds the type), and the metal type itself (letters, punctuation marks, figures, and spaces). The type is known collectively as the font and individually as characters. Characters not part of a regular font are called sorts.