In hot metal typesetting

Typesetting

Typesetting is the composition of text by means of types.Typesetting requires the prior process of designing a font and storing it in some manner...

, a matrix (often abbreviated to "mat") is a mold for casting a letter, known as a sort

Sort (typesetting)

In typesetting by hand compositing, a sort is a piece of type representing a particular letter or symbol, cast from a matrix mould and assembled with other sorts bearing additional letters into lines of type to make up a forme from which a page is printed.-See also:* History of western typography*...

, used in letterpress printing

Letterpress printing

Letterpress printing is relief printing of text and image using a press with a "type-high bed" printing press and movable type, in which a reversed, raised surface is inked and then pressed into a sheet of paper to obtain a positive right-reading image...

.

In letterpress typography

Typography

Typography is the art and technique of arranging type in order to make language visible. The arrangement of type involves the selection of typefaces, point size, line length, leading , adjusting the spaces between groups of letters and adjusting the space between pairs of letters...

 the matrix of one letter is inserted into the bottom of a hand mould

Hand mould

A hand mould is a simple mould used for low quantity work. It is used in the injection moulding and the printing industry.-Printing:In the printing industry, a hand mould specifically refers to a two-part mould used for casting hand-made type...

, the mould is locked and molten type metal

Type metal

In printing, type metal refers to the metal alloys used in traditional typefounding and hot metal typesetting. Lead is the main constituent of these alloys...

 is poured into a straight-sided vertical cavity above the matrix. When the metal has cooled and solidified the mould is unlocked and the newly-cast metal sort is removed, ready for composition with other sorts. The matrix can then be reused to produce more copies of the sort.

In continuous casting

Linotype machine

The Linotype typesetting machine is a "line casting" machine used in printing. The name of the machine comes from the fact that it produces an entire line of metal type at once, hence a line-o'-type, a significant improvement over manual typesetting....

 and composition casting

Monotyping

Monotyping is a type of printmaking made by drawing or painting on a smooth, non-absorbent surface. The surface, or matrix, was historically a copper etching plate, but in contemporary work it can vary from zinc or glass to acrylic glass. The image is then transferred onto a sheet of paper by...

 typography, the mats for a complete font are loaded into a matrix-case and inserted into a casting machine, which casts the required sorts for a page

Page (paper)

A page is one side of a leaf of paper. It can be used as a measurement of documenting or recording quantity .-The page in typography:...

 composition automatically.

See also

• Font
  Font
  In typography, a font is traditionally defined as a quantity of sorts composing a complete character set of a single size and style of a particular typeface...
  
  
• History of western typography
• Movable type
  Movable type
  Movable type is the system of printing and typography that uses movable components to reproduce the elements of a document ....
  
  
• Sort (typesetting)
  Sort (typesetting)
  In typesetting by hand compositing, a sort is a piece of type representing a particular letter or symbol, cast from a matrix mould and assembled with other sorts bearing additional letters into lines of type to make up a forme from which a page is printed.-See also:* History of western typography*...
  
  
• Type casting (typography)
  Type casting (typography)
  Type casting is a technique for casting the individual letters known as sorts used in hot metal typesetting by pouring molten metal into bronze moulds called matrices....