shoulder

In letterpress printing, the shoulder is the flat, recessed area of a piece of metal type that sits below the bevelled or curved edge joining it to the face, which is the raised printing surface. The shoulder does not contact the paper during printing. It exists on all four sides of the type body and serves as a structural and functional necessity rather than a design choice.

The shoulder's depth and width are determined by the type body's overall dimensions and the height of the face itself. Standard type in the Anglo-American system stands 0.918 inches tall from foot to face top. The shoulder occupies most of the vertical distance from the foot up to where the face begins, typically leaving only a small clearance between the top of the shoulder and the printing surface. This geometry prevents the shoulder from accidentally touching the paper or other types in a locked-up forme, which would produce unwanted marks or transfer ink.

Variants and related geometry

Different typeface designs create different shoulder profiles. Script types often have minimal shoulders to accommodate descenders and flowing connections between letters. Large display faces may have deeper shoulders relative to their face size. The shoulder also varies by type foundry and casting technology. Hand-cast types from different makers show slight variations in shoulder depth owing to differences in mould design and casting practice.

The term 'shoulder' reflects the visual metaphor of the type body as a small human figure: the face is the head, the shoulder is the neck and upper torso, and the body extending downward represents the legs. This vocabulary persists in all Western letterpress traditions.

Worn or damaged shoulders are a common problem in large, heavy types that have been used extensively. Chipped shoulders can cause the type to sit unevenly in the forme, creating uneven impressions. Printers inspecting used metal type check for shoulder damage as part of standard maintenance.