Page "Mergenthaler Linotype Company" Paragraph 3

Another problem Mergenthaler solved was in justifying the type, giving flush margins on the left and right.

Hand compositors did this by using spaces of different widths in a line, to ensure that the lines all ended at the same point.

Mergenthaler adapted the " space band " ( patented by J. W. Schuckers ), a device consisting of two wedges of metal connected loosely.

When a line of type was being justified, all the space band wedges would be pushed up in two passes to spread the line out to the full measure being cast.

The space bands were stored for reuse in a different location from the matrices.