Movable type means that each letter of the alphabet is cast in an individual piece of metal which can be moved and reused. The first printing press known as a Common Press arrived in Massachusetts Bay Colony in 1638.

The Press Was Not Universally Well Received.

In the 1670s William Berkeley, then Governor of Virginia, wrote something astonishing:

I thank God, there are no free schools nor printing (in Virginia); for learning has brought disobedience, and heresy....and printing has divulged them, and libels against the best government. God keep us from both.

Not until 1730 did a Virginia governor let a printer set up shop in Willaimsburg.

The colonial printers type was made up of large numbers of single metal letters of the alphabet which could be put together to form words, sentences and paragraphs. These were then combined into pages.

Type was kept in a specially made shallow tray called a case which was divided into many sections. Each letter had its own section. The upper sections contained all the capital letters and the smaller letters were in the lower sections. Today capital letters are referred to as upper case, while lower case letters are called lower case because of their location in the case. Individual letters were called sorts by printers. When they ran out of letters, they became angry and were said to be "out of sorts."

A Type Case draw filled with metal type used to make up words in a book or pamphlet.

Once the type was separated it was the job of the compositor to put the letters into sentences which were then united to make a page. He used a composing stick to place the letters chosen. The letters had to be placed in the stick upside down and backwards. Once this was done, the letters were placed in a metal pan called a galley. A galley proof was used to make any mistakes.

After corrections were made, the set type was placed in a metal frame or chase and locked into place. The pages locked into the chase were called forms and were placed into the coffin. Using two leather balls, the printer then inked the type.

A sheet of paper was then placed on the tympan and the frisket was folded over it to hold the paper in place. The frisket and tympan were again folded over and the paper now rested on the inked form in the coffin. Using the rounce handle, the coffin was slid under the platen.

The printer would then pull the handle called the dragon's tail or devil's tail. This lowered the platen and pressed the paper onto the inked form. After this was done the coffin would be slid out and the paper removed.

Once the paper was removed it was draped over clothes lines set up around the shop and left to dry. The lines were called flys and the printed papers became known as flyers.