Changeover from Sloping to Upright Lettering on Diagrams/Technical Books, etc?

[Chris55000]

Hi!

From looking avidly at many different Technical Books, Construction Magazines and Service Manuals from the 1950s to the 1980s, it seems likely that 1960–1962 was the period when virtually every technical book and magazine publisher stopped using "sloping" lettering on diagrams – given these were available from Uno Stencils that theoretically were good for many more years after "sloping" lettering went out of fashion, can anyone suggest a reason why?

I have a book called "Tape Recorder Principles & Service Techniques", written by Peter Spring and published by Focal Press in 1966/1967 that very unusually used "sloping" style Lettering five–six years after its disappearance from magazines, but it's very much an "odd man out".

I ask only out of curiosity that's all, the same applied on the other side of the "pond" as well!

Incidentally I've never seen "sloping" lettering used on any PCB silkscreen, although theoretically it can be – quite a number of very early British made PCBs from the late 1950s/early 1960s can be found with silkscreen using Handwritten styles of lettering, not precisely uniform in size and shape!

Chris Williams

[trh01uk]

Chris,

when you say "sloping writing" the only thing that springs to mind is italics. Is that you mean? Perhaps you can post a sample of it?

Richard

[Chris55000]

Evening Richard!

The terminology I use I believe to be correct, as "italic" typefaces are NOT usually copies of the upright versions, as can be seen in "Times N.R. Upright" and Times N.R. Italic" for instance!

In typography, "italic" typefaces usually differ greatly from "upright" or "Roman" versions of a font, whereas "sloping" is used where the letterforms are very similar or identical – the "I" button or drop–down selector in most software that handles text entry only renders "true" italic if this is in the font file concerned, otherwise it renders only an angled or "sloping" version of the Upright characters.

In designing their letterforms that became standard in innumerable British Drawing Offices, Uno quite correctly titled their 1950s P.W. style Lettering as "sloping" and NOT italic, as the letterforms are virtually the same between the Uno Upright BU and Uno Sloping BS lettering sets (Uno Sloping originally had a round–topped '3' when these stencils first came out after WWII, but this was very soon changed to the flat–topped style '3' as can be seen in the mags from mid 1948 to mid 1961) – I have uploaded these elsewhere on the Forum for Members to use!

Please see here for picture samples of the lettering in question:–

https://vintage-radio.net/forum/showthread.php?t=130436

Chris Williams

[trh01uk]

Chris,

well, thank you for enlightening me on that - I wasn't aware of the difference, even though I have done a lot of magazine production, and also document scanning over the years. I checked out Practical Wireless in 1958 and then in 1965, and the difference is quite marked as you describe.

As to why the change.....I suspect you already have the answer to that, in the word "fashion". And observing womens' fashions in clothes, they appear to change because they can - and presumably in that case its driven by making loads-a-money from people who are desperate to keep up with that fashion. In clothes I presume a few very big players make the change which defines the new fashion, and the hordes then follow suit. Presumably the same happened in technical publishing in the early 60s - though I wouldn't care to guess who was pulling the strings.

Incidentally, I am mostly concerned with military technical documents - e.g. British Army radios, RAF electronics and the like. At the moment I can't find any sign that these documents used sloping letterforms on schematics in the way PW does, either in the 1950s or later. But no doubt the military was entirely separate from commercial influence at that time, and just did their own thing!

Richard

[David Simpson]

Chris, Richard, I'm trying hard to remember but failing - the name of the RAF Station which was dedicated to the management and writing of Air Publications (AP's). It was a massive place, similar to RAF Innsworth in Gloucester who kept all the personnel records. It was staffed by SNCO's, and anyone who gained such promotion dreaded an utterly booring posting there.
If you can locate someone who was posted there, they might enlighten you as to the writing & technical drawing methods used. An enquiry post on the VMARS website might help. Or an enquiry to the Signals Museum at RAF Henlow(if its still open) might also help.
I've just returned to using UNO & Rotring stencils of yesteryear, in a struggling attempt to polish up my old drawing board skills. The lettering/numbering in both types of stencils(kindly donated by Forum folk) are in upright format thank God. I'd struggle even more if they wern't.

Regards, David

[Junk Box Nick]

'Sloping' is what would more likely equate to Oblique.

Some DTP programs, to produce what they call 'italic', simply apply a routine to slant the Roman fount that is being used. You can often tell this by looking at the 'a' which under manipulation will lean over whereas in a true italic cut will have a different style usually with a large 'bowl' (or 'counter') rather than the 'two storey' style of the roman 'a'.

[Chris55000]

Afternoon Richard!

Incidentally, I am mostly concerned with military technical documents - e.g. British Army radios, RAF electronics and the like. At the moment I can't find any sign that these documents used sloping letterforms on schematics in the way PW does, either in the 1950s or later. But no doubt the military was entirely separate from commercial influence at that time, and just did their own thing!

Military circuit diagrams, as can be seen from those shown in "Signals UK" magazines, faithfully followed the style advocated by BS530:1948 almost exactly, part of which was reproduced with B.S.I. permission in the "Post Office Technical Drawing Standards for Electronics Diagrams" in a dark brown loose–leaf binder.

The actual lettering used was "Uno Stencil Condensed Upright BC", there is a similar, but slightly wider style called "Uno Stencil BS3693", this is the lettering you'll see on signal-posts, lineside signs, etc., if you have a run out on the trains these days!

Military documents occasionally used the standard "Uno Stencil Upright BU" for important notes and titles but it was not commonly used as much as in civilian practice, and as you quite correctly remark, the "sloping" lettering was virtually never used!

These lettering fonts were digitised by a chap called Chris Flippard who very graciously gave me his permission to share the fonts, so you don't have to struggle with illegible, furry or badly faded lettering on old military drawings trying to restore them – get them from my post "Vintage British Drawing Lettering Now Available" elsewhere on this Forum, and you can re–type drawing lettering afresh in the exact original style!

Chris Williams

[trh01uk]

Chris,

well I did a search using "Vintage British Drawing Lettering Now Available" and it didn't turn up anything other than this thread. I would like those fonts if possible, but you will need to find the post and provide a link to it, please.

Richard

[ThePillenwerfer]

See: https://www.vintage-radio.net/forum/....php?t=165096&

[Chris55000]

Hi!

I have now produced a revised version of the "Uno Stencil Upright BU" lettering with a small "tail" at the top of the figure "1", like as was used on diagrams in Short Wave Magazine and RSGB published in the early to mid 1960s, where the figure "1" and the capital "I" are more clearly distinguishable, and I'll upload it later!

Chris Williams

[Chris55000]

Hi!

Attached is my RSGB & SWM Magazine-style Uno Upright Stencil Font for Members who prefer a clearer distinction between the Figure "1" and the capital "I".

The original notes on the use of these Fonts provided by Chris Flippard with the Original Files I posted apply to this one - I will be adding future versions with Greek & Cyrillic Characters when I can afford the Full Version of "Font Creator" at a future date!

Chris Williams