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from the manual for TJ-2, "thought to be the first page layout program" (1961). sort of a weird combination of a plaintext markup language and an interactive text editor?
dpbsmith.com/tj2.html

just trying to close yesterday's tabs, don't mind me

the question that I'm trying to answer here is what is the earliest formal system for describing page layout? (the presence of line breaks & tabs in baudot variants and fieldata counts! but the system I'm thinking of may or may not have been digital—like if I was preparing a manuscript or talking to other typesetters in the late 1800s & I wanted to unambiguously describe a page layout [font size, columns, etc.], how would I do so?)

(conventionalized copyediting symbols also seem related...)

@aparrish Great question... I know that up to that time, there was no real division of labor (or concept of "Designer"). The printer did the layout and usually based it on very traditional designs. Also keep in mind, a print shop might only have 5 or 6 typefaces, so an editor could just leaf through some specimens and old output and say "like this, but with different paper, margins, etc." It was very conservative until the introduction of typewriters and Linotype/Monotype automation.

Allison Parrish

@confusedcharlot @KnowPresent I hadn't already seen this and it was exactly what I was looking for. thank you!