Once upon a time (before the Internet) the process of mechanizing setting type for newspapers and books revolutionized printing production. Named for casting an entire “line o’ type” at once, the hulking beast of a machine that did this was the Linotype and was once called the “Eighth Wonder of the World” by Thomas Edison. By the 1970s photo typesetting technology made the machine obsolete and they now sit in scrapping graveyards or have been melted down like dinosaur fossil fuels. The CAC will host a screening of the feature-length documentary about this once-crucial contraption Thursday evening. Linotype: The Film focuses on not just the history of the machine, but also tells the story of the few remaining skilled operators who want to save the technology from being lost forever. Free for AIGA and CAC members; $5 for non-members. 6:30 p.m. Thursday Aug. 23. Contemporary Arts Center. 44 E. Sixth St., Downtown.
