Longtime readers will recall that in 2010, thanks to the good graces of my friend Joan, I came into possession of the tiny letterpress that was formerly the heart of the Prince County Hospital print shop.

In addition to the Adana Eight Five press itself, there were various bits and bobs of letterpress type, spaces, and ornaments, much of it stored, as befits its former home, in medical specimen jars.

One of the items I purchased on my visit last month to the Museum of Printing in Massachusetts was a small font of sans serif type; at the time I assumed it was 12 point, but, taking it out for a ride this morning I realized it was 10 point. And that it didn’t include anything other than em spaces for spacing material.

I had an inkling that, somewhere buried in the boxes of letterpress ephemera that I’ve accumulated over the last decade was so 10 point spacing; I was right: in a pink Starplex specimen jar on the back of my lowest shelf I found exactly what I needed.

Thank you, Joan. And thank you Prince County Hospital print shop.