A chase is a heavy steel frame used to hold type in a

letterpress Letterpress printing is a technique of relief printing. Using a printing press, the process allows many copies to be produced by repeated direct impression of an inked, raised surface against sheets or a continuous roll of paper. A worker co ...

. Most of the space in the chase not occupied with type is filled with blocks of wood called

furniture Furniture refers to movable objects intended to support various human activities such as seating (e.g., stools, chairs, and sofas), eating ( tables), storing items, eating and/or working with an item, and sleeping (e.g., beds and hammocks) ...

. The type and furniture are locked in place by

quoin Quoins ( or ) are masonry blocks at the corner of a wall. Some are structural, providing strength for a wall made with inferior stone or rubble, while others merely add aesthetic detail to a corner. According to one 19th century encyclopedia ...

s. When a chase is locked up with type, furniture, and quoins, it is called a

forme Forme may refer to the following: * Forme (printing), a chase with type locked up ready for printing * Forme, Škofja Loka, a settlement in Slovenia * Forme Tour, a professional golf tour See also * FORM (disambiguation) * Form (disambiguation) ...

References

Letterpress printing Relief printing {{Typ-stub