Lodge, Euphues, 1634 (A1r)

John Smethwicke's printer's device features a bird known as a smew holding a scroll reading "wick" in its beak: smew + wick = Smethwick.

Marmion, Antiquary, 1641 (H4r)

Blank areas on a page are usually filled with type or spaces that won't print---without those extra pieces, the platen of the press will tilt unevenly as it's pushing down on the forme. On this copy, the quads used to fill the blank areas were accidentally inked and printed.

Marston, Antonio and Mellida, 1603 (A1r)

Thomas Fisher's printer's device, shown on this playbook title page, puns on his name by featuring a kingfisher bird.

Moxon, Mechanick exercises, 1683 (F4v)

In the empty space at the end of a section in his book on printing, Moxon places an advertisement for volume one of Mechanick Exercises. He describes the book in terms of the number of sheets and illustrations that make it up, and that the price is given for it as gathered but not bound.

Moxon, Mechanick exercises, 1683 (pl. 1)

This illustration shows the standard layout of a pair of 17th-century type cases. Individual sorts (or categories of type) would go in the appropriately labeled boxes; although it's hard to tell from this picture, there are actually two cases shown, an upper case and a lower case.

Moxon, Mechanick exercises, 1683 (pl. 24)

This entire page is made by engraving lines into a copper plate. When the engraver noticed that a letter had accidentally been dropped from "Emptying" in the caption, he used a caret to insert the "p" in its proper place.

Moxon, Mechanick exercises, 1683 (S4v)

On what would otherwise be a blank page, this advertisement is for similar how-to books.

Psalterium, 1499 (c1r)

The text of this Latin book of psalms is surrounded by German commentary, printed in a smaller type on the right column and wrapping under the main text at the bottom of the page. Although it's hard to see on this copy (which shows signs of wear and foxing, or discoloration), both categories of text have been carefully printed in red ink as well as black.

Psalterium, 1499 (o7r)

On the last page of this volume appears the colophon and Erhard Ratdolt's printer's device, here printed in red and black ink.

Psalterium, 1499 (π1r)

This title label uses red ink to call attention to itself, with the second part of the title in a smaller face.