Paige Compositor was an invention developed by James W. Paige between 1872–1888. Designed to replace the human typesetter of a printing press with a mechanical arm, the machine was not nearly as precise as it should have been and never turned a profit because of its complexity and continual need for adjustment based upon trial and error.

The Paige typesetting machine is notable for the $300,000 ($ today) that Mark Twain

Mark Twain

Samuel Langhorne Clemens , better known by his pen name Mark Twain, was an American author and humorist...

 invested in the failed endeavor. Twain, a former printer, invested not only the bulk of his book profits but also a large portion of the inheritance of Olivia Clemens

Olivia Langdon Clemens

Olivia Langdon Clemens was the wife of the famous American author, Samuel Langhorne Clemens, better known as Mark Twain.-Early life:...

, his wife. Many point to his over-investment in the Paige typesetting machine and other inventions as the cause of not only his family's financial decline but also the decline of his wit and humor.

External links

• Page at ERIC Precursor by Paige (patent application filed 1872) Paige Compositor patent (application filed 1882)