Uneven form

One of the first things I had to learn at college 35 years ago was to hand compose a page of type to be printed in letterpress.

In my left hand I held a composing frame into which I stacked these tiny letters upside down and back to front. In this way you learn very quickly about 'kerning' (the space between letters) and 'leading' (the lead strips slipped in between lines of type). I wonder in this digital age wether designers even use these terms any more.