The first decades following the introduction of movable type in Europe faced printers with problems in translating manuscripts into textual representation.
As materials developed and texts got more complex printers needed to develop better ways to represent information.
This led to the column-based layout, and in essence, the first grid. The grid has developed to be the most basic canvas on which designers worked and conducted their practice.
In the subject of setting body type the baseline-grid is the core structure that text should conform to. The vertical setting is one of the most prominent element of the grid, and is transferable (to some extent) to screens.
As the industry developed there was a need to standardize the setting of type. The work of the typesetter is well documented and offers a useful set of rules.