How did justification make lines of printed type the same length?

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Morison, Stanley: Times New Roman sample — typography Stanley Morison designed the typeface called Times New Roman.

In the context of typography and printing, justification is the process of ensuring that every line of text reaches a uniform, predetermined length.12

When composing type by hand, a typographer uses a tool called a composing stick, which is set to the specific width required for the column of text. After placing the necessary type characters for a line into the stick, the typographer achieves justification by inserting small, nonprinting pieces of metal—often referred to as spaces—between the words. By adjusting these blank pieces of lead, the typographer expands or contracts the spacing until the line reaches the exact length set by the composing stick, ensuring that all lines in the final printed block are of equal length.12