林茂國1928年2月15日生，籍貫台灣省台中市。國小畢業因家境無法繼續升學，後隨即蒙級任平野老師推薦進入日人經營之「吉村印刷廠台中支店」當檢字學徒，幸獲廠長張乞先生賞識，破例提拔兩年內升為技工（依規定學徒應修畢3年4個月才能升為技工）。1943年，張廠長調升台北本店適有好友花蓮「台灣日日新聞」有缺報名，應考順利考入該社，成為檢字技工。因水土不服，任職一年後請辭回台中。1944年，經張廠長安排到「台北吉村印刷廠本店」任檢字技工。1945年，台灣光復，吉村廠被台灣省政府長官公署秘書處接收，改為「秘書處印刷廠」（現在之台灣省政府印刷廠），林茂國先生調任為校對員兼廠長助理，並銜命負責整理接收總督府印刷廠。
後來林茂國先生整理的同時，也思考如何讓「文選」，即檢字的工作更有效率，將鉛字重新調換適當的位置，再以毛筆書寫於字盤上。林茂國先生即為日星鑄字行第二代負責人張介冠之三舅父，後來日星鑄字行開業，便研發出日星現在使用的字架表。
關於這個字架表有人稱為台中架，因為林茂國先生為台中人，許多文章稱其所規劃的字架為台中架，但日星鑄字行張介冠先生覺得其實並不妥當，因為台中其他鑄字行的字架較多是承襲自日據時代的日本字架約略更動，但林茂國先生的字架是另外設計一套新式字盤，因此稱林氏字架較為理想。日星一樓的字架表，有許多仍為毛筆所寫的，也是出自林先生之手，非常珍貴。
Lin Mao-Guo was born on February 15th of 1928 in Taichung city. Due to his poverty family and he was unable to continue his education then he was be recommended by Mr. HIRANO to enter the YOSHIMURA Printing Factory- Taichung Branch as an apprentice. Fortunately, he was promoting as a technician by the plant manager, Mr. Chang Qi within two years. (According to the regulations, apprentices must complete three years and 4 months of course before they got promoted as technicians). In 1943, the plant manager Chang was promoted to Taipei branch and his friend who works in “ Taiwan Ri-Ri News” has a job available then Lin passed the examination and entered this news agency as indexing technicians, after one year he has resign and return to Taichung because of he has non-acclimatization. In 1944, plant manager Chang arranged for Lin to work as indexing technicians at YOSHIMURA Printing Factory- Taipei headquarters. In 1945, after the recession of Taiwan, YOSHIMURA Printing Factory was taken over by the secretariat of the prefecture in Taiwan provincial government and changed to “Secretariat Printing Factory” also as known as Taiwan Provincial Government Printing Factory. Now. Mr. Lin Mao-Guo was transferred to a proofreader and assistant to the plant manager, also he took the responsibility for sorting the data and taking over the printing factory of the Government-General Taiwan.
Later, when Mr. Lin Mao-Guo sorted the data meanwhile he was also thought about how to make the “インデックス”, which is the indexing process, more efficient. He has restored the lead by materiality level then write the typeset case with a brush. Mr. Lin Mao-Guo was the third uncle of Chang Chieh-Kuan, the second-generation owner of Ri-Xing type foundry, when Ri-Xing has started business then Lin developed a typeset shelf list for it that is still used.
Some people refer to this typeset shelf as Taichung typeset shelf because Mr. Lin Mao-Guo was born in Taichung. Many articles claim this kind of typeset shelf as Taichung typeset shelf due to it was planned by Lin. However, the owner of Ri-Xing type foundry, Mr. Chang Chieh-Kuan think that is not appropriate, because, mostly other type foundry’s typeset shelf was slightly modified from the Japanese typeset shelf and Mr. Lin was developed a new typeset case, hence, it is more suitable to called it Lin’s typeset shelf. The typeset shelf list which located on the first floor of Ri-Xing type foundry still has many characters was written by brushes and they all very precious.
