New-York daily tribune., 1845-04-24
Ana,tatic Printing.


s--1rE.----------
Anastatic Printing.
a new process of printing and reproducing
evetv DESCRIPTION of Letter Press and Ensrav-
;.rs has been discovered in England, which appears
go nearly miraculous as TO make 1t an act oi cfs-
dulty almost, to believe the account OF 1t true
6u, Il rests ON undcubted authority and we cannot
ouesiion II. twill certainly effect great changes
in some branches OF the printing business the pup
fishing OF books particularly, and VIII pIooaoiy
abolish entirely the business Of stereofypng ana 'he
arr cf Wood Engraving. What will De the mora
results cannot be estimated. Books can be maitpi-
Al ;ndeoeIy and the most rare and seautiiuiPrihl-
I'd wo,ks eorrayings and drawings are reproduced
a. cost Of but little more than the material. lhe
sn,ioaarian treasures Of old books will lose all
their yalue by being made common. But we Will
no. indulge in reflections on the subject we WIN
;ve our readers few extractsfr from English papers
lately received.
The London Literary Gazette contains the fol-
lowing remarks on Anastaiic Printing:
s.ASAsrArrc PaISTiNe.-T This very Ingenious me-
thod Of reproducing printed copies Oh ieief-tess,
or rline-eograyings, wood cuts Autographs &S; was
oblg,n7ly explained and exhibited 10 us at MI; ).
Woods. Baree- Yard Chambers, Bucklersbnry Ihe
process Is remarkably simple, and the produce per-
feet. In an exceedingly short time iac-sinlue y.
any printed page portrait picture or .aa
be procured and then impressions taken at tne late
possibIy of four or FIVE thousand an hour, ana wsn
ty thousand or more without aeterloration Inc
ooeration and singular II is, IS TO transfer ihe
ifnpresson offype or any PRINT TO the surIace oi
polished Plate OF zinc; and men 70 oiins o9 I'm An
sIighf relief to receive the ink and so to work frrm
IL a. from the stone Oft the lithographlc press we
saw an engraving with ietter-press so transferred
and reproduced The original was placed, iacs
down, on bbnlous paper, to imoioe any Excess M ~ "a
nnsture and The back OF II sponged over win di'
!ute nitric acid In few minutes the paper was
saturated, and the engraving and printing loosenea'
NJ were from It's base, freshened that posi-
bly il might be smudged but, at all events, u may
be and was, un,,1r considerable mecnaicai pre-.
line and touch. Not at first distinctly visible, out
ssonged with gum water, they u e. the engraving
and printed matter at the foot OF ~ soon apPeareo,
and in relief sufficient to take the INK ao 10 s.ye
process Of an invention, the effects OF which VIII
materially bear on the arts and artists. Anastauc
printing will obyiats the necessity OF sereolypng,
unless casting type is cheaper method, whsch we
should much doubt, OF producing successive eol'
tions than that Of the new mode. 1t will also ena-
bic prnters to work with smaller stock OF Type, 70
distribute sooner keeping proofs only for any further
or extra demand. Wood-engravinss, perhaps, VIII
be most injured by Anasatic printing: tor by It the
artists original drawing may be at once, without
nny carved block, transfenedto to the pages OF work
The result, however, in all its bearings, seems TO
tend 10 cheap production, and to a wider extension
Of literature and art old works too may be re-
published at little cost and nearly faded prints De
renewed and perpetuated. Fears are entertained
that forgeries and plracies will become mere easy,
and therefore that they viii increase but now
water.ularka Ia paper and copyright are the enlei
securities and these the new ana wohoei1 ~, :,
yenlon termed Anastatic Printing will not AFFECT.
This February number of the London Art-Gnion
...l - oft THE rrnde of re.
producing, which are thus noticed:
8 The drawing and prints which accompany this
notice, with the Letter Press form together an
example of this method Of printing The Letter.
Press was first set in type by the ordinary printer OF
the Union, leaving space for the drawn or en-
graged Illustrations which have been SCI IN lneif
pespectiye places on proof Of the LeterPress; the
whole was cast ttransferred p on 10 zinc plate,
and so printed of and it may be here observed
thai there is no limit the thousands of copies which
may Be drawn, nor the slightest diminution OF ex-
ceeuce in successive impressions, since new piates
ad infaitusa may be prepared from the copies now
yielded"
aTheinventien is equally successfulin application
10 the car!ies, Prntng-we have seen several tians
fers frem books century old.
The principal merit claimed by the proprietors
osfhis patcnt is, in the frst place, their method Of
repeating in low relief tsonething like hthosra;
phic printing surfacel tine tTacery OF an engraved
from such block or plate, in such manner as I'M
ediateiyto Weld impressions which are NOT IN any
10 be distinguished from those drawn from the orig.
nal engraved surface. This is effected by means OF
acids diluted oistrepgth which act
moon those parts Of the plates remaining nnpreieci-
efa be the ink, and so leave the printing surface
yery slightly ia relief. Another chief merit OF the
inysntiGu ia the successful provision against the
s,frading Of the ink under any degree OF pressure,
whereby the finest lines and sharpest edges are re-
peated with singular precision. Another extraordi-
ary result OF the invention is the restoration OF the
ancient OF injured engrayngs or etchings-that Is,
If an engraving has been injured be u under
stood a. regards the paper, but faded through care
lessIness. or defaceo by accident--such engraving
can De perfectly restored by having every line and
touch refreshed with new INK, SO as 10 give the
work. with all Its details, as 1t fresh from the wood
Is describe briefly the preparation of plate or
cylinder let US suppose newspaper about to be re-
pytnted by this means The sheet ls hrst molsten-
ed with diluted acid, and placed between sheets OF
botdng paper 10 order hat The sarpsrIooas mos mos
wk,ch i pressed GU. from the blank space only and
e.ches them away. ia all cases where the Letter
Press Il OF recent date, or not perhaps older than
bali aveas, few minutes sutflce Tor THIS purpose.
Tbs paper IS then carefully placed upon the plate,
with which the LeiterPress 10 be transferred IS IN
imtnAdlatc contact, and the whole passed under a
press on rsmosel from which, and on carefully DIS
engaging the paper the letters are tound to reverse on
the Plate, which is then rubbed with preparation
OF gum alter which the letters receive an addiuon
of iak. which is immediately incorporated with
thar 5y which they are already formed. These
operations are effected in few minutes. The sun
fceo the plate round the letters is bitten IN very
slight degree BY the acid and application OF the
ink i, is rejected by the zinc, and received only by
the letters, whicha are charged with ink by the COM
mon roller escd in manipulating, Each letter
casne ffoin the press as If ii had been imprinted by
typt-metal /; and the copies are fac-slmcs which
cannot be distinguished from the original sheet.
Thus far il may be necessary 10 describe the nyo-
ccss thar il may be understood by those OF our rea-
Gers who ore not conyersant with litbographie mani
lar, in The method Of preparing The stone and The