The republic. [volume] (Washington [D.C.]) 1849-1853, 1851-11-13
Improvement. An Printing ln vienna.

A foreign journal gives the following description
of the imperial printing Establishment at Vienna,
from which it appears that the art Of printing and
the means Of prosecuting il, have been carried
there to high degree of perfection, and that some
important Improvements have been made there IN
photographic printing, wood-cutting, and photo
graphyi
THE IMPERIAL PRINrIxo PREss-Sonle weeks
ago we adverted to the process OF reproducing oil
pictures by u process Of photographic printing,
which has first been adopted and successfully car
ried out by the Vienuese State printing office We
have since had the pleasure of viewing some speci-
mems Of other productions in the various branches
of typography, which remove every doubt OF the
fact that signal progress has been made by the d.
rector and manager of that valuable institution to-
wards perfecting and cheapening the lower branch
CO of the art Of printing, while truly astonishing
results have been obtained, and may still be eX-
pectcd from that active artistic spirit which seems
to preside over the establishment, and which, re-
gardlcss of the expense profits OF the moment ID
bent upon conquerng new realnls in those regions
of typography which, from want OF an incentive,
have hitherto remained unexplored by private
speculation. Such. for instance, is the process OF
photographic color printing, the improvements IN
and perfection of wood cutting, the galvano- pas-
tic, the Photographic processes and the reproduc-
ton, by means OF the above are, not only OF objects
of botany, natural history, and geology, but also
OF ancient ornaments and rare and valuable manu-.
scripts. The specimens shown to US comprised
copies of manuscripts from the time ofCharlemagne
to the days of Gutenberg and printing. But what
struck us most was the extensive ana peTIeCt COL
lection of impressions from the types of almost all
tho apkabcts of the globe-even such OF the Indian
dialects as have not hitherto appeared IN type IN
any country
The perseverance, which collected all these varl-
GUS alphabets- many Of them belong TO remote and
semi bar barous nations-the improvements which
have bean made in Turkish, Persian, and Arabic
type, and which distinguish the Vienna type from
that commonly used for books in those languages,
inasmuch it approximates and u alnczt identi.
cal with those specimens OF Turkish. Persian, and
Arabic letters which the natives of those countries
consider most near to the standard OF elegance
and distnctness lastly, the grammatical
correctness of the compositions cannot fail to COM
| mand the interest and appreciation OF those who
know the difficulties which attend the editing and
| obstruct the publication of Oriental works Not
the least marvellous fact in Connexion with 30 cx-
ensive and useful institution is its recent orr
GIN for the State printing ofhce. such az we now
| find it, has only within the last ten years been
raised from the position Of common office for the
publication of blue books and returns, to the rank
ola topographic institution, produconso oil which
vie with those of the Oldest establishments in Eu-
| rope, (not even excepting the French lmprimerie
1 Royae,) and which in extent and in the variety
of the branches of art it cultvates, stands unparal
eled, and is very likely to remain so. 1t is Coun
cillor Auer the present chief of the vennese print
| ing office, TO whom the credit OF enlarging and
| improving it's sphere of action is due, and who,
within the short space of ten years. has succeeded
in converting a common establishment (for such
we understand was the office previous to bis man.
agement) into a topographic academy, training
school for printers and artists, and an asylum for
their boldest plans and conceptions. Nothing il
now required but the judicious assistance and con
tnued support of the State to connect and forever
TO link the city of Vienna with the most splendid
productions and the greatest improvements of the
art of printing in all its branches.