Mineral Point tribune. [volume] (Mineral Point, Wis.) 1854-1858, 1857-06-23
How a Newspaper is mads,

How Newspaper is maas,
There is a vast deal of labor on news
paper. Every liae is first conceived and
put down IN writing, letter by letter. |,
goes to the editor-for the editor, be II
known, Is not the writer of any consider
able portion OF newspaper matter publish
! ed-qnq IS read word by word, with such
amendment IN manner and form as his
wisdom may suggest, and as may best
preserve consistency in the publication
! aver which he presides. 1t then goes 10
the hands OF the compositor, who type by
! type, puts into the metal substance from
| which impressions may be taken. In this
shape 1t falls into the har1s of the proof
/ reader, who reading alou i, compares it
/ word for word with the original copy.
! scrutinizlng each line and marking the
errors for correction. Then it goes into
the hands of the corrector, who, to be
sure that his work is perfectly done, takes
another impression, called revise, ;"
which Is compared with the proof" TO
see that all the errors marked have been
/ faithfully corrected. This done, the I'M
poser Of forms, or foreman, receives it,
and lifting from thirty to forty lines at a
time, disposes of it, according 10 his char
&cter and purpose, IN the several long
columes as il snbsequentlyappears in print
| When carefully arranged and adjusted
III solpnns, great skill and the closest
care all the time being required not 10
dlSarrange or transpose Gny Of the Sev-
eral parts scattered all around him, each
page is SO tightly compressed together by
wedges or screws, that it becomes IA com
pact mass, and'sQ firmly uuited as to be
safely removed to and from the press,
without any other support than the pres
sure applied to the foot and sides Of the
pages.
To do this, of course, eaeat care has
been observed by the compositor to make
each line of the whole of exactly the
same length, SO that it may receive its
share of the pressure necessary to hold it
| together. . Locked" in form thus, the
surface is to be made perfectly smooth
and to effect this there is passed over the
face Of the type square block of wood
Of smooth surface, which, being struck
a blow of mQderale force, seuIes any pro-
jecting type TO its place.
All this accomplished-much of which
probably was never thought of by one in
ten qf our readers, but which is so a mat
ter OF course as TO seem very common
place TO the priuter-the metal matter OF
the newspaper goes to the care Of the
pressman, frequently some distance re-
moved from the composing room. Here
it is carefully adjusted on the press or
machine OF which it is TO be printed, the
pressman hayng PreFioHsT / dipped the
paper which he purposes 20 print, quire
by q4re, into tub of water opening each
quire on removing it from the tub, placing
anQlher, wet iii the same way, evenly on
top of it, and so on until the requisite
amount has passed through his hands,
After laying IN this condition from twelve
to twenty hours, in which time the water
has pretty efteclually found It's way thro'
/ the heap, the whole is taken apart smooth
ed out and turned, some ten or twelve
sheets being handled at a time, the heap
then being put in a standing press, or un-
der heavy weights, i'll order TO ensure an
even moisture throughout the whole
! Left is this situation ten or twelve hours
/ 1t is IN flt condluon to print. Then there
! IS the linking rollers, which have tQ be
moulded TO suit the temperature OF the
weather; being composition Of glue
and moiasses, Z few degrees colder or
warmer hardening Or softening them 50
much as to render them unfit for Use
They are also required to be kept scrup-
ulouSly clean, an operation requiring CON
siderable abor. There are many minor
matters in the editorial, composing, proof
reading and printing department, not here
enumerated, which are nevertheless es-
/ sential to the printing of every weekly or
daily newspaper and, after all these, the
newspaper is but printed. 1t is to be
folded, packed and published. In the
printing, each sheet passes thrnqgh two
sets of hands. 4 Third bears them to the
folding room, where each sheet is sepa-
rately folded, separately enveloped and
separately directed, tied in bundles and
given to carriers and the mails. Is it a
wonder, remembering the many hands
engaged in making newspaper, that
+ there is an occasional errorz Varied and
multifarious as are the labors requisite to
make newspaper, they are not more so
than are the tastes of TIE different read
ers for whom they are intended.