The Council Bluffs nonpareil. [volume] (Council Bluffs [Iowa]) 1857-1867, 1858-01-09
GETTING UP a NEwsPAPER.

the following insight into the internal econ
omy of newspaper Office. It says:
6 There is vast deal Of labor on news
paper. Every line 10 first conceived and put
down in writing, letter By letter. It goes to
the editor---tor the editor, be it known, il
not the writer Of any considerable portion
Of newspaper matter published 10 read
word by word, with such amendment In
manner and form 81 his wisdom may sug-
gest, and a. may best preserve consistency
in the publication over which he presides.
It then goes to tho hand Of the compositor,
who, type by type, puts it into the metal
substance from which impressions may be
taken. In this shape it falls into the hands
Of the proof-reader, who with his boy read
ing aloud, compares it with tho original copy,
scrutinising each line, and marking all Or.
rors for corrections. Then it goes into the
hands of the corrector, who, to be sure that
his work is perfectly done, takes another
impression, called q "revise," which is
compared with the "proof, !" to see that all
the errors marked have been faithfully cor
rected. This done, the imposer of 6 FORMS
or foreman, receives it, and lifting from 40
to so lines at time, disposcs of it, accord
ing to its character and purpose, in the sew
eral long columns as it subsequently appears
in print. When carefully arranged and ad-
justed in columns, great skill and the closest
care all the time being required not to disar-
range or transpose any of the several parts
scattered all around him, each page is 50
tightly compressed together by wedges OF
screws that it becomes compact mass, and
so firmly united that it can be safely removed
to ard from the press, without any other
support than the pressure applied to the foot
and sides Of the pages. 10 do this, Of
course, great care has been observed by the
compositor to make each line of the whole
exactly the same length, 30 that 1t may re-
ceive its share of the pressure necessary to
hold it together. !" Locked" in a form y
thus, the surface is to be made perfectly
smooth and level, and to effect this there il
passed over the face Of the type square
block of wood with . smooth surface, and
which, being struck blow Of moderate
force, settles any projecting type to its
place. -. -.
"All this accomplished-mucho of which
probably was never thought of by one in
ten Of our readers, but which is such mat.
ter OF course as to seem very commonplace
to the printer-the metal matter Of the news.
paper goes to the care Of the pressman, fire..
quently some distance removed from the
composing-room. Here it is carefully ad.
justed on the press or machine on which i
is to be printed, the pressman having pre-
viously dipped the paper which he propose!
to print, quire by quire, into a tub of water,
opening each quire upon removing it from
the tub, placing another, wet in the same
way, evenly on the top of it, and so on, un.
til the requisite amount has passed through
his hands. After lying in this condition
from twelve to twenty hours, in which tn,
water has pretty eaectually found its way
through the heap, the whole is taken apart
smoothcd out and turned, some ten or twelv,
sheets being handled at time, the heal
then being put in standing press, or undel
heavy weights, in order to ensure an ever
moisture throughout the whole. Left in thii
situation ten or twelve hours, it is in fit con
dition to print. Then there are the linking
rollers, which have to be moulded to sui
the temperature of the weather; being com
posed Of glue and molasses, few degree,
cold or warm hardening or softening then
80 much a. to render them unfit for use
They are also required to be kept scrupu'
lously clean, an operation requiring consid.
erabls labor. There are many minor mat.
ters in the editorial, composing, proof read
ing and printing departments, not here emu
merated, which are nevertheless essential te
the printing Of every daily or weekly news.
paper; and, after all these, the newspape,
is but printed. 1t has yet to be folded
packed and published. In the printing each
sheet passes through two sets Of hands.
third bears them to the folding room, where
each sheet is separately folded, separately
enveloped, and separately directed, tied il
bundles, and given to the carriers and ths
mail. Is it . wonder, remembering tht
many hands engaged in making newspaper
that there is is an occasional errorp Variet
and multifarious as are the labors requisit.
to make newspaper, they are not NOR,
than are the tastes Of the different reader.
for whom they are intended"