Saturday press. [volume] (Honolulu, H.I.) 1880-1885, 1882-12-23

was written upon paper, which was then laid
face downward upon a smooth block OF hard
wood, TO the surface Of which the ink was trans.
ierred. All Of the wood, except the mixed
| lines, was then cut away with a sharp instru.
ment, leaving the letters or characters In relief
Each plate thus made formed a page, and
| the printing was done by FIRST hiking the char
acters and then pressing a sheet Of paper upon
| them, either with the hand or soft brush.
thus giving the impression. Block printing,
after the Chinese method, was practiced in
Italy, Spain and Sicily for designs on fabrics
OF silk and cotton, which were printed in ink,
as early as the last years Of the twelfth century
The next obvious advance was the engrav.
ing OF pictures upon wooden blocks and II is
generally agreed that the art was invented
toward the end OF the thirteenth century by a
member OF the family OF Cunioords Of Imola
in Italy
Movable type, such as are now used in prin
Jung, were European invention; and practically
the art of printing waited for the development
OF the manufacture OF paper, which was not a
staple Of commerce before the close of the
fourteenth century. And again we find the
Chinese in the advance here, for they were the
first to form from vegetable fiber the web which
constitutes modern paper. They used The
bark OF several trees, especially the mulberry,
the bamboo, reduced to pulp by beating; the
straw OF nee and other grain, silk cotton and
rags of different kinds.
II Is still question undecided as TO the
person who invented, the place and the time of
the invention, ofmovable type and the bringing
OF them into practical use. The honor rests
between the Dutch, who claim the honor for
LaurenceNoster, Of Harlem, who died in Iaao.
and the Germans, who claim it for Johann
Gutenberg, of Mentze, who died in ta6S;
Johann ,T a >
i4o6; and his law, Peter Schofier. who
died in 1902. The Dutch place the date of
invention in 1923, and generally hold that
Coster was the real inventor, and that Cutep.
burg one OF his workmcn, stole the invention
and claimed it as his own
In 1850 Johann Gutenburg completed the
printing of the Bible in Latin, folio volume of
637 leaves, printed on velum--a find kind of
parchment made from the skin Of calves, kids
or lambs-and the work must have occupied
several years.
The arr OF printing was first practiced in
Italy in I465, in France in I46o, in England in
I474, in Spain in I47s. In 1900 their were
only about two hundred printing Offices in all
Europe scarcely more than are now found in
one of our large cities.
1t is not necessary in this aticle to speak of
the manufacture of type, ofthe art of stereotyp.
ing and other things Of recent date of value to
the printer; but few words may properly be
SAID about the power used in printing The
frst and earliest impressions were taken, as by
the Chinese, with light pressure of the hand or
brush upon very thin paper on which their
printing was done. Then impressions were
made by laying the paper on type and placing
on it planer smoother. faced block of hard
wood used for leveling the type before printing,
and striking it with the mallet, as proof slips
are now often taken. Presses, however. were
soon invented for the purpose. There are en-.
cravings which repre- sent presses as they exis.
ted as far back as 1890. They were small and
the force was applied by means of simple
screw and lever. In 1920, or 262 years ago,
Blaeuw, OF Amsterdam, produced a great i'm.
proved press upon which Benjamin franklin
worked in London in I7as, and is preserved in
the Patent Office in Washington; it is of clumsy
construction, almost entirely of wood, and is
known by the makers name as the Ramage
press Their were many of them in use as late
as 1925, and few good deal later. After
TINS IRON was used in some parts of the press,
and about the year 1900 Earl Stanhope invented
press entirely of iron, the frame cast in one
piece and the power impaired by combination
OF the toggle- Joint and lever. The Columbian
press, invented by George Clymer, OF Philade-
phia, about 1917, was the first important Amre-
Ican improvement, the power being applied by
Il compound lever, consisting of three simple
ones.
Printing presses were introduced into Anne
RIGA as follows: In Mexico in I,,6; in Lima
in 1886; in Cambridge, Mass, in 1899; in New
London, Conn, in 1909; in Charlston, S. c..
IN 1880; west of the Aeghanies, in Cincinnati,
IN 1898; west OF the Mississippi, at St. Louis,
in ISoS.-Er