Burlington weekly free press. [volume] (Burlington, Vt.) 1866-1928, 1884-12-19
CHRISTMAS CARDS.
A VISIT TO THE WORKSHOPS OF L.
PRANG & co.
The Mysteries of Chrome Card Printing
as Seen bJ Party Of Young Folks
The Essentials of "A Pop
ular Card.


Adapted FROM VIDE Awake.
"First of ALL, said the manager, in reply |
to question, "a card design must be pleas
ing to people in general; it must also possess
a certain criyinality-a palpable freshness,
or it will not attract attention to itself.
And then it must convey a sentiment of con
graduation, either for holiday, n birthday,
or some home anniversary. or course, we
rejoice if with these necessary features it is
also SO beautiful as to command the admira-
ton belonging to fine work Of art rendering
the card an object TO be treasured in
definitely by the posse,sor.
II must not forget to add" continued he,
"that the most beautiful painting, If offered
us as design, must be of such nature as
to be readily reproduced by TYPOGRAPHY"
Stepping to table, no opened large
book to a picture in rich colors. This
said he, "was reproduced by TYPOGRAPHY
from painting. 1t is tho result of thirty
printings; that is, it was run through the
press thirty times, each time receiving a new
color or shade
He turned from this gorgeous representa-
ton OF woman and child, which was
on the last leaf, to ths first leaf
This showed simple outlines Of all
the objects in the picture they had just SEEN
also outlines of each color in the picture. He
then slowly turned one leaf after another;
showing that the book was very convenient
dissection of the picture, displaying on its
left-hand pages a fresh color printed by
itself, and on its right-hand pages the same
color printed in its proper relations with all
the colors combined which had preceded it,
the original design growing with each page
more distinct AMI fuller in color and richer.
"Lthograpy means stone-writiny," said
1nta1 Ia
into another apartment photographic
printing meals printing from writings or
drawings made ON stone. Chromo-lithog-
raphy-our works. printing in colors from
drawings on stone"
He had TAKEN the visitors into the
artists long room lighted with many win
dows, looking out upon blue skies and green
trees, and cooled by rows Of automatic fans
BY each of these windows sat an artist, a
work with pen and ink upon Il zinc plate,
evidently copying the painting before him.
Pausing near one desk, the manager said,
"This artist will be busy with this Design
three or four months. 1t is to have twenty
eight printings, and he has twenty eight
plates to make. First of all, he laid a thin
sheet of gelatine, transparent glass, over
tho original, and traced upon that the out
lines of all objects and colors. This outline
drawing he transfers to each Of the twenty
eight plates. You see this plate. The por-
tions which he has worked with his pen in
line and stpple, represent all tue blue i'll tn
| design. Here is the proof taken Of it.. Her
is the plate where he worked all the yellow
in the design, and here is the proof he too
of it.
He is now working on this plate, the red
| portions of the picture These prints OF
sf,f,. 4
| colors, will DO bound up together when the
whole twenty plates are completed, ana
will be the guide as regards color, t.
the printer of the card We shall come upon
this again in the press room"
Did you not say TYPOGRAPHY was printing
from stones. These drawing are made Oh
zincp
He pointed to some slabs of smooth cream
| gray stone three or four inches thick ave
| did formerly make drawings directly on
| these stones, said he, but their weight and
| size rendered them inconvenient both to
| handle and store. We print from stone
| however, as | will show you. He led the
| way down stairs into a room full of mys
| FERROUS machinery. THE artists We're draw
ing with photographic ink he resumed
THAT is greasy ink which sheds watel
| perfectly. Now see how we transfer the
drawing from the zinc to the printing
| stone"
They saw nine prints taken in greasy ink
from the zinc drawing. These We're paste
upon sheet Of paper This sheet was laid
| print side down, upsu slab of well polished
stone This is photographic stone,' ex
planned the manager; I'VE import it from
Bavaria i'll Germany, the only quarries il
the world where this quality exists in guam
tity."
\ strong even pressure from heav,
roller was now applet to the shee
upon che stone. Then the pape
was dampencd rubbed and washed of
The lines of the nine prints of the gin
drawing remained upon the stuae slab.
This printing stone now went to the steam
pres. There they found the proof-boo
containing the double impressions of each c
the zinc drawings made for this card back
the print of the plain color on enc page, an
the print of its impression upon the othe
coors, on the page opposite.
The printer had mixed his ink to repre-
duce one of the colurs. a trial sheet wa
printed to represent this color also an in
preston upon n sheet OF the previous colo
printings. IAN colJrs used in printing,
explained the manager, are exactly tn
same that artists use in oil painting, groun
up in oil, and by choice of colols all compile
combinations OF TN original painting may
reproduced"
| He then explained that after the printin
stone was wetted, the pasty color-ink woul
stick to the lines of the photographic in
drawing, but to no other portion of the ston,
Understanding this each time sheet wer
through, the girls watched with pleasure tn
action of the self-inkinS rollers as they l.,
linked the drawing on the automa
ically wetted stone; they observe
that blank sheets were laid betwee
the printed sheets as they can
from the press to prevent offsets of inl
and in reply 10 a question it was learned tha
n printing stone might contain from one I
$50 transfers tiles, latter, tiny Scriptur
text cards, AMI baby valentines.
which are your most popular and prof
able carist' was asked at the close of IL
4 | visit.
a The manager smiled The modest care
, the cheaper kind. Some years, figures wi
4 be the rage; then again landscapes {
, flowers As Il rule, however, flower caro-
/ are the favorites But not ths gorgeous an
: stately specimens. We send ont fowt
cards in sets Inc daisies, the pansieS I'll
| dandeiions the buttercLps, are sold. The:
a are the flowers which touch the heart Thel
is connected with them some universal sent
ment. Ike conservatory beauties of the S
l. court the eye with less success. So Gotta;
l. on the hillside, its lonely smoke curling u
= ward, will uutsell the most luxurious palat
A interior
Ten years ago, the wife OF o
u London agent suggested 10 him to ord
Christmas cards from MS for England, whe
i tho custom for their use originated. III
4 | American cards at once became the rage
| me Y