Wichita eagle., 1888-01-01
PRINTED PAGES REPRODUCED
BY the "vVasfout'' Gelatine Process
Utilizing the SUMS RAYS.

Utilizing the Suns Rays.
The English edition of an encyclopaedia
is being reproduced entire, in exact fac
smile, without line Of type being set.
The process by which it is being done, like
many inventions of the kind, is extremely
simple, and yet requires such dehcacy in
handling that it has taken years of careful
experimenting to bring it to its present
state of perfection. The 90, 900 pages ard
the thousands OF illustrations making up
the encyclopaedia are being reproduced BY
just this mixture-plain, common CELIA
tine. such as you use at home in your
cooking. Nothing more, except a few
chemicals, ordinary brushes that can be
bought anywhere for a quarter, and
nothing less.
The idea of the ''washout' gelatine pro-
cess is not new one 1t certainly dates
back dozen years But il was in 1884
that the patent under which the encyclo-
paedia is being reproduced was first OBJ
tanned. But then it was not practical. In
two or three years several different own
ers Of the patent found it an elephant on
their hands, and because they could not
work it practically-in other words, ''to
make money out of it''-failed. Finally
year ago it began to assume a more
practical shape, and the company then
working it took the contract from firm
of New York publishers to reproduce the
encyclopedia. Like many new things the
process was Cranky" and refused to
work practically and steadily enough to
produce the result aimed at. The thing
dragged along, until finally last April the
company made an assignment, and its
plant and patent were bought by former
member of The Boston Globes staff. He
saw what simple changes were needed
to make the process a success, and now
plates for the new popular reprint of the
encyclopaedia are being turned out com
plete and ready for the press al the rate of
500 week, while it seems that in the
near future there viii be practically no
limit TO the number of books that may be
reproduced without setting line of type.
1t is the simplest thing in the world
that is, to explain on paper Gelaline,
when prepared by this secret process, has
the property of becoming almost as hard
as metal when exposed TO the sunlight,
and remaining soft and soluble when kept
in the dark. When in liquid state it is
run out into thin sheets about type
high"
There is no international copyright. A
copy of the English edition of the ency-
clopfedia is cut up and carried TO the pho
tographers' room in this engraving eStab-
hshment. The pages are put in front of
large cameras aud photographed. The
result is a black and white negative
densely black and absolutely translucent,
making a fac simile Of the type pages.
In the negative the black part OF the page
that is, the type matter--iS translucent,
and the white part of the page-that is,
the paper-is densely black.
These negatives are next placed in
frames over the sheets of gelatine and eX-
posed 10 the sunlight " here the sun
shines through the negative the gelatine
becomes almost as hard as metal where
the black portion Of the negative
protects the gelatine it remains soft
and soluble. The eelatine sheet
thus printed. is taken into Il
dark room and washed with brush and
ordinary water. The soluble portion dis
appears, leaving the hardened part-that
is, the type3tandmg up in bold relief.
II is practically exactly like a page of
type set up and ready for the press. The
gelatine plate is then eiectrotyped and
from these electrotypeS the book printed,
The illustrations are made in the same
wsy. A dot or line so tine that it can
be seen only with the aid of microscope
''comes OUT in The negative. and the
minute ray of the sun that shines through
that infinitesmal aperture hardens its in
fnitesmal molecule of gelatine.
English and other uncopyrighted works
are now being reproduced by American
publishers cheaper than they can be set III
type, and without the trouble and delay
of looking over proof sheets, etc AS
leather goes into one end of a machine
and comes ont a finished shoe at the other.
SO English books go into this machine one
day, and the next Gay plates come ont
complete frem which American editions
may be printed. Cuts are clipped from
foreign hooks and periodicals, go through
this process, and in q few days adorn our
American books.-New York Letter.