The Abbeville press and banner. [volume] (Abbeville, S.C.) 1869-1924, 1889-01-02
THE FRESS ASSOCIATION.
Captain Dawson Discusses plate
Natter and Patent Oufsides"...
are Given in Full.

The President, or the Executive Committee,
of the South Carolina Press Association had
appointed last Thursday for 4 meeting of the
brethren in Columbia, and Capt +. w. Daw-
son had been invited to make - speech on that
occasion. OF course no meeting OF the Press
| Association could be had in December, the
busiest time in the year, and as there was no
meeting Of the Press Association. Captain
Dawson printed in the Nc,rS and Courier on
Christmas day the address which he intended
to deliver The address abOundS in instruc-
tive quotations from distinguished persons,
and is full OF pleasant reading in reference TO
the making OF newspapers. Captain Dawson
got along swimminSly all the way from be-
ginning 10 ending except In one or two in
stances when he touched on the practical bus
mess OF publishing newspapers.
The address has in il much TO commend it.
self to the public and to interest the brethren,
hut when lie seeks to cast reflections on the
business tact of majority Of the brethren of
the Press Association 10 whom he intended TO
speak, we are inclined TO think that he has
forgotten something. Here Is what he SAYS of
patent outsides" and "plate NATTER"
1t fought not TO pass unmcn:ioned that many coun-
ty newspapers now use 'pacnt OutSideS or ''Ilate
matter" For the Information of the newspaper read
crs IL IS explained that newspaper which buys the
outside pages. ready printed from publishing house.
and, when Ii receives them fills the inside pages with
its own leading articles and local and general news
and its advertisements, is said to be patent out
side" ""latc matter" consists of stcrcotypcd strips
of news and general matter, ready for The pat
cnt outsidcS and the plate matter" are printed in
enormous quantity and at very low cost hrcasc tie
type which. By Stcrcoiypin-, Ic used hundreds O;
times is set up only once.
The cost of the patent uutsidcs IS not accessible
ut the moment tut page nf "plstc matter of the
size of page of the New York Herald can he bought
for 81 90 while to set up that page by printer at the
price paid in Charleston, will cost over $l5 or more
than twelve times rs much.
The disadvantages are that the publisher who uses
either the patent ousides or the plate matter is
4 oil. 4 i.
self the space he sn"ud require for original articles
and for news nf his own selection.
The advantage is in chcancss. and in the ability of
struggling newspaper publisher TO give his readers
in that manner. more news information of some
sort than he could afford TO pay for Il, the ordinary
rates of composition.
1t is not hopeful si:n fur newspaper makers or
newspaper readers, when the ''patcnt outside" or
plate matter is in regular Their is evidence in
ii Of want OF appreciation on the part If the public
or nf want of means and knowledge the part of the
publisher Inadequate income is generally the under
lying cause n" educated newspaper man prefers the
machine made newspaper which, 10 the extent Of its
stcrrotypcd and invariably stale Intelligence, Is with
out force and individuality.
The reading public cure the difficulty, and nm
doubtcdly the best county newspapers those which
made up and printed entirely 10y the prOp:ictUrs
and their associates.
While we presume the "platematter"- COM
mcnt is intended more for the instruction Of
the public as to the relative value Of his own
paper ana tnOSc papers which are 1SSuCu DN
his competitors, we are unable To account for
his errors as to "patent OulsideS." We do not
know OF Il single instance where city news
paper which makes up and publishes q week
IL paper from the stale and dead matter of the
daily paper, which has not in one way or an
other attempted 10 bring the "patent outside
papers into ridiculc. Haven't some news
papers allowed themselves to be so far
controlled by this prejudice against the adop-
ton of new and improved methods as to scri
ollSly injure their business?
Sprakin" of the Press and Banner. We be-
| licvc il was the second newspaper In South
Carolina TO adopt the system. AT that time
we were using long primer and BREWER type
The old type WAS laid away, and nonparcil
| has been used since then. One column Oi
nonparcil holds twice the amount Of matter
| that is contained in q column of long primer
| Hy this method we were enabled TO print as
! imuch matter on one side OF the paper as we
formerly printed on both sides.
! The patent outside" was ably edited. It's
miscellaneous columns were highly apprcci
;,lcd 10y the people. Asa result, the snbScrip-
l!On list o. paying subscribers is more than
| Asa matter of fact, printers can set more
small type than they can of large type, and
another TACT may as well be stated, viz: that
| no man under the sun can print as good Il pa
per in large type us he can on small type
The man who uses large type Is thereby pre-
vented from printing many long articles oI
great value, which would give tone and char
acter TO the paper.
| Let two men OF equal energy and business
qualification publish newspapers in Il village.
| If one publishes AN :lll-at-homc print paper.
and the other adopts the more progressive
plan Of using q patent outside the pat
cnt outside IMAM will outStrip his ncighbor cv
| cry time. We believe there is not an eXcep-
tion TO this rule. No all-at-homc printed pa
per can successfully compete with Il patent
outside" publisher, where the ability and bus
mess capacity of the two arc any way near
equal.
The following paragraphs have much to
commend them To the thoughtful conSidcra-
tion OF newspaper men:
1t has been the cndeayor TO explain the natural and
necessary relations of newspaper readers and newspa
per makers, where bvtn to stand on the same
plane and be both receivers Of benefits, and .vers
The relations Of newspaper men to each other have