The Dickinson press. (Dickinson, Stark County, D.T. [i.e. N.D.]) 1883-1927, 1890-03-08

" press. Ihe latter consists of q slid
ing table several feet square, on which
are two raised blocks just the size of a
sheet of music. on which are placed the
plates from which the printing is done.
The plates having been linked and the
paper laid on them. the printer gives a
turn to an immense wheel, 81 feet in
diameter, the sliding table slides under a
large roller covered with belt, and the
paper is forced against the plate, thus
giving the impression; and another revo-
luton of the wheel brings the apparatus
back to its original position. The .splank"
press is like the other, except that in
using it the plates are linked on a bench
and laid on the blocks every time an i'm
preston is taken, while with the "D'
press the plates are not removed from
the blocks until the edition is run off.
SHOW, here is a man printing title
pages" said the foreman. eve print
only one sheet at time, and man can
take from 1,50O to 1880 impressions a
day. This plate, which looks exactly
like silver, is composed of zinc, lead and
britannia, and is made almost exclusively
in New York. Every publishing house
manufactures its own ink. 1t can't be
bought. 1t is very particular stuff and
must be made just so, and it is very
delicate matter to make and take care of
1t. This title page has been engraved by
hand. The design is sunken, you see.
When engraved the plate is put on hot
block, and beeswax is melted into the
design. That, too, is q ticklish matter.
If we wipe it off too soon, we spoil it,
and if we let it get too hard it crumbles
and won't hold the ink. Once bees
waNed, a plate can be used for printing
for years.
Engraving the music plates is diff
ferent process, however, from that used
in making the title page. The engraver
has to have a separate tool for every kind
of note-half, whole, quarter, rests, etc.
His outfit costs S400. He does not carve
into the plate as wood engravers do, but
stamps out each note separately with a
hammer. You can imagine what nice
work it is to adjust the tools just right,
and how hard it is to engrave sheet of
music"
The reporter watched the process of
printing, and saw something like this:
After the plate had been fastened to its
block on the press the printer inks il
with hood roller, just as other printers
ink their type in taking proofs. He then
wipes the plate carefully with cloth;
the ink sticks to the beeswax, which
covers the design or the notes, and the
rest of the plate is comparatively clean
A second wiping with another rag leaves
all but the design shiningly clean, the
paper is laid on, and the great wheel, re
volving soon takes the impression anc
returns the printed pages to the printers
hand. The plate is then wiped again
reinked, rewiped twice, and, in fact, un
dergoes the same process between eacl
impression.
''It is curious fact" continued the
foreman, "that although this work is al
done by hand the printers never touch
the paper. A piece of pasteboard il
folded double and used as holder, anc
with that the printer handles all hi
sheets, and never let's his inky hand.
come in contact with them"
"1sn't music printed from type some
times3' asked the reporter.
"Yes. When we want to run off /,
large edition of some cheap stuff, book
or something of that sort, we set th.
music up in type, stereotype the page
and print from it, just as you newspaper
fellows do. But the work isn't as hand
some, and, besides, there is some musi,
written that can't be set up with type"
All music plates after being used ar,
stored in fireproof vaults and indexed fo
possible future use. The foreman state
the curious fact that in the great collec
ton of which he has charge there ar
moro pieces of music whose names begil
with s than of any other letter, Will
the Ms are close esecond.-Boston Globe