Pierre weekly free press. (Pierre, S.D.) 1889-19??, 1891-07-16
4 PRINTING PROCESS
How Stereotyping Has RevOlutionized
the Business of Newspaper
Printing.
An Art That Originally Was First In
vented in Paris, the French
Capital.
A Great Advance Has Been Made in
PresswOrk in the Last Twell-
ty-iive Years.
Something That Has Become a Feat
ure Of Newspapers High and

OF the thousands OF people who glance
over the pages of = newspaper few have
any idea of the work necessary to be done
to make the paper what it is. The old say
in that "half the world doesn't know how
the other half lives" applies perhaps with
more force to the readers and the makers
of a newspaper than to any one else This
is especially true In these days of modern
improvements, when the newspaper man
has called to his aid so many of the devices
of science, and is constantly absorbing the
followers of other callings, besides bring
ing into being arts that were befo-e un-
known.
Among these latter the art of stereotyp-
ing, though perhaps little known, is most
important and, indeed, essential in the
lightning rapidity of today. Every "per~
fecting" press absolutely requires the use
of either stereotype or electrotype plates;
and as the latter are much more costly, be-
sides requiring more time, stcreotyping is
used almost without exception. The type
itself could not be used on these presses
mainly because the curves of the cylinders
on which the plates are placed are too
small. They are made thus small in ordar
to admit of greater speed.
Besides this, if type were used on these
presses the forms would have to be reset as
many times as there were single presses
and here again the increased time and cost
compel the modern newspaper man to
look in some direction for relief.
The forms. therefore, must be duplicated
by some process or another without caus-
ing any serious loss of time or any great
expenditure Of money. Stereotyping full
fills these requirements.
INVENTION AND GROWTH
The papier mache process of stercotyping
was invented about the year lS45 in Paris.
The credit of the invention lies between q
Frenc.man and two Swiss. James Dele
gani and Louis Quanchi, all of whom
worked in the same establishment in Paris.
Not much hcadway was made for long
time, partly because of the opposition of
printers, whom it was thought the inven-
tion would throw out of work. So great
was this opposition that in the revolution
of AS the only establishment in Paris was
wrecked by the mob, and the proprietor.
Quanchi. was forced to flee for his life
back to Switzerland. He afterward re-
turned, and on one occasion was paid 500
francs by a man from London for the priv.
ilege of looking on at the operation. His
son is now foreman of The New York
Herald
Delegani went to London, established
shop. and soon after, in 1854 or 1855, began
stereotyping the first paper in the world to
use the process, The London Times. AT
first the plates were cast in single columns,
and part OF the paper was printed from
type and part from plates. After n time
they began to stereotype whole pages, and
made such progress that on the receipt of
the news of l.incoln's assassination in 1865
| plate was completed in thirty-ive min.
utes. then remarkably good time.
The process was introduced in tlAs coun-
try by John Duncan in partnership with
Charles Craske. For long time they met
with no encouragement, and after five
years. being $40O behind, Duncan retired
from the partnership in disgust and left
the business entirely to Craske a singu
lar commentary on the shrewdness of sue
cessful business men is here to be found in
the fact that Hoe 8; Co., the press build
ers were violently opposed to the new
process. 1t is safe to say that no single
firm i'll the world has profited more by the
invention than this one, which thirty years
ago fought so strongly against it.
PLATES FOR BIG DAlLIEs.
| In the latter part of 1860 suitable press
was completed for The Tribune, and that
paper was the first one to be stereotyped in
this country Mr. Craske owned the plant,
took the work by contract, and employed
James Steele. Frank Ferris and others,
| who had learned the secrets of the bust
! ness.
| In short time all the other big dailies
took up the new art. and for II number Of
| years Craske held the contracts for nine
| papers in this city, and had in fact a
! monopoly. AT the present time there are
| upward of thirty papers stereotyped in this
| city, employing l4O men. To the uniniti-
ated the number of plates required on our
| big dulles is astonishing. The Sun, for in
stance, uses every day no less than $50 to
200: The Herald requires over $50, and The
| World morning and evening, from 800 to
| 4OO.
On Saturdays these figures are doubled,
and The World alone consumes" to use
a fitting expression, about $50 plates, every
one, of course, being the size of page
and never used but once. After once using
the plates this eighteen tons of metal,
more or less, is remelted, and nothing is
lost except what goes up in smoke.
II 1.-THE height of art is to conceal art !"
then the stereotyper must be awarded 1.-The
cake" 1t requires an expert to tell, from
its appearance. whether paper is stereo-
typed or not. 1t seems characteristic Of
the trade to work quietly and effectually
They have Il model trade organization and
have few quarrels with employers, and
why should they? Possibly, the poet man
aged paper and had the stereotypers in
his mind when he said they have
Made solitude and called it Peace.
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