The Wichita daily eagle. [volume] (Wichita, Kan.) 1890-1906, 1892-04-01
BOOK ILLUSTRATION.
A LUCID EXPLANATION OF SOME
DIFFERENT PROCESSES.

Magazines and Papers Are Produced.
The Difference Between Cheap and
Costly Work Made Plain to Buyers.
With the increasing use of half tone
work and the numerous processes for
book illustration that have been devel-
oped or adapted during the past ten or
I fifteen years, there has steadily grown
tendency on the part of publishers, proc
ess men, and Il some instances among
critics. to apply entirely inappropriate
names 70 the reproductions that are mis-
leading in the extreme and cannot but
| do an injury 10 the better classes of work
by giving their names TO processes much
| their interiors in quality
Let US first consider the ordinary half
tone photoeugraylng of which so much
has lately been seen in the way Of illus
trations for the higher class periodicals.
and works Of IN art and technical nature.
/ We shall find that these prints all render
the half tone of the original: or, to be
less technical. show the various degrees
Of light and shade IN masses Of color,
differing in degree, but in fat tints, pro
duced by breaking the original subject.
may have been either wash drawing.
painting in color. portrait from life or
view from nature. into and immense
number of dots, obtained by photograph
ing through the fine lneshes OF a ruled
glass in manner not necessary of de-
scription here.
The resulting picture is transferred to
the metal that is TO serve as the finished
plate; the chemical action is proceeded
with and the half tone plate that results
shows the picture in relief and the en-
tire surface of the plate mass of fine
points or dots, separated by fine burrows
running in transverse directions, the
points in relief being the printing sur
faces. The plate being blocked on wood
or metal &c render it of the same height
as type, it is linked up with roller in
the same manner that type Is, and the
ink, adhering to the points, is impressed
into the paper that is brought in contact
with them in the printing press.
THE HALF TONE ENGRAVING.
It should here be noted that the points
or dots making up the printing surface
of the plate, being all of the same height,
the amount of ink deposited on the paper
is of the same depth or thickness from
each and every printing point, and II
naturally follows that variations in the
hight and shade making up the picture
are dependent on the number and size
OF such dots within given radius; thus
heavy shadow III picture printed
from relief plate will be seen TO be COM
posed of large number of these dots,
often so close together as TO merge into
one another, while the high lights are
the result of a preponderance of the
clear transverse lines that serve 70 sep
arate the dots more widely, only show
ing them sufficiently to give form and
color to their object.
The above are the principal points Of
Identification of q print made from
half tone type plate in relief, and are
easily TO be distinguished from pictures
produced from intaglio plates. There Il
still another kind of half tone relief
! work, however, that is not so easily dis
tinguished, and this is the photogelatine
or heliotype and kindred processes, which
in rendering the gradations of color DO
not cut them up into dots, but lay the
ink in smooth masses of different tones
on the paper from surface of geiatine
PRINTING FROM AN INTAGLIo PLATE
The photogravure is printed from an
intaglio plate, and is not capable Of be-
ing used IN 4 type press under any con-
ditions. II can only be successfully
printed by an expert, and where with
relief plate the Office boy might kick
off, say 1000 day. or the steam cylin-
der press 10000, the expert printer with
his intagiio plate would not produce
above 200 good Impressions. The intsgllo
plate is filed while warmed with
hard, stiff ink, which is pressed into
every depression, and after the high
lights of the plate are carefully wiped
off" by hand, the plate Is run through
the press, IN connection with the paper,
and the latter lifts from the sunken sur
face Of the plate ali the ink 1t has pre-
viously received, holding 1t on the sur
face of the paper in masses OF color that
differ in depth and consequently IN tone,
according TO the depth of lntaglio IN diff
ferent parts Of the plate, the result Of
which is a series Of graduations from
the pure high light Of the clear paper 10
the rich. velyety black Of solid body
of ink spread over the surface Of tine
paper and not pressed into II.
The grain. too, OF this plate, instead
- ,.-4fDa- f.fa
hatchIngs Of lines and dots, Is q scarcely
discernible tooth, that Is obtained by
peculiar chemical action on the
metal plate before the picture 70 be
etched ls transferred thereto. Carbon
tissue being tbs medium through which
the transfer Is made and the finished
PRINT very closely resembling IN most OF
its features that beautiful pigment. II IL
a wonder that the feeling Of those IN
tsrested in seeing justice done 70 all hAs
not been more forcIbly expressed on this
subject before.
A name that would answer the pur-
pose and stlll be ner1tOrlOus, = tbs Old
title photoglsph. Is Il sppiIes 70 al
plates which give reprOductIons from Ts-
hef surfaces, while photogrsvrrs u
properly used only N the opposite con
nectlon- Let ali. then, who know BIT
Ter, be honest enough 70 call things
what they are and thus DO what they
can to avoid fuTther complication Of the
already nulut1cInous collection Of pro
cess names II existence bath IN thls
country and s5Tozd.-AnthOBy Photo
graphic Balletla-
The Ausipods&