Gloucester County Democrat., 1892-02-25
BOOK ILLUSTRATION.
A LUCID EXPLANATION OF SOME
DIFFERENT PROCESSES.

DIFFERENT PROCESSES
How Many of the Fine i,icturss In Hooks.
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 fol
book illustration that have been devel-
oped or adapted during the past ten or
fifteen years, there has steadily grown a
tendency ON the part of publishers, proc
ess men, and IN some instances among
critics, to apply entirely inappropriate
names to the reproductions that are mis-
leading in the extreme and cannot but
do an injury to the better classes of work
by giving their names to processes much
their interiors in quality.
Let Us first consider the ordinary half
tone photoengraving Of which SO much
has lately been seen in the way of illns-
trations for the higher class periodicals
and works of an 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 fiat 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 meshes Of 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 a mass Of fine
points or dots, separated by fine furrows
running in transverse directions the
points in relief being the printing snr-
faces. The plate being blocked on wood
or metal to render it of the same height
as type, it is linked mp with roller i'll
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
1t should here be noted that the points
or dots making mp 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 it
naturally follows that variations in the
light and shade making Up the picture
are dependent on the number and size
of such dots within given radius: thus
heavy shadow in a picture printed
from relief plate will be seen TO be co.a-
posed of large number of these dots
often SO close together as TO merge iltu
one another, while the high lights are
the result of a preponderance Of the
clear transverse lines that serve to sep
arate the dots more widely, only show
ing them sufficiently TO give form ,rnt.
color to their object.
The above are the principal poiats u
Identification of print made from
half tone type plate in relief. and are
easily to be distinguished from pi@tR.T@'
produced from intaglio plates. Tiiae. is
still another kind OF half tone relief
tinguished, and this is the photogelatine
or heliotype and kindred processes. which
IN rendering the gradations of color Ito
not cut them up into dots, but lay ae
ink in smooth masses of different to,;rs
on the paper from surface of gelaiine
PRINTING FROM AN INTAGLIo PLATE
The photogravure is printed froal al
intaglio plate, and is not capable Of he
ing used in type press under any con
ditions. 1t can only be successfully
printed by an expert. and where with
relief plate the Office boy might kic,
off, say 1000 day, or the steam cylia
der press 10000, the expert printer with
his intaglio plate would moi proluce
above 200 good impressions. The intaglio
plate is filled while warmed with
hard, stiff ink. which is pressed inc
every depression. and after the hi 81
lights of the plate are carefully ~wip
off, by hand, the plate is run through
the press, in connection with the paper
and the latter lifts from the sunken SIT
face of the plate all the ink ii has pie
viously received, holding It on The 7lr
face of the paper in masses of color th;l
differ in depth and consequently ii tone
according to the depth of intaglio in ,lf
ferent parts of the plate. the result Of
which is series OF ordinations from
the pure high light of the clear paper tu
the rich. velvety black Of solid hoiy
of ink spread over the surface Of tie
paper and not pressed into it.
The grain. too Of this plate, instead
of being composed of noticeable eros,
hatchings of lines and dots. il Il scarcely
discernible tooth. that is obtained Is
peculiar chemical action on tie
metal plate before the picture to b4
etched is transferred thereto. Carbon
tissue being the medium through which
the transfer is made and the finished
print very closely resembling i'll most Of
its features that beautiful pigment. it Is
a wonder that the feeling Of those in
terested in seeing justice done to all has
not been more forcibly expressed on his
subject before.
A naIae that would answer the pur-
pose and still be meritcrious, is the Old |
title photoglyph, as ii applies to all
plates which give reproductions from X
lief surfaces, while photograYure Is
properly used only in the opposite con
nection. Let all, then who know Bet
ter. be honest enough to call things
what they are and thus do what they
can to avoid further complication Of the
already multitudinous collection of pro
cess names in existence both in this
country and abroad. Anthonys Photo
graphic Bulletin.
The AntipoIes.
Don't speak of China as our antip-