Daily Kennebec journal. [microfilm reel] (Augusta, Me.) 1870-1975, 1895-04-15
COMFORTS NEW PRESS.
MarvelousIy Constructed and Will Turn out
100000 Papers Day.

looking over the mammoth new Comfort
printing press of the Gannett & Morse
Concern, last week.
The marvellous rapidity with which the
mechanism of printing has been perfected
Is exemplified in the addition of the NAM
moth press to tho establishment of Mr.
w. III. Gannett. the publisher of Comfort,
which, as our readers know, has the larg-
est circulation of any periodical of any
kind ever published in the world. 1t is
but few years ago comparatively, and
actually within the memory of men still
in active printing business in this city,
when newspapers were printed on hand
presses, where sheets were laid ON sepa-
rately and were printed, one side at time,
by man moving a lever This process
n its most rapid state would produce
about four impressions minute, but
often less.
There is IA venerable gentlemen
living in this city and taking part in ac-
tive affairs, who is old enough to remem-
Der when Peter Edes, disguised with his
ill-fortune on the Kennebec, packed up
his entire printing outfit, and with team
OF oxen moved his entire establishment,
press, types, etc, all weighing nearly
four tons, to the then distant city of Ban
gor.
Since that time the mechanical art of
printing has undergone various improve
| ments, and it now seems to have reached
a point where much improvement
seems impossible. 1t is only about
dozen years ago when the first perfectng
presses were made in this country The
hunger for news and the greater cali for
papers made more rapid production neces-
sary, and every hour became valuable
Tho first pcrfccting presses were for
newspaper work, and produced a paper,
both sides OF which were printed at once
There have been various changes in this,
mostly aiming toward greater rapidity in
production, so that there are now presses
doing work like newspapers, that are
speeded as high as $4,000 an hour, and
even more, but requiring more than one
set of plates. But newspaper work does
not require the same careful printing that
is necessary in producing Illustrations and
similar work, so that it was for long
time deemed impossible to produce a
perfecting press which would print both
sides Of the paper and bring out the illus
trations.
Constant experiments, however, fin
ally overcame these difficulties, and we
now have perfecting presses which
will print papers such as Harper's and
Leslies from a continuous roll of paper,
but at much less speed than the ordi-
nary newspaper. The latest addition to
this line of machinery has been attach
ments which render it possible to print in
colors, as are seen ON the covers of the
Sunday newspapers.
The wonderful growth of the
publishing business in Augusta caused
particular attention to be paid to
this subject, and few years ago
Vickery & Hill placed Scott perfect
ing press in their establishment. Since
then they have added another In the
meantime Mr. Gannett purchased of r.
Hoe s. Company, a large perfecting
press, which has done his work until re-
Gently
In the fall of 1892 Mr. Gannett
contracted for one of the most wonderful
presses which had then been made and
specially designed for his own work. 1t
was to have been delivered the following
spring and owing to its non delivery law
suits were entered which were amicably
settled but short time ago, and the ma
chine was then Immediately forwarded
to Augusta. and is now running in his
publishing house, where it has been set in
position by Mr. Gilroy, representative
of r. Hoe s. Company of London and
Now York.
10 uCScTiDc tilS NtsSb IiCo WI VI
chinery is entirely out of the question
The entire press weighs 40 tons, and is
an intricate mass of fine machinery which
does the work with marvellous speed and
accuracy. 1t took about ten days to place
it's 10, 600 pieces together ready for opera
ton The paper is taken from roll,
passes though cylinders, is printed on
both sides, pasted, cut and folded, and de
,iyered at the other end all ready for the
mailers. The capacity of this press is as
high as 100, 900 q day, and at present is
running at the rate of 5000 an hour.
1t not only does the ordinary black and
white work, but is so arranged that at
any time it can print any part or the
whole of the paper in five colors; and will
print anything from paper of IL pages
to one of SO. There are few presses in the
world that can compare with this in the
wonderful work which it will do, and
those few are in the large metropolitan
offices in the large cities.