Evening star. [volume] (Washington, D.C.) 1854-1972, 1899-06-10

one Of the great presses known to printers
as "Octuple' machines. To begin with, 1t
IS composed Of about 10 900 separate pieces
and requires eighteen months for its con-
struct!0u in the largest mandatory in the
country II Is more complicated than a
locomotive or a watch. or any Of the forms
OF mechanism to which we ordinarily refer
as remarkable for their intricaCy or n!cetv
This press IS fed from three continuous
rolls Of paper. each more than five feet
wide. and all reeltng of the paper as fast
as II VIII Tun without tearing. At its high
est speed the press will use up over two
miles q ms paper in an hour. or fifty miles
OF paTer Of the width of an ordinary news
paper page.
Performs Every Operation
In terms more readily grasped, this indi-
Gates a capacity Of $4,000 four six or eight
page papers per hour Not only are these
papers printed al this astounding rate, but
they are also cut. folded and counted In
other words, the press performs every
opera ton connected with the paper from
the time The rolls are put into position nm
u! the finished product energies ready TO be
put on sale Ninety thousand papers per
hour means 1.-J per minute or - cones
for every second tckcd of on your watch
Most Of The larger newspapers have in
thelr ordinary issues ten or twelve pages
OF these the press viii turn out - 600 In an
h"GF, l.2E 10 the minute. or ~ every sec
ord.
--E ll4siHIsaise " tlSDS over SlXTV tons and
Is massive n its proportions Yet its touch
Is as deft as that Of human fingers 1t
handles the papers accurately. cuts them
precisely and folds them up evenly, on
Win speed that Is well-nigh incredible.
Incredible Speed
Its operation is easy and resistless. A
man throws back a lever: the many shafts
and cylinders begin to rcvoIve. going faster
and faster until the streams Of white paner
ar 47~g,-
Tor The eye 10 measure. on the other side
the printed sheets rain out so fast that
one sees only the continual flash of the
sheet.
The operation Of the press at its highest
Fate or speed means that each paper re-
celves its impression in less than Cne-fffth
OF second How a permanent imprint can
ne made IN that space of time is a marvel
tnhcuit 10 comprehend. Yet il is done, The
INK does not smut nCr rub of and even tne
most delicate lines Of an ILLUSTRATOR are
accurately reproduced.
II IS easy 10 understand that such n mo
crime as This. performing SO many different
Operations, represents a series of achieve
H-"htS rather than single one II is a
gradual and natural DEVELOPMENT from tho
wooden screw press used by Guttenbero
back IN he middle of the fifteenth cenfury
fGt While there is no hard and fast line
iorating the new from the old or the per
lrCt from the primitive in the history OF
printing. there are certain dates that are
marked by notable advances and improve
mruts in the art.
one important change took place in 1906
Wien Saxon named Frederick Koenie de-
NlSed a form of press in which the paper
vas carried on Il cylinder and received It's
impression from a form of type carried
backward and forward on a fiat bed
Early Development
The first Of these cylinder presses was
little more rapid than the earlier hand and
lever forms. because the cylinder had 10
stop three times-that is. had three separate
n:oions-to each impression. But in 1914
koenig improved on this by continuously
revolving cylinder press which attained the
rate Of 500 sheets per hour. The advance
from 80 sheets per hour. the record of the
old hand presses to $50 sheets was a decid-
ed advance. Moreover. il introduced a new
principle which has been Of the first import
arco in developing the modern high-speed
press.
Many improvements in the method of
haEciiEg the paper We're devised after
Koenis's press came into use. and thous-
ands Of presses constructed upon this plan
are in use today An American improve
riont on this style Of press known as the
couble cylinder, attained a speed of 1000
per hour.
These presses answered the requirements
Of the newspapers when they were small in
size and circulation. But with the advent
OF the daily. with its circulation running
up TO many thousands. they proved mad
equate. There was a demand for sonnet hing
better, for greater speed.
First Rapid Printing Press.
In 1915 the firm Of r. Hoe & Co., which