The sun. [volume] (New York [N.Y.]) 1833-1916, 1899-06-11
GREAT MODERN PRESSES.
DEP + OF HIGH-SPEED PRINT
ING MACHINERY

Pieces-Advance from the Hand Press.
We're 1t not for the high speed perfecting
pross newspapers could not be printed and
placed before their readers in their present
form: certainly not at their present cost The
modern newspaper, with its wonderful service
In spreading Information and moulding opn-
ion. IL perhaps the greatest cvizng and con-
rolling force of the time. The rapid printing
press. by making the newspaper possible, de-
serves to rank as one of the great achieve
ments In an age OF mechanical invention. Ger
tainly there is no other machine OF such power
aud compleXity that possesses at the same
time such accuracy and delicacy. handling.
printing and folding sheets OF paper that can
be torn between the fingers without an effort.
Consider for moment the work done by one
OF the great presses known TO printers as octu-
pie machines To begin with. it is composed OF
about 10000 separate pieces. and requires
eighteen months for it's construction in the
largest mandatory in the country. 1t Ia moro
complicated than a locomotive or watch or
any OF the forms of m echanism to which we
ordinarily refer as remarkable for their in
tricacy or nicely. This press Is fed from three
continuous rolls OF paper. each more than Ave
feet wide. and all Keeling Off the paper fast as
II will run without tearing. At its hi CHEST speed
che press will use up over two miles Of this
paper in an hour. or fifty miles of paper OF the
terms more readily graspcd. this indicates a
capacity OF $4,000 four six or eight page
parcrs an hour. Not only are these papers
printed at this astounding rate, but they are
also cut. folded and counted. In other words.
the press performs every operation connected
with the paper from the time the rolls arc put
into position until the finished product energies
ready to he put on sale. Ninety thousand
PAPERS an hour means 800 minute or
Nr, -. J,ey
your watch. Most of the larger news papers
have in their ordinary issues ten or twelve
pages. OF these the press will turn out 72.OOO
In an hour. 200 to the minute. or twenty
every second.
Tn" machine weighs over sixty tons and is
massive in its proportions. Yet its touch is as
def as that of human fingers. 1t handles the
papers accurately, cuts them precisely and
folds them up evenly. all with speed that is
wc-nigh incredible.
Us operation is easy and resistless. man
throws back lever: the many shafts and
cylinders begin to revOlNe. going faster and
faster until the streams Of white rauer are
pouring into the machine too rapidly for the
eve TO measure ON the other side the
printed sheets rain ont so fast that one
secs only the continual fash Of the steel fin
gers that seize and forward every sheet. The
operation Of the press at its highest rate Of
sIefN means lIil 'h'n paper receives us I'M
preston in less than one-ffth Of a second
How a permanent imprint can be made in that
space of time is n marvel difficult to compre-
bend Yet il is done The ink does not smut
nor rub off and even the most delicate lines OF
al illustration are accurately reproduced.
1t is easy TO understand that such a machine
as this. performing many different opera
tons, represents a series ~ achievements
rather than a single one. II is gradual and
natural development from the wooden screw
p. s. used by Gutenberg back in the middle
o. rhr fifteenth century. But while there is no
hard ana fast line separating the new from the
Oh "r tn" perfect from the primitive in the
history Of printing. there are certain dates that
are marked by notable advances and improve
ments in the art.
One important change took place in 1905
when a Saxon named Frederick koenig de-
vsed a form of rress in which the paper was
carried on cylinder and received its impress
sion from form of tvUe carried backward and
forward fiat led The first If these
cylinder presses was little more rapid than the
earlier hand and lever forms. because the cyl
nder had to stop three tmes-that is. had
thro" separate motons-to each IMPRESSION
But in 1874 koeniC improved on this 10y a con
tinuously revolving cylinder press which at
tar I'd the rate Of 500 sheets an hour. The ad I.
vance from 2Iu -h"cts an hour. the record Of
thr I'D hand prcsses. to 800 sheets was de-
ci,!"d step, Moreover it introduced 4 new
principe which has been of the first import
auc, in developing the high. speed press.
Many improvements in the method OF hand
ling ia" lnper we're devised aftrr k""ntg's
constructed uron this plan are in use to-day
An American impr9v"mrnt on this style OF
siced of 1000 all hour. These presses an
sW"red the requirements of the newspapers
Eut with the advent of the daily. with its circu-
ittion running up to many thousands thy
something better, for greater sneed.
In lsi5 th~ firm Of L. Hoe q Co.. which had
already been for many years engaged in ~
manufacture OF printing presses attacked this
problem. A number oleXperimental machines
rerim"nters that by placing iI the tyre instead
Of the paper on the cylinder. greater speed
a S% The news ssS ss Ss the TSc
oSt y ET5EaTH 0 81 Hoe FTh Hs, rst "S oSe
Aets%; ofics, iP Phi aielhha. in " 1s4S
The basis OF these Inventions. consisted
forms oftyre on a central cylinder placed in a
horizontal position. This was accomplished by
Iage of the newspaper The column rules
Mer. made ,"v" shared, /, e., tapering toward
the type uron these beds. it could be held
frnly IN POSITION. the surface forming true
required without danger Of the type falling out.
The tlrst oi th@s" presses had only four our i'm
feed in the sheets. The running speed OBJ
tanned WAS about 1000 sheets to each feeder
al hour thus giving, with what was called a
four feeder. or tour-cynder machine. a run
ming capacity OF about 5000 papers an hour
printed on on" side. As the demands OF the
newspapers increased more impression cylin-
d"rs were added. until these machines were
made with as many as ten grouped around
the central cylinder giving an aggre-
gate speed OF about 10000 PAPERS
an hour printed upon ono side, A
revolution in newspaper printing took
place Journals which before had been linn
fled in their circulation by their inability TO
furnish the papers rapidly increased their
issue and many new ones were started. The
new presses were adopted not only throughout
the United States but also in Great Britain.
The type revolving machine marked a great
advance in rapid printing. II was believed
that the problem had been settled. AT least for
a long tine to come. 1t was scarcely concciv-
able that any paper would want to print more
than 10000 copies an hour.
The type revolving presses had scarcely been
put int general operation in this country and
Eusopr before the constant growth In circula-
ton figures demanded still further improve
mcHts Various experiments had demonstrated
the possibility OF casting stereotype plates on
hn Npn hFpl ~ I a InTfa M.