Vilas County news. [volume] (Eagle River, Vilas County, Wis.) 1896-1927, 1901-03-18
PRINTING WITHOUT INK.
Electrical Paper Perfected by an Eng
ish Photographer.

Electrical Paper Perfected by an Eng
fish Photographer.
Printers are said to be much inter-
ested in the work of an English pho
tographer, Mr.. F. Greene, of London,
who has met with considerable sue
cess in producing paper by means Of
electricity which may be printed upon
without employing inks or the use Of
any previous sensitizing matter by
satnration, as has heretofore been
done.
Instead of saturating this electro
graphic" paper with the sensitizing
materials, as has hitherto been done,
it has been found best to mix them
with the pulp in the process Of manu-
facture, and SO a radical departure
has been made and a new machine
made paper has been invented that
has rare properties. The chemicals
used are abundant and cheap, so that
this paper can be produced as
cheaply as common paper. The pre-
pared paper is stable and colorless, is
unaffected by any other agent than
the electric current; may be kept in
definitely and sent to the press dir
ectly from the roll as manufactured,
with no preliminary treatment what
ever; yields instantly a dense black,
permanent print, requires no subse-
quent fixing or developing; indeed, is
ready for distribution Immediately, as
there is nothing like ink to smirch or
require drying; briefly, it meets all
the requirements OF. a perfect medium
for electric printing. The machine for
electric printing is simply an ordinary
press Invested of all it's linking me-
chanism and having the cylinder or
paper bearing surface covered with a
suitable conducting metal. The work
of ''make-ready" is the same as for
ordinary printing, and line blocks,
electrotypes, wood-cuts, half-tones,
engrayings and all kinds of designs in
relief may be used at will. The form
is connected with one pole of the dy.
namo or battery-for most purposes
the current may be taken from an or
binary incandescent light wire-the
paper carr ying cylinder or surface is
connected with the other pole. Thus
the metal surfaces of both cylinders
are the electrodes, while the paper is
in reality very thin cell in which the
pulp is an inert medium and the con
tanned chemicals the electrolyte which
is to be subjected to electrolysis. AS
the cylinders approach each other To
press the paper as it is fed between
them, the current is switched on auto.
matically and flows from one cylinder
through the paper at the points of con-
tact to the other cylinder, the impress
sion being produced instantly by cleo
trochemical action. The paper pos
sesses conducting properties, SO that
the voltage used may be from 10 to
ito volts, and four amperes for the
largest machines. All linking mocha
nism being dispensed with, the power
for driving the press is much less. For
a given piece of work. the cost of cur
rent for the actual printing is said 20
be only one-half that of ink, while at
least saving of one-third in the cost
of presses is assured. The new pro-
cess lends itself readily to all speeds,
even to the fastest web presses. At
at e. .libition at Blackpool, England,
witnessed by a large company OF prin
tiers and scientists, rotary press was
run at the rate of 5000 impressions
per hour. and the WORK vas declared