The citizen. (Frederick City, Md.) 1895-1923, 1908-07-24
Permanent Printed Records on linen.
BY DR.. WILLIAM J. MANNING,
of the Government Printing Office.

! sheet. The yellow tinge is not noted
so early in papers whose surfaces
are sized. because the film of the size
very likely protects the hypochlorous
oxide from the air. Sooner or later
it makes its appearance as slight
discoloration. This chemical action,
as the result of bleaching, must neces-
sarily go on until the sheet is disin-
tegrated. Although we have no posi-
tive proof of this latter statement,
yet it is known that the slow con-
tinuous chemic action, once in mo-
ton, must continue as long as there
is material left upon which to per.
form its work.
The first paper makers used the
sun to bleach their paper stock, and
while they were never enabled by this
method 10 obtain the extreme white
ness obtained by the use of chlorine
by modern paper makers, yet their
product does not show the chemic
action just described and the bleach
ing appears to have been accom-
plished in a perfectly natural and
harmless manner.
In linen fabrics Of very fine mesh
and texture and of an unbleached va
riety, the objections raised against
the paper. it would appear, are easily
overcome. The fact that one can be
always sure of the absolute purity
of the linen so used as compared
with the uncertainty of even linen
paper and its composition, is very
important. The printing impression
so received upon the fabric is beauti-
fully clean cut. and stands out as
distinctly as. if not more so than on
paper. Even half-tone cuts can be
printed on linen.
There is also the added fact hat
the fibres of linen are very long, and
as such are twisted into threads and
these threads woven in such a manner
that each succeeding thread locks the
| other in place in mechanical man
ner, as in the ancient Egyptian wrap
pings which have defied time itself,
even when exposed to the elements
and the careless usages of ages.
The further fact that the linen
may be used in its unbleached state
Enacted upon by chemicals used for
bleaching purposes, and the very i'm
portant feature that the printing ink
impression cannot be removed from
the fabric. which is possible with
comparative ease when parchment is
used as the substance printed upon,
are two excellent reasons why linen
should be used for documents which
are intended to be permanent.
1t has been proposed, and the mat
ter is now before the Joint Commit
tee on Printing of Congress for
action, to print upon linen sheets
| precisely the same as a sheet of
paper, at the expiration of the -egu-
lar paper edition, two copies of the
more important government publica-
lions. 1t is further proposed to en-
case each volume so printed in bath
OF parafiin wax and thus to seal the
volume Theoretically from extraneous
or atmospheric influences.
Taking the year of 1907 as basis
it will cost, approximately, to print
/ two linen copies OF the revised edi-
ton of the Congressional Record.
constituting some 5000 pages, not
over So for the fabric so utilized.
No change in existing printing ma
chinery is necessary and it is but the
work of few moments to produce
the printed linen sheets.-Scientifi
American.