The Fargo forum and daily republican., 1909-03-26
new ENTERPRISE
FOR this CITY
WALKER BROS. g. HARDY HAVE
ESTABLISHED THE ONLY LITH-
oGRAPHlNG PLANT IN THE
sTATE-THE FIRST IN TWENTY.
THREE YEARS.

Twenty three wears ago today Are
destroyed the entire plant of the
Argus Printing Co. This plant con-
sisted Of a newspaper outfit, a job
printing plant, bindery and Autograph
ing plant. All these departments
were Immediately reinstalled with the
exception Of the lithographiing outfit.
The old Argus Rithographing plant
was at that time the only one of it's
kind in North Dakota, and since tnat
time no lithographing has been done
in the state. Today, however. wit
nesses the advent of a thoroughly
modern lithographing establishment as
an addition to the mammoth print
ing and blank book factory OF Walker
Bros. & Hardy of this city.
| The advance made in the lithograph-
ing world during the past twenty
three years is no less marked than
that In the kindred branches of print
ing and bookbinding. AS in the for
mer the typesetting machine has revo-
lutionized that branch of the printing
business. SO has the offset process of
litnographing revolutionized that art.
Twenty three years ago lithograph-
|
and was at best slow, tedious pro-
cess: today, up-to-d date shops are dis
carding the old fashioned stone
presses, substituting therefor self
feeding zinc plate Offset presses with
capacity of 5000 sheets per hour.
Just this kind OF an outfit has been
installed by Walker Bros. & Hardy.
They nave now in operation a 1909
model Harris offset press. This press.
the pioneer Of Offset machines, has
long passde the experimental stage and
is today producing work superior in
quality to that of the old stone pro-
cess and delivering work at a speed
five times as great as was possible
under the old conditions.
A Forum representative, through
the courtesy Of Walker Bros. & Hardy,
was today shown the press in opera
ton. The machine is undoubtedly the
most perfect piece of printing mech
anism ever invented. The ink distri-
button is effected through the medium
Of thirty ink rollers, assuring perfec-
tion in depth and quality OF color. The
zinc plate cylinder bearing the form
to be printed takes the ink from the
/
sion to a cylinder equipped with a
rubber blanket which in turn trans
mits the form to the paper. The self
feeding attachment is marvel of in
genuity, being so nicely adjusted that
when the paper in the feed box is ex-
hausted the mechanism stops auto
matically, stopping the press instant
ly. Should sheet approach the paper
cylinder out of line the press is tripped
and stopped automatically. The faster
the machine runs the better the quail
ty of work, the average speed being
5000 sheets per hour.
| AS an adjunct % the press are
three transfer presses and zinc
graining machine. The zinc plates
are prepared in the latter machine to
receive the engraving or etching.
They are grained with sand and SEN
sitized in an acid bath after which
the engraving which has been made on
a lithograph stone, is transferred to
the sensitized zinc plate which is then
ready for the press.
Fargo is to be congratulated on the
enterprise of this firm which gives it
the only lithograph plant in the state.
The installation of this plant will
keep many thousand dollars worth
Of work here that has been going to
eastern concerns, besides bringing to
the town a corp of efficient workmen
who, with their families, will become
permanent and desirable residents.
The public is invited to call and see
the plant in operation at any time be-
tween the hours of a. m. and D. m.