The Colorado statesman., 1913-04-26
STAMPS MILE LONG
New Device Great Saving in
Printing Cost.
New Machine in the Government Plant
at Washington Saves Time, Labor
and Space In Turning Out the
Little Paper Squares.

Washington.-Just think of it. post
age stamps can now be purchased by
the mile strip. Uncle Sam has just
installed a new invention in the bu-
reau of engraving and printing which
manufacturers stamps at the rate OF
$4,000 per minute. 1t is a plate press
which produces the little stickers on
continuous roll of paper. Further than
that, the same press is apt to revolu-
tionize printing from engraved plates;
1t is regarded as bearing the same re-
lation to the development of the
science of plate printing that the
Mergenthaler linotyle machine bears
to hand composition of type.
This plate-printing press eliminates
30 processes in the former method of
printing postage stamps; the only use,
SO far, to which it has been applied.
The paper is fed automatically from
the roll, inclosed in a safe-cylinder, to
the press, which prints the stamps,
dries the ink so that there is no trace
Of Offset" gums the back Of the
stamp printed roll, dries the gum.
breaks the hard, glazed, solid face OF
the gum, perforates and counts, and
either rolls up the strip of stamps or
slits them into strips of a single
stamps thickness for use in stamp
vending machines, which it also rolls
up, or cuts them into sheets. The
machines, which is looked upon as
one of the mechanical wonders of the
printing age, is the invention of Ben
jamin R. Stickney, mechanical ex-
pert and designer in the bureau, whose
salary has for years been only $1,000
per annum. Since completing the
machine Mr.. Stickney's salary has
been advanced to $3,500. This is only
one instance in many where Uncle
Sam recognizes inventive genius in
his employ.
On an annual bill of half million
dollars for printing postage stamps,
the bureau of engraving and printing
is anticipating saving of 100000 an
nually through the installation of this
device, CT per cent. decrease. If the
machine takes to printing money and
bonds and other securities the pro-
spective economy will likely reach
into the millions of dollars.
The press, while it has not yet been
speeded up, is expected to print from
the roll at the rate of rs feet of
stamps a minute. The perforator and
cutter can revolve even faster-four
times as fast. making holes or strips,
lateral or transverse, at the rate of
$50 feet minute.
The device also means a great saving
in space occupied and in manual la
Dor. The press is about three feet
wide and something less than 25 feet
long, with height of never over sew
en- feet. Human direction will be re-
quired only to run the press and to
direct the perforating machine-a
man and a girl will make crew.
In the old way of making stamps.
there was much handling with many
separate processes. The paper on
which the samps were printed was re-
garded as a valuable asset, and had to
be guarded, so that in the imprinted
bulk it was carried to a place of Sc
curity after work every night, and back
again to the presses every morning.
The paper, before it is ready for
printing by the new process, must be
maQe wet, anu wei dCCOIuluS " d Cci
tain accurate standard of moisture.
The old stamp presses could not apply
the pressure necessary for dry print
ing.
The sheet of unrolling paper ascends
over rollers and is fed from overhead
into the press. 1t passes down between
the feed roller and the printing cylin-
der, on which is fixed the engraved
plate from which the samps are print
ed, receiving the impression in pass
ing
The paper, having received the
stamp impression from the engraved
plate, proceeds to a roller at the bot
tom of the press. and then ascends
again to the top, where is passes
through group of. ten cylinders, all
heated by electricity. This is the
method of drying the ink, and so ef-
fective is it that not trace of offset"
is shown at any time in the process of
making the stamps, or afterward.