Arizona republican., 1919-10-15
Photoaraphie composition

The process by which the Literary Digest will
produce its issue of October 49, without the aid of
printers, is very likely revolutionize the publca-
ton of magazines and all monthly publications such
as technical journals, when time is not pressing
element. 1t may be applied also to the publication
Of books
The process that is, photographed plates from
copy" in it's present stage equal in mechani-
perfection the work of the printers, yet the pub
fishers well their readers would probably prefer
to put up with such imperfections may appear
rather than to be subject to the interruptions i'm
posed by sudden strikes and walkouts or alleged
vacations" such as the New York magazine workers
had agreed to take.
For the last two months the publishers have been
embarrassed. 1t is stated that the November edi-
tions of several of the large magazines will not
pear at all. Thus the of the publishers has
been rendered precarious that something will have
to be done and the engraving process points
the way. Doubtless, under the spur of necessity it
will be so improved that many of the imperfections
which may at first appear will be avoided.
The process may be made applicable to weekly
newspapers as well to monthly and quarterly pub
locations 1t cannot though so seen applied
the daily newspaper for there the of time
nterferes For the photo engraving process, the
copy" must be perfect nearly possible.
for there be subsequent proof-readng and
correction. 1t will have to go it lays" The
copy" of the daily newspaper is necessarily hur-
riedly prepared 1t frequently abounds in interim
cations and which would look bad on the
printed page. Newspaper editions and reporters,
though they may be rapid operators of typewriters
rule VIGOROUSLY inaccurate, slpshod opera
tors. 1t woulds be necessary that their should
be gone over by corps of expert letter-perfect
typists. That work would include the recopying u
X telegraph matter. There would then have to be a
I greater margin of time between the preparation of
/ the copy" and the press.
4 What may come of it is hard to say. The greatly
lessened expense and the freedom of publishers from
interruption would be a strong incentive to the
wealthy publishers of the great dalies to make the
most searching inquiry the adaptabilty of the
process to their No doubt if they should be-
come interested some sweeping improvements would
follow. Among them should expect some nar-
velous changes in the art of photo-engravng and
might expect the production of a typewriter which
would nearly counterfeit printed matter and
in which the difficulty of bringing out the ends of
lines flush would be It might be that this
process in time would become as common as the
linotype is now.
It was a printers strike that introduced the limo
type. Otto Mergenthaler had long been experiment.
ing with the machine and convinced of its ult-
capabilities. But he lacked the money to pro-
coed. He could interest the great publishers even
the extent of investigating his device. There mad
been several typesetting machines but none of them
had proved practical. Finally there was a strlKe
against the New York Tribune. Whitelaw Reid sent
for Mergenthaer and after thorough inspection of
his device advanced him the capital necessary for
its perfection.
~ so of this strike vacation may come
revolution Of the art preservative" sweeping
than any since Gutenberg invented movable types
.i It should be stated that the strike which has
driven the Literary Digest to this process has not
the sanction of the International Union and the
Z printing craft generally New York has always been
hot bed dissatisfaction in the craft in allied
crafts And before the experiment of the Digest
Announced the publishers of the Cosmopolitan and
other magazines considering the removal of the
seat Of publication other parts of the country.