The Dayton forum. [volume] (Dayton, Ohio) 1913-1949, 1937-04-23
HANDS VERSUS
MACHINES
BY Selma Taylor
West Virginia State College
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The mimeograph machine saves
time, money, and labor for other ac-
tivities by its special production.
Have you ever entered an Office
and become spellbound because Of
the humming sound OF machines?
And have you stopped to think how
many different kinds of machines
were contributing to this mechani-
cal music? 1t is wonderful to real
ize that each step brings man step
further in progress. The business
world today has many leisure hours
now that they are able to use mimeo-
graph machines successfully.
The mimeograph machine is one
Of the many devices invented by
Thomas A. Edison. A mimeograph
machine is an apparatus in which a
thin fibrous paper coated with para
fin is used as stencil, printed or
typwritten matter. A stencil is thin
sheet of plate as of paper or metal
In which pattern is cut through
with interrupted lines or spaces, used
by placing it on surface and laying
by placing it on a surface and lay
on q color through the open spaces as
This machine has stylus which
moves over q piece of tissue paper,
coated on only one side with some
sensitive material. This tissue pa
per is placed on steel plate where
corrugations are out. When the
stylus is moved over the paper. 1t
presses on the corrugations and the
paper is pierced along the line Of
writing. The paper is then placed on
4 perforated cylinder and the ink
comes through these perforations of
the cylinder. The paper is then fed
to the cylinder as in any other print.
ing press. Perhaps ! should tell you
what is meant by a stylus. A sty-
lus is an instrument used To write
having two ends, one sharp, and the
other blunt. The sharp end is used
to smooth the wax. The stylus al
SO may be used to correct mistakes
by using the blunt end. Now on
with the process of mimeographing.
By the ink coming through the per-
forations it makes print on sheets
Of paper which are fed to the cylin-
der. An indefinite number of cop
les may be run from the machine
By releasing the ribbon on the typ
writer the paper film may be used
on the typwriter. The stencil is then
used as you would type any other
sheet of tpywritten work. After you
have finished tipping the stencil, it is
then placed on the printing machine
and copies madei the same manner
described above for the stencil cut by
the stylus.
Mimeographing may easily be
compared to household duty The
process of churning milk on the
farm is no easier then cutting a
stencil and running off one hundred
copies.
One hundred copies may be either
a long or short job. The short way
IS made possible by the mimeograph
machine. 1T takes an experienced
typist about three minutes to type
an average size letter and about
five minutes to adjust the coping
machine and run the copies off,
While In the long way it takes about
three or five minutes to type one
letter and by the time she has typed
one hundred she has spent approx
mately five hours. The difference
OF time is only about four hours and
one half.
There is, however, more than one
type of work the mimeographer vii
do. Mimeagraph copies may be dl
vided into eight different types as
executive, factory, purchasing, cred
it. accounting, sales, advertising, ane
general. Under these headings w
find about eighty uses ranging from
Office letter to the pictorial booklets
Booklet-once we thought of books
being only made by printing ma
chimes and presses but now we fint
MANY of our booklets are made by th'
copying machines. Even with tn
time saved by these machines we cai
readily see the low expense. A book
let can be made at the low cost Q
approximately fifty cents. Nor
profit-building concerns are being de
yeloped with mimeographed copie
than we think More savings ar
being realized because Of them; NOR
hours gained for other activities be
cause Of their speed.
OF the many unique uses OF tn
mimeograph machine / think tn
drawing Of pictures is most unusua
In order to make pictures the mime
oscope is used. The mimeoscope
device used with a light and tn
stencil. The machine is made of