An Improved Process for Imprinting Designs on Endless Bands of Cloth or the like.
Year: 1899

page_text: Date of Application, 7th Nov., 1898
Complete Specification Left, 4th July, 1900-Accepted, 11th Aug., 1930
PROVISIONAL SPECIFICATION.
An Improved Process for Imprinting Designs on Endless Bands of
Cloth or the like.
I, ADOLF Hoz, of Rorschach, in the Empiro of Germany, Manufacturer, do
hereby declare the nature of this invention to be as follows:
-
This invention has for its object a process for the continuous printing of designs
on cotton, paper and like materials, which process differs from the processes
hitherto employed for printing continuous materials (cotton or the like) mainly
in that the same are not printed by means of engraved or relief rollers but by
smooth and merely chemically treated metal rollers, which if preferred may be
first coated with the ordinary layers of glue or stone.
In order to provide these metal rollers with the printing form or the design,
the latter is first printed or otherwise suitably reproduced with a special chemically
prepared ink on an equally specially prepared paper, or on gelatine sheets, zinc
foils, india rubber sheets and the like,-in short an intermedium. This sheet
bearing the drawing or design is then stretched on a flat plate and then the metal
or like cylinder designed for the form cylinder, is passed over it with pressure.
In consequence of the adhesion produced by the pressure the colour contained
on the paper (that is to say the design) is transferred to the cylinder and rolls
itself thereon.
By this means the mechanical transfer of the drawing to the printing cylinder
is effected. It is then fixed on the latter and made ready for printing by the
ordinary chemical and eventually optical means.
The uk or colour in which the design is formed on the cylinder, contains a
large quantity of grease. The free space on the roller (not occupied by the
design) is then chemically prepared in such a way, that it is repellent to grease
so that when the roller is inked, this surface is not inked and receives or absorbs
no ink or colour and consequently can impart no colour to the material to be
printed. The free space of the cylinder is thus made water absorbent and grease
repellent, and the design or drawing on the cylinder is grease receptive and water
repellent.
The colour which is used when printing to colour or ink continuously the design
on the cylinder must now be a grease dissolving or at least a strongly grease-
containing one, in order that it may be transferred to the grease-susceptible design,
and further simultaneously with the inking of the design the non-printing surface
of the cylinder must be kept constantly moist. By this means the result is
attained that this surface in spite of the presence of grease remains clean, repelling
the highly greasy ink or colour and is thus not printed, and further that the
design in spite of the presence of water draws ink from the inking roller and
prints cleanly.
The inks or colours here employed contain in addition to the indispensable
grease medium and body colour (solid or in any suitable solution), the necessary
mordants for developing and fixing the colour bodies.
The rollers thus by chemical means rendered suitable for printing, are placed
in machines resembling in principle the well known calico-printing machines,
but in contrast to these execute the actual printing procedure by means of
two separate mechanical arrangements by chemical means.
This process of printing has the great advantage over the design printing

page_text: --
processes at present known, that the form or design rollers may be made much
more rapidly and cheaply than is at present the case, and it requiros each time
only a thorough cleaning of the rollers to enable the same to be always again
used or prepared for other designs. No stock of rollers is therefore necessary.
The ordinary fabric (calico) printing requires without exception several opera-
tions for fuishing the printed products whilst the colour compositions employed
with the present process admit of the colour solution being developed fixed and
the medium evaporated in one oporation simultaneously.
1000
WM. P. THOMPSON & Co.,
Of 8, Lord Street, Liverpool, Agents for the Applicant
COMPLETE SPECIFICATION.
An Improved Process for Imprinting Designs on Endless Bands of
Cloth or the like.
I, ADOLF Hoz, of Rorschach, in the Empire of Germany, Manufacturer, do
hereby declare the nature of this invention and in what manner the same is
to be performed, to be particularly described and ascertained in and by the
following statement:-
This invention has for its object a process for the continuous printing of designs
on cotton, paper and like materials, which process differs from the processes
hitherto employed for printing continuous materials (cotton or the like) mainly
in that the same are not printed by means of engraved or relief rollers but by
smooth and merely chemically treated metal rollers which, if preferred, may be
first couted with the ordinary layers of glue or stone.
The ordinary calico printing process is carried out by conveying the pattern to
be printed on to the material to be printed by means of blocks in relief (hand-
printing) or by means of deeply engraved metal plates (plate printing) or finally
by means of similarly deeply engraved rollers (roller printing). Carpet printing
is effected in a similar manner. The ordinary lithography or zincography on the
contrary is carried out by means of stone slabs or metal plates on which the
drawing or pattern to be reproduced is neither in relief nor engraved but is pro-
duced by a purely chemical process, i.c. development and impregnation. The
execution of the printing on calico and the making of the designs therefor is a
purely mechanical process. In lithography on the contrary it is a purely
chemical process (apart of course from the purely mechanical application and
removal of the material to be printed) and is analogous to the chemical production
of its design or drawing.
In the ordinary calico printing process the printing pattern is produced on
the cylinder in three different ways, riz. deep engraving with a hand engraving
tool (hand engraving), impressing the design positively or negatively by means
of the so-called "milling wheels," and (excoriation) by coating with lacquer and
subsequently deeply etching, which is the so-called pantograph process. All
three processes are entirely or mainly mechanical.
Lithography on the contrary employs purely chemical processes for producing
its printing patterns or designs, such processes being known and described by
Senefelder's invention.
The present process brings into use in calico printing the principle of the said
Senefelder's process, or a chemical method of producing designs in connection
with the principle parts of said process, (incial cylinders and printing inchine)
and then for the remainder of the process (ie. the character and development of
the colours) follows essentially the course of Senefelder's process. The colours

page_text: employed in calico printing are characteristic in that they are thickened or
made suitable for printing by the addition of pastes, adhesives, or gum solutions
(in carpet printing solutions of size are used) which usually carry with them the
more or less complete mordants. In lithography the colours have to be prepared
for printing by thickening with grease (such as linseed oil varnish) and in this
case any mordant or developing substance is rendered unnecessary.
In calico printing the colours are developed and fixed almost exclusively by
means of a subsequent treatment (steaming, finishing, oxidizing and the like)
and frequently such treatment precedes the printing.
In lithography no further subsequent treatment of the colours is required but
it never attains the brightness of the calico printing process. This improved
printing process for fabrics, paper, linoleum and the like combines portions from
the calico printing process (cylinder or roller printing) with those from the
lithographic process (where roller printing is not employed).
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page_text: also undergoes a combination with the acid which combination prevents further
grease setting thereon, so that when the roller is inked the free space on the same
(not occupied by the design) cannot be smeared with the ink or colour, and no ink
is absorbed or accumulated thereon, and thus no ink or colour is printed off onto
the material. The free space on the cylinder is thus receptive of water and
repellent of grease and the drawing or design on the cylinder is made receptive of
grease and repellent of water.
The subsequent treatment or development of the grease impression thus mode
until such drawing or design is ready for the chemical printing process is exactly
the same as is prescribed for and used in the ordinary lithographic, photolitho-
graphic and chemicographic transfer processes.
The rollers thus by chemical means made ready for printing are mounted in
machines similar in principle to the ordinary roller calico printing machines, but
in contrast to these the actual process of printing is carried out chemically by
means of two separate mechanical arrangements.
The colour which is used by this improved process when printing to colour or
ink continuously the design on the cylinder must now (as in lithography) be a
grease dissolving or at least a strongly grease-containing one in order that it may
be transferred to the grease-susceptible design of the smooth metal roller, and
further simultaneously with the inking of the design the non-printing surface
of the cylinder must be kept constantly moist. By this means the result is
attained that this surface as in lithography in spite of the presence of grease
remains clean, repelling the highly greasy ink or colour and is thus not printed,
aud further that the design in spite of the presence of water draws ink from the
inking roller and prints cleanly.
Lithography produces no washable colours, and the colours do not require to be
transmitted to the printing material in such a way as to be washable, and therefore
the colours employed in it have no developing and fixing mordants and hence no
supplementary treatment of the prints is necessary. Calico printing on the con-
trary demands all these. The inks or colours employed under this improved pro-
cess for iuking the printing pattern or design consist mainly of linseed oil
thickening which carries with it the colour in solution or in the form of a varnish
or the like (in contrast to body colours). The mordants necessary for the colour
bodies or group of colours are also contained therein. These colours act however
only in a boiling condition and are therefore subjected to the driest possible and
simplest boiling, the prints being subjected to a steaming in more or less com-
pressed steam to which, in order to increase its effect. other solid or gaseous
assistant substances (such as ozone, or manganese) and the like are added.
A boiling actually takes place which, with or without, or more or less under the
co-action of the mordants contained in the colours, effects the development of the
colour and transfers it to the fibres or to the material to be printed. A further
result of this boiling or rather steaming is that a very high percentage of the oil
and greasy constituents of the thickening added to the colours, which as stated
is mainly a linseed oil varnish, evaporates. This property of evaporation is
increased by so-called dryers (ozone, manganese etcetera) being added to the steam
either in a gaseous or solid form. This so-called dry boiling thus has three effects,
the self development of the colour, its transference to the fibres, and finally the
evaporation of the greasy thickening. A principal object of the subsequent
operations in calico printing as at present practised is to remove from the print
the pasty thickening or finish. This is done by washing. In this improved pro-
cess this object of removing the greasy thickening is attained by evaporation in
the steaming which simultaneously effects the development of the dye or colour
by mordanting and transferring it to the fibres or material to be printed.
This printing process has the great advantage over the design printing processes
hitherto employed that the form or pattern rollers may be made much more rapidly
and cheaply and that it always only requires a thorough cleaning of the rollers

page_text: to render them again ready to receive other designs or patterns. No stock of
rollers is therefore necessary.
The ordinary process of weaving requires, without exception, several operations
for finishing the printed products whilst the colour compositions here employed
permit of the colour solution being developed and fixed, and the thickening or
finish being steamed off simultaneously in the one operation.
Having now particularly described and ascertained the nature of my said
invention and in what manner the same is to be performed, I declare that what
I claim is:
The process of printing designs (hand drawings, photographs or the like) on
endless print materials, which consists in printing same on the principle of the
repellant action between grease and water, with colour compositions containing
greasy thickening substances and fixing mordants, from a design or pattern
applied to the surface of a smooth metal cylinder and rendered capable of printing
by purely chemical means, the free space of the metal (i.c. that part unoccupied
by the pattern) being kept clean by chemical means, substantially as herein-
before described.
WM. P. THOMPSON & Co.,
Of 6, Lord Street, Liverpool, Agents for the Applicant