A METHOD OF PRINTING PAPER FOR PAPER HANGINGS, AND OTHER PURPOSES
Year: 1816

page_text: TO ALL TO WHOM THESE PRESENTS SHALL COME, I, EDWARD
COWPER, of Saint Mary Newington Butts, Ironmonger and Mechanist, send
greeting.
WHEREAS His most Excellent Majesty King George the Third did, by
His Letters Patent under the Great Seal of the United Kingdom of Great
Britain and Ireland, bearing date at Westminster, the Tenth day of January,
in the fifty-sixth year of His reign, give and grant unto me, the said Edward
Cowper, my exors, adñiors, and assigns, His especial licence, full power, sole
privilege and authority, that I, the said Edward Cowper, my exors, admiors,
and assigns, during the term of years therein mentioned, should and lawfully
might make, use, exercise, and vend, within England, Wales, and the Town
of Berwick-upon-Tweed, my Invention of "A METHOD OF PRINTING PAPER
FOR PAPER HANGINGS, AND OTHER PURPOSES;" in which said Letters Patent
there is contained a proviso that if I, the said Edward Cowper, shall not
particularly describe and ascertain the nature of my said Invention, and in
what manner the same is to be performed, by an instrument in writing under
my hand and seal, and cause the same to be inrolled in His Majesty's High
Court of Chancery within six calendar months next and immediately after
the date of the said Letters Patent, that then the said Letters Patent, and
all liberties and advantages whatsoever thereby granted, shall utterly cease,
determine, and become void, as in and by the same (relation being thereunto
had) will more fully and at large appear.

page_text: NOW KNOW YE, that in compliance with the said proviso, I, the said
Edward Cowper, do hereby declare that the nature of my said Invention, and
the manner in which the same is to be performed, are particularly described
and ascertained as follows (that is to say):-
My Invention consists in curving or bending stereotype plates, and printing
with the same. My method of bending or curving the plates is as follows:-
A mould is taken in plaister of Paris from the blocks or types used for printing
paper, and the plate cast in the usual method practised by stereotype founders
with the alloy used for printers' types or stereotype plates. The plate is then
heated equally, either by placing it in an oven or over a charcoal fire, or
immersing it in boiling oil, or by any other convenient method, the method of
heating it being of no importance if the plate be not melted or otherwise
injured. The plate is then laid upon a level board with the face downwards,
interposing between the plate and the board some soft substance; three or
four folds of flannel will answer the purpose. The board, the flannel, and the
heated plate thus arranged are passed together between two cylinders; a
common rolling press will answer the purpose. The pressure necessary to
produce the desired curve can only be ascertained by experiment, a slight
pressure producing a slight curve, and a greater pressure a greater curve.
I sometime curve the plates without heat, but then there is some danger of
breaking them.
The method of printing is as follows:-The curved stereotype plates are
fixed upon a cylinder, or part of a cylinder, in the same manner that flat
plates are
fixed upon the blocks in the common press. As this cylinder, which
I call the type cylinder, revolves, the plates come in contact with several rollers,
which I call colour or inking rollers. These are made of wood, or any other
substance not likely to change its form, and are covered with the composition
of treacle and glue frequently used for printers' balls. I bring the colour
rollers to a true surface by moistening the composition with water and turning
them in a lathe. The colour rollers have a small portion of ink or colour on
their surface, which they derive from a metal roller against which the ink
or colour lies. The quantity of ink or colour given is regulated by the
pressure of a straight edge or doctor of wood or metal against the metal roller.
Some of the colour rollers are divided, that is to say, several small rollers
are placed on the same spindle. The bearings of the small rollers are rather
larger than the spindle, in order to admit of a little play, by which means no
part of the plate escapes the ink or colour. After the plates have received
the ink or colour from the colour rollers they come in contact with another
cylinder (which I call the paper cylinder), on which paper is laid; the paper

page_text: thus becomes printed with curved stereotype plates. Three or four folds of
cartridge paper should be fixed on the paper cylinder under the paper to be
printed. As the method of printing by means of cylinders has been known.
some time, I claim no exclusive right to the use of cylinders as cylinders,
nor for inking or colouring by means of rollers as rollers; but I claim the
bending or curving stereotype plates, and printing with the same, paper never
having heretofore been printed with curved stereotype plates.
Machines for printing with curved stereotype plates may be made in a variety
of methods; but the annexed Drawing represents one of a convenient form
for printing books. For paper hanging the type cylinders should be covered
with plates, and the motion of every part of the machine continuous.
Fig. 1, F, F, F, F, the frame of wood or cast iron. T, C, the type cylinder,
on which the curved stereotype plates are fixed. P, C, the paper cylinder, on
which the paper is laid. R, F, the roller frame supporting the colour rollers.
It is of advantage to have set screws placed in the frame under the spindles of
the colour rollers. D, R, distributing roller, made in the same way as the
colour rollers, but of larger dimensions. r, r, r, r, &c., colour. rollers. The
colour rollers which do not touch the distributing roller are placed on the
distributing roller for a short time previous to being put in their places. V, R,
the vibrating roller. This is a colour roller supported by two levers; it
vibrates between the distributing roller and the metal roller. Its vibration is
produced by shifting the weights on the levers, or by connecting the levers
with a recipirocating motion in the machine, so that the ink or colour is given
at regular intervals. M, the metal roller. This roller is on the same axis as
the fly wheel F, W. The support of this axis is not shewn in the Drawing;
the ink or colour lies against this roller. S, the straight edge or doctor, of
wood or metal; it is supported on an axis, and the pressure against the metal
roller regulated by weights hung on levers; the support is not shewn, to avoid
confusion in the Drawing. C, a catch turning on its axis; it is connected
with a similar one on the other end of the cylinder by a slight rod of metal,
and holds the paper on the cylinder. It is thrown up and down by the
pins p, p. These pins are supported by the roller frame. Two or three wires
are bent to the curve of the cylinder, and placed underneath, and at a smaller
distance from it to prevent the paper from falling. The paper may be held by
endless strings as the paper is held in some machines for ruling paper. B, F,
the bank frame, supporting the bank or board B on which the paper is placed
to be ready for printing. F, W, the fly wheel; the peripheries only is shewn.
Fig. II., the wheels, which give motion to the whole, are placed at the back
of the machine; and Fig. II. is how they would appear from the front of

page_text: the machine. F, W, the fly wheel. H, the position of the handle. P, n, the
pinion on the same axis as the fly wheel and metal roller. D, a wheel on the
axis of the distributing roller. T, a wheel (I call the type wheel) on the axis
of the type cylinder. W, a wiper; R, W, a curved wiper, both fixed to the
type wheel. P, a wheel (I call the paper wheel) on the axis of the paper
cylinder. A, A, A, three arms fixed to the paper wheel; the wiper acts
against these, and they fall on the reversed wiper. The teeth of the type
wheel between the wiper and the reversed wiper, and which are shaded in the
Drawing, are broader than the rest, that is, the project beyond the edge of the
wheel. The paper wheel is not in the same line as the type wheel, and does
not work into it, but is turned by the projecting teeth of the type wheel. This
will be better seen in Fig. II. The wiper is similar to that used in Prony's
Condenser of Forces, and puts the paper wheel in motion without any jar, and
the reversed wiper stops it as easily. All the colour rollers are put in motion
by their own friction.
Fig. III., plan of the machine, with only part of the colouring apparatus.
HI, the handle. C, P, C, P, C, P, C, P, curved stereotype plates fixed on the
type cylinder. r, r, &c., several small rollers on the same spindle, and which
I call a divided roller. The other letters of reference are the same as in
Figs. I. & II. Each Figure is drawn on a scale of one inch and an half to
a foot.
In witness whereof, I, the said Edward Cowper, have hereunto set my
hand and scal, this Ninth day of July, in the year of our Lord
One thousand eight hundred and sixteen.