IMPROVEMENTS IN MACHINERY FOR PRINTING IN COLORS
Year: 1865

page_text: LETTERS PATENT to Augustus Applegath, of Dartford, in the County of
Kent. Engineer, for the Invention of "IMPROVEMENTS IN MACHINERY FOR
PRINTING IN COLORS."
Scaled the 30th January 1866, and dated the 31st July 1865.
PROVISIONAL SPECIFICATION left by the said Augustus Applegath at
the Office of the Commissioners of Patents, with his Petition, on tho
31st July 1865.
1. AUGUSTUS APPLEGATH, of Dartford, in the County of Kent, Engineer,
do hereby declare the nature of the said Invention for "IMPROVEMENTS IN
MACHINERY FOR PRINTING IN COLORS," to be as follows:-
This Invention has for its object improvements in color printing by the use
of engraved copper plates, and also a system of copper plate machines con-
nected with each other, and which may likewise be combined with other
machines for printing in relief. when such work is more conducive to the
effect intended by the artist. For this purpose I prefer the copper plates to
be curved and mounted upon cylinders in machines furnished with color
rollers and ductors in the manner of calico printing, and I also prefer the
work in relief to be upon circular blocks, which are affixed to cylindrical

page_text: machines having inking rollers and the other requisites for letter-press printing.
These machines, one for each color. may be arranged in one or more straight
lines, cach machine being connected to the next by bearing bars or rails
planed up to two truc edges, or with V's, and they may be moved in unison
by a longitudinal shaft, having bevil wheels upon it which act into the bevil
wheels of the machines, or by any other suitable means of producing uniform
motion.
The paper or other material to be printed is placed upon rigid planes
of wood or metal, to which the advancing end of the paper is firmly secured
by bars or flaps sunk below the line of pressure; these planes must be of
equal thickness, and are furnished with fine wollen cloth or other suitable
material to assist the impression; they may be made to receive one or more
papers, the back ends of which may be held by bars or buttons also below the
line of pressure. The planes are moved upon the bearing bars from the first
to the succeeding machines by the action of the curved plates upon the planes,
so that they advance step by step. each equal to the length of the impulsation
or contact with the plate; the advancing motion given by the first plate
cylinder only forces the planes near the next plate cylinder, when an arm
upon it draws the plane into contact with the plate at an exact point, whereby
the register is secured, the exact quantum of motion being further assisted by
another arm. The distance of one machine from the other must be such that
the color imparted by one plate will be nearly dry before the paper or other
material receives that from another, and the drying may be assisted by
artificial heat.
The machines may be constructed so that the paper may be printed
underneath the plate or above it, or sideways in a vertical position; the
arrangement of the machines in a line is conductive to economy in the number
of attendants, and to speed in the rate of production; but when large sheets of
paper are to be printed the machines may be placed side by side, so that motion
may be given by one shaft or in any other convenient position, but then the
planes must be moved from one machine to the other by hand. Two or even
one machine only may be employed, in which case one or more of the planes
must be fitted with points, by which the paper may be placed so that the
various colors may fall in register; and while the paper is on the points the
fore edge must be secured by bars or flaps as aforesaid; which having
been done the points must recede by arms or springs into the substance of the
plane, so that they may not encounter the plate during the act of printing.
When flat engraved plates are to be printed, I use a machine or rolling press
combined with one or two sets of pointing apparatus having an equivalent to

page_text: a tympan and frisket, between which the paper is securely held while printing.
can be removed in order to be
exact replacement being secured
If oil colors are required, the copper plate
charged with color in the usual manner, its
by guides. Water colors will not require the removal of the plate, the
superfluous color being wiped off by a ductor, either fixed or drawn over by
hand. In ordinary cases in using curved plates and planes the paper or other
material will remain attached to the planes until all the colors have been
imparted, but it may be removed after receiving any given number of colors;
and others may then be applied in any convenient manner.
SPECIFICATION in pursuance of the conditions of the Letters Patent, filed
by the said Augustus Applegath in the Great Seal Patent Office on
the 31st January 1866.
TO ALL TO WHOM THESE PRESENTS SHALL COME, I, AUGUSTUS
APPLEGATH, of Dartford. in the County of Kent, Engineer, send greeting.
WHEREAS Her most. Excellent. Majesty Queen Victoria, by Her Letters
Patent, bearing date the thirty-first day of July, in the year of our Lord
One thousand eight hundred and sixty-five, in the twenty-ninth year of Her
reign, did, for Herself. Her heirs and successors, give and grant unto me.
the said Angustus Applegath, Her special licence that I, the said
Augustus Applegath, my executors, administrators, and assigns, or such
others as . the said Augustus Applegath, my executors, administrators,
and assigns. should at any time agree with, and no others, from time to
time and at all times thereafter during the term therein expressed, should
and lawfully might make, use, exercise, and vend, within, and United King-
dom of Great Britain and Ireland, the Channel Islands, and Isle of Man,
an Invention for "IMPROVEMENTS IN MACHINERY FOR PRINTING IN COLORS,"
upon the condition (amongst others) that I, the said Augustus Applegath,
my exccutors or administrators, by an instrument in writing under my, or
their, or one of their hands and seals, should particularly describe and
ascertain the nature of the said Invention, and in what manner the same was
to be performed, and cause the same to be filed in the Great Seal Patent
Office within six calendar months next and immediately after the date of
the said Letters Patent.
NOW KNOW YE, that I, the said Augustus Applegath, do hereby
declare the nature of my said Invention, and in what manner the same is to
be performed, to be particularly described and ascertained in and by the

page_text: annexed, that is to say:-
This Invention has for object improvements in color printing by the use of
engraved copper plates, and also a system of copper plate machines connected
with each other, and which may likewise he combined with other machines
for printing in relief, when such work is more conducive to the effect intended
by the artist. For this purpose I prefer the copper plates to he curved and
mounted upon cylinders in machines furnished with color rollers and ductors
in the manner of calico printing, and I also prefer the work in relief to he
upon circular blocks, which are affixed to cylindrical machines having inking
rollers. and other requisites for letter-press printing. These machines, one for
each color, may be arranged in one or more straight lines, each machine being
connected to the next by bearing bars or rails planed up to two true edges or
with V's, and they may be moved in unison by a longitudinal shaft having
bevil wheels upon it, which act into the bevil wheels of the machines, or by
any other suitable means of producing uniform motion. The paper or other
material to be printed is placed upon rigid planes of wood or metal, to which
the advancing end of the paper is firmly secured by bars or flaps sunk below
the line of pressure; these planes must be of equal thickness, and are furnished
with fine woollen cloth or other suitable material to assist the impression;
they may be made to receive one or more papers, the back ends of which may
be held by bars or buttons, also below the line of, pressure: the planes are
moved upon the bearing bars from the first of the succeeding machines by the
action of the curved plates upon the planes, so that they advance step by step,
each equal to the length of the impression or contact with the plate; the
advancing motion given by the first plate cylinder only forces the planes near
the next plate cylinder, when an arm upon it draws the plane into contact
with the plate at an exact point, whereby the register is secured, the exact
quantum of motion being further assisted by another arm.
one machine from the other must be such that the color
plate will be nearly dry before the paper or other material receives that from
another, and the drying may be asisted by artificial heat. The machines
may be constructed so that the paper may be printed beneath the plate or
above it, or sideways in a vertical position. The arrangements of the machines
in a line is conducive to economy in the number of attendants and speed in
the rate of production; but when large sheets of paper are to be printed the
machines may be placed side by side, so that motion may be given by one
shaft or in any other convenient position, but then the planes must be moved
from one machine to another by hand. Two or even one machine only may
The distance of
imparted by one

page_text: be employed, in which case one or more of the planes must be fitted with
points, by which the paper may be placed so thai. the various colors may fall
in register, and while the paper is on the points the fore edge must be received
by the bars or flaps as aforesaid, which having been done the points must
recede by arms or springs into the substance of the plane, so that they may
not encounter the plate during the act of printing.
When flat engraved plates are to be printed I use a machine or rolling press
combined with one or two sets of printing apparatus having an equivalent. to. a
tympan and frisket, between which the paper is securely held while printing.
If oil colors are required the copper plate can be removed in order to be
charged with color in the usual manner. its exact replacement being secured
by guides. Water colors will not require the removal of the plate, the super-
fluous color being wiped off by a ductor, either fixed or drawn over by hand.
In ordinary cases in using curved plates and planes the paper or other
material will remain attached to the planes until all the colors have been
imparted, but it may be removed after receiving any given number of colors,
and others may then be applied in any convenient manner.
Figure 1 is a side elevation of a machine for printing from curved copper
plates; Figure 2 is a similar machine, having the copper plate upon the upper
roller; Figure 3 is the end elevation of Figure 2; the same letters of reference
apply to each Figure.
A is the cast-iron frame; B, B, are rollers which carry the copper plates
upon the blocks C; D, D, are the pressure rollers which act upon the backs.
of the planes to which the paper is attached as hereafter described; E, is.
the color box, the under roller a of which works in the color, which is regu-
lated by the straight edge (a), and the upper roller b imparts the color to the
plate; the steel straight edges or ductors d draw off the superfluous color in
the manner well known in calico printing. The color rollers may be con-
nected with the plate roller by light wheels or bands. H, H, are wood or
metal bars (seen in Figures 3 and 4) which serve to support the planes and
also to combine the machines; the plate and pressure rollers are connected
by toothed wheels W, which must be of sufficient diameter for their pitch
lines to meet in the centre of the thickness of the planes between them.
When two or more machines are used together in the same line motion may
be communicated by a horizontal shaft Z, carrying bevil wheels in gear with
the bevil pinion on the spindle K, as seen in Figures 3. A plane with the
paper affixed to it is laid upon the bars H. at . r, so that its front edge is
nearly in a line with the centres of the plate and pressure rollers, and when
they revolve an arm L, Figure 2, fixed upon the spindle of the plate roller,

page_text: acts against a projection or stop c upon the plane and draws it into motion,
which the pressure of the plate continues until the plane is moved exactly its
own length and in cases where the pressure may not quite do so another
arm L, and a corresponding stop must be used for that purpose. While the
first plane is thus receiving the impression a second plane is laid at x, x, in like
manner, which when it prints will advance 'the first plane another step, and
thus the succeeding planes will move the printed planes onwards towards the
next machine, where they will be printed by another plate, and so on to the
end of the series of machines and plates which may be required to produce
the various tinis and shades of the design.
Figure 4 is a diagram of several machines arranged in a line and connected
by the bearing bars H. between which the planes travel, supported by small
projections which ride upon the bars. Motion may be given to the whole by
the shaft Z as before siated.
It should be observed that although the planes advance each other towards
the machines, yet each plane is separately drawn by the arms L into contact
with the plate. which effect is secured by making the distance between the
centres of the machines rather more than the multiple of the lengths of the
intervening planes; and thus the register of each plane depends solely upon
its own stops c, while the register sideways is secured by small springs let into
one of the guide bars, so as to press against the plane at 8, 8, 8, 8, and thus
keep it in contact with the opposite bar, by which it is guided when drawn by
the arms L, as seen in Figure 3. Thus any slight variation in the width of
the planes can have no ill effect. The side bars, whether of wood or metal,
are planed true on the sides which guide and carry the planes; they are not
shewn in Figures and 2, but are indicated by the letter H in Figure 3.
Curved letter-press plates and blocks in relief may be combined with the work
of curved copper plates, by having some of the latter rollers in Figure 4 fitted
with the ordinary inking apparains and rollers used for surface work. The
machines are placed some distance apart, in order to give time for one
impression to become partly dry before another is printed. and the requisite
space will depend upon the quantity of work upon each plate; for instance,
the plates on 1 and 2 are supposed to be light, but. those on 3 and 4 being
heavier more space is allowed to 4 and 5, the machines 6 and 7 are supposed
to be for work in relief, which does not require immediate drying. Steam
pipes or heated air in motion may also be used in any convenient manner.
Figure 5 is an end elevation of a machine with the rollers in a vertical
position, and Figure 6 is a plan of the same. The curved copper plate and
its block are attached to the central roller, there may be two pressure rollers,

page_text: so that the plate may give two impressions at each revolution. The color is
in the tubular boxes w, which have a line of holes through which the color
passes to the rollers which impart it to the plate; the superfluous color
being drawn off by the ductors d, falls into cups g, placed beneath whence
it is occasionally returned by hand or other means into the funnel-shaped
mouths of the tubular color boxes. The planes are moved upon the bars H in
the vertical position by arms as before described; the bars H. may be V-shaped.
It should be observed that this double action of the plate is limited to designs
which are not affected by the reversed deposition of the colors, occasioned by
the two sets of planes moving in opposite directions. In this machine, and
above the plane, the
also in that shewn at Figure 2, where the plate is
circular shape must be completed by a curved piece of metal e. against which
the ductor may act to prevent waste of color, and thin shelves of tin or other
metal must be applied to catch any color that may fall. The planes to which
the paper is attached may be of various materials and dimensions to suit the
work to be printed. They may have 2 papers side by side, or several
following each other. but in all cases the bars, or buttons. or grippers by
which the paper is held must be below the line of pressure, and placed so as
not to touch the plates.
Figure 7 is a side view, and Figure 8 a plan of a plane for one paper. The
bed a may be of wood; b is the paper. the front edge of which is turned down
between the rounded end of the bed and the moveable bar d, which can be
drawn tight against the bed by two thumb screws e. acting in sockets let
into the bed, the printing cloth beneath the paper is fixed by fine points at the
front and laced tight at the back end g. the back of the paper may be held by
buttons or a bar at the sloped end. c. c. are the tops by which the plane is
drawn by the arms 1. before mentioned. It is desirable in some cases that
those parts of the paper which are to remain unprinted should be below the
line of pressure, this is partly attained by sloping the ends of the planes as
indicated by the dotted lines, Figures 7 and 9. or when large side margins are
required the printing cloths may be only the width of the work. and slips of
linen or other material may be used to protect the paper, or the planes may
have friskets hinged to them, it being remembered that the fixing of the
paper to the plane is only done once although the impressions it may have to
receive may be numerous.
Figure 9 is a side view, and Figure 10 a plan of a plane with register points.
In the act of printing there is some drag upon the paper from the front or
advancing end towards the back, the points therefore should be as near the
front holding bar as possible; the points p may be fixed to slight springs in

page_text: recesses at the back of the bed, the holding bar is hinged at w, and it depresses
the springs and points when it is screwed down upon the paper by the square-
headed screws, as seen in Figure 9, or an ordinary frisket may be hinged to
the front end of the bed and folded down over the paper, depressing the points,
the bed being recessed to admit the frame of the frisket below the line of
pressure, but in all cases the sides of the beds must be retained to the same
thickness as the full part of the bed which gives the pressure; or the bodies
of the planes between the sides & may be of thin metal or other material
having the printing cloth or cloths attached to them, upon which the paper
may be held by bars with screws and nuts, the plates being curved so as to
clear them during the printing, as also the blocks upon the pressure rollers.
The back end of the paper may be held by buttons or the bar *.
Figure 1 is an end view, and Figure 12 is a plan of a press to print flat
plates in register a is the frame; b, the pressure rollers; c, the plank or moving
bed which carries the plate d upon the block e, which can be moved by the
set screws; at the side of the press a stout table is fixed which holds the
needle points h, which come through small holes in the tympan k when it is
laid flat upon the table as in the plan Figure 12; the paper having been placed
the frisket is turned down upon it, the tympan is then folded over upon the
plate. the projecting piece falls into the notch on the left side of the bed c
by which and the hinges m, which are screwed to the bed, the tympan and
frisket and the paper within them are securely held during the printing by the
rollers in the ordinary manner. There is a similar notched iron * upon the
table which holds the tympan during the pointing of the paper. When the
required number of impressions has been taken, another plate may be
substituted, and the paper being replaced by the same point holes, impressions
from a second plate or more plates may be added in register with the first. In
cases where the plate must be removed, as in the cleaning of oil colors, a
block having thin edges or guides must be used so that the plate may be
returned to precisely the same place. The printing cloths on the upper
roller must not go completely round, but a space must be left that the plate
may clear the roller when the plank returns.
Figure 13 is a diagram, and Figure 14 a plan of the side of a plate roller
with its block and plate. The front or advancing end of the plate is turned
down and fixed by the screws a, and the back end of the plate is drawn tight
by, the hooked screws b. It is supposed that the various holes for the screws
have been marked out from the same paper or plate, by which the different
parts of the design have been set off for the engraving so that a slight
adjustment of the blocks will suffice to bring the plates into register, when

page_text: they may be fixed by the surface screws c, and further secured by screws d
within the roller, each of which screws acts in chased holes to permit.motion..
and has stout washers and nuts. The starting arms and L with the
various set screws are plainly shown by this diagram, and Figure 13 shews
the curved piece for completing the circular shape.
And having now described the nature of my said Invention, and in what
manner the same is to be performed, 1 declare that I claim as my "Improve-
ments in Machinery for Printing in Colors,"-
First, the arrangement of parts whereby the planes carrying the paper are
moved upon the bearing bars, substantially in manner and for the purpose
herein-before described.
Second, the combination of machinery substantially as herein-before
described and represented in the accompanying Drawings, acting substantially
in manner and for the purposes described.
In witness whereof, I, the said Augustus Applegath, have hereunto
set my hand and seal, this Twenty-seventh day of January, One
thousand eight hundred and sixty-six.
AUGUSTUS APPLEGATH. (L.S.)