IMPROVEMENTS IN PHOTOGRAPHIC PRINTING FRAMES AND IN APPARATUS USED IN CONNECTION THEREWITE.
Year: 1877

page_text: LETTERS PATENT to Thomas George Hemery, of Camberwell, in the County
of Surrey, for the Invention of "IMPROVEMENTS IN PHOTOGRAPHIC PRINTING
FRAMES AND IN APPARATUS USED IN CONNECTION THEREWITE.
Sealed the 14th May 1878, and dated the 21st November 1877.
PROVISIONAL SPECIFICATION left by the said Thomas George Hemery
at the Office of the Commissioners of Patents on the 21st November 1877.
THOMAS GEORGE HEMERY, of Camberwell, in the County of Surrey. "IMPROVE-
MENTS IN PHOTOGRAPHIC PRINTING FRAMES, AND IN APPARATUS USED IN CON-
NECTION THEREWITH."
My Invention relates to photographic printing frames, and has for its object to
ensure accurate registration in producing by subsequent printings ornamental
borders, marginal tints, signatures, combination backgrounds, or other effects supple-
mentary to the main subject of the picture produced at the first printing, so that
any desired number or combination of such effects may be separately produced in a
single tinting frame with perfect accuracy, and without the aid of special skill on
the part of the operator. The Invention further relates to an improvement-in
vignetting whereby I am enabled to produce a picture delicately tinted and without
any hard lines of demarcation between the object and the background, as will be
hereafter described.
My improvements in the printing frames consist in the employment of register
pins or studs in corresponding positions on the first and second printing frames
(termed respectively the printing and tinting frames) in combination with a metal
plate (which I term a register plate) having corresponding holes therein capable
of being fixed on the pins or studs of either frame, and transferred from the one to
the other as required, as hereafter described. The pins in the printing frame in
combination with the holes in the plate serve also to punch holes in the sensitized
paper or material whereby its proper position in the tinting frame is ensured.
I prefer that the pins of the printer should be on the back or lid, and those of the
tinter in corresponding positions on the frame itself. The printing frame is also
DC37

page_text: provided with spring catches to retain the register plate when placed in position by
the closing of the lid, as hereafter described.
To the register plate is attached the mask for protecting the parts to be sub-
printed according to the design. Any number of these register plates may be used
carrying the marks to be employed at the successive stages or printings, if
necessary.
To enable combination backgrounds and other supplementary effects to be printed
in a single tinter, the plate carrying the skin on which such effects are mechanically
printed or otherwise produced is removable from the tinting frame, so that it may
be replaced by another carrying a different design.
The modus operandi is as follows:-The plate carrying the background, margin,
signature, or other design to be sub-printed having been placed in the tinter, the
proper position of the mask to be attached to the register plate is found by fixing
the latter on the pins in the tinter and adjusting the mask to the background or
other design, the mask being then attached to the register plate by an adhesive
substance. The register plate with the mask attached is then removed and placed
on the pins on the printing frame cover, which is then closed, whereupon the register
plate is caught by the spring catches above-mentioned, and retained in the proper
position to ensure the accurate register, when the lid is again raised to insert the
negative and the sensitized paper or tissue. On again closing the lid the pins punch
holes in the sensitized paper or tissue, which, when the latter is transferred to the
tinting frame, exactly correspond with and fit on the pins of said frame whereby the
correct position of the paper or tissue is assured. The pins, instead of being per-
manently fixed to the printing frame, might be removable if preferred.
For vignetting I employ slides fitted in grooves in the face of the printing and
tinting frames, so as to be readily adjustable. The opening of the vignetter and
the corresponding disc or mask, which is an exact counterpart thereof, have
their edges scalloped, indented, or cut of a wavy or irregular form.
"
The
opening viguettes, the print "forward," and the tint vignetting disc vignettes,
the print backward" in an inverse ratio, the two graduated printings over-
lapping, so that no join is perceptible.

page_text: SPECIFICATION in pursuance of the conditions of the Letters Patent filed by
the said Thomas George Hemery in the Great Seal Patent Office on the 21st
May 1878.
THOMAS GEORGE HEMERY, of Camberwell, in the County of Surrey. "IMPROVE-
MENTS IN PHOTOGRAPHIC PRINTING FRAMES, AND IN APPARATUS USED IN CON-
NECTION THEREWITH."
My Invention relates to photographic printing frames, and has for its object to
ensure accurate registration in producing by subsequent printings ornamental borders,
marginal tints, signatures, combination backgrounds, or other effects supplementary
to the main subject of the picture produced at the first printing, so that any desired
number or combination of such effects may be produced by separate printings in
one or more tinting frames, with perfect accuracy and without the aid of special
skill on the part of the operator.
My improvements consist in the employment of register pins or studs in corre-
sponding positions on the first and second printing frames (termed respectively the
printing and tinting frames) in combination with a metal plate (which I term a
register plate) having corresponding holes therein, capable of being fixed on the pins
or studs of either frame, and transferred from one to the other as required; as here-
after described. The pins in the printing frame in combination with the holes in
the plate serve also to punch holes in the sensitized paper or tissue, whereby its
proper position in the tinting frame is ensured.
I prefer that the pins of the printer should be on the back or lid, and those of the
tinter in corresponding positions on the frame itself. The printing frame is also
provided with spring catches to retain the register plate when placed in position
by the closing of the lid, as hereafter described.
To the register plate is attached the mask for protecting the parts to be sub-
printed according to the design. Any number of these register plates may be used,
carrying the marks to be employed at the successive stages or printings if necessary.
To enable combination backgrounds and other supplementary effects to be printed
in a single tinter, the plate carrying the skin on which such effects are mechanically
printed or otherwise produced, is removeable from the tinting frame, so that it may
be replaced by another carrying a different design.
The pins of the printing frame, instead of being fixed, might be moveable, if pre-
ferred, and attached to a spring plate which draws them out of the holes in the
register plate, after being pressed down to punch the register holes in the sensitized
paper or tissue.
DESCRIPTION OF DRAWINGS.

page_text: The register plate C is of metal and has holes c corresponding exactly in size and
position, both with pins a of the printing frame and pins b of the tinting frame.
The ends of the studs a are flat, with sharp square edges, so as in conjunction with
holes c in plate C to punch out holes in the sensitized paper or tissue.
d, in Figures 1, 2, and 3, are spring catches attached to the sides of the printing
frame A to detach the register plate from the pins a, and retain it with the mask
attached thereto when placed mechanically in position by the closing of the lid.
D is a paper mask attached to a register plate C, the mask shown being intended
to protect the border, whilst the subject is being printed, it being understood that
any form and number of masks, and any number of register plates C may be used,
according to the design and effects required.
E is the corresponding disc on the glass plate of the tinting frame to protect the
subject, whilst the background, ornamental border, marginal tint, title, or signature
is being printed.
The modus operandi is as follows:-It being supposed for the sake of simplicity
that only one register plate C is used. The plate carrying the disc E and the margin,
signature, or other design to be sub-printed, having been placed in the tinter B,
the proper position for the mark D to be attached to the register plate C is found by
temporarily placing said plate on the pins b of the tinter, (as shown in dotted lines
at C, Figures 4 and 5,) and adjusting the mask D to the disc E, the said mask D
being then attached to the register plate, preferably by india-rubber solution. The
register plate with the mask D now attached is then removed and placed on
the pins a of the printing frame, as shown in dotted lines at "C³, Figure 2;
and the cover A¹ being then closed down, the register plate is caught by the
spring catches & and retained, as represented in dotted lines C3, Figure 1, in the
proper position to ensure accurate register when the lid A¹ is again raised to
place in the printing frame the negative and the sensitized paper or tissue. The
latter must be large enough to cover the holes in the register plate, so that on
again closing down lid A for the purpose of printing the subject or picture,
the pins a will punch holes in the paper or tissue, which, when the paper or
tissue is transferred to the tinting frame B, fit on the pins b whereby the correct
position of the paper or tissue in the latter frame is assured.
In Figures 7 and 8 the pins a are fitted to slide through holes in lid A¹ and are
attached to a spring plate K fastened to the back of lid A¹, and curved so as to
draw back the pins a, as shown. By pressing on spring K at , the pins a are
caused to project and punch the register holes in the sensitized paper or tissue, and
are then withdrawn so as to avoid risk of tearing the register holes when opening
lid A¹.
Having described the nature of my Invention, and the manner of performing the
same, I declare that what I claim as my Invention to be protected by the herein-
before in part recited Letters Patent is,-
1st. The employment in combination of register pins applied to photographic
printing frames, and one or more register plates with holes corresponding to said
pins, substantially as and for the purpose herein set forth.
2nd. The employment in combination with the register pins and plates in a
photographic printing frame, of the spring catches for removing the register plate
from the pins, and holding it in position, substantially as herein specified.
In witness whereof, I, the said Thomas George Hemery, have hereunto set my
hand and seal, this Twentieth day of May, in the year of our Lord One
thousand eight hundred and seventy-eight.
T. G. HEMERY. (L.S.)