IMPROVEMENTS IN TILE MODE OF PRODUCING MANIFOLD COPIES OF LETTERS OR PAPER WRITINGS, AND IN THE PREPARATION OF THE INK USED FOR SUCH LETTERS AND WRITINGS
Year: 1876

page_text: LETTERS PATENT to Alfred Thomas Byford, of Liverpool Street, in the City of
London, Accountant, for the Invention of "IMPROVEMENTS IN TILE MODE OF
PRODUCING MANIFOLD COPIES OF LETTERS OR PAPER WRITINGS, AND IN THE
PREPARATION OF THE INK USED FOR SUCH LETTERS AND WRITINGS."
Scaled the 1st September 1876, and dated the 6th March 1876.
PROVISIONAL SPECIFICATION left by the said Alfred Thomas Byford at the
Office of the Commissioners of Patents on the 6th March 1876.
66
ALFRED THOMAS BYFORD, of Liverpool Street, in the City of London, Accountant.
IMPROVEMENTS IN THE MODE OF PRODUCING MANIFOLD COPIES OF LETTERS OR
PAPER WRITINGS, AND IN THE PREPARATION OF THE INK USED FOR SUCH LETTERS
AND WRITINGS."
The object of this Invention is to obtain manifold copies of letters and paper
writings on strong paper or ordinary letter paper in contradistinction to the
transfers upon tissue paper (in letter copying books), which copies are of no other
use than for reference. Hitherto, when say twenty copies of a letter or paper
writing were required, it has been found necessary to call in the services of a copy-
ing clerk or the lithographer, and in Government departments and in large
commercial and legal establishments the cost of copying is very considerable.
In order to avoid this expense I make use of the ordinary copying press, and I
modify the mode of copying to a certain extent.
The letter or other paper writing to be copied is written in specially prepared
ink to be hereafter described, and is then submitted to the press, a sheet of damped
letter or other strong paper being laid over the written surface. Pressure is then
applied in the ordinary manner and a transfer copy is obtained on the damped
letter paper, which transfer copy is to serve as a printing surface from which the
manifold (say twenty) copies are to be taken.
The copies are taken one at a time on to dry letter or other strong paper, which
is merely laid on the transfer copy and put into the press, and pressure being
applied a clear copy is instantaneously obtained. When the copies begin to get
faint a fresh transfer copy may be taken from the original written copy, and the
making of the copies proceeds as before. By this means as many as forty fair
copies may be produced from one written copy, thus affording a great saving in
the cost of copying letters and other paper writings.
Price Ad

page_text: The ink which I prefer to use for the purposes of my Invention is prepared from
the following ingredients, viz. :--Sulphate of indigo, logwood, leopard's galls and
sulphate of iron in the proportions of say five-eighth parts by weight of sulphate
of indigo to one-eighth part each of the other three ingredients. These ingredients
are first well mixed together and then water is added as required.
The ink thus prepared must be placed in a glass bottle or ink well, and care must
be taken to use only clean steel pens for writing with.
Letters and other paper writings written with this ink may be kept for several
months, and copies may be taken at any time as the ink does not deteriorate nor
destroy the paper.
SPECIFICATION in pursuance of the conditions of the Letters Patent filed by
the said Alfred Thomas Byford in the Great Seal Patent Office on the 6th
September 1876.
ALFRED THOMAS BYFORD, of Liverpool Street, in the City of London, Accountant.
IMPROVEMENTS IN THE MODE OF PRODUCING MANIFOLD COPIES OF LETTERS OR
PAPER WRITINGS, AND IN THE PREPARATION OF THE INK USED FOR SUCH LETTERS
AND WRITINGS."
The object of this Invention is to obtain manifold copies of letters and paper
writings on strong paper or ordinary letter paper in contradistinction to the
ordinary transfers upon tissue paper (in letter copying books), which latter copies
are of no other use than for reference. Hitherto, when (say) twenty copies of a letter
or paper writing were required, it has been found necessary to call in the services of
a copying clerk or the lithographer, and in Government departments and in large
commercial and legal establishments the cost of copying is very considerable.
In order to avoid this expense I modify the mode of copying to a certain extent
as will be hereafter explained, and I make use of the ordinary copying press,
together with a suitable printing pad and impression plate, in order to produce a
printing surface or transfer in reverse of the original paper writing.
"
In carrying out my Invention the letter or other paper writing to be copied is
written with specially prepared ink (to be hereafter described) upon any ordinary
writing paper, and is then placed in the printing pad and submitted to the press, in
order to obtain a transfer or reverse impression therefrom. The paper on which
this transfer is to be taken is of that kind known in the trade as plate paper,"
and should be of the best quality. The sheet of transfer paper which is to receive
the impression is first thoroughly damped with a damping brush, and in order to
ensure a thorough saturation and uniform damping of the transfer paper and to
absorb any superfluous water, the sheet of transfer paper when damped by the
damping brush should be laid on the cloth lining of the printing pad, which is
formed of two pieces of millboard covered with morocco or other leather, which is
attached to the millboard by means of a solution of india-rubber. The leather
cover should be varnished in order to protect it from the wet. Inside one cover of
the pad is fixed by means of india-rubber solution a pad of vulcanized india-rubber,
about one quarter of an inch in thickness and covered on the upper side with fine
tweed cloth. On the inside of the other cover is fixed a sheet of ordinary fine
india-rubber cloth. The flexible pad thus produced will form a beautiful elastic
surface, suitable for obtaining fine impressions on single sheets of paper. When the
wetted sheet of transfer paper has been placed in the printing pad it must be
subjected to pressure in the copying press in order to squeeze out any superfluous
moisture which will be absorbed by the cloth. The written paper from which the
transfer is to be taken is then laid face downwards on the damped sheet of transfer
paper and a metal impression plate is laid thereon. This impression plate consists
of a thin metal plate with a smooth japanned surface, but a smooth zine plate will
answer the purpose. Pressure is then applied to the printing pad in a letter copy-

page_text: ing press in the ordinary manner for the space of about one minute. A transfer
copy in reverse is thus obtained on the damped transfer paper, and this transfer
copy is to serve as a printing surface from which the manifold (say twenty or more)
copies are to be taken. These copies are taken one at a time on any description of
ordinary writing paper, the preference being given to a white paper with a not too
highly glazed surface. The paper to be printed on may be dry, and is laid on the
transfer copy in the printing pad and covered with the impression plate. The pad
is then put into the press and pressure being applied a clear copy is obtained. As
many as from forty to fifty copies can be obtained in the same manner from one
transfer, but when the printed impressions from the transfer begin to get faint, the
under side of the transfer should be moistened with water. A second and third
transfer may also be taken from the original written document, and the making of
other copies of the written document by printing from the new transfers may be
proceeded with as before. By this means as many as one hundred fair copies may
be produced from one written document or letter, thus affording a great saving in
the cost of copying letters and other paper writings or obtaining a limited number
of copies of the original paper writing.
.
Inks of various colours may be used for the purpose of my Invention. If a black
ink be required it may be prepared from the following ingredients, vizt, sulphate of
indigo, logwood, nut galls, and sulphate of iron. To make this black ink I take one
pound of sulphate of indigo and add thereto four fluid ounces of extract of logwood.
This mixture is diluted by the addition of two quarts of cold water in which is
dissolved a small quantity of alum, say about a quarter of an ounce. This will act
as a mordant. I then take four ounces of nut galls, which must be bruised and
boiled in a gallon of water until the quantity is reduced to two quarts, when it may
be left to get cold, after which it may be strained. To this decoction I add two
ounces of sulphate of iron dissolved in two quarts of water. These two solutions
must be well mixed and then added to the indigo solution; the whole must be
well stirred for a short time and then allowed to stand for some hours, after which
it may be strained and bottled off and is ready for use. By leaving out the sul-
phate of iron and nut galls an ink of a bluish shade may be made. It is preferable,
however, when a blue ink is required, to use aniline as a base for the ink. This
aniline may be obtained by dissolving indigo blue by the aid of heat in a strong
solution of potash, and the mass after evaporation to dryness is subjected to
destructive distillation when aniline is liberated, which condenses in the receiver in
the form of a brown oil together with a little water and ammonia. The product
should be submitted to repeated rectification in order to remove any foreign matters.
This process for obtaining from indigo the aniline required to produce my ink is
well known and forms no part of my Invention, as aniline obtained from other
sources, as from the basic oil of coal tar, will answer my purpose equally well. In
preparing a blue or violet ink from aniline for the purpose of my Invention (from
whatever source the aniline may be obtained) I take one pound of aniline crystals
(known in the trade as B B B violet crystals), and I place it in an open pan and
add thereto ten fluid ounces of pure alcohol. The inixture may be allowed to
remain about an hour and then from two to two and a half gallons of warm water
(with which is mixed eight fluid ounces of wood naphtha) is to be poured in, and
after the whole has been well stirred it must be allowed to stand until cold. From
thirty to forty drops of nitric acid are then added, and after the liquor has been
well stirred again it must be left for about eight hours. I then add to the mixture
(as a mordant) from twelve to fifteen grains of muriate of tin, dissolved in a little
warm water, and when the ink has been exposed to the action of the air for about
twelve hours it may be strained or filtered and it will be ready for bottling, just
previous to which I add four fluid ounces of sulphuric ether. The ink thus prepared
must be placed in a glass or stone bottle or ink well, and care must be taken to use
only clean steel pens for writing with it. Letters and other paper writings written
with this ink may be kept for several months, and copies may be taken at any
time from the transfer as the ink does not deteriorate nor destroy the paper.

page_text: Having now described my Invention of "Improvements in the Mode of Producing
Manifold Copies of Letters or Paper Writings and in the Preparation of the Ink
used for such Letters and Writings," and having explained the inanner of carrying
the same into effect, I would remark that I am aware that paper writings, written
with specially prepared ink such as lithographic ink, have been transferred to stone
or zinc plates, and copies may have been obtained therefrom by the ordinary litho-
graphic printing process, and I am also aware that by the use of specially prepared ink
several copies in reverse on thin or transparent paper may be obtained from a single
written document or letter, but such thin or transparent copies are read on the back
or reverse side of the paper instead of the printed side. I do not therefore claim
the exclusive right to produce such transfers, except when done in the manner and
used for the purpose horein set forth, but that which I consider new and therefore
wish to claim as the Invention secured to me by Letters Patent as aforesaid is―
First. Obtaining manifold copies of letters or paper writings by first obtaining
on paper a transfer in reverse from the original letter or paper writing, and then
printing therefrom on to ordinary writing or letter paper by means of an ordinary
copying press and suitable elastic printing pad and impression plate, as herein
set forth.
Second. Preparing writing ink in the manner and for the purpose herein set
forth.
In witness whereof I the soid Alfred Thomas Byford have hereunto set my
A. T. BYFORD. (L.S.)