Process for Producing Pictures of Many Colours.
Year: 1896

page_text: Date of Application, 2nd Jan., 1896
Comalade Cannifination Loft 211 Ave
4006 Accented 17th Oct
1806
PROVISIONAL SPECIFICATION.
[Communicated from abroad by the Firm of E. NISTER, of Nuremberg, Bavaria.]
Process for Producing Pictures of Many Colours.
I, OLIVER IMRAY of No. 28 Southampton Buildings, Chancery Lane in the
County of London, Chartered Patent Agent do hereby declare the nature of this
invention to be as follows :-
In the present condition of the art there are required for printing in colours a
number of blocks which produce the coloured picture by successive impressions.
For the production of a single picture it is usually necessary to employ 10
or 20 blocks or even more. This large number of blocks is rendered necessary
because the eye cannot directly decompose the colours of the original into the
primary colours (red, blue and yellow) so as to be able to estimate their proportions
in the compound colours of the original. If this were possible the colour printer
would have to provide practically only three colour blocks, one for each of the
primary colours, and this would greatly simplify the production of the blocks as
well as the printing of the picture. Already many attempts to effect this have
been made, for example by the process described by Hösch in the German Patent
No. 17410.
The present invention relates to a process which has also for its object to reduce
the large number of the printing blocks that has heretofore been required for the
production of a good chromograph, to a number corresponding to that of the
primary colours (red, blue and yellow). This process does not start with making
these few printing blocks from the original, but it assumes the existence of the
number of colour blocks that would be required according to the ordinary method
of colour printing, and uses these in such a way that by means of this large number
of blocks there are prepared three blocks for the primary colours, thereby greatly
simplifying the printing operation. This process reuders it possible to utilise
existing sets of colour blocks for the preparation of blocks for printing in three
colours. The new process consists in decomposing the colour to be printed from
each of the numerous blocks into its primary colours, and taking from this block as
many impressions as there are primary colours involved in the compound colour
that would have been printed from it in the usual way. These impressions are
printed, not in the special colours, but in neutral tints such as gray or brown
corresponding in strength to that of the primary colour in the compound colour for
which the block was intended. These successive impressions are not made on
separate sheets, but all the impressions for each primary colour are made upon one
sheet, one over the other, so that finally there are only three combination sheets
printed in neutral tint. From these three sheets are produced three printing blocks
by any suitable reproduction process, such, for example, as wood engraving litho
The three
graphy, photography, etching, sun printing, autotype or the like.
printing blocks thus prepared, by printing the primary colours one over the other,
produce the required picture.
It will be seen that this process is extremely simple and requires no artistic
genius, but can be carried out without any complication. The colour printer has
only to estimate the degrees of intensity in which he has to print the neutral tints
upon the combination sheets.

page_text: In order that the invention may be better understood, an example of the process
may be given as follows:
Assuming that the picture to be produced would require, according to the
ordinary process of colour printing, 16 colour blocks, and that the chromograph
produced by printing with these 16 blocks in succession, has now to be printed
from 3 blocks, in yellow, red and blue respectively; the colour printer places the
16 blocks successively in the press and prints from each upon the combination
sheets according to the tint and tone of the primary colours involved. Thus, for
instance, a colour block for violet is used for printing in neutral tint upon the
combination sheets for red and blue. The block for printing green is in like
manner used for printing on the combination sheets for blue and yellow, and the
block for brown is applied to all three of the combination sheets for red, blue and
yellow.
There are now three combination sheets of which the first presents in a suitable
tint all the shades of yellow contained in the picture to be produced, the second
presents all the shades of red, and the third presents all the shades of blue. From
these three combination sheets there are produced in any known manner such
as lithography, autotype, photography &c. three printing blocks. The block for
the yellows is used for printing with yellow pigment, then the block for the reds
with red pigment, and finally the block for the blues with blue pigment, one over
the other.
In like manner, as, according to this process the work can by the combination
sheets be separately printed with the three primary colours, so, in certain cases,
for some purposes or for producing other effects, a farther number of combination
sheets can be employed as for example blocks for brown and gray without departing
from the nature of the process.
Dated this 2nd day of January 1896.
ABEL & IMRAY,
Agents for the Applicant.
I, OLIVER IMRAY of No. 28 Southampton Buildings, Chancery Lane, in the
County of London, Chartered Patent Agent, 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 :-
In the present condition of art there are required for printing in colours a number
of blocks which produce the coloured picture by successive impressions.
For the production of a single picture it is usually necessary to employ 10 or 20
blocks or even more. This large number of blocks is rendered necessary because
the eye cannot directly decompose the colours of the original into the primary
colours (red, blue and yellow) so as to be able to estimate their proportions in the
compound colours of the original. If this were possible the colour printer would
have to provide practically only three colour blocks one for each of the primary
colours, and this would greatly simplify the production of the blocks as well as the
printing of the picture. Already many attempts to effect this have been made, for
example by the process described by Hösch in the German Patent No. 17410.
The present invention relates to a process which has also for its object to reduce
the large number of the printing blocks that has heretofore been required for the
production of a good chromograph, to a number corresponding to that of the primary
colours (red, blue and yellow). This process does not start with making these few
printing blocks from the original, but it assumes the existence of the number of
colour blocks that would be required according. to the ordinary method of colour

page_text: printing and uses these in such a way that by means of this large number of blocks
there are prepared three blocks for printing the primary colours, thereby greatly
simplifying the printing operation. This process renders it possible to utilise
existing sets of colour blocks for the preparation of blocks for printing in three
colours. The new process consists in decomposing the colour to be printed from
each of the numerous blocks into its primary colours, and taking from this block
as many impressions as there are primary colours involved in the compound
colour that would have been printed from it in the usual way. These impressions
are printed, not in the special colours, but in neutral tints such as gray or brown
corresponding in strength to that of the primary colour in the compound colour for
which the block was intended. These successive impressions are not made on
separate sheets, but all the impressions for each primary colour are made upon one
sheet, one over the other, so that finally there are only three combination sheets
printed in neutral tint. From these three sheets are produced three printing
blocks by any suitable reproduction process such for example, as wood engraving,
lithography, photography, etching, sun printing, autotype or the like. The three
printing blocks thus prepared, by printing the primary colours oue over the other,
produce the required picture.
It will be seen that this process is extremely simple and requires no artistic
genius, but can be carried out without any complication.
The colour printer has only to estimate the degrees of intensity in which he has
to print the neutral tints upon the combination sheets.
In order that the invention may be better understood, an example of the process
may be given as follows:
Assuming that the picture to be produced would require, according to the ordinary
process of colour printing, 16 colour blocks, and that the chromograph produced
by printing with these 16 blocks in succession, has now to be printed from 3 blocks
in yellow, red and blue respectively; the colour printer places the 16 blocks
successively in the press and prints from each upon the combination sheets according
to the tint and tone of the primary colours involved. Thus, for instance, a colour
block for violet is used for printing in neutral tint upon the combination sheets for
red and blue.
The block for printing green is in like manner used for printing on the combina-
tion sheets for blue and yellow, and the block for brown is applied to all three of
the combination sheets for red, blue and yellow.
There are now three combination sheets of which the first presents in a suitable
tint all the shades of yellow contained in the picture to be produced, the second
presents all the shades of red, and the third presents all the shades of blue. From
these three combination sheets there are produced in any known manner such as
lithography, autotype, photography &c. three printing blocks. The block for the
yellows is used for printing with yellow pigment, then the block for the reds, with
red pigment, and finally the block for the blues with blue pigment, one over the
other.
In like manner, as, according to this process the work can by the combination
sheets be separately printed with the three primary colours, so, in certain cases,
for some purposes or for producing other effects, a farther number of combination
sheets can be employed as for example blocks of brown aud gray without departing
from the nature of the process.
Having now particularly described and ascertained the nature of this inven-
tion and in what manner the same is to be performed, I declare that what I
claim is :-
A process for producing pictures in many colours by printing successively from
a small number of blocks, such as three each for printing a primary colour, these
few blocks being produced by operating as follows with the many blocks usually
employed for colour printing; that is to say, the colour intended to be printed
from any one of the inany blocks is mentally decomposed into its two or three

page_text: primary colours, and from this block impressions are taken in neutral tint on two
or three sheets each appropriated to one of the primary colours, impressions are
similarly taken on the same three sheets from all others of the many blocks; from
the three neutrally tinted combination sheets thus prepared, three printing blocks
are produced in any known way, one for printing each primary colour and by
making successive inpressions from these, each with its appropriate colour, a picture
is produced in many colours which are compounds in various proportions of the
primary colours, substantially as described.
Dated this 31st day of August 1896.
ABEL & IMRAY,
Agents for the Applicant.