IMPROVEMENTS IN PROCESS FOR REPRODUCING AND MANIFOLDING WRITTEN DRAWN OR PRINTED MATTER
Year: 1885

page_text: I ILDO RAMSDELL residing at No 2 Luckie Street, in the City of Atlanta,
County of Fulton and State of Georgia in the United States of America gentleman
do hereby declare the nature of my invention for IMPROVEMENTS IN PROCESS FOR
REPRODUCING AND MANIFOLDING WRITTEN DRAWN OR PRINTED MATTER" and in
what manner the same is to be performed to be particularly described and ascer-
tained in and by the following statement:-
This invention relates to certain improvements in treating paper and in the
process for producing transfers from drawings, engravings, prints, and written
originals cheaply and with great rapidity.
It is well known that acids repel greasy inks, and that paper saturated or
surfaced with acids, is rendered repellent to such inks, and upon these properties of
the ink and acids respectively the art of transferring printing herein described is
based.
The acid best adapted to the purpose is sulphuric acid, but this has a corrosive
action upon the paper, which renders it necessary to employ some protective
substance to prevent such corrosive action which would soon destroy the paper and
consequently the design or drawing.
I have discovered that glycerine combined with sulphuric acid, forms a perfect
protection against such corrosion while it in no manner interferes with its ink
repellant action and possesses the further advantage of keeping the paper moist
during the process which is essential to the perfect working of the same.
My invention consists in a compound for treating paper consisting of glycerine,
sulphuric acid and water and a process for producing the prints as more fully
hereafter specified.
In carrying out my invention I make a bath of the following ingredients.
Glycerine
Sulphuric acid
Water-
1 part.
4 parts.
20 parts.
These are thoroughly commingled and the solution is placed in a flat dish of
O porcelain or other suitable material and the paper containing the drawing or design,
.in lines formed of fatty ink, such as lithographic or other printing ink is floated

page_text: face down upon the surface until it becomes translucent or of about the appearance
of ground glass.
After this the sheet is laid face up on a sheet of glass and the surface is "rolled
up" with a roller charged with an ink composed of from about of mutton tallow
to of lithographic ink, after which the paper is washed thoroughly with water.
The sheet is then laid face down on a lithographic stone or zinc plate, and the
whole run through a lithographic press and transferred after the manner of a
lithographic transfer after which the sheet is removed leaving an impression of the
drawing or design upon the surface of the stone or plate which is "rolled up,"
etched, etc. in the usual manner when it is ready for the production of prints by
the ordinary process.
The proportions named will answer in practice, but I do not intend to limit
myself. to such, as the proportions may be varied almost indefinitely so as to
produce good results without departing from the spirit of my invention.
The process herein described is applicable to both lithographic and metal plates.
The paper may be first immersed in alcohol, or alcohol may be employed in
connection with the compound to render the paper more absorbent, but in many
instances it is objectionable for the reason that while it acts mainly to open the
pores of the paper it gives but little if any protective action to the acid, while it
acts in some instances as a solvent of the inks employed.
Having now particularly described and ascertained the nature of my said
invention and in what manner the same is to be performed, I declare that what
I claim is
The process herein described of producing transfer prints the same consisting in
treating the paper having the design in printing or other suitable ink, with a
solution of glycerine and sulphuric acid, properly diluted, rolling or inking up
the surface of the design and transferring the design to a lithographic stone or
plate, substantially as specified.
་