IMPROVEMENTS IN OR RELATING TO THE PRO- DUCTION OF MANIFOLD COPIES OF WRITTEN OR PRINTED MATTER AND DRAWINGS, AND IN THE INK AND APPLIANCES OR ACCESSORIES TO BE USED IN CONNECTION THEREWITH
Year: 1879

page_text: LETTERS PATENT to Michael Alissoff, of St. Petersburg, in the Empire of
Russia, for the Invention of "IMPROVEMENTS IN OR RELATING TO THE PRO-
DUCTION OF MANIFOLD COPIES OF WRITTEN OR PRINTED MATTER AND
DRAWINGS, AND IN THE INK AND APPLIANCES OR ACCESSORIES TO BE USED IN
CONNECTION THEREWITH."
Sealed the 24th February, 1880, in pursuance of an Order of the Lord Chancellor,
PROVISIONAL SPECIFICATION left by the said Michael Alissoff at the Office
of the Commissioners of Patents on the 13th June 1879.
MICHAEL ALISSOFF, of St. Petersburg, in the Empire of Russia. "IMPROVEMENTS
IN OR RELATING TO THE PRODUCTION OF MANIFOLD COPIES OF WRITTEN OR
PRINTED MATTER AND DRAWINGS, AND IN THE INK AND APPLIANCES OR ACCESSORIES
TO BE USED IN CONNECTION THEREWITH.”
This Invention relates to the production by a peculiar process of manifold copies
on ordinary paper of letters, drawings, music, or other matter which has been
written or printed by preference in a peculiar ink. From the said matter to be
copied I take a transfer on peculiarly prepared paper or cotton, or linen cloth, & the
transfer thus obtained I call a cliché or matrix. This cliché I use as a printing
surface for taking other copies therefrom in a somewhat similar manner to the
lithographic process, excepting that I do not ink the prepared paper cliché or surface
afresh after each copy. take copies from the cliché either by means of a copying
press or otherwise by simply placing ordinary paper on the cliché, and applying
hand pressure direct thereon on the reverse side.
The peculiar paper is prepared as follows:-
I take sized or unsized paper and paint or coat it on one side with animal glue or
gelatine, adding glycerine thereto in the proportion of about 2 parts by weight of
glycerine to 8 parts of animal glue or gelatine and 25 parts of water; but these
proportions may be varied according to the qualities of glue or gelatine and the
different methods of preparing clichés. If the composition be too sticky or
adhesive I add about 3 per cent. of alum or 10,per cent. of soap powder, or Panama
root. The paper if too thick may also be rendered transparent by any of the well
known means.

page_text: In conjunction with the said prepared paper I sometimes use a lining paper
which I prepare as follows:-
I apply a thin coat of varnish, by preference boiled oil, to one or both sides of
sized or unsized paper, and when dry I apply a coating thereto consisting of a
solution of boiled starch, dextrine, or a mixture of animal glue and glycerine in
the proportions of about 10 parts by weight of animal glue, 10 parts of glycerine,
2 parts alum, and 100 parts of water, but these proportions may be varied
somewhat.
In my process I use two kinds of copying ink, the one for printing & the other
for writing or drawing, & I prepare them as follows:-
For making writing ink I take about 50 parts by weight of aniline prepared in
any known manner, and boil it with about 350 parts by weight of alcohol (strong
spirits of wine) and about 1000 parts by weight of water till all the aniline is
dissolved;
the ink is then ready for bottling after being cooled.
I am aware that there are other aniline inks in use, in the preparation of which
several ingredients in addition to alcohol are employed; but those ingredients
are not necessary for the preparation of my ink, & I therefore dispense with them.
For making printers' ink I take about 100 parts by weight of aniline, 100 parts
of glycerine, 100 parts of alcohol (strong spirits of wine), and 100 parts by weight
of water, but these proportions may be varied according to circumstances. I put
the aniline and glycerine into a vessel standing in boiling water, & gradually
add the mixture of alcohol (spirits of wine), and water till the aniline is dissolved.
This solution I boil down till the remaining volume of ink is reduced to about 200
parts by weight.
In using or preparing the ink the hands are liable to become stained, & to
remove such stains I use a saturated solution of tartaric acid in alcohol.
My peculiar process consists of two operations, viz., 1, preparing the cliché, & 2,
taking the copies therefrom.
1. I first write or print the matter to be copied on ordinary paper in my peculiar
ink. I place a sheet of dry prepared paper or cloth on the face of the original,
then over that I place a sheet of damp blotting paper, afterwards a sheet of damp
cloth, and finally cover it with a sheet of zinc, oil paper, or india rubber. I then
place the whole pile (doubled if the original is written on both sides of a sheet of
paper) under a copying or other convenient press, & after removing it I peel off
the cliché from the original.
In lieu of blotting paper, cloth, & zinc, I sometimes place a sheet of lining
paper, prepared as above described, thoroughly soaked with water on the prepared
paper. When in the copying press the lining paper will adhere to the prepared
paper, & after removing it from the press I peel both together from off the
original. The lining paper is used only if the prepared paper is very thin, in order
to render it more durable.
Or I use prepared paper of considerable thickness & wet it thoroughly with a
brush or sponge on the prepared side or face, and put it under the press without
lining of any kind. If a large number of copies is required I write or print in
my peculiar ink directly upon the prepared paper, place a sheet of wet lining paper
on the writing, & then place both sheets under the press with a sheet of dry
ordinary paper on the reverse side. In a few minutes the ink will penetrate
through the prepared paper and the writing or printing will appear on the reverse
side. The polygraphic paper with the lining paper attached to its face may then
be used as a cliché for giving copies from its reverse side.
Sometimes I use thick prepared paper as a cliché without the aid of a press.
The copies being taken and the cliché itself produced by simply placing the
respective papers together, & applying pressure by hand.
2. From the clichés prepared by any of the above methods I take copies in the
following manner :-
I place a sheet of ordinary writing paper previously wetted on the cliché or
between the clichés, & place them in the press. I then remove them & place

page_text: another sheet of damp writing paper on or between the clichés, press the lot, &
repeat the operation as many times as copies are required. If the paper be too dry
it will adhere firmly to the prepared paper, but may be peeled off easily if wetted
from the reverse side. The stickiness or adhesiveness of the cliché may also be
destroyed by washing the coating with a solution of gum tragacanth or a weak
solution of alum, tannic acid, or sulphate of iron, which solutions may also be added
to the adhesive composition instead of the soap powder hereinbefore mentioned,
or the adhesiveness of the cliché may be destroyed by adding a small quantity of
gum arabic or gum tragacanth to the water with which the copying paper is
wetted.
Clichés for & copies of large drawings may be produced by any of the methods
above described.
The peculiar prepared & lining paper may either be used in loose sheets or be
bound up in books like the copying books in ordinary use. The copying book thus
obtained may either be used as a collection of original copying sheets, if non
transparent paper be used, or the sheets may be rendered transparent by any well
known means, when they will also serve as a useful record. Copies may be taken
from the clichés or fresh clichés obtained from the original two months even after
the matter has been written or printed or the cliché prepared, care being taken
only to wet the latter thoroughly before use.
I use my peculiar printing ink for printing headings of letters & other papers,
bills of lading, price lists, circulars, & generally all documents usually printed
with blank spaces which aro intended to be filled up in writing, & consequently
if my peculiar writing ink be used for the writing the copies taken on ordinary
paper will show the printed as well as the written matter.

page_text: preferable. When removed from the press the original is to be carefully detached
or peeled from off the matrix.
The text must be written, drawn, or printed with aniline ink, taking care that
the pen be quite clean and always full of ink. The ink when dry ought to shine
like a metallic surface.
In taking copies from the "matrix" after having detached the original therefrom,
as above described, I place a sheet of damp or dry ordinary paper in the place of
the original, and proceed in the same way as when producing the matrix. I thus
obtain a considerable number of copies by repeating the operation as many times
as may be required until the "matrix" is exhausted.
If copies or "matrices" are to be taken from 2, 4, 6, or pages at once I place
a sheet of damped "polygraphic paper" on each page with damp flannels and zinc
sheets between the leaves of "polygraphic paper," and proceed in the way above
described.
The polygraphic paper may be bound into copying books which can be used like
ordinary copying books made of tissue paper, and copies on ordinary paper may be
taken from the "matrices" thus preserved, even after a considerable time. After a
few copies have been taken the written text can be read from the reverse side of
the "inatrix," as in ordinary copying books. Should it be found desirable to
obtain manifold copies of printed matter this may be accomplished by employing
in combination with my peculiar "polygraphic" or prepared paper aniline printing
ink, which I prepare by preference in the following manner :-I take equal parts by
weight of aniline and glycerine and boil them together till the aniline is dissolved,
and the composition has attained sufficient consistency to be used in the manner of
printers' ink. Ink so prepared will be found particularly useful for printing the
headings of letters, bills of lading, declarations, letters of invitation, circulars, and
other documents containing both written and printed matter, since if aniline ink be
used for both the printing and writing the copies will contain both the printed and
written matter, whilst heretofore only the writing could be copied, the printing ink
hitherto employed not being transferable.
Having now described and particularly ascertained the nature of my said Inven-
tion, and the manner in which the same is or may be used or carried into effect, I
would observe in conclusion that I do not claim as any part of my Invention the
special modes of preparing the writing or printing inks herein before described; but
what I consider to be novel and original and therefore claim as the Invention
secured to me by the hereinbefore in part recited Letters Patent is,―
First. The system or mode of obtaining fac simile copies of written documents
and drawings by the employment of the herein described peculiarly prepared or
"polygraphic" paper in conjunction with aniline ink, substantially in the manner
herein before specified.
Second. The application and use of paper prepared in the peculiar manner
herein before described for the purpose specified.
In witness whereof, I, the said Michael Alissoff, have hereunto set my hand
and seal, this First day of December, in the year of our Lord One thousand
eight hundred and seventy nine.
MICHAEL ALISSOFF. (L.S.)