IMPROVEMENTS IN THE PRODUCTION OF PRINTING SURFACES BY THE AID OF PHOTO-RELIEFS
Year: 1884

page_text: I NORMAN MACBETH of the Victoria Foundry, Bolton in the County of
Lancaster, Engineer, do hereby declare the nature of the said invention for
"IMPROVEMENTS IN THE PRODUCTION OF PRINTING SURFACES BY THE AID OF
PHOTO-RELIEFS" to be as follows:-
My Invention relates to the production of printing surfaces by the aid of
gelatine films or photo-reliefs. I take a negative gelatine relief film and place
it between the prepared surface of a block or plate and a smooth surface of hard
steel or other suitable material and I press the said film forcibly upon the said
prepared surface. The said block or plate may be of wood, lead, pewter or other
metal, alloy, substance or material which will receive a permanent impression from
the film. The surface is prepared by scoring with fine vee lines or with cross lines
or with stipple marks or by otherwise producing a grained lined or roughened
surface all the depressions being by preference wider at the top than at the
bottom as in the case of lines made with a diamond pointed burin. The lines or
marks may be made directly upon the block or plate or an electro type may be
obtained from a surface or material as for example a thin electro type may
be taken from a suitable surface and be backed up with lead or soft or com-
pressible metal, alloy or substance. Before exposing the block or plate to pressure
I usually fill all the lines or depressions with powder or with a cement or substance
which can be readily removed at a later stage in the process. When the photo
relief film is pressed upon the prepared surface the parts of the film which are in
relief are pressed into the surface so as to lower parts of the surface to a greater
or lesser extent below the general level of the surface the filling substance or
material tending to prevent the crushing of the ridges or equivalent parts of the
surface the object being to as much as possible retain the sectional forms of these
ridges lines or grains. As a consequence the less compressible the filling material
is the better adapted it is to my purpose so long as it can be readily removed from
the lines or depressions. The pressing operation furnishes a positive relief the
high parts corresponding to the dark parts of what would be a positive picture of
the subject. At this stage of the process the filling powder or material may be
Price Ad1

page_text: removed and if desirable the surface may receive a thin deposit of copper nickel
or other protecting metal or the said filling material may be removed at a later
stage. The impressed surface is now ground scraped, planed or reduced until the
higher parts of the surface which represent the darker shades are reduced in
height whereby the tops of the ridges or projections are inade wider and the
intervening spaces narrower to a greater or lesser extent according to the degree
of depression caused by the film. In ordinary practice this reduction may be
effected by grinding upon a plane surface. By these. means shades varying from
solid blacks to high lights can be obtained in the impressions from the finished
plate or block. In place of this grinding or reduction, I may use pressure to
obtain a corresponding effect a smooth bard. plate or block being pressed against
the work the pressure being regulated so as to crush down or flatten the ridges or
projections to a greater or lesser degree in the different parts of the picture or
1 may use a combination of the said grinding and flattening processes to obtain
this result. If it be desired to obtain a block with great depressions in the high
lights of the resulting printed picture the surface of the hereinbefore described
block may be inked with an acid resisting ink previous to or after the flattening
process in which case I may employ a zinc or copper plate. to flatten the ridges
which zinc or copper plate receives an inked impression from the block and may
afterwards be etched to form a printing block or in place of applying the zinc or
copper plate directly to the inked block I may take an impression on transfer
paper from the inked block and thereafter transfer it to the zinc plate. The
blocks or plates produced by these means may be printed from direct or electro
type copies may be taken and used for printing purposes. I can vary the process
by using a positive gelatine film instead of a negative. In such a case I obtain
a cast or mould of the film in hard material and apply this cast or mould with
pressure to the softer prepared plate or block or a positive relief may be applied
with pressure to the lined or engraved surface of a plate or block whereby the
latter receives a negative impression from which positive casts or impressions can
be obtained by electro deposit or by pressure or by other suitable ineans and be
treated by grinding or reduction as herein before indicated. I do not confine
myself to the plane formation of the printing surface as in some cases the surfaces
may be of cylindrical formation nor do I contine myself to the use of said filling
material in all cases.

page_text: I NORMAN MACBETH of the Victoria Foundry, Bolton in the County of
Lancaster, Engineer, do hereby declare the nature of the said invention for
"IMPROVEMENTS IN THE PRODUCTION OF PRINTING SURFACES BY THE AID OF
PHOTO RELIEFS and in what manner the same is to be performed to be
particularly described and ascertained in and by the following statement :-
"
My Invention relates to the production of printing surfaces or plates by the aid
of gelatine films or photo reliefs. Plates, blocks or printing appliances prepared in
accordance with my invention are suitable for use in the printing or multiplication
of pictures, designs or works of art containing graduated shades or lines varying
from high lights to solid black or dark shades, and may be adapted for use either
in surface printing in which the raised lines, grains or points receive a coating of
ink or in the copper plate or other like printing process wherein the depressions are
charged with ink.
In the carrying into effect of my invention I prepare the surface of a block or
plate in the manner hereinafter indicated and between this prepared surface and
the smooth surface of a hard block or plate of steel or other suitable material
I apply a gelatine relief film and subject the whole to such a degree of pressure as
will cause the gelatine film to impress the prepared block or plate. To further
prepare this block or plate for the printing operation I grind down or reduce the
most prominent parts of the surface as will be hereinafter mentioned.
The block or plate to be prepared may be of wood, lead or pewter or of any
suitable metal, alloy, substance or material capable of receiving a permanent
impression from the film. I prepare the surface of the block or plate by scoring
with fine vee lines or with cross lines or with stipple marks or by otherwise
producing a grained lined or roughened surface suitable to receive ink to a greater
or lesser extent according to the required tone of the picture. By preference the
grooves or depressions are all wider at the top than at the bottom as in the cases
of lines produced by means of an ordinary diamond pointed burin. The lines or
marks may be made directly upon the material of the block or plate by cutting
engraving, etching or pressing or the material constituting the printing surface
may be formed by electro deposit in the form of an electro-type copy or impression
obtained from a lined, grained, roughened or suitably prepared block, plate or
material which may be used in the successive obtainment of a large number
of plates having uniformly prepared surfaces. Thin electro deposited shells or
films of copper or other suitable metal or alloy produced in the indicated manner
may be backed up with lead or with a suitably impressible metal, alloy or
substance. Before exposing the block or plate so far prepared I usually fill all the
grooves or depressions with cement or with a powder or substance which is not
compressible to any great extent and which can be readily removed at a later stage
in the process. For this purpose I may use such materials as fine chalk, silica,
sand, powdered glass, shell-lac, pitch or glue or any other substance adapted to the
requirements or I may use a thin film or sheet of metal or other substance which is
grained or lined on one side so as to correspond reversely with the grains or lines
on the block as for example I may use such a thin film or sheet to produce
by pressure the required grained lined or stippled surface upon the block or plate,
and leave it upon the same during the subsequent operation. Upon the surface of
the block or plate so prepared and treated I apply the photo-relief film and upon

page_text: this I apply a hard smoothed and polished steel block or plate and I subject the
whole to pressure in a hydraulic or other suitable press or apparatus. This has
the effect of pressing the photo film into the prepared surface of the softer block. or
plate owing to the unyielding nature of the hard steel whereby parts of the said
prepared surface are depressed or lowered to an extent which varies in proportion
to the varying thickness of the relief film. The filling substance applied as
aforesaid tends to prevent the crushing of the ridges or prominences of the
prepared surface my object being to as much as possible retain the cross sectional
formation of these ridges, lines, grooves or depressions so that the bottoms of the
depressions shall be lowered as well as the tops of the prominces. As a consequence
the less compressible is the filling substance the better adapted it is to my purpose.
so long as it can be readily removed at the proper time. For the purposes of my
Invention I can use a negative or a positive relief film. If a negative relief film be
used in the process the pressing operation will furnish a positive lined or grained
relief upon the block or plate the more prominent parts corresponding to the dark
portions of what would be a positive picture of the subject of the photo relief used
in the process. If a positive relief film be used a negative relief. will result from
the pressing operation the more depressed parts in this case corresponding to the
dark portions of the picture. At this stage in the process I usually remove
the filling substance but if preferred for any reason it may be removed after the
grinding or reducing operation next to be described. The so far prepared surface
of the block or plate is now to be ground, scraped, planed or reduced until 'the
higher prominences are reduced in height or are reduced to one level plane whereby
the ridges grains or projections are made wider and the intervening grooves or
spaces narrower to a greater or lesser extent according to the degree of depression
caused by the varying relief of the photo film. This reducing of the surface inay
he conveniently effected by grinding with emery or other abrading powder upon a
flat metal surface or by grinding upon a plane surface or by means of a revolving
grinder traversed in a straight line or a planing machine or tool or a straight
scraper or any other suitable means may be employed. The filling substances is
now removed if this has not been done previously and the block or plate may be
used in the obtainment of printed impressions. If preferred the block or plate inay
receive a thin protective coating of a harder metal such as nickel, cobalt or copper.
In place of grinding, scraping or planing the block or plate I may subject it
to pressure to obtain a corresponding effect the filling substance being removed
previously to such pressing operation or I may obtain the desired effect by the
employment of both methods. The block or plate may be pressed in contact with
a smooth hard plane surface the pressure being so regulated as to crush or flatten
down the higher prominences to the extent required to obtain the desired effect.
I do not however consider this method so suitable as the grinding or scraping as
the effect of the operation can not be so well controlled.
If it be desired to obtain a printing block or plate having deeper depressions in
the high lights than would be produced by the direct pressure of the relief film in
the manner bereinbefore set-forth I ink the block or plate which has been
impressed by a negative photo relief film using an acid or solvent-resisting ink and
I transfer an impression in such ink from the said block or plate to a plate of zinc,
copper, or suitable metal which may afterwards be suitably etched or treated with
acid or solvent so as to produce a printing surface. In place of obtaining the
impression directly from the prepared block or plate I may take an impression
upon transfer paper or medium and transfer the ink therefrom to the metal plate
which is to be etched. I may obtain this impression in the flattening operation in
which case I may press the zinc, copper or other metal plate or a sheet of transfer
paper or medium upon the inked block or plate so as to flatten the prominences in
the manner hereinbefore mentioned, the plate so used in the flattening process
retaining an impression in ink of the subject and after being "bitten" in or treated
with acid may be used in printing operations or in case transfer paper or medium

page_text: has been used the received impression in ink may be transferred to a metal plate
which may have the picture "bitten in." The blocks or plates produced by the
foregoing processes may be printed from direct or electro-type copies may be
obtained and be used for printing purposes especially in cases wherein a large
number of printed impressions is required. I may vary the process by obtaining a
cast or mould of the film in a suitably hard material and using this instead of the
film to impress the. prepared surface of the softer block or plate which is in all
other respects treated in the manner hereinbefore set forth or the relief film may be
applied with pressure directly to the said prepared surface in the manner herein-
before set forth whereby the block or plate receives an impression but in place of
reducing grinding or flattening the surface of the said block or plate a cast or
impression is obtained from it by electro deposit or by pressure or other suitable
means and this may then be ground or reduced in the manner herein-before set
forth to render it suitable for printing from. By these means several impressions
of one subject may be obtained from the one block or plate containing the original
impression. I do not confine myself to the plane formation of the printing surfaces
as in some cases such surfaces may be of cylindrical formation as for example when
required for application to the cylinder of a printing machine or to be used in the
printing of woven fabrics nor do I confine myself to the use of the filling material
in all cases.
In some cases as for example when electro-type shells or thin plates
backed up with a softer metal are used as herein before mentioned the metal say for
example copper composing such shells may have sufficient stiffness to of itself
maintain the sectional forms of the ridges or projections to a suitable degree
without the support of a filling powder or substance.
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
1. Scoring, lining, graining, stippling or preparing in the indicated manner a
block or plate of suitable. impressible material, pressing thereupon a photo relief
film and subsequently grinding, scraping, reducing or flattening the prepared and
impressed surface substantially as and for the purpose set forth.
2. In the process comprised in the first claim filling the lines or depressions in
the prepared block or plate with a powder or substance for the purpose herein set
forth.
3. Obtaining an electro-type shell or film from a surface which is scored, lined,
grained, stippled or otherwise suitably adapted for my purpose, backing up such
shell with a softer impressible metal, alloy or substance and using the block so
produced in the process included in the first claim herein.
4. Pressing a photo-relief film upon a block or plate having a suitably lined,
grained, stippled or prepared surface, as aforesaid, obtaining an electro-type or other
impression from the said surface so impressed, and treating the surface of the said
impression by grinding scraping planing or other reducing or flattening operation
substantially as and for the purpose set forth.
5. Preparing a block or plate by pressing a photo-relief film upon a surface of a
nature herein before indicated and by subsequently grinding, reducing or flattening
the prominences; inking the printing surface so obtained with an acid resisting
ink, obtaining an impression of or transfer from the inked surface upon a zinc,
copper or metal plate and subsequently etching or "biting in" the last named plate
substantially as and for the purpose set forth.
6. Preparing a lined, grained or roughened block or plate and filling the
depressions in the surface thereof as hereinbefore set set forth; pressing a photo-
relief film upon the surface so prepared removing the filling, inking the impressed
surface, pressing a copper, zinc or metal plate upon the inked surface so as to
flatten the prominences and subsequently, etching or "biting in" the metal plate
which has received an impression in ink from the said block or plate substantially
as and for the purpose set forth.

page_text: 7. As a variation of the process indicated in the sixth claim hereof pressing
transfer paper. or medium upon the inked block or plate so as to flatten the
prominences, transferring the inked impressions so obtained to a metal plate; and.
etching or biting in the said plate in order to obtain a printing surface or plate.
Dated this 22nd day of January 1885
EDWARD K. DUTTON,
41, John Dalton Street, Manchester,
Agent.