AN IMPROVED PAPER AND INK FOR WRITING AND PRINTING PURPOSES
Year: 1860

page_text: LETTERS PATENT to Jean Auguste Hilarion Ballande, of Paris, France,
Gentleman, for the Invention of "AN IMPROVED PAPER AND INK FOR
WRITING AND PRINTING PURPOSES."
Sealed the 3rd August 1860, and dated the 13th February 1860..
PROVISIONAL SPECIFICATION left by the said Jean Auguste Hilarion
Ballande at the Office. of the Commissioners of Patents, with his
Petition, on the 18th February 1860.
I, JEAN AUGUSTE, HILARION BALLANDE, of Paris, France, Gentleman, do
hereby declare the nature of the said Invention for "AN IMPROVED PAPER AND
INK FOR WRITING AND PRINTING PURPOSES," to be as follows:-
The Invention relates to a paper and ink for writing and printing purposes,
the paper being prepared in such manner that by writing or printing thereon
with my colourless or nearly colourless inks, or writing or printing liquids,
the characters marked will become of a dark coloration so as to be visible to
sight, at the same time allowing of taking a copy therefrom on another sheet of
my prepared paper. For this purpose I impregnate the surface of any suitable
paper, or I introduce in the pulp from which this paper is to be manufactured
a suitable quantity of protochloride of murcury, the paper being dry, any
writing or impression made on the same with any of the liquids, the general
composition of which I will indicate, will become of a sufficiently dark colour

page_text: as to be perfectly visible, and even allow of a copy being taken therefrom
on my prepared paper. The ink or liquids for writing or printing on my
prepared paper are composed of water propely thickened with gum senegal
or other suitable thickener, to which water I add a suitable quantity of
hyposulphite of soda and alum, or hyposulphite of soda, and a suitable alkali
SPECIFICATION_in_pursuance of the conditions of the Letters Patent, filed
by the said Jean Auguste Hilarion Ballande in the Great Seal Patent
Office on the 13th August 1860.
TO ALL TO WHOM THESE PRESENTS SHALL COME, I, JEAN
AUGUSTE HILIRION BALLANDE, of Paris, France, Gentleman, send greeting.
WHEREAS Her most Excellent Majesty Queen Victoria, by Her Letters
Patent, bearing date the. Thirteenth day of February, in the
year of
our Lord. One thousand eight hundred and sixty, in the twenty-third
year of Her reign, did, for Herself, Her heirs and successors, give and
grant unto me, the said Jean Auguste Hilarion Ballande, Her special licence
that I, the said Jean Auguste Hilarion Ballande, my executors, adminis-
trators, and assigns, or such others as I, the said Jean Auguste Hilarion
Ballande, my executors, administrators, and assigns, should at any time agree
with, and no others, from time to time and at all times thereafter during
the term therein expressed, should and lawfully might make, use, exercise, and
vend, within the United Kingdom of Great Britain and Ireland, the Channel
Islands, and Isle of Man, an Invention for "AN IMPROVED PAPER AND INK FOR
WRITING AND PRINTING PURPOSES," upon the condition (amongst others) that, I, the
said Jean Auguste Hilarion Ballande, my executors or administrators, by an
instrument in writing under my, or their, or one of their hands and seals, should
paricularly describe and ascertain the nature of the said Invention, and in what
manner the same was to be performed, and cause the same to be filed in
the Great Seal Patent Office within six calendar months next and imme-
diately after the date of the said Letters Patent.
: :
NOW KNOW YE, that I, the said Jean Auguste Hilarion Ballande, do
hereby declare the nature of my said Invention, and in what manner the
same is to be performed, to be particularly described and ascertained in
and by the following statement:-
The Invention relates to a paper and ink principally applicable for writing,
but which may also be applied to printing purposes, the paper being prepared

page_text: in such manner that by writing or printing thereon with my colourless ink, or
writing or printing liquid, the letters, drawings, or other signs thus made on
the paper will. become of a dark colour so as to be perfectly visible to, the eye,
and will also allow of taking an impression or copy therefrom on another sheet
of my prepared paper. For this purpose I impregnate the surface of any
suitable white paper, or I introduce in the pulp from which such paper is to be
manufactured a suitable quantity of protochloride of mercury (calomel); in
both cases the protochloride is mixed up with any suitable thickening agent,
such, for instance, as glue, isinglass, gum senegal, or other suitable gum
dissolved in water, the quantity of the thickener in respect to the water
depending on the more or less fluidity which the liquid is to possess for keeping
the protochloride, properly suspended therein, and which liquid I prefer applying
on the surface of, the paper by means of a brush in such quantity that the
paper, will be provided with about 4 to 8 per cent. of its weight of the proto-
chloride of mercury. When the protochloride is to be mixed in-the pulp from
which the paper is to be manufactured a much greater quantity of the proto:
chloride is required, viz., from 20 to 30 per cent. in weight of the pulp in
the dry state, a considerable quantity being in this case lost during the manu-
facture of the paper, which is not the case when applying the protochloride on
the surface of the paper. The paper having thus been properly impregnated on
the surface with the protochloride, the same is dried and properly pressed and
calendered and is then ready for use. The ink, to be made use of for writing
or for printing on my prepared paper is composed of hyposulphite of soda
and alúm, or any other suitable alkaline chlorhydrate, carbonate, or sulphate,
such for instance, as sal-ammoniac, carbonate of ammonia, sulphate of soda,
sulphate of ammonia dissolved in water containing a sufficient quantity of any
suitable thickener such as glue, isinglass, gum senegal, tragacanth, or other
suitable gum, which quantity is to vary according to the more or less fluidity
the ink is wished to possess. For writing ink I prefer taking the following
proportions:-Gum water 1,000 grains, alum (either alone or mixed in any
suitable proportions with one or several of the above-mentioned alkaline salts)
from 40 to 60 grains, hyposulphite of soda from 25 to 50 grains. If the ink is
to serve as copying, viz., that a copy of the writing may be taken on my
prepared paper, I then add to the ink from 50 to 70 grains of phosphate of lime
or any other suitable salt of lime for every 1,000 grains of the ink.
From what has been described hereabove it will be evident that my prepared
paper and writing or printing liquids cannot be used but in combination with
each other, and that the Invention not only presents a new application of
well-known chemical agents but gives rise also to two distinct actions on the

page_text: part of these agents, viz., the spontaneous formation of the dark coloration by
the action of the byposulphite of soda on the protochloride of mercury,
but which coloration would soon fade if not aided by the second action, viz.,
that of the alum or other alkaline salt by which the dark colour becomes fixed
on the paper, which fixation is so perfect that when the protochloride of
mercury has been mixed with the pulp during the manufacture of my prepared
paper, no chemical means are known to me by which the writing or impression
may be removed from the paper without visably altering the texture of this
latter, and so as to make consequently this writing or printing indelebile; and
offer a perfect security against forgery.
Having now described and particularly ascertained the nature of the said
Invention, and the manner in which the same is or may be carried into
effect, I would observe in conclusion that I do not confine or restrict myself
to the precise quantities of the chemical ingredients hereabove mentioned; but
what I claim as the Invention secured to me by the herein-before in part
recited Letters Patent is, providing paper with a sufficient quantity of proto-
chloride of mercury in such manner that when writing or printing thereon with
any of the above described colourless or nearly colourless alkaline liquids, dark
coloured marks or impressions will be produced and remain on the
paper.
In witness whereof, I, the said Jean Auguste Hilarion Ballande, have
hereunto set my hand and seal, this Second day of August, One
thousand eight hundred and sixty.
Witness,
A. G. BRADE.
J. A. H. BALLANDE. (L.S.)