Printed Subject Matter.
Year: 1887

page_text: Printed Subject Matter.
We, ARTHUR EDWARD PORTE, of 43 Great Brunswick Street, Dublin, Ireland,
Engineer, and ROBERT ORD RITCHIE, of 50 Old Broad Street, in the City of London,
Engineer, 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:
Our invention relates to an improved method whereby printed subject matter may
be displayed in a novel and striking manner, suitable for advertising or other similar
purposes.
Where a mass of printed subject matter is set up in a uniform class of type, any
slight difference in the thickness or fount of type employed in individual letters or in
the relative spacing or disposition of type from a similar fount, will produce a notice-
able effect to the eye, without interfering with the legibility of the printed matter into
which such distinct and different type or different spacing or disposition is introduced
in various places.
In this way, the configuration of letters, words, phrases, or signs, may be produced
upon a sheet of printed matter, by the introduction of distinctive or specially heavy
type amongst the mass of the other type or by the relative spacing, projection,
depressing or disposition of the type so that the marked or distinctive appearances of
type are arranged to form the shapes of the said letters, words, phrases, signs or
illustrations.
Thus, by the employment of merely a thicker or darker fount of type amongst the
mass of printed subject matter certain words, phrases, signs or illustrations may he
made to appear when held at a little distance from the eye as superposed upon the
printed subject matter of the sheet. When held more closely to the eye, the general
effect of the superposition will be lost and the eye will then only perceive the
ordinarily printed subject matter.
Of course a similar effect may be produced by type distinctive from that of the
mass in any respect, that is, lighter than the mass, or of different forms, equally as
well as by the thicker or darker type.

page_text: Also the same effect may be produced by closing in or spreading out the type or by
raising or depressing the type so that the part when the type is so closed in or spread
out, or when the type is so raised or depressed, may appear by that means slightly
darker or lighter than the other parts of the printed matter, and so show distinctive
characters or forms as though superposed.
By an ingenious combination of various thicknesses or darknesses of type, designs
of some complexity may be produced, as though superposed upon the sheet of ordinary
printed subject matter."
The same result may be obtained by thickening or lightening the letters which
constitute at the same time the text and the design, when they are upon engraved
blocks or steel plates or in any other case where letter press or illustrations are used.
Having now particularly described and ascertained the nature of our said
invention and in what manner the same is to be performed, we declare that what we
claim is:-
1st. The method of setting up of printing type, by the introduction of a distinct
fount of type in certain places amongst the printed matter and the use thereof in
printing so that the distinctive type forms the configuration of letters, words, phrases
or signs, as it were superposed upon the surface of the general printed matter as and
for the purposes substantially as described.
2nd. The method of setting up of printing type by the closing up or spreading out
of the type in certain places amongst the general printed matter and the use thereof
in printing so that the type thus closed or spread forms the configuration of letters,
words, phrases, or signs as and for the purposes, substantially as described.
3rd. The method of setting up of printing type by the lowering or projecting of
certain places amongst the general printed matter and the use thereof in printing so
that the said depressed or projecting type, shows by the difference of ink or printing
pressure thereon, the configuration of letters, words, phrases or signs as and for the
purposes substantially as described.
4th. The method of preparing engraved plates of printed or other illustrative
matter, by the thickening or lightening of certain parts of the letters or lines, and the
use thereof in printing, so that the plate so prepared will thereby represent both letter
press and a design or configuration of letters, words, phrases or signs, the one super-
posed upon the other, substantially as described.
Dated this 20th day of July 1887