Improvements in the Production of Transfer Sheets for Lithographic and other Printing Processes.
Year: 1897

page_text: Date of Application, 23rd Nov., 1897-Accepted, 22nd Jan., 1898
COMPLETE SPECIFICATION.
Improvements in the Production of Transfer Sheets for Lithographic
and other Printing Processes.
I, WILLIAM ROBY FISH, of Times Building, in the City and State of New York,
United States of America, Civil 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:-
The object of this invention is to produce drawings or prints in a permanent ink
or coating, of designs, drawings, engravings, or prints, and to convert the same
at any time into transfer sheets, thus saving the expense of holding and storing
the original lithographic stones, zinc or flat printing plates, or relief or intaglio
plates, which now lock up vast sums of capital.
My method is, to make a print or drawing on paper or similar fibrous material,
with a permanent ink or coating which becomes hard or dry. I prefer to use for
this purpose a very light colored or white ink or coating. There are several white
inks on the market, and while white ink is preferred, for the reasons hereinafter
set forth, it is not essential and I do not desire to be limited to the composition of
any particular ink, white or otherwise.
It is also preferred to use paper unsized and chemically pure, although it is not
desired to disclaim the use of sized paper provided there is not an excess of size
approaching a coated paper.
The print or drawing can then be laid away until it is desired to convert it into
a transfer sheet. When it is desired to reproduce this print, design or drawing,
the surface of the paper or fibrous film is washed or treated with a protective
solution of gum arabic and water, or glue, gelatine, albumen, or analogous sub-
stances may be used. This solution will permeate all parts of the paper or fibrous
film, where an ink or coating has not previously been applied. The paper or
fibrous film may then be washed with water to remove any excess of the protective
solution.
A greasy or lithographic ink is next applied to the paper or fibrous film, by
means of a roller or in other appropriate way, whereupon the ink will adhere to
the parts of the paper or fibrous film previously covered with the permanent ink,
or coating, and will be repelled from the parts that have absorbed the protective
solution. The parts of the paper or fibrous film that have absorbed the protective
solution may be kept in a condition to repel the greasy ink by moisture applied
by means of a sponge or roller containing either water or a diluted protective
solution. So long as the paper is moist, the greasy ink is repelled from the parts
where the protective solution was absorbed and attaches itself to the parts covered
with a print, drawing or design and which do not absorb moisture or the protective
solution. The print or design having been made originally in preferably a very
light colored or white ink the application of the greasy or lithographic ink, which
now adheres to said light colored or white ink or coating, brings out the design
in all its true relative proportions, so that it is possible to discern when the print
or design is evenly coated with the greasy or lithographic ink, and any part show-
ing weaker than the rest can be strengthened by adding more ink. The paper or

page_text: fibrous film is then washed with water, leaving it clean and free from ink except
where the ink has adhered to the design or print. The paper is then brought
into contact with the lithographic stone plate or other printing surface, and trans-
ferred by any suitable method, after which the paper is removed, leaving a reverse
or negative impression of the print or design upon the surface of the stone, plate
or other printing surface, from which any number of prints can be taken in the
well known manner.
The paper or fibrous film, after it has been removed from the stone or other
printing surface, can be saved if desired for future use in the same manner as above
described, because the design or drawing being made with a permanent ink or
coating as described is uninjured by the inking up process as is also the paper
or fibrous film, and both are left in condition to receive future repetitions of the
protective solution, washing and inking up, even after the lapse of years, until
either the design or paper are worn out.
Having now particularly described and ascertained the nature of my said inven-
tion, and in what manner the same is to be performed, I declare that what I
claim is;
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1. The process of producing printing transfers, consisting in treating the paper
containing the drawing or design, with a mixture of water and albumen, gelatine,
or one of the mucilaginous gums, then washing the same in water, then treating
it with a greasy ink, then washing it, and transferring the same to the stone, plate
or printing surfaces, substantially as described.
2. The process of producing printing transfers, consisting in first printing or
drawing on paper or similar fibrous material with a permanent ink or coating of
a light or white color which becomes hard when dry, then saturating the paper
with a mixture of water and albumen or with gelatine or one of the mucilaginous
gums, then treating it with an unctuous ink, and finally transferring it to the stone
plate, or printing surface, substantially as described.
3. The herein described process of producing printing transfers, which consists
in first treating the sheet containing the drawing or design with a mixture of
water and albumen, or with gelatine or one of the mucilaginous gums, then wash-
ing the same in water, then treating it with a greasy or printing ink, then trans-
ferring the same to a stone, plate or printing surface and again repeating the
process of washing or moistening and inking as often as desired.