IMPROVEMENTS IN PRINTING OR ORNAMENTING FABRICS
Year: 1852

page_text: LETTERS PATENT to Andrew Blair, of Maryhill, in the County of
Lanark, North Britain, Calico Printer, for the Invention of
PROVISIONAL SPECIFICATION left by the said Andrew Blair at
the Office of the Commissioners of Patents, with his Petition, on
the 15th October 1852.
I, ANDREW BLAIR, of Maryhill, in the County of Lanark, North
Britain, Calico Printer, do hereby declare the nature of the said
Invention for "IMPROVEMENTS IN PRINTING OR ORNAMENTING FABRICS"
to be as follows:-
This Invention relates to the so arranging a calico, paper, or other
printing machine that both sides of the fabric passing through such
machine may be printed at one and the same time, for the production
of the intended pattern or device on exact counterparts of the fabric.
This is accomplished by employing two exact counterpart surface
printing rollers geared together, and each supplied with the necessary
colour, such duplex arrangements being multiplied for printing several
coloure, just as the single roller arrangement is now multiplied.

page_text: Each roller having precisely the same relief figure formed upon it,
and the two being geared together, so that the corresponding promi-
nences shall always work together or opposite to each other, it follows
that any fabric passed between the two will be printed with the
intended divice on both sides, and in exact correspondence.
SPECIFICATION in pursuance of the conditions of the Letters Patent,
filed by the said Andrew Blair in the Great Seal Patent Office,
on the 14th April 1853.
TO ALL TO WHOM THESE PRESENTS SHALL COME, J,
ANDREW BLAIR, of Maryhill, in the County of Lanark, North Britain,
Calico Printer, send greeting.
WHEREAS Her most Excellent Majesty Queen Victoria, by Her
Letters Patent, bearing date the Fifteenth day of October, in the year
of our Lord One thousand eight hundred and fifty-two, in the sixteenth
year of Her reign, did, for Herself, Her heirs and successors, give and
grant unto me, the said Andrew Blair, Her special licence that I, the
said Andrew Blair, my executors, administrators, and assigns, or such
others as I, the said Andrew Blair, my executors, administrators, or
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 "IMPROVEMENTS IN PRINTING OR
ORNAMENTING FABRICS," upon the condition (amongst others) that I, the
said Andrew Blair, by an instrument in writing under my hand and
seal, should particularly 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 immediately after the date of the said Letters
Patent.
○ NOW KNOW YE, that I, the said Andrew Blair, do hereby
declare the nature of my said Invention, and in what manner the same

page_text: is to be performed, to be particularly described and ascertained in and
by the following statement, reference being had to the Drawings here-
unto attached, and to the letters and figures marked thereon (that is to
say):
My said Invention relates to the so arranging a calico, paper, or
other printing machine that both sides of the fabric passing through
such machine may be printed at one and the same time, for the pro-
duction of the intended pattern or device on exact counterparts of the
fabric. This is accomplished by employing two exact counterpart
surface printing rollers, geared together, and each supplied with the
necessary colour, such duplex arrangements being multiplied for
printing several colours, just as the single roller arrangement has
hitherto been multiplied. Each roller having precisely the same relief
figure fornied upon it, and the two being geared together so that the
corresponding prominences shall always work together or opposite to
each other, it follows that any fabric passed between the two will be
printed with the intended device on both sides, and in exact correspon-
dence. Figure 1, on my Sheet of Drawings hereunto attached, repre-
sents one form of this class of machine, in transverse vertical section, as
arranged for printing a piece of calico with a single colour. The colour
in this example, a blue, is contained in the opposite and separate colour
boxes A, set one on each side the main frame. Each of these boxes
has a colour roller B, working in it, and supplying colour to the lower
surface of the endless feeding cloth or "sieve" C. This sieve cloth
passés round a series of four stationary adjustable guide rollers D,
carried on the main frame, and arranged so as to cause each sieve to
bear with its colour surface against the surface of the pair of "surface"
pattern printing rollers E. These two rollers are exact counterparts of
each other, and they are geared together so as to cause every part
of the device or figure upon them to keep perfect "register" during
the printing action, their vertical line of contact being coincident with
the vertical centre line of the machine. The unprinted fabric is carried
upon the cloth beam or roller F, revolving in bearings in a bracket
near the bottom of the framing, whilst the fabric G, passes off from it
in contact with the guide roller H, so that the piece is thus constantly

page_text: retained in the vertical centre line of the machine. The piece passes.
upwards in the direction of the arrow, and being nipped' between the
two printing rollers E, it is printed with exactly corresponding patterns.
one impression on each surface, so that the printed goods so figured
have no "wrong" side, both being accurate pattern sides. Such a
system may obviously be carried out in practice under various mecha-
nical arrangements. For example, Figure 2; on my Sheet of Drawings
exhibits a tranverse vertical section of a two colour duplex surface
machine, wherein the colours are supplied to the piece entirely by the
surface action of feed rollers. Here four colour boxes A, B, C, D, are
required, two red ones in one tier or horizontal line, and two blue ones.
above, or such other colours as the pattern demands... The arrange-
ments in each tier are exactly the same; each colour box has a supply.
roller E, revolving in it, and carrying up. colour to the respective
surfaces of the feed rollers F, which in turn deliver.it to the surface of
the printing rollers G. The printing rollers are exact counterparts of
each other, and are geared to work together, as I have already, de-
scribed, so that the fabric H, in passing up from its containing beam I;;
receives exact counterpart impressions. on its two surfaces from the.
lower tier or couple of impression rollers, and then in ascending still
further it receives a second pair of counterpart impressions in another
colour from the upper pair of printing rollers. I may also remark,
that although the peculiar and essential feature of my --Invention
consists in the fact that by it exact corresponding counterpart patterns
are printed on the two opposite sides or surfaces of a fabric, yet these
two reverse opposed patterns may, if necessary, be in two different.
colours, so that with the same figure two different effects may be
produced.
Having now described and particularly ascertained the nature of my
Invention, and the manner in which the same is or may be used or
carried into effect, I may observe, in conclusion, that I do not confine-
or restrict myself to the precise details or arrangements which I have
had occasion to describe or refer to, as many variations may be made
therefrom without deviating from the principles or main features of my
Invention. But what I consider to be novel and original, and therefore's

page_text: claim as the Invention secured to me by the herein-before in part
recited Letters Patent, is,-
First, the system or mode of printing the two sides or surfaces of
cloth or other fabric or material with exact counterpart patterns or
devices, as herein-before described.
Second, the application and use of exact counterpart surface rollers
or printing surfaces, for the simultaneous printing of the two sides of
cloth or other material.
In witness whereof, I, the said Andrew Blair, have hereunto
set my hand and seal, this Twelfth day of April, in the year
of our Lord One thousand eight hundred and fifty-three.
ANDREW BLAIR. (L.B.)