An Improved Printing Plate or Stencilling Apparatus.
Year: 1895

page_text: Date of Application, 7th Nov., 1895-Accepted, 14th Dec., 1895
COMPLETE SPECIFICATION.
An Improved Printing Plate or Stencilling Apparatus.
We, FRANZ LENNING of 18 Kaiser Wilhelmstrasse Berlin, Engineer, and
OSCAR MICHAELIS of 17 Neue Rossstrasse Berlin, Merchant, both in the Empire
of Germany, 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:-
In printing patterns or designs and the like on linen, cotton, silk, satin, leather
and so forth by means of stencil plates it has heretofore been customary to lay the
stencil plate on the material on which the pattern or design is to be produced, and
to apply the colour to the said material through the openings in the stencil plate
by means of a brush. This process however requires as is well known, great care
and practice, and is a tedious operation; beside which stencil plates are not well
adapted for printing on silk, leather and other similar delicate material.
All these defects are avoided by the use of printing plates constructed in
accordance with the present invention, in which the plate is simply placed on the
material on which the pattern or design is to be printed and pressed thereon by any
suitable means as by rubbing the back of the plate with the fingers for example
whereby the requisite quantity of colour is transferred automatically to the material
through the openings in the stencil plate from a store of colour enclosed between
the front and back surfaces of the printing plate. It will be understood from the
above statement that the transfer of the colour by hand and the employment of a
brush or other like instrument is entirely obviated. The improved printing plate
can be employed by any unpractised person for printing on any suitable material.
The accompanying drawing shows a section, to an enlarged scale, of a printing
plate constructed in accordance with our invention.
a is a stencil plate provided with perforations in the usual way, corresponding to
the pattern or design it is intended to produce on the linen, cotton or other material.
This stencil plate may be made of metal or other suitable material. A layer of
colour of about 2 millimètres thickness, less or more, of suitable composition and
consistence is placed on the back of the stencil plate, or the colour may be spread
on or otherwise fixed to a piece of suitable material 6 which is then laid on the
plate a. Over this colour carrier b, or over the layer of colour itself, when such is
employed without the carrier, is laid a firm plate c, impermeable to grease and
moisture, which is somewhat smaller than the plate a, and which may be secured in
place by bending over the projecting edge of the latter, or by other suitable means
so that the colour carrier b or the layer of colour, as the case may be, is enclosed
In some cases
between the perforated stencil plate a and the impermeable plate c.
the material 6 may be permeable and be placed between the layer of colour and the
stencil plate a, whereby a better division and more regular supply of the colouring
matter may be secured.
In order to produce an impression of the pattern or designs formed by the
openings in the stencil plate u the printing plate is laid with the stencil plate a
downwards on the material to be printed, and the upper impermeable plate c is
rubbed with the ends of the fingers, or otherwise, without any very great pressure,
whereby the colour is brought into contact, through the opening in the stencil
plate a, with the material to be printed on and a sufficient quantity of colour to
produce the required pattern or design is thereby deposited on the said material.

page_text: The chief advantages of this self colouring printing stencil plate over the stencil
plates or other similar appliances heretofore in use are that by its use the transfer
of colour and the consequent inconveniences, such as the danger of spoiling the
material to be printed on by the use of too much colour, and the soiling of the
fingers are completely avoided.
In the stencil plates and other similar appliances heretofore in use great dexterity
and care are required to produce a perfect impression, but for the use of our
improved printing plate no previous practice or experience is necessary, as the
colour itself is completely enclosed and only the proper quantity thereof is transferred
to the material to be printed on. Several colours may be printed at the same time
by placing appropriate colours over or behind those perforations of the plate a
which correspond to those parts of the pattern or design which are to be printed in
those colours, instead of using one uniform colour over the whole of such plate as
above described.
Having now particularly described and ascertained the nature of the said
invention, and in what manner the same is to be performed, we declare that what
we claim is :-
First. The improved printing plate which consists of a perforated stencil plate a,
a layer of colour, or of material b covered or charged with colour and an impermeable
protecting plate c combined and arranged substantially as described.
Second. In a printing plate of the kind herein described the employment of a
permeable material placed between the layer of colour and the stencil. plate
substantially as, and for the purpose set forth.
Dated this 5th day of November 1895.
F. LENNING,
O. MICHAELIS,
Per W. H. Beck,
115 Cannon Street, London, E.C., Agent.