A New or Improved System or Mode and Means Applicable for Producing Marble Pattern and such like Papers.
Year: 1889

page_text: Date of Application, 16th Mar., 1889
Complete Specification Left, 9th Dec., 1889-Accepted. 25th Jan., 1890
PROVISIONAL SPECIFICATION.
A New or Improved System or Mode and Means Applicable for
Producing Marble Pattern and such like Papers.
We, WALTER BIGGAR BLAIKIE of 11 Thistle Street, in the city and county of
Edinburgh, Printer, and THOMAS STEVENSON HARPER, Stereotyper, and JOHN
CAMPBELL, Printer, both workmen at the above address, do hereby declare the nature
of our invention to be as follows:-
This Invention has reference to and comprises a new or improved system, or mode
and means, applicable for producing mable pattern or mottled and such like papers,
by printing them from metal plates or blocks, and in the producing of such metal
plates or blocks, which give a finer effect than the ordinary mode of producing marble
papers, and enable the same patterns to be repeated any number of times, and in any
variety of colour in shadow lines with relief effects.
The improvements consist first in casting molten metal such as lead, tin, or alloys of
these, or other soft metals, on a smooth cold or moist level plate or surface, and of a
nearly equal thickness, which has the effect of producing all the rounded hollows or
holos in shapes corresponding to the effects given in marble papers by the flowing of
the liquid colours; and mounting these plates on blocks with the level face upwards,
50 as to print from them on the paper, in the same manner as colour block printing
is effected at present, in any desired colours and on any prepared white or coloured
papers or in silver or bronze colours. Then for giving the relief shadow-line effect,
the plates would be moved or shifted slightly to one side; and they might be outlined
by the graver or by etching to give the said outlines or other effects on the surface
parts of the mottled patterns, such as a granular effect in a shadow or other dark
lined colour by a second printing. And it will be observed that stereotype or electro-
type copies could be taken of any of these pattern plates to multiply these for
printing in two, three, or more colours on the sheets when that was desired; and
exact reverses might be taken so as to make plates which would print different colours
in the hollows left unprinted with the first plate.
In some cases these plates might be cast long enough to be bent round and secured
to the circumference of a roller, so as to print these marble pattern papers on webs
passed through between this roller and a plain platen or tympan roller. In other
cases, transfers might be taken and transferred to lithographic stones, or lithographic
prepared plates, and similar effects produced by printing in lithographic presses or
machines.
Dated the 15th L 1000
W. R. M. THOMSON & Co.,
A gents.
COMPLETE SPECIFICATION.
A New or Improved System or Mode and Means Applicable for
Producing Marble Pattern and such like Papers.
We, WALTER BIGGAR BLAIKIE, of 11 Thistle Street, in the city and county of
Edinburgh, Printer, and THOMAS STEVENSON HARPER, Stereotyper, and JOHN
CAMPBELL, Printer, both workmen at the above address, do hereby declare the
nature of our invention, and in what manner the same is to be performed to be
particularly described and ascertained in and by the following statement in writing,
that is to say :-
This Invention has reference to and comprises a new or improved system, or modę

page_text: -
and means applicable for producing marble pattern or mottled and such like papers,
by printing them from metal plates or blocks, and in the producing of such metal
plates or blocks, which give a finer effect than the ordinary mode of producing marble
papers, and enable the same patterns to be repeated any number of times, and in any
variety of colour in shadow lines with relief effects.
The improvements consist first in casting molten metal, such as lead, tin, or alloys
of these, or other metals, employed in stereotype printing, on a smooth cold or moist
level plate or surface, and of a nearly equal thickness, which has the effect of
producing all the rounded hollows or holes in shapes corresponding to the effects
given in marble papers by the flowing of the liquid colours; and mounting these
plates on blocks with the level face upwards, so as to print from them on the paper,
in the same manner as colour block printing is effected at present in any desired
colours and on any prepared white or coloured papers or in silver or bronze colours.
Then for giving the relief shadow-line effect, the plates would be moved or shifted
slightly to one side; and they might be outlined by the graver or by etching to give
the said outlines or other effects on the surface parts of the mottled patterns, such as a
granular effect in a shadow or other dark lined colour by a second printing in some
of the parts. And it will be observed that stereotype or electrotype copies could be
taken of any of these pattern plates to multiply these for printing in two, three, or
more colours on the sheets when that was desired; and exact reverses might be
taken so as to make plates which would print different colours in the hollows left
unprinted with the first plate and have the raised surfaces of the hollow parts flattened
and grained for this purpose or for taking electrotypes or transfers from them for
subsequent or multiple printing.
In some cases these plates might be cast long enough to be bent round and
secured to the circumference of a roller, so as to print these marble pattern papers
on webs passed through between this roller and a plain platen or tympan roller. In
other cases, transfers might be taken and transferred to lithographic stones, or litho-
graphic prepared zinc or other plates, and similar effects produced by printing in
lithographic presses or machines. And further although flat smooth surface metal
plates only have been described for casting the printing metallic plates on, to form
the printing surface, flat wood or stone surfaces might be used; and these surfaces
might be first grained as lithographic stones or plates are grained instead of being
smooth, or they might be engraved with certain forms of fine curvilineal or other
lines and assist in taking the ink to give a fine graining effect on the actual printing
surfaces in addition to the mottled effect produced by the hollows and circles of the
marbled or mottled papers. And in some cases we find the mottled effect produced
better and in different varieties, by slightly moistening the surfaces of the metal or
stone plates on which the castings are made, either with water, oil, wax, paraffin or
other equivalent to raise a vapour below the surface of the poured molten metal to
produce the circular hollows or bells, but this moistening must be done very carefully
or it will blow the metal off the plate surface, and these plates may in some cases be
slightly heated with advantage when made of solid metal, before pouring the molten
metal on them.
Having now particularly described and ascertained the nature of our said inven-
tion, and in what manner the same is to be performed, we declare that what we
claim is :-
First. The system or mode and means of producing marble pattern or mottled and
such-like papers by printing them direct from metallic plates or blocks or from their
electrotypes or the lithographic transfers of either of these, substantially as and in
the manner and for the advantages herein described.
Second. The casting of molten metal on a level plate or surface either smooth or
grained to produce the irregular sets of bells or open interstices peculiar to the effects
of marbled pattern or mottled and such-like papers for printing them as per previous.
claim, substantially as and in the manner herein described.

page_text: Third. The casting of metallic plates substantially as described for printing marble
pattern, mottled and such-like papers either on the flat mounted on wooden blocks as
stereotypes and electrotypes are used, or curving them to mount on rollers for cylinder
printing, or from electrotypes of these castings, mounted on the flat or on cylinders,
substantially as herein described.
W. R. M. THOMSON & Co.,
96, Buchanan Street, Glasgow, Agents.