Improvements in the Method for Printing on Lace and other Fabrics.
Year: 1892

page_text: Date of Application, 5th Dec., 1892
Complete Specification Left, 3rd Aug., 1893-Accepted, 9th Sept., 1893
PROVISIONAL SPECIFICATION.
Improvements in the Method for Printing on Lace and other
Fabrics.
CHARLES BUTTERFIELD of 181 Pym Street Printers Engineer, in the Town
and County of the Town of Nottingham, do hereby declare the nature of this
invention to be as follows:-
Improvements in the Method for Printing on Lace and other Fabrics.
The invention relates to lace or other fabrics, on which a pattern or design may
be printed in one or more colours, whether it has already a figured design on it or
plain meshes of net work.
It may be printed on the well known hand press, platen machine, or letter press
cylinder, or lithographic machine, also the web printing machine, with cut or
steriotype rollers.
To enable it to be done, I take a number of suitably prepared boards and stretch
over each of them the lace or other fabric, on which is to be printed the pattern.
It is held on the board by pins or clips, each board is passed through the machine
as an ordinary sheet, and printed in the ordinary manner, while the lace or fabric
is still on the board it may be passed on to another machine, and printed a different.
colour and repeated according to design, such machine having two or more slides
or guides on the table, so that the wet printed part of the sheet shall not touch
the table.
When the sheet is printed the lace or fabric may be taken off the board while
wet and hung up to dry, or passed over heated plates, the board then may be put
to dry and when dry may be used over again.
The design may be cut in wood-blocks, or stereotyped from a pattern, or set up
in combination in the ordinary manner.
To print a plain piece of lace or fabric on which is wanted a repetition of
pattern, the well known web printing machine may be employed, but instead of
the usual blanket a number of boards may be followered in to prevent the pressure
roller getting wet and adhering to the lace or fabric, or a continuous prepared
blanket may be used so that it may be dry when it comes round again.
In a length of lace or fabric where a pattern is worked in and a printed pattern.
is wanted to register theron, then a length of blanket or board having holes in or
guides on them so as to work on pegs or teeth on the roller that it may come
round to the same position, fixed on this band or blanket is the lace or fabric,
fastened at points with pins, or clips, to hold it in position while printing.
When it has passed through the first rollers it may pass through other rollers
with different colours, and then may be taken off the band or blanket and dried
as before.
The inks for printing the lace or other fabrics, may be printers inks, or prepared
inks, or special dyes, suitable to the requirements.
Dated this 3rd day of December 1892.
COMPLETE SPECIFICATION.
Improvements in the Method for Printing on Lace and other
Fabrics.
CHARLES BUTTERFIELD 181 Pym Street Nottingham Printer's 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 :-
My invention refers to improvements in the method for printing on lace and

page_text: other fabrics and is particularly applicable to lace and other fabrics which can be
easily stretched or pulled out of shape. In order to print upon lace I have
discovered it is necessary to have it stretched in some convenient manner and held
in that position while it is printed, this being particularly the case when it is
required to print a pattern in more than one colour, or where it is desired to print
or colour a pattern made in the fabric.
In carrying out my invention I use boards of a suitable flexible material and
stretch the lace upon the same by passing it over pins in the boards, or I may
fasten the lace upon the boards by suitable clips, or by both pins and clips.
The board with the lace on it is then passed through the printing machine, and
the pattern or one colour of the same printed, the board and lace being passed
through other machines if more than one colour is required.
The lace according to this method may be printed by a hand press, platen
machine, or by a letterpress or lithographic cylinder machine, the pattern being
cut or stereotyped on blocks, or it may be set-up similarly to type.
I employ any of the ordinary means for securing a perfect register, and also
when required provide suitable guides upon the table for preventing the printed
fabric touching the same.
After the lace has been printed it is taken from the boards and dried. The
boards are also dried and may then be used over again.
When it is desired to print a long length of fabric I fasten the same to a blanket
by pins, clips, basting, sewing or by a combination of these methods or by other
means, and pass the blanket with the attached fabric through a machine having a
single impression cylinder, and one or more printing cylinders, the number of the
latter depending upon the numbers of colours required in the pattern.
When the pattern does require more than one colour, or it is required to colour
a pattern worked in the fabric I provide the blanket with a number of pins pegs
or eyeletted holes which fit corresponding holes, teeth or pegs on the impression
cylinder.
I can also use this or a similar machine for printing upon short lengths of fabric
a pattern having one or more colours, or upon a pattern formed in the fabric. To
do this I preferably attach such short pieces of fabric to flexible boards or to
short pieces of blanket which are then passed through the machine, the boards or
short blankets having pins, pegs, or holes corresponding to holes, teeth or pins on
the impression cylinder.
The blanket may be of any flexible but unstretchable material, and after being
dried may be used again.
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 :-
1. The method of printing upon lace or other fabrics by stretching and fastening
the same to flexible boards which are afterwards passed through the printing
machine substantially as described in the accompanying Specification.
2. The method of printing upon lace or other fabrics by stretching and fastening
the same to flexible boards or blankets which are provided with pins holes or other
means to ensure a perfect register substantially as described in the accompanying
Specification.
+
Dated this 2nd day of August 1902
CHARLES BUTTERFIELD,
181, Pym Street, Nottingham.