New or Improved Paper for Making Transfer Pictures from Photographs.
Year: 1891

page_text: Date of Application, 23rd Oct., 1891-Accepted, 28th Nov., 1891
COMPLETE SPECIFICATION.
New or Improved Paper for Making Transfer Pictures from
Photographs.
A communication by the Firm of ZAHN & SCHWARZ, of 6, Neue Ross-strasse,
Berlin, in the Empire of Germany.
I, WILLIAM PHILLIPS THOMPSON F.C.S. M.I.M.E., of the Agency for
Foreign Patent Solicitors 6 Lord Street Liverpool and 6 Bank Street
Manchester, both in the County of Lancaster and 323 High Holborn in the
County of Middlesex, 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 :-
It is well known that transfer pictures are made by taking the impressions in
question on the prepared side of a piece of paper which is coated with a layer of some
substance soluble in water (starch, dextrine and the like) and when the pictures are
coloured with the colours in reversed order.
The colours adhere in fact not to the paper but to the film which is soluble in
water.
If such a transfer picture be pressed with its imprinted face on the article
to be decorated, and moistened on the back, the soluble coating dissolves off,
the paper may be drawn off and the picture then adheres to the article to be
decorated.
As the colours of such transfer pictures often become so dry that they no longer
adhere, in such cases it is of benefit to give the article to be decorated a thin coat
of varnish or lacquer which firmly retains the colour.
Paper prepared in a suitable manner may be employed for almost all possible
kinds of impressions with hitherto almost the sole exception of photographs.
The film of gelatine which in this kind of print forms the printing negative must
during the printing be kept thoroughly moistened and is at the same time very
adhesive. This latter quality is also further possessed, to a large extent, by those
substances which are employed for the preparation of transfer pictures as soon
as they become moist apart from the fact that they then also easily lose their
coherency.
If such paper be then laid on a rolled up photographic negative film in order to
be printed, the moisture of the layer, which covers the paper, is communicated
thereto in consequence of the pressure exerted by the pressing. frame, it becomes
damp, sticky and ceases to adhere. The great stickiness of the gelatine does the
rest. Both the layers of the gelatine impression film and the transfer paper stick
together, and on the drawing off of the paper one or the other is so damaged
that it is impossible to produce transfer pictures by means of photography in this
manner.
A process for producing transfer pictures by photographic means must however
be of very great industrial importance in view of the beauty of photographs, as
these latter reproduce the originals with all their half tones after almost merely
mechanical preparation.
By this invention, the drawback, which hitherto rendered impossible the pro-
duction of transfer pictures from photographs, is obviated by the insertion of a
layer of grease between the soluble coating of the transfer paper and the gelatine
film of the original negative. This layer of grease allows the colour of the original
to penetrate to the prepared transfer paper, but permits the transfer paper to be
drawn off without either being injured itself or injuring the original photograph.
The transfer picture obtained in this manner can be used in the usual way for
transfer onto other articles.

page_text: The paper is for this purpose, after having been coated in the usual manner with
a thin layer of a substance soluble in water, further prepared by placing over the
layer of the soluble substance, as thin as possible, a coating which consists of fat,
oil or resin or a mixture of these substances. The picture is imprinted on this layer
of fat, the colours being very well taken up thereby. As the damp gelatine film
adheres neither to the layer of grease nor to the paper, and the layer of grease
also prevents the moisture of the gelatine from penetrating to the soluble substance,
in this manner very complete prints are easily obtained.
The application of the layer of grease is performed, either by coating the already
prepared paper according to the hardness and the kind of fat, oil or resin, or the
mixture of these latter; or in case the substances employed have a solid condition
as a whole by rubbing it with a powder composed of these substances, or by dis-
solving the substance of which the layer is to consist in alcohol, ether, benzine
or any similar easily evaporated substance and coating the prepared paper with
such solution.
The paper is very valuable from the fact that it is possible to print on it direct
from the photographic negative with soluble colours which when rubbed with
varnish become printing colours.
In this manner pictures are obtained which reproduce the tones and tints of the
original far sharper and finer than the so called stencilled pictures.
Having now particularly described and ascertained the nature of the said inven-
tion and in what manner the same is to be performed, as communicated to me
by my foreign correspondents, I declare that what I claim is :-
A paper which is rendered suitable for the production of transfer pictures from
photographic negatives by having a layer of grease in addition to its first pre-
paration with a layer of a substance soluble in water.
Dated this 22nd day of October 1891.
WM. P. THOMPSON & Co.,
Agents for the Applicant.