Improvements relating to Printing Machines Chiefly Designed for Printing in Colours.
Year: 1887

page_text: Date of Application, 7th Feb., 1887.
Specification Accepted, 8th Mar., 1887.
[Communicated from abroad by PAUL FERNAND AUGUSTE GODCHAUX, of Paris,
France.]
Improvements relating to Printing Machines Chiefly Designed for
Printing in Colours.
I, HENRY HARRIS LAKE, of the firm of Haseltine, Lake and Co., Patent Agents,
Southampton Buildings in the County of Middlesex 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 :-
This invention relates to improved machinery chiefly designed for printing in
several colours in a single operation upon a continuous strip or web of paper or other
material.
In poly colour printing as heretofore practised the different colours have generally
been applied singly in successive operations, the result of which is that the colours
rarely register properly, so that the work is mostly defective.
With my improved machine this inconvenience is obviated, because all the colours
are applied in a single operation, so that the "registering" of the sheet to receive the
different colours is unnecessary.
In the accompanying drawing.
Figure 1 is a view illustrating the arrangement of the various parts of a machine
constructed according to my invention.
Figures 2, 3, 4 and 5 are views of details hereinafter described.
The machine shewn in Figure 1 comprises an impression cylinder P and four
printing or type cylinders I, 12, 13, I, the said machine being adapted to print in
four colours. It is to be understood however that it may be provided with a greater
or less number of printing cylinders according to the number of colours to be printed,
one cylinder being required for each colour.
Each printing cylinder is provided with an inking apparatus comprising an ink
supply roller a, two ductor rollers t, t, two scraping rollers b.b₁, a distributor d and an
ink trough e

page_text: When one side only of the paper or sheet is to be printed, a single impression
cylinder and a single series of printing cylinders I are sufficient; but when both sides
of the sheet are to be printed, a second impression cylinder P¹ and a second series of
printing cylinders I, I, I, I¹ for printing the second side of the sheet must be
employed.
4
The motion of all the printing cylinders is regulated in such a manner that they
have absolutely the same speed. This can be obtained by actuating them by means
of a toothed wheel upon the impression cylinder and engaging with a toothed wheel
upon the shaft of each printing cylinder. It is necessary that the toothed wheels of
the printing cylinders shall be of exactly the same size, as the least irregularity in the
speed of these cylinders would render the impression bad.
The gear wheels of the printing cylinders can also be actuated by gearing which is
independent of the impressing cylinder; and to ensure the uniform motion of these
printing cylinders any suitable mechanical arrangement by which this result is attained
can be employed.
Supposing it is desired to print in four colours (black, red, blue yellow) on the two
sides of the same sheet, a machine having eight printing rollers I, II, I, I, I, I, I I¹ 4
(as shewn in Figure 1) four printing one of the surfaces of the sheet and the other
four the second surface is used; the rollers I¹ I, for example printing in black, I, I'₂
in red, I, I, in blue and I, I, in yellow.
3
1
2
The paper wound upon a reel B first passes between the impressing cylinder P and
the printing roller I, which prints in black all that must be black, and leaves white all
that is reserved for the other colours; then it passes over the roller I, which prints in
red all the parts which must be of this colour and then over the rollers I, and I which
deposit the blue and the yellow respectively.
The sheet of paper one side of which is thus entirely printed then passes over a
roller D, which is heated by gas or by any other suitable means, whereby it is rapidly
dried so that any smearing is obviated.
From the cylinder D the paper passes to a guide roller E which can be raised or
lowered to regulate the course of the paper.
From the roller E the paper passes between the pressing cylinder P¹ and the printing
cylinders I, I, I, I, which print the second side of the sheet, each cylinder printing
in one colour as has been stated above and leaving untouched the surfaces which are
to be covered by the colours applied by the other printing rollers.
After having passed to the last printing cylinder the sheet of paper passes between
two drying cylinders M heated in any desirable manner and thence to a cutting
device.
It may be observed that the surface being printed upon is always turned outwards
thereby obviating smearing.
For very fine impressions the distance between each two printing cylinders can be
increased and supplementary drying cylinders can be placed between each two printing
cylinders.
When one side of the sheet is to be printed in a greater number of colours than the
other side, this is easily accomplished by placing a greater number of printing
cylinders in connection with one impression cylinder than with the other for example
four in connection with one and two with the other, so that one side is printed in four
colours and the other in two only.
Superposed colours can also be printed and graduated shades can also be obtained,
it being, for this purpose, sufficient to successively apply the same surface to be
printed to several cylinders printing in different colours.
I will now describe some details in the construction of the printing and impression
cylinders.
Each printing cylinder comprises a cylindrical roller S Figure 2 fixed upon a shaft t.
Upon this roller is placed a cylindrical casing K the external diameter of which varies
according to the dimensions of the paper that is to be printed. This casing can be
inade of metal or other suitable material and in one or more parts. At each of its

page_text: extremities it carries a collar and it is provided along its length with helicoidal grooves
in which projections on the stereotype printing plates are caused to slide.
Instead of making the said grooves helicoidal they can be formed upon the casing
in the direction of its axis or on a plane perpendicular to the axis of the cylinder.
Instead of the cylinders above described I can employ engraved copper cylinders.
The printing cylinders are to be adjusted in the direction of their axis by screws or
in any other suitable manner.
The thickness of the stereotype plates should be accurately regulated in order to
obtain perfect surfaces for the printing cylinders.
Each cylinder is provided with a gear wheel a which can be actuated either by a
gear wheel keyed upon the impression cylinder or by independent gearing actuating
only the printing cylinder, or by any other desirable means.
The bearings of each printing cylinder are movable in guides Figure 3 the said
cylinder being kept in contact with the impression cylinder either by the action of a
spring as shown or by weights or other suitable means.
The printing cylinders are mounted in such a manner that they can be readily
removed from the impressing cylinder, either to change the movable casing or to
inspect it. When the colour of one of the printing cylinders is no longer to be
employed there is thus no need for removing it entirely, it being sufficient to move it
away from the impressing cylinder, it then no longer touches the sheet to be printed.
When it is to be used again it is sufficient to place it against the pressing cylinder.
The external casing of the printing cylinders is movable as has been stated and it
can be easily removed from the core which is fixed, and replaced by another casing of
the required size. Any size sheet can be printed with a single machine by simply
changing the movable casing. This variable development of the printing cylinder
either by changing the casing as I have already stated or any or by any other means
constitutes an important feature of my invention and is especially applicable to the
rotary machines in use in typographic and other printing.
The printing cylinder P (Figure 4) can be formed of any hard material and is
surrounded with an endless cloth coated with caoutchouc, or other material, offering
sufficient pliability. This endless cloth is constantly stretched by means of a roller R
mounted upon movable brackets as shown in Figure 1.
The impression cylinder can also be surrounded by a casing which is coated with
caoutchouc or the like as indicated in Figure 5.
Figures 4 and 5 indicate an arrangement of gear wheels for connecting the impressing
cylinder with the printing cylinder; any other arrangement, however, as above stated
can be employed.
When the movable casing corresponding with the size of the sheet to be printed
has been arranged upon the fixed core, and when a definite number of printing
cylinders have been placed in contact with the impression cylinder according to the
number of colours to be applied, the setting of the marks for each of the colours must
be performed.
This is effected as follows :-
1st. By moving the cylinders transversely by the aid of screws acting upon the
bearings of the said cylinders, and,
wheel a.
2nd. By rotating the cylinder relatively to its
gear
For this purpose a
disc d is keyed upon the shaft of the printing cylinder and a disc b is secured to the
toothed wheel a. These discs can be turned one upon the other by means of a worm
and pinion.
By operating this worm the printing roller can be accurately adjusted after having
been approximately regulated by hand.
The improved machine can be used for printing wall paper, and also for any kind
of typographic or other printing.
By combining printing cylinders as described for instance, the lines of a book can
be printed alternately in black and red and coloured designs can be inserted in
the text.

page_text: Any combinations of colours are possible.
As the external casing of the printing cylinder admits of being changed as has been
stated to produce cylinders of variable diameters, all the sizes used in commerce
(foolscap, long, royal, crown, double elephant, and the like, 4°, 8°, 12°) can be printed
with a single machine.
Although the improved machine is chiefly intended for printing in two or more
colours one colour only might be printed for which purpose it would be sufficient to
leave only a single printing cylinder in contact with the impressing cylinder.
Having now particularly described and ascertained the nature of the said invention
and in what manner the same is to be performed as communicated to me by my foreign
correspondent I declare that what I claim is
First. A machine for printing in several colours in a single operation arranged
substantially as represented in the accompanying drawings and which is composed
essentially of a single impression cylinder and several printing cylinders.
Second. A printing cylinder composed of a core upon which movable casings of
variable size can be placed so that in a single machine sheets of different sizes can be
printed by simply varying the diameter of the printing cylinder by means of this
movable casing.
Third. The method of fixing the stereotype printing plate upon the movable casing
of the printing cylinders.
HASELTINE, LAKE & Co.,
45, Southampton Buildings, London,
Agents for the Applicant.