ROVEMENTS IN THE COLOR PRINTING OF BOOKS AND NEWS. PAPERS
Year: 1874

page_text: LETTERS PATENT to William Morton Halbert, of the City of Glasgow,
in the County of Lanark, North Britain, Gentleman, for the In-
vention of
IMPROVEMENTS IN THE COLOR PRINTING OF BOOKS AND NEWS.
PAPERS,"
Sealed the 4th September 1874, and dated the 2nd April 1874.
"
PROVISIONAL SPECIFICATION left by the said William Morton Halbert
at the Office of the Commissioners of Patents, with his Petition, on
the 2nd April 1874.
I, WILLIAM MORTON HALBERT, of the City of Glasgow, in the
County of Lanark, North Britain, Gentleman, do hereby declare the
nature of the said Invention for "IMPROVEMENTS IN THE COLOR PRINTING OF
BOOKS AND NEWSPAPERS," to be as follows:-
:-
My said Invention has reference to the printing of books and news-
papers with ordinary types or stereotype plates and printing machines
with various colored inks or liquid dyes, or in black ink upon various
colored or toned papers previously dyed or printed in the ordinary,

page_text: manner for producing toned or colored papers, all in a new or improved
manner, so as to give greater elegance and pleasure with less labour or
pain to the eyes and make a greater or stronger impression on the mind
of the person reading than has been the case in the printing of books and
newspapers heretofore, and equal to illuminated books and color printed
books which have only heretofore been printed from engravings and from
lithograph drawings and processes. And the nature and novelty of my
said Invention consist in first making or printing certain portions of the
surface of each page or the whole page, or number of pages or sheets of
the paper on which the letterpress is to be printed of various pleasant
contrasting colors, which I shall term " colored grounds," as red, yellow,
and blue, and their respective combinations of orange, green, and violet
in their various shades, and then in printing the letterpress of the
respective articles of newspapers, or the chapters or sections of the work
or book to be printed on the said colored parts, sheets, or grounds, in
"complemental" or "complementary" proper contrasting colored inks
or liquid pigments or dyes, or in black, all respectively in accordance
with the laws of the contrast of colors, as will herein-after be more fully
set forth and specified, in contradistinction to the ordinary method here.
tofore practised of printing the letterpress work of books and newspapers
with black ink upon sheets of white or nearly white paper, to be after-
wards bound or folded into the said books or newspapers.
It will also be understood that the letterpress may be printed on the
colored grounds with acids or other well-known liquids, which would
discharge or extract the color from the paper or ground and leave the
letterpress white, or otherwise printed with the ordinary yellow and
white or mixed colored bronzes or metallic pigments, and that capital
letters and important parts of sentences may be illuminated or printed
in different colors from the body of the sentence in which they are, as
heretofore, for giving greater effect or force to these parts, although I do
not claim this as a part of my Invention.
What I consider as my Invention is the practical application of the
natural or scientific "law of simultaneous contrast of colors" to the
human eye in and to the work of letterpress printing as stated; and not
hitherto applied to such work. In thus pratically carrying out my said
Invention or improvements I take advantage of the law or fact that by
the combination of any two colors, as herein-after categorically stated or
enumerated, the colored lights reflected therefrom (under the law of the

page_text: simultaneous contrast of colors) arc
$6
"
complemental or "comple.
mentary" to each other, and being such optically reproduce white light
upon reaching the retina of the eye. The use or utility of this is that
by the contrast of colors "complemental" or "complementary" of each
other, producing white light, the sight is assisted in reading, and the
eyes are less fatigued, having greater contrast of tone and color suc-
ceeding each other in varied sequence, making, moreover, a greater
impression while reading, and rendering the memory more retentive. !
In applying this principle to letterpress printing on colored or dyed
papers with colored or dye ink or inks in accordance with my improve-
ments, but having the face of the type coated over with the same in a
usual manner, the following colors being "complemental" of each
other as before stated, I make use of them and proceed as follows:-
(A) On a red colored or dyed paper or ground, I, as stated, print the
letterpress with green ink or green-colored liquid dye (G) and con-
versely on a green paper or ground the letterpress is printed in red ink
or color.
(E) On a yellow ground the letterpress is printed in violet color, and
conversely (L) on a violet ground the letterpress is printed in yellow
color.
(I) On a blue ground the letterpress is printed in orange color, and
conversely (C) on an orange ground the letterpress is printed in blue
color.
(B) On a reddish orange ground the letterpress is printed in greenish
blue color, and conversely (H) on a greenish blue ground the letterpress
is printed in reddish orange color.
(D) On a orange yellow ground the letterpress is printed in violet
blue, and conversely (K) on a violet blue ground the letterpress is printed
in orange yellow color.
(F) On a yellowish green ground the letterpress is printed in violet
red, and conversely (M) on a violet red ground the letterpress is printed
in yellowish green color.
And to explain or make the above contrast of colors and their use
properly understood I append a diagram of a chromatic hemisphere or
disc, marked Figure 1 on the accompanying Sheet of Drawings, lettered
and figured to correspond to this categorical list and description.

page_text: The primary colors, red, blue, and yellow, are represented on the said
chromatic hemisphere or diagram, Figure 1, as follows:-Red, by the
letter (A); blue, by the letter (I); and yellow, by the letter (E). The
other or secondary colors, namely, reddish orange, represented by the
letter (B); orange; by the letter (C); orange yellow, by the letter (D);
yellowish green, by the letter (F); green, by the letter (G); greenish
blue, by the letter (H); violet blue, by the letter (K); violet, by the
letter (L); violet red, by the letter (M).
-
"
The use of this diagram affords the means of knowing the "com-
plemental" or "complementary" of each color, as the names written at
the two extremities of any one diameter (as A, G,). indicate the colors
complemented to each other (namely, in this case, A. to G or G to A),
that is, red is complemental to green and vice versa, and 'so likewise
round every diameter of the diagram and colors named and shown..
As equal proportions of the three primary colors can produce black,
black is "complemental" with any of the three primary colors, or any
of the secondary colors, I therefore in carrying out my said Invention
use paper dyed black or black grounds, printing thereon from the type,
coated with any other of the colored inks, or dyes enumerated in the
preceding categary or list, or vice versa, printing from type with black
ink upon any paper dyed or colored with the color enumerated in the
preceding categary; list, or diagram. I do not however desire to claim
in this my Invention the mere use of or printing with black ink on
white, yellow, or buff paper or grounds, or with black, red, blue, or
green inks on white grounds. or on green grounds; nor do I claim the
use of pictorial. or illuminated letters, with flowers, wreaths, scrolls,
devices, or designs; but in fact, I disclaim these within the book, or on
the covers or outside wrappers, or. applied to the outside binding of the
same; and I do not claim this new or improved mode or system of
printing in colors, on bills for being posted up on walls, or tradesmen's
show cards,, signs, trade marks, circulars, or time bills for railway or
steam ship companies, or such show catalogues or pamphlets, believing
this to have been done and used for such purposes heretofore...
.
.

page_text: SPECIFICATION in pursuance of the conditions of the Letters Patent,
filed by the said William Morton Halbert in the Great Seal Patent
-
Office on the 30th September 1874.
TO ALL TO WHOM THESE PRESENTS SHALL COME, I, WILLIAM
6 MORTON HALBERT, of the City of Glasgow, in the County of Lanark,:
North Britain, Gentleman, send greeting.
150
WHEREAS Her most Excellent Majesty Queen Victoria, by Her
Letters Patent bearing date the Second day of April, in the year of
our Lord One thousand eight hundred and seventy-four, in the thirty-
0 seventh year of Her reign, did, for Herself, Her heirs, and successors,
give and grant unto me, the said William Morton Halbert, Her special
licence that I, the said William Morton Halbert, my executors, admini
strators, and assigns, or such others as I, the said William Morton
Moria out
Halbert, my executors, administrators, and assigns, should at any time
5 agree with, and no other's, from time to time and at all times there
after during the term therein expressed, should and lawfung might
make, use, exercise, and vend," within the United Kin
Kingdom of Great
Guri i od ro
Britain and Ireland, the Channel Islands, and Isle of Man, an Invention
for "IMPROVEMENTS IN THE COLOR PRINTING OF BOOKS AND NEWSPAPERS upon
0 the condition (amongst others) that I, the said William Morton Halbert,
my executors or administrators, by an instrument in writing under hy?
or their, or one of their hands and seals, should particularly describe
and ascertain the nature of the said Invention, and in what manner the
same was to be performed, and cause the same to be filed in the Great
5 Seal Patent Office within six calendar montis next and immediately
after the date of the said Letters Patent.info rid of Hur f
my,
NOW KNOW YE; that I the said William Morton Halbert, do hereby
declare tlie nature of my said Invention, and in what manner the same
&is to be performed, to be particularly described and 'ascertained in 'and
0 by the following statement in writing, reference being had to the accom
panying chromatic heniisphere or diagram of "complementary colors"
and reference words and letters on the Sheet of Drawings; which I have
liereunto appended for the purpose of showing the nature and best modes
Cand means I am at present aware of for putting my said Invention into
5 effect or practice:la stał zaten vadisuas I driftf
.: My said Invention.has reference to the printing of books and news-
papers with ordinary types or stereotype plates and printing machines

page_text: with various colored inks or liquid dyes (or in black ink) upon various
colored or toned papers, previously dyed or printed in the ordinary
manner for producing toned or colored papers, all in a new or improved
manner in accordance with the law of the contrast of colors, so as to give
greater elegance and pleasure with less labour or pain to the eyes, and
make a greater or stronger impression upon the mind of the person
reading than has been the case in the printing of books and newspapers
heretofore, and equal to illuminated books and color-printed books, which
have only heretofore been printed from engravings and from lithograph
drawings and processes; and the nature and novelty of my said Invention
consist in first making or printing certain portions of the surface of each
page or the whole page, or a number of pages or sheets of the paper
on which the letterpress is to be printed of various pleasant contrasting
colors, which I shall term "colored grounds," as red, yellow, and blue
(as the simple or primary colors), and their respective combinations of
orange, green, and violet in their various shades (respectively as secondary
colors), and then in printing the letterpress of the respective articles of
newspapers, or the chapters or sections of the work or book to be printed.
on the said colored parts, sheets, or grounds, in " complemental" or
"complementary" proper contrasting colored inks or liquid pigments or
dyes (or in black), all respectively in accordance with the law of the
contrast of colors, as will be herein-after more particularly set forth and
specified (all in contradistinction to the ordinary method heretofore
practised of printing the letterpress work of books and newspapers with
black ink upon sheets of white or nearly white paper), to be afterwards
bound or folded into the said books or newspapers.
It will also be understood that the letterpress may be printed on the
colored grounds with acids or other well known liquids, which would
extract or discharge the color from the paper or ground and leave the
letterpress white, or otherwise printed with the ordinary yellow and
white, or mixed colored, bronzed, or metallic pigments, and that capital
letters and important parts of sentences may be illuminated or printed in
different colors from the body of the sentence in which they are (as.
heretofore in letterpress illumination) for giving greater effect or force
to these parts, although I do not claim this as a part of my Invention.
What I consider as my Invention is the practical application of the
natural or scientific "law of simultaneous contrast of colors" to the
human eye in and to the work of letterpress printing of books and news

page_text: (F) On a yellowish green ground the letterpress is printed in violet
red, and conversely (M) on a violet red ground the letterpress is printed
in yellowish green color. **
'
+
"
And to explain or make the above contrast of colors and their use
properly understood I append a diagram of a chromatic hemisphere or
disc of complementary colors, marked Figure 1 on the accompanying
Sheet of Drawings, lettered and figured to correspond to this categorical
list and description. The simple or primary colors, as red, blue, and
yellow, are represented on the said chromatic hemisphere or diagram,
Figure 1, as follows:-Red, by the letter (A); yellow, by the letter (E);
and blue, by the letter (I). The other or secondary colors, namely,
reddish orange, represented by the letter (B); orange, by the letter (C);
orange yellow, by the letter (D); yellowish green, by the letter (F);
green, by the letter (G); greenish blue, by the letter (H); violet
blue, by the letter. (K); violet; by the; letter (L) ;- violet red, by the
letter (M).
:
"
The use of this diagram affords the means of at once knowing the
"complemental" or "complementary" color of each or any particular
color of the scale, as the names written at the two extremities of any
one diameter (as.A, G,) indicate the colors complemented to. cach other
(namely, in this case A to G or G to A), that is, red is complemental to
green, and vice versa, and so likewise round every diameter of the
diagram and colors named and shown.
.
As equal proportions of the three primary colors can produce, black,
black is "complemental" with any of the three primary colors or any of
the secondary colors, I therefore in carrying out my said Invention use
paper dyed black or black grounds, printing thereon from the type coated
with any other of the colored inks or dyes enumerated in the preceding
category or list, or vice versa, printing from type with black ink upon
any paper dyed or colored with any of the colors enumerated in the
preceding category, list, or diagram. But I do not however desire to
claim in this my Invention the mere use of or printing with black ink
on white, yellow, or buff paper or grounds, or with black, red, bluc, or
green inks on white grounds or on green grounds; nor do I claim the
use of pictorial or illuminated letters, with flowers, wreaths, scrolls,
devices, or designs in any color by themselves, but in fact I disclaim
these within the book, or on the covers or outside wrappers, or applied to

page_text: the outside binding of the same, and I do not claim this new or improved
mode or system of printing in complemental or complementary colors,
on bills for being posted up on walls, or tradesmen's show cards, signs,
trade marks, circulars, or time bills for railway or steam ship companies
or insurance companies, or such show catalogues or pamphlets in any
way, believing this to have been done or used to some slight and
irregular extent for such purposes heretofore.
Having thus particularly described the nature and mode of performing
my said Invention, I would observe that what I consider novel and
original, and therefore claim as the Invention secured to me by the
herein-before in part recited Letters Patent is the printing of the letter-
press of books and newspapers, with colored inks or dyes on
plementary" colored grounds or papers, all substantially in the new or
improved manner herein described.
* com-
In witness whereof, I, the said William Morton Halbert, have here-
unto set my hand and seal, this Nineteenth day of September,
in the year of our Lord One thousand eight hundred and seventy-
four.