Method of PRINTING

Method of PRINTING. The workmen employed in the art of printing are of two kinds: compositors, who range and dispose the letters into words, lines, pages, &c. according to the copy delivered them by the author; and pressmen, who apply ink upon the same, and take off the impression. The types being cast, the compositor distributes each kind by itself among the divisions of two wooden frames, an upper and an under one, called cases; each of which is divided into little cells or boxes. Those of the upper case are in number 98: these are all of the same size; and in them are disposed the capitals, small capitals, accented letters, figures, &c. the capitals being placed in alphabetical order. In the cells of the lower case, which are 54, are placed the small letters, with the points, spaces, &c. The boxes are here of different sizes, the largest being for the letters most used; and these boxes are not in alphabetical order, but the cells which contain the letter oftener wanted are nearest the compositor's hand. Each case is placed a little aslope, that the compositor may the more easily reach the upper boxes. The instrument in which the letters are set is called a composing-stick (fig. 3.) which consists of a long and narrow plate of brass, or iron, &c. on the right side of which arises a ledge, which runs the whole length of the plate, and serves to sustain the letters, the sides of which are to rest against it: along this ledge is a row of holes, which serve for introducing the screw a, in order to lengthen or shorten the extent of the line, by moving the sliders b farther from or nearer to the shorter ledge at the end d. Where marginal notes are required in a work,

the two sliding-pieces b are opened to a proper distance from each other in such a manner as that while the distance between d forms the length of the line in the text, the distance between the two sliding-pieces forms the length of the lines for the notes on the side of the page. Before the compositor proceeds to compose, he puts a rule, or thin slip of brass-plate, cut to the length of the line, and of the same height as the letter, in the composing-stick, against the ledge, for the letter to bear against. Things thus prepared, the compositor having the copy lying before him, and his stick in his left-hand, his thumb being over the slider c; with the right, he take up the letters, spaces, &c. one by one, and places them against the rule, while he supports them with his left thumb by pressing them to the end of the slider c, the other hand being constantly employed in setting in other letters: the whole being performed with a degree of expedition and address not easy to be imagined.

A little being thus composed, if it end with a word or syllable, and exactly fill the measure, there needs no further care; otherwise, more spaces are to be put in, or else the distances lessened, between the several words, in order to make the measure quite full, so that every line may end even. The spaces here used are pieces of metal exactly shaped like the shanks of the letters: they are of various thicknesses, and serve to support the letters, and to preserve a proper distance between the words; but not reaching so high as the letters, they make no impression when the work is printed. The first line being thus finished, the compositor proceeds to the next; in order to which he moves the brass-rule from behind the former, and places it before it, and thus composes another line against it after the same manner as before; going on thus till his stick is full, when he empties all the lines contained in it into the gally.

The compositor then fills and empties his composing-stick as before, till a complete page be formed; when he ties it up with a cord or pack-thread; and setting it by, proceeds to the next, till the number of pages to be contained in a sheet is completed; which done, he carries them to the imposing-stone, there to be ranged in order, and fastened together in a frame called a chase; and this is termed imposing. The chase is a rectangular iron-frame, of different dimensions according to the size of the paper to be printed, having two cross-pieces of the same metal, called a long and short cross, mortified at each end so as to be taken out occasionally. By the different situations of these crosses the chase is fitted for different volumes: for quartos and octavos, one traverses the middle lengthwise, the other broadwise, so as to intersect each other in the centre: for twelves and twenty-fours, the short cross is shifted nearer to one end of the chase; for folios, the long cross is left entirely out, and the short one left in the middle; and for broad-sides, both crosses are set aside. To dress the chase, or range and fix the pages therein, the compositor makes use of a set of furniture, consisting of slips of wood of different dimensions, and about half an inch high, that they may be lower than the letters: some of these are placed at the top of the pages, and called head sticks; others between them, to form the inner margin; others on the sides of the crosses, to form the outer mar-

Printing. margin, where the paper is to be doubled; and others in the form of wedges to the sides and bottom of the pages. Thus all the pages being placed at their proper distances, and secured from being injured by the chase and furniture placed about them, they are all untied, and fastened together by driving small pieces of wood called quoins, cut in the wedge-form, up between the flanking side of the foot and the side ricks and the chase, by means of a piece of hard wood and a mallet; and all being thus bound fast together, so that none of the letters will fall out, it is ready to be committed to the pressman. In this condition the work is called a form; and as there are two of these forms required for every sheet, when both sides are to be printed, it is necessary the distances between the pages in each form should be placed with such exactness, that the impression of the pages in one form shall fall exactly on the back of the pages of the other, which is called register.

As it is impossible but that there must be some mistakes in the work, either through the oversight of the compositor, or by the casual transposition of letters in the cases; a sheet is printed off, which is called a proof, and given to the corrector; who reading it over, and rectifying it by the copy, making the alterations in the margin, it is delivered back to the compositor to be corrected.

The compositor then unlocking the form upon the correcting-stone, by loosening the quoins or wedges which bound the letters together, rectifies the mistakes by picking out the faulty or wrong letters with a slender sharp-pointed steel-bodkin, and puts others into their places. After this another proof is made, sent to the author, and corrected as before; and lastly, there is another proof, called a revise, which is made in order to see whether all the mistakes marked in the last proof are corrected.

The pressman's business is to work off the forms thus prepared and corrected by the compositor; in doing which there are four things required, paper, ink, balls, and a press. To prepare the paper for use, it is to be first wetted by dipping several sheets together in water; these are afterwards laid in a heap over each other; and to make them take the water equally, they are all pressed close down with a weight at the top. The ink is made of oil and lamp-black; for the manner of preparing which, see Printing-INK. The balls, by which the ink is applied on the forms are a kind of wooden funnels with handles, the cavities of which are filled with wool or hair, as is also a piece of alum-leather or pelt nailed over the cavity, and made extremely soft by soaking in urine and by being well rubbed. One of these the pressman takes in each hand; and applying one of them to the ink-block daubs and works them together to distribute the ink equally; and then blackens the form which is placed on the press, by beating with the balls upon the face of the latter.

The printing-press, represented fig. 2. is a very curious, though complex machine. The body consists of two strong checks, a a, placed perpendicularly, and joined together by four cross-pieces; the cap b; the head c, which is moveable, being partly sustained by two iron pins, or long bolts, that pass the cap; the till, or shelf, dd, by which the spindle and its apparatus are kept in their proper position; and the

winter e, which bears the carriage, and sustains the effort of the press beneath. The spindle f is an upright piece of iron pointed with steel, having a male-screw which goes into the female one in the head about four inches. Through the eye g of this spindle is fastened the bar k, by which the pressman makes the impression. The spindle passes through a hole in the middle of the till; and its point works into a brass pan or nut, supplied with oil, which is fixed to an iron plate let into the top of the platten. The body of the spindle is sustained in the centre of an open frame of polished iron, 1, 1, 2, 2, 3, 3, fixed to it in such a manner as, without obstructing its free play, to keep it in a steady direction; and at the same time to serve for suspending the platten. This frame consists of two parts; the upper called the garter, 1, 1; the under, called the crane, 2, 2. These are connected together by two short legs or bolts, 3, 3; which being fixed below in the two ends of the crane, pass upward, through two holes in the till, and are received at top into two eyes at the ends of the garter, where they are secured by screws. The carriage ll is placed a foot below the platten, having its fore-part supported by a prop called the fore-stay, while the other rests on the winter. On this carriage, which sustains the plank, are nailed two long iron bars or ribs; and on the plank are nailed short pieces of iron or steel called cramp-irons, equally tempered with the ribs, and which slide upon them when the plank is turned in or out. Under the carriage is fixed a long piece of iron called the spit, with a double wheel in the middle, round which leather-girts are fastened, nailed to each end of the plank; and to the outside of the spit is fixed a rounce m, or handle to turn round the wheel. Upon the plank is a square frame or coffin, in which is inclosed a polished stone on which the form n is laid; at the end of the coffin are three frames, viz. the two tympan and frisket: the tympan o are square, and made of three slips of very thin wood, and at the top a piece of iron still thinner; that called the outer tympan is fastened with hinges to the coffin: they are both covered with parchment; and between the two are placed blankets, which are necessary to take off the impression of the letters upon the paper. The frisket p is a square frame of thin iron, fastened with hinges to the tympan: it is covered with paper cut in the necessary places, that the sheet, which is put between the frisket and the great or outward tympan, may receive the ink, and that nothing may hurt the margins. To regulate the margins, a sheet of paper is fastened upon this tympan, which is called the tympan-sheet; and on each side is fixed an iron point, which makes two holes in the sheet, which is to be placed on the same points when the impression is to be made on the other side. In preparing the press for working, the parchment which covers the outer tympan is wetted till it is very soft, in order to render the impression more equable; the blankets are then put in, and secured from slipping by the inner tympan: then while one pressman is beating the letter with the balls q, covered with ink taken from the ink-block, the other person places a sheet of white paper on the tympan-sheet; turns down the frisket upon it, to keep the paper clean and prevent its slipping; then bringing the tympan upon the form, and, turning the

Printing. rounce, he brings the form with the stone, &c. weighing about 300 pounds weights, under the platten; pulls with the bar, by which means the platten presses the blankets and paper close upon the letter, whereby half the form is printed; then easing the bar, he draws the form still forward, gives a second pull; and letting go the bar, turns back the form, takes up the tympan and frisket, takes out the printed sheet, and lays on a fresh one; and this is repeated till he has taken off the impression upon the full number of sheets the edition is to consist of. One side of the sheet being thus printed, the form for the other is laid upon the press, and worked off in the same manner.