One of the most beautiful aids to typography, the art of printing in colours, has been unduly neglected in this country; at least as far as relates to the embellishing works of ordinary excellence with vignettes, capitals, tail-pieces, and other devices of fancy, in beautiful tints, in the manner of the early typographers. It is true that some very beautiful works, illustrated with remarkable richness of design and colour, have been produced; but these have been executed rather as examples of the beautiful in art than as books,—the work of the artist has been the principal object, and the work of the author the occasion and vehicle. Printing in other works, chiefly ecclesiastical, the object has been to reproduce in fac-simile the rich illuminations of the monkish scribes. But as regards the average printing—printing in colours—the literature of the day—the art of printing in colours has been very much neglected. This may very easily be accounted for. To print in two colours occupies more than twice the time necessary to print in one; and it also requires more skill and ingenuity. These unfortunately must be paid for; and this pecuniary consideration is sufficient to banish from our pages this lovely art. So did not our forefathers; they took pride in choosing the most tasteful designs, the most harmonious colours, to illuminate their productions, and beguile the reader into study by the illusive charms of gold, and blue, and crimson. Fortunately, either time was of little value, or the exclusive possession of the market enabled them to demand remunerating prices for the time thus well bestowed; but in the bustle and competition of our more mercantile days, time is money, and blue and gold, scarlet and green, give way to the equally useful but infinitely less beautiful uniformity of unredeemed black. To a country printer, however, some knowledge of colour-printing would be of advantage, because, as his fonts of type are more limited, he can create unlimited variety by a judicious use of colours in job-work; moreover, as he has usually much more time upon his hands, his ingenuity would have ample scope for the production of small works of certa, in a taste which cannot be indulged by the denizens of a busy metropolis.

Except in the execution of works of a very high order, and the imitation of intricate and delicate patterns, printing in colours requires no addition to the ordinary accomplishment of printing, other than considerable ingenuity and a little practice in preparing the colours. The latter may, it is true, be purchased of the ink-maker, prepared for use; but the charge for them is enormous, and they require constant replacement, whilst it is not possible to have on hand every variety of tint. By the purchase of the most simple materials from the oil-shop, the ingenious printer has at his hand every colour that fancy can require, at the most moderate cost, without waste or delay. The appliances are few and cheap: a muller, a marble slab, and a palette-knife; the materials, a can of printers' varnish, to be purchased of the ink-maker, which will keep any length of time, and the raw colours hereafter given, which may be purchased from time to time; care, however, being taken that they are of the best quality, or they will fade and turn rusty in a short time, and be a deformity instead of an ornament to the work.

Useful tints of red may be prepared of orange lead, vermilion, burnt sienna, Venetian red, Indian red, and lake. Vermilion is the most brilliant of these reds; but its beauty depends very much upon the particular parcel used. The pale vermilion is best for a bright tint, as the dark, when mixed with the varnish, produces a dull red. Orange lead and vermilion ground together produce a very bright tint, which is more permanent than vermilion alone.

Yellows are prepared with yellow ochre, gamboge, and chromate of lead. Of these, the brightest is the chrome; yellow ochre, when mixed with the varnish, produces a very dull tint.

Blues are made from indigo, Prussian blue, and Antwerp blue. Of these, indigo is exceedingly dark, and not very easily lightened. Prussian blue is a very useful colour; Antwerp blue is very light.

Greens may be produced from a mixture of any of the blues and yellows, as gamboge and Prussian blue, chromate of lead and Prussian blue. These may be mixed in any proportions until the required tint is produced; but it must be remembered that the varnish has a considerable yellow tinge, and will produce a decided effect upon the mixture. With a slight portion of Antwerp blue it will, without the mixture of any of the yellows, produce a decidedly greenish tinge.

Purples of any degree of richness are made by judiciously mixing reds and blues.

Sepia produces a nice brown tint, burnt umber a very hot brown, raw umber a much lighter brown, bistre a brighter still. Neutral tints may be obtained by mixing Prussian blue, lake, and gamboge. In fact, every pigment that painters use can also be used in printing; avoiding, as much as possible, all heavy colours. In truth, if the printer is desirous of imitating any particular colour, or of producing any particular tint, he cannot do better than consult the nearest artist in oil or water colours (oil in preference), or in default of that, the neighbouring house-painter.

The necessary colours having been procured, the method of preparing them is very simple. Each must first be well ground by the muller upon the slab, even although they may have been purchased well powdered. The colour should then be well mixed with the palette-knife with the varnish, until the pigment has attained the required consistency, which will vary with the quality of the work to be executed; for if it be a posting-ball or coarse job, the ink should be very thin, and consequently a much larger proportion of varnish should be used. If, however, the work be a wood-cut, or in small type, the pigment should be made as thick as possible. If the colour required be a compound, the predominant tint should be first mixed with the varnish, and the lighter tint added in small quantities, until the exact shade required be produced. Thus, if the colour be a dark green, the blue should be mixed up first, and the yellow added; but if it be a very light green, then the yellow should be first applied, and the blue added. If the tint desired be exceedingly light, it will be found that the quantity of raw material to be employed will not make the mixture sufficiently thick to be applied to the type or wood-block; in this case whitening is added to thin colours, and dry white lead to the heavier, in considerable quantities, which must be adjusted in the course of mixing. To insure thorough combination, the mixture should be scraped into a corner of the slab, and a very small portion of it spread with the palette-knife, and well ground with the muller until no specks or lumps appear, then scraped up and placed in another corner. This should especially be done when white lead is used, as it will be found that every little lump when crushed will produce a white streak upon the slab. If this be not carefully done, independently of its tendency to clog the type, it will very materially alter the tint. When the pigment seems sufficiently mixed, it is better to bray it out with the muller instead of the usual brayer, and grind again, each particular portion immediately before it is used. Colours may be worked either with a ball or a roller. If the job be large and coarse, and the ink consequently thin, the roller will answer every purpose; but if it be small, and requiring much nicety in the manipulation, decidedly with a ball; but in either case the ink should be well distributed, and the form well beaten or rolled. When two or more colours are employed, they must be worked at as many different times. In this case extreme nicety in the register and justification is required, in order that every colour may fall in its just place, without overlaying any other tint employed in the print. This would be a great dis-sight in any case, but most especially where the combination of colours would produce a third; as, for instance, if any part of a blue line should unfortunately fall upon a yellow, a green outline would be the result. The simplest way to guard against this is to have the wood-blocks all cut to precisely the same size, with the print in the proper place upon each; when, therefore, the first colour has been worked, the form is unlocked, the block taken out, and the second block inserted; it then falls at once into Printing its proper position. If the form consist of type, each line should be carefully composed in its proper body; that is, if three colours be employed for as many different lines in pica, small pica, and long primer, the one to be first worked should be composed in pica letters, the other lines in small pica and long primer quadrats. When the second line is to be worked, its quadrats should be taken out and letters inserted, while the type of the first line should be removed and quadrats substituted; and so of the third line. The points on the tympan must never be moved. It is clear, therefore, that if the paper be placed upon the same point-holes as before, and if the form has never been moved, the new line cannot fail to fall into its proper place. The illustrative Plate III. has been worked upon this plan; the black, being the largest body, was first printed, as it afforded the best guide for subsequent working. The blue was next worked, because it was much easier to adjust it to the black, than to adjust the red so exactly that the blue should precisely surround it and yet not infringe upon or retreat from the black, while there would be no difficulty in making the other red portions fall in their proper places. In these cases the paper must never be suffered to dry; indeed the sooner each colour succeeds the other the better. If it be covered with a wet blanket, and the edges well sprinkled, the danger will be little; but if it should dry and shrink in the slightest degree, it will be impossible to obtain register. For printing red-letter days in almanacs and the rubrics in prayer-books (an almost extinct practice), an especial type is used called rubrical; it is cast about an m higher than ordinary type. The black is first worked, quadrats having been inserted in the places of the red letter, which are subsequently withdrawn, and the rubrical type inserted. But as, in so small an insertion in so large a body this process does not attain any very good register, and is expensive withal, the red-letter days have been abandoned, and some other distinguishing type (generally old English or black) has been substituted, which sufficiently indicates the day. It would not be possible here to give sufficient instructions to enable a printer to execute landscapes, portraits, and other delicate subjects, in various colours and shades. The difference between this and other colour-printing consists mainly in the superior individual skill and ingenuity of the artist, the excellence and truth of his engravings, and the superiority of his appliances. In truth, before the printer can produce any great effect, he must be excellently qualified as a painter, which it is not the province of an article on printing to teach. It will be sufficient to state that the lighter and more extensive tints, and especially those in which transparent colours are used, are worked first; that the colour is gradually deepened by successive blocks until the required effects are produced; and that the outline is printed last, which has the effect of giving sharpness and finish to the design.

The curious reader is referred to Mr Savage's beautiful book on Decorative Printing, and to the many admirable productions of Mr Baxter and Mr Vizetelly. Nor should the accurate work and beautiful colours of Mr Delarue's playing-cards be passed over without notice. To Mr Delarue, indeed, the revival of colour-printing as a practical art is greatly due.

The lottery system and the stamp duties gave extensive employment to the colour-printer, and also gave occasion to a process which is denominated "compound plate-printing." The effects are produced by an ingenious system of mechanism, by which several plates are made to separate for the purpose of receiving the colours, and to combine with perfect accuracy, for the purpose of transferring these colours to the paper by a single impression. This process is in daily use at the stamp and excise offices, and the most familiar examples are to be seen in the intricate patterns printed on the labels of reams of paper, or those of patent Bank-Note medicines. The printing is effected by the cylinder printing-machine with the greatest rapidity.

There is no difficulty in printing in gold; it is within the power of any typographer. The type is composed and made ready at press in the usual manner. Take the best printer's varnish, grind it to a thick consistency with burnt sienna or brownumber; reduce this with gold-size, the same as that used by gilders and japanners. The first admixture is necessary because it has been found that the number will not combine with the size. The type is then rolled with this compound in the same manner that ordinary ink is applied, and the impression is taken upon the paper. Leaf-gold is then laid over it with a piece of cotton wool, and pressed lightly upon it. When the varnish has had time to set, a piece of cotton-wool is rubbed steadily over the part printed, and the superfluous leaf is thereby removed, leaving the gold adhering to the varnish. The print should then be passed between steel rollers, or hot-pressed,—care being taken in the latter process that the plates be not too hot, or a dull drossy surface will be produced. The sharpness of the print will vary with the judgment of the printer in the quantity of sizing applied to the type; for if the press-work be bad, the print will be bad also. For inferior gold-printing bronze-powder is extensively used. For this the varnish is made very much thicker than for gold; the method of printing is the same. After the impression has been given, the powder is brushed over the print, and adheres thereto, whilst the superfluity is easily removed. In printing the golden "Coronation Sun" with this powder, a very distressing disease arose,—the hair became perfectly green, and the men were very seriously affected; great care should therefore be taken that particles of the powder be not allowed to fly about the room. Dutch gold cannot be used as a substitute for gold-leaf. When all these appliances cannot readily be obtained, very fair gold-printing may be produced by the following process:—Let the surface of the type be heated by any convenient means—as by laying upon it for a space a heated metal plate—and then cover it carefully with leaf-gold by a ball of cotton-wool. Having carefully sited dry white-of-egg or resin, finely pulverized, over the surface of the paper, place it on the tympan, and bring it gently down upon the type. Dwell upon the pull. The leaf-gold will be found perfectly adherent to the impression on the paper, and the superfluous part may be brushed off. The sheet, after drying, should then be hot-pressed. Some observation is required to ascertain the proper heat to be given to the type: if it be insufficient, the gold transfer will be imperfect and the tint light; if too great (of which there should be no danger) the colour will be dull.

**Bank-Note Printing.**

The Bank of England notes were formerly printed from steel-plates; but in 1853 the Bank adopted the surface or letterpress mode of printing. The plates are produced by the electrotype process. An original is first engraved in metal in relief. This original is subjected to the galvanoplastic process, by which a matrix is obtained, and from this matrix a second cast is obtained in relief, a perfect fac-simile of the original engraved plate. From this plate the bank-notes are printed. The metal of which these plates are formed is exceedingly hard, frequently yielding nearly one million impressions without being worn out. The original engraving is never used for printing, but only for the production of matrices; consequently it always remains unimpaired, and thus perfect identity is maintained in the appearance of the notes. The notes are printed at platten-machines possessing great advantages over the ordinary printing-machines, more particularly in the distribution of the ink. Three machines are employed, two of which were manufactured by Messrs Napier & Sons, and the other by Messrs Hopkinson & Cope. A tell-tale, or register, is attached to each machine, which marks the number of impressions. These registers are set by a clerk before the printing commences, and are checked by him at the close of the day, when the printer must account for (either in bank-notes or "spools"), the number of impressions registered by the dial. The notes are printed upon dry paper, a process which has been very greatly accelerated by the recent improvements introduced into the ink by Mr Winstone, who manufactures for the bank.

The numbers and dates of the bank-notes are added in an after-printing. This is effected at Messrs Napier & Sons' cylinder machines: a very ingenious mechanism being attached to these machines which makes it impossible to commit any fraud by printing two notes of the same number. The apparatus consists of a series of brass discs, of which the rim is divided by channels into projecting compartments, each containing a figure. The numbers 1 to 9 having been printed in the course of the revolution of the first disc, the second disc then presents the figure 1, which, by combining with the 0 of the first disc, the number 10 is formed. The second disc now remains stationary until, in the course of the revolution of the first disc, the numbers 1 to 19 have been printed, when it presents the figure 2, and does not again move until another revolution of the first disc completes the numbers 20 to 29. Thus the two discs proceed until 99 notes have been numbered, when the third disc comes into operation, and with the first two, produces 100, consequently the first disc performs one hundred revolutions to ten of the second and one of the third. The notes may be numbered indefinitely by this process, without the possibility of error; the machine, meanwhile, being its own check.

PRINTING-PRESSES.

In the description of the Stanhope press it has been stated that many other presses upon different principles have been since invented; most of these, however, contain some application of the Stanhope power. The most powerful and durable, but the most expensive, is the Columbian or Clymer Press (fig. 6). The power in this press is acquired by an extremely massive lever, moving on a pivot-bolt in the top of the near staple, and passing over the press to the further staple, at which end the power is applied, through the Stanhope coupling-bar, by a bar-handle working from the near side. The platten is attached to the centre of the lever by a square bar of iron, and its vertical descent is preserved by two projecting guides, one from each cheek; it is raised from the form, and the iron bar carried back, by two levers,—the one attached to and above the head, weighted with an eagle; and the other behind the press, attached to the arm to which the coupling-bar is fixed, and having a weight at the end. The great power of this press adapts it to the working of large and solid forms; but it is heavy and slow. It is, it should be remarked, too high for small premises.

The Albion Press (Fig. 7), manufactured by Hopkinson and Cope, is much esteemed for its exceeding lightness: it runs very easily, the pull is short, the power great, and the means whereby it is attained so simple, that there is little fear of the press getting out of order. It is very easily taken down for cleaning, and put up again. The power is gained by causing an inclined piece of steel to become perpendicular; in so doing the platten is forced down, and the impression takes place at the moment the piece of steel is brought into a vertical position. On the return of the bar, the platten is raised by a spiral spring fixed on the head of the press.

Cope and Sherwin's Imperial is another very excellent press, upon principles which do not greatly differ from the Albion.

In Harrild's Press the power is obtained by the straightening a knuckle or elbow-joint, in precisely the same manner as the bent arm is straightened.