PRINTING PRESSES. The earliest engraving of a printing press shows a stoat framework of wood posts, firmly braced against the ceiling to resist upward pressure, a bed plate of stone as a rest for the form of type, which could he exposed to receive ink, and then be slid upon ways under the platen or pressing surface. Impression was given by a large screw of wood over this platen and this screw was moved by a long bar of wood and iron. The sheet of paper to be printed (about 10X20 inches was a common size) was laid upon an inclined framework of wood cov ered with blanket or parchment, which was hinged to slide on the ways and to be placed un der the platen. This platen impressed only one half of one side of the paper; to print the sheet 16 X 20 on both sides the pressman had to give four pulls on the bar. To print with uniform margin and in accurate register, the sheet on its first impression was pierced with small perfora tions on the front side, and afterwards suspended from holes so made on properly placed points when the second side was printed. Although the mechanism of the press was rude and even petty. good printing was done upon it by a competent pressman. The first improvement in construction was made by Blaew, of Amsterdam, in 1601, who in addition to other devices attached springs to the platen moved by the screw, so that it could have a quick return movement without special exertion from the pressman. In 1786 M. Pierres, of Paris. invented a printing press entirely of iron. and strong enough to print one side of the sheet by one pull of the bar, but it did not meet with favor. About 1804, Earl Stanhope, of Lon a don, made great improvements on the large iron press of Pierres, adding many clever devices of his own for the lightening of labor. In 1806 Koenig. of *Saxony. went to Loudon with the model of an improved platen press, which he failed to introduce. His associates were more successful in reviving a patent issued to William Nicholson, of London, in 1790 for printing on a fiat surface son were rejected after fair trial by all book printers. The old publishing house of Harper & Brothers used hand presses only in 183.5, but soon after introduced the Adams power press. A prominent firm of law-book publishers in New York had all their work done on hand presses late as 1849. The preference for hand-pre-- work has been more marked in Great Britain. The fine books of Pickering and Whitingham and more with cylindrical pressure. The new method was fairly tested upon a book form in 1811 and the new machine began to do the regular edition of the London Times in 1814. Soon after this all :30 daily newspapers had cylinder presses, for their greater speed and economy were advantages not to be neglected, hut book work of all kinds con tinued to be done on platen presses of new con struction. The Columbian Press, invented by George Clymer, of Philadelphia (1816) ; the Adams Power Press, made in 1830, by Isaac Adams, of Boston; the Washington Press, of Rust, of New York. in 1827. were for many years
the favorites. The last two mentioned are yet in daily use in many printing hou-es of the United States. Cylinder printing machines, the first made, although indispensable to early news papers, were damaging to type. and for that rea recently those of William Morris and his dis ciples were printed on a hand press. The hand press was found too slow and the cylinder press too cumbrous and costly for the small forms of commercial printing required before 1830. To supply this demand many small and inexpensive platen printing pre—es were devised for cards and circulars. In 18.40 S. I'. Ruggles, of Boston, invented a platen machine that printed a sheet of letter size at the speed of 1000 an hour, power being furnished by the foot of the pressman mov ing a treadle and attached crank. in 18.50 George P. Gordon. of New York, patented a form of small platen press. in which the platen vibrated to the bed of type, and printed small sheets with great speed and accuracy. This Gordon press, with some modifica tions and under various names, is still preferred in all printing countries for small jobs. Cylinder presses. impressing types upon a fiat bed with a reciprocating movement, are made of many different constructions: (1) The drum cylinder. that makes one revolution and one impression to the for ward and backward move ment of the bed of type. is still in use for small job work; (2. the two revolution cylinder. that rotate- at greater speed, and gives impression at every other ro tation. i- much used for book work: I:3) the stop-cylinder. that stops its rotation after each impression. ha- been preferred for its accurate register and superior printing of en graved (4) the double cylinder. that produces two prints from the same form on each reciprocating movement of the bed. still finds some favor for newspapers of small edition•: (5) the perfecting cylinder. that prints both sides of the -beet at the same operation. Other constructions, some of value, could be named, hut those here specified are in most favor. The perfecting cylinder last mentioned is the only construetion of fiat-bed press that attempt to print both sides at once, but its movement is relatively slow. The high speed required by daily newspapers can be had only by the full u-e of the rotary principle for the pressed and the pressing surfaces. In 1835 Rowland IIill, of England, devised a press on this plan purposed to print upon an endless roll of paper. but his :acme was never put to practical use. In 1850 Thomas Nels,ffl, of Edinburgh, exhibited at the WCo•ld's Fair a little cylinder which did print a handbill on both sides at great speed from this endless roll. It was not favorably regarded as a prac ticable apparatus. In 1865 William Bullock. of New York, constructed a rotary press, which printed from an endless roll. 10.000 copies in an hour. R. Hoe & Co., of New York, had pro duced in 184; a type-revolving printing machine.