The .Yovel in its principle of construction to the Century press, the Novel press does very different work. As its name indicates, it was built expressly for printing novels, and was specially designed to produce in perfected form a great number of pages of these books at each revolution of its cylinders.
The plate cylinders are of the size to contain each 72 electrotype plates, each plate representing a page of the novel. These plates are of the usual thickness and made to fit the curve of the cylinder. The web of paper is drawn into the machine, and receives its impression on both sides. As it approaches the delivery, it meets a cutting-blade which separates the web lengthwise into strips the width of two pages. The strips of paper are taken up by the collecting cylinder until 6 sheets have been gathered. They are then released and cut by rotary knives into 0 equal parts and are delivered to the fly in signatures of 24 pages each, folded to one-page size. There is thus delivered at each revolution a com plete novel of 144 pages. The signatures are taken from the fly in consecutive order, and are immediately ready for the binder. This press admits only of 744 pages. lf, for example. 216 pages are required for a novel, the plates for the additional 72 pages are placed on the cylinder together with 72 pages of a different book. Thus, while completing one novel, another is begun in the same operation of the machine.
The capacity of this press is 18,000 signatures of 24 pages each, or 3,C00 complete novels of 144 pages each per hour.
The Hee Prudential Press (Fig. 3).—This press is remarkable for the variety of work it will do and for the great number and simplicity of the combinations effected by the folder. It will produce at great speed, sheets of 8, 16. 32, 64, and 128 pages, delivering the signa tures in various sizes and folded in pamphlet form. While the general operation of the machine is similar to the Hoe newspaper web presses. it is provided with 2 distributing cylinders and 7 distributing rollers, while 3 five-inch inking rollers and 2 cleaning rollers pass over the form. The electrotype plates are of an inch thick, are bent to the required curve by a machine for the purpose, and, being held in place on the cylinder by end-clips, they may be underlaid, as on the ordinary flatbed press.
The press is twice the width of the paper which is used, the whole form of plates being carried on one cylinder. One side of the web is printed from one end, or half, of the cylinder, and then passes around a V-shaped transferrer. and back again to receive the impression of the other half upon its reverse side. The folder delivers the sheets, cut and counted in lots of 50, in the sizes and at the rate per hour given below: The paper is drawn from a roll at the end of the press. presented to the printing cylinders in the manner described, and after being perfected it passes to the folding machine, where the web is split down the center margin, thus producing 2 webs of one-half the width, which are transformed by collecting and cutting cylinders into signatures of the desired number of pages, and delivered folded in the variety of forms and speeds indicated above. This press is per haps destined to revolutionize the printing of books and pamphlets, as its great capacity enables it to do the work of a dozen two-revolution cylinder presses and an equal number of hand-feed folding machines.
The Hoe Prudential Press (Fig. 4) is made with flat delivery, when desired, specially adapted to a variety of work requiring long runs. It will print four pages of various widths, while the adjustable knives, by which the paper is cut, allow a variety of commercial print ing. It is also provided with a perforating arrangement by which coupon work may be clone. lip to the point where the sheet goes to the folder, this machine is exactly like the machine with folder attached, as first described, but the paper is, instead, slit longitudinally, cut trans versely, and collected in five thicknesses upon a cylinder from which it is delivered to the sheet flyer and laid upon the table at the rate of 9,000 full-sized sheets per hour. When it is desired to print on only one side of the web, the paper roll is removed to the other side or half of the plate and impression cylinders, and passes between them only once and then direct to the collecting cylinder and delivery, one-half of the impression cylinder being without forms, and the necessary plates being placed on the end of the cylinder which lies in the path of the paper.