Alfred Seymour

“ It is a popular fallacy to suppose that in adjusting the litho-stone to the bed of the printing machine it should be made perfectly level. As a matter of fact a much easier and more satisfactory impression can be made from a stone which is worked just a little higher at the front or gripper edge than at the back, and for this reason. The drag on the cylinder as it makes the impression is appreciably greater at the back than at the front, and when the pressure is heavy it has a tendency to leave the back edge with a very decided jerk. ”

“ Passing over the vast amount of detail which is usually and almost invariably associated with machine printing, but which offers little that is new to the practical worker, it might be advantageous to discuss a few points which are too often overlooked.
Speed, as has already been pointed out, is a very important factor in lithographic machine printing. It has become quite a necessity, and everything which conduces to it should receive the most careful consideration. Economy of power is too seldom regarded as a standard of efficiency in the printer. ”

“ Of the many annoyances associated with the lithographic machine printer’s work, grit is probably the most troublesome, inasmuch as its presence is almost imperceptible, while its effect is extensive and often disastrous. Its sharp grains become embedded in the inking-roller skins, and plough tiny [44] furrows across the printing forme, doing much damage before the printer realises the presence of any foreign matter on the inking-rollers. Prevention is a simple matter enough, but a cure is rarely, if ever, accomplished. ”

“ That which might be of the utmost value to one printer would in all probability fail to meet the requirements of another. With these also, as with the transfer inks, the main point is to grasp the general principles involved. Adhering to these principles enables any intelligent workman to adapt the transfers to his own peculiar necessity. It is most important that lithographic transfer paper should be absolutely impervious to the transfer composition or ink, so that an impression of full strength can be conveyed to the stone, leaving its greasy properties unimpaired. ”

“ Another feature upon which colour sequence in printing largely depends is the point at which the outline forme can be most effectively introduced. It is advisable to print the outline forme at as early a stage as possible for obvious reasons. Perfect registration is far from easy to secure. Red in the lips, blues in the eyes, and isolated touches of colour in various parts of the design must fit the browns, and [49] therefore fit each other, and yet they may have no direct relation to each other in the printing. ”

“ To reproduce an old chalk drawing so that it might be successfully transferred to stone and printed in the usual way, would be practically impossible by any other process. In copying through a ruled screen many of the delicate contrasts of light and shade would be so reduced as to become almost valueless, consequently the print loses both in artistic and expressive power. In contradistinction to this a natural grain exhibits no harshness or indistinctness in the gradations of tone, and retains its clearness and sharpness throughout the printing operation. ”

“ One of the most important features of Transfer Printing, which affects not only the colour sequence but the draughtsmanship, is the inversion of the design when printed. To the printer who is accustomed to chromo work on paper, this matter will probably offer many awkward situations. The control over colour effects is somewhat restricted, and consequently not only care and skill, but a certain amount of special training and actual experience, will be necessary for the production of really successful work. ”

“ A little pressure more or less on the stone may be in itself a mere trifle, so also would be a careless arrangement of the inking rollers or indiscriminate damping of the stones, yet, when taken together, what a considerable waste of power they might cause;—a waste which is altogether unnecessary and could easily be obviated by care and forethought. Excessive pressure is frequently resorted to in order to “bring up” an impression which is defective owing to some error of judgment in its preparation. ”

“ A photo print can be made direct on the zinc or aluminium plate, and by a slight modification of the photo-engraving process it can be developed according to lithographic methods.
It is impossible to introduce an intermediate process without, in some manner at least, depreciating the quality of the work. In a direct photo print on zinc, or, in fact, on any suitable printing surface, the finer qualities of the work are much more likely to be retained than when a transfer print is made under the negative and afterwards transferred in the usual manner. ”

“ The drying of inks thus prepared is not seriously retarded; they lift readily and usually produce brilliant impressions. There is a reasonable and logical explanation of these peculiarities which is both interesting and suggestive. Whatever the character of a reducing medium may be, its effect on the strength of colour will of course be in proportion to the quantity used. In all probability 1 oz. of a solid oil composition, otherwise known as lithographic reducing medium, would soften down a quantity of printing ink for which at least three times its bulk of varnish would be required. ”

“ Nor is it at all unlikely that a design, however smart and artistic it might appear in its original form, would be irretrievably spoiled by clumsy handling or careless printing. The subject for immediate consideration is the practical employment of printing inks for the reproduction of coloured designs, their qualities, peculiarities, and relative values, as well as the means employed to make them amenable to commercial conditions. ”

“ It may even be advisable to rub up the work with a piece of soft rag and printing ink, but the clearness and crispness of the drawing can best be preserved by a complete removal of the greasy ink with which the drawing was originally made. More particularly is this desirable when heavy, solid work is in close contact with work of a finer description, for the excessively greasy character of the artist’s drawing ink has a dangerous tendency to smear or spread and to thicken the design, unless a reasonable amount of care is exercised. ”

“ Every printer knows something of the effect produced by excess of water upon printing inks. It hardens and stiffens them by accelerating oxidisation. In course of time their free working on the rollers is interfered with, and loss of power is by no means the worst result. Weak and impoverished impressions, abnormal wear and tear of the printing forme, and excessive saturation of the paper may follow.
In lithography generally, and in lithographic machine printing particularly, the damping of the stone is a matter which requires constant and careful attention ”

“ Metal, as a printing surface, is even yet a comparatively new factor in lithography, and the majority of printers have been working with lithographic stones from their apprenticeship till the present time. It is not surprising, therefore, that in relation to the use of stones almost every possible contingency has been provided for, but with metal plates a little fresh knowledge must necessarily be acquired before the workman can claim the same familiarity of manipulation which he may feel towards the parent process. ”

“ The Printing Machine—The Halligan—Some Mechanical Phases—Speed—Pressure—Levelling the Stones—Cylinder Brake—Inking Rollers—Damping.
Concerning the structural qualities of the various types of lithographic printing machines now in use, much might be written and divers opinions expressed. In this respect, however, it would be invidious to suggest that one maker’s machines were better than another’s, and such would be the natural trend of a discussion on these lines. The machines all have, it is true, many points in common where comparisons would be legitimate and easy. ”

“ An occasional application of tallow or lard, say about once a week, will keep the roller skin soft and pliable, and counteract the [29] hardening effect of constant contact with the damp surface of the lithographic stone and the oxidisation of the printing ink.
Proving the work of the lithographic artist, though not always an absolute necessity, is a helpful and most important function. In its progressive stage it enables both designer and lithographer to observe the realisation of their colour schemes, and to amplify or minimise if necessary the effects they desire to produce. ”

“ Such distortion—for a distortion it really is—may frequently be turned to good account, and under certain conditions it may prove to be a help rather than a hindrance. Some slight inaccuracy in the fitting of any part of the design may occasionally be corrected by inserting patches of thin paper under the cylinder covering, so as to almost imperceptibly increase the pressure over the required area. This idea in its application to “making ready” at a tin-printing machine will suggest many possibilities to the resourceful printer, and if intelligently treated will rarely prove troublesome. ”

“ The inconveniently sharp edges, such as are produced by the planing machine, are unknown,—the wear and tear on the stone is perceptibly lessened, and the power required to drive such a machine is not by any means a serious matter.
When a planing machine does not enter into the operation, and grinding by hand is therefore necessary, sharp, [5] clean sand should be used as a grinding medium. To secure some degree of uniformity in the grain, and at the same time remove all the larger particles of grit, pass the sand first through a fine sieve. ”

“ Some of its purely mechanical aspects—the care of the machine and its accessories, together with their various functions and applications—offer a wide scope for resourcefulness and ability of a high order. The primary purpose of the machine itself was undoubtedly to accelerate the reproductive power of lithography from a commercial point of view; and throughout the entire course of its development the aim of the engineer has been to produce a printing machine with an ever-increasing capacity [36] for reproduction. ”

“ It might be well also to explain the principle and purpose of the cylinder brake. It is almost impossible to cut mechanical gearing which will run easily and yet be entirely free from slogger. Consequently the revolution of a printing machine cylinder [39] would be more or less jerky unless steadied in some way. This is especially the case when it reaches the stone, and, owing to the pressure applied, lifts a little in the gearing. A recognition of this simple matter will enable an intelligent workman to arrange the brake action with judgment and effect. ”

“ For simple ornamentation only, metal embossing presents little that is new or novel; but for the production of relief effects in the pictorial elements of a design its application becomes a more important and influential matter. By its aid a flat and otherwise uninteresting subject can be made attractive and vigorous, and for general purposes of effective display its value will be considerably enhanced and its assertive character emphasised. ”

“ Other colours, again, such as vermilion and yellow, owing to their weight and texture, will always require a fair percentage of varnish in their composition. At the same time, a little reducing medium might also prove beneficial. Referring once more to the fact that vermilion, as distinguished from its imitation, is unusually heavy, etc., it may be useful to know that for “blocking out” work it has no equal in all the range of printing inks. It possesses unrivalled opacity, [55] and as a “blocking-out” agent frequently plays an important part in colour printing. ”

“ Considerable care and judgment must always be exercised or there will be a loss of cohesion in the colour pigments which cannot fail to prove disastrous. The tendency of lithographic varnish is to bind the colour pigments together, and this should not be entirely counteracted by the addition of fatty compositions, lest the printing inks run “scummy” during printing operations, and in drying leave the colouring matter, from which they have been detached, on the surface of the paper in the form of a dry powder. ”

“ Transfer printing for ceramic decoration presents many features in common with transfer printing for metal decoration. Printing colour transparencies is a commercial phase of colour work which is productive of many curious and attractive effects. Unlike the ordinary colour prints, the transparency is intended for exhibition both by reflected and transmitted [56] light. The paper is of a thin, tough quality, and the first printing is usually a white of good covering power and exceptional opacity. It is not necessary to print a solid white groundwork for the coloured design. ”

“ A grain of a finer and sharper texture can be imparted to metal than is the case with stone, and what is even of greater importance, the character of such a grain remains unaffected for a considerable time. Surface inequalities are rarely met with in metal printing surfaces, and consequently uniform pressure is to a certain extent guaranteed. In photo-lithography it is possible to make a print from a negative direct on to the plate (Chap. XVII. page 100) . ”

“ Pleasing and harmonious effects, which are almost [vi] invariably sought after in lithography, need not be inartistic; and it is quite possible for the technique of the lithographic draughtsman to translate original work without a serious depreciation of its pictorial and artistic value.
While expressing a sincere hope that this volume may be of considerable assistance to his fellow-craftsmen, the writer wishes to emphasise the fact that resourcefulness and intelligent application are faculties which may be encouraged and amplified but cannot be imparted even by volumes of text. ”

“ As already stated, yellows can be accentuated by a super-position of lacquer, and in the same manner blues and greys add intensity to black. Red can be strengthened by a foundation of lacquer, also flesh and yellow, either singly or in combination. The drawing of lacquer and white formes should receive the most careful attention. They should fit each other accurately, even to the most minute details; for the slightest overlapping will be revealed by the presence of a very assertive buff colour, while any deficiency in combination will leave a not less striking margin of bright tin exposed. ”

“ If an intense brilliant colour is required by transmitted light the omission of part of the white printing will add considerably to the effective character of the design. A brilliancy secured in such a manner may be still further intensified by printing the colour or colours in register on both sides of the paper. This can be easily accomplished by first allowing the cylinder covering to take an impression from the stone, and then, with the sheet laid in the gripper, make a second impression in the usual way immediately after. ”