Robert F. Salade

“ Standardization of the styles and sizes of candy boxes is something that is seriously needed in the paper box industry, but standardization cannot always be followed by the manufacturers of candy boxes for the reason that the confectioners often want odd-shaped and special sizes of boxes to make their product more attractive to the public. It is a fact that a beautiful, odd-shaped paper box helps greatly in selling expensive candies, and even a “freak” box that is attractive without being beautiful is nevertheless a powerful selling agent. ”

“ Nevertheless, the writer is of the opinion that no manufacturer will lose anything by allowing visitors to walk through all departments of his factory. Personality in business and quality of product are things which cannot be stolen. You cannot steal a man’s ideas, or rather his brains. Consider the business methods of the Curtis Publishing Company, of Philadelphia, for example. This company is said to have the best-equipped printing plant in the world. ”

“ Practically all of the large and successful box-making concerns are specializing in some particular line. For example, one large company is specializing on druggists’ pill and powder boxes. Another firm is making fine candy boxes of all kinds. Still another concern is making nothing except folding boxes. The specialty line seems to be “the thing” in these days, and one can easily understand why it would not pay a manufacturer in attempting to make every variety of paper boxes and folding boxes. ”

“ Round and oval paper boxes, especially the smaller sizes such as are used for face powders, pills, capsules, etc., are made by highly-skilled labor and this class of work is considered to be the most difficult in the paper box industry. Round work is far more intricate than square-box work of any kind. It requires years of practical experience for one to become a first class round or oval box maker. Round work is an art, and many of the fine pill and face powder boxes which are seen in drug stores are beautiful works of art. ”

“ But, the manufacturer of a high grade product may always depend on good advertising and attractive paper boxes to help him in making a success of his business, and this is the point that the writer wants to make clear to the reader. The psychology of a handsome paper box is something wonderful. Women, particularly, delight in buying candy, perfumes, and many other things packed in beautiful paper boxes and tied with colored ribbons. Men, too, derive pleasure through buying goods packed in attractive boxes. ”

“ For centuries it has been the custom for people attending a wedding reception to receive individual pieces of the wedding cake to take home as souvenirs. It is a pretty custom and doubtless it will remain in vogue until the end of time. Some brides simply wrap the pieces of cake in fancy paper napkins, but those who want to have things done right usually place the bits of cake in fancy paper boxes so as to prevent breakage. Some newly-weds go so far as to have the names of the bride and groom printed or die stamped on the lids of the boxes. ”

“ Many box-makers are specializing in fancy candy boxes. Their plants are equipped to handle this one line of product to the best advantage. By making a specialty of this line, a great deal of the work can be standardized in such a way that the blanks, wrappers, neck-strips, trimming paper, covering paper, extension bottoms, etc., can be cut to standard sizes. The operators, through working continually on the same styles and sizes of boxes, soon become very efficient, and are [83] capable of producing a larger output than would be the case in a plant that is not specializing on candy boxes. ”

“ As the business grows other machines of greater capacity may be added to the plant. In due course of time the manufacturer could have a double scoring machine, and perhaps an automatic wrapping machine, installed, but it would not be advisable for the box-maker to invest money in such machines unless he controlled enough business to keep them constantly busy. It would be a mistake for the manufacturer to buy an automatic wrapping machine, or other extraordinary equipment, when he is not sure of having sufficient work to provide for such equipment. ”

“ When a force of operators start work at a table, or at a group of machines, there should be a steady flow of material to keep them constantly employed. This is the system now being followed in the leading box-making factories, and it is a system which should be adopted by every box manufacturer, no matter how small his shop may be. Keep your skilled help plentifully supplied with material. Do not allow your best operators to waste time in carrying stock from place to place when boys or girls, with the aid of light trucks, can do this class of work just as well. ”

“ The box maker uses a power circular saw in cutting this wood to the wanted sizes. The sawing must be done truly vertical, as even a slight angle [125] on the end or side of a piece of wood furniture would cause the rule coming in contact with that end or side to have the same angle, resulting in that rule cutting lower than another rule which was absolutely true, vertically, and it would also affect the face-size of the die to some extent. This means that no furniture for die-blanks should be cut with a hand saw, as hand sawing is seldom accurate. ”

“ It would be a mistake for anyone to be under the impression that box-makers’ printed matter is of the common-place variety, for many of the wrappers, box-tops and labels produced for fine candy boxes, rubber goods boxes, holiday boxes and other boxes are printed in the best style. The type forms and designs, in many instances, are works of art. This means that the compositor working in the box manufacturing factory should be a high grade craftsman, capable of producing first class display typography. ”

“ We are not so egotistical as to believe that we can make a trained paper box maker with the aid of printed matter, but at least we can try to offer simple, practical information which we hope will be helpful to beginners. ”

“ The old way of applying bronze powder to freshly-inked sheets was in first printing the design in gold size, and then sprinkling the bronze powder over the design with the aid of a piece of raw cotton. This is the old method of hand bronzing, and is still being done in some printing offices which do not possess bronzing machines. The hand process of bronzing is slow and very unpleasant to the workers who apply the bronze powder, the worker’s hands, face and clothing soon becoming covered with the bronze which also flies all over the work-rooms. ”

“ WE HAVE now described the machinery and material which are essential for a modern cutting and creasing plant, and with these matters disposed of we will next take up the subjects of making the steel dies, press-work, etc.
MAKING A CUTTING AND CREASING DIE
No matter what shape or size of a folding box or carton which may be wanted, it will require both creasing and cutting, and this means of course that both steel scoring rules and steel cutting rules will be needed in making the die.
Hard steel cutting rule is to be used for all straight cutting lines in the die. ”

“ Comparatively few people outside the industry ever stop to consider the fact that the paper box business has been responsible for the success of many another business. Manufacturers of the many different varieties of packaged-goods which are sold over the counters of retail stores, advertising experts and salesmen, know well that attractive, graceful paper boxes help wonderfully in selling the goods. ”

“ Some of the larger manufacturers of both folding boxes and cartons are making good use of Kidder automatic printing presses in their printing plants. In some instances the Kidder is being used for printing cartons from large rolls of carton stock, and in other cases the machine is running on big orders of box labels printed from rolls of paper. Box labels may be printed in one or two colors on a special Kidder press, and the machine is equipped with a cutting device for cutting the labels to correct size as they are printed from the rolls of paper. ”

“ It has been only during recent years that manufacturers, advertising men and salesmen have been giving closer attention to the selling power of high grade paper boxes. In days gone by the quality and appearance of paper boxes received little consideration. Some years ago, a plain, commonly-made box was considered good enough for the purpose, but not so in these days. In this age the average buyer would not be interested in a nationally-advertised product if it were packed in a mean-looking box, no matter how excellent the product may be. ”

“ When the strip of paper has been stretched across the top of the lid, or the bottom of the box, the operator depresses the adjustable lever at one side of the machine, and the paper is cut off to the required size. On top of the work-table is a locating projection which holds the box in place. A locating gauge is also provided so that the vertical adjustment of the table can easily be made.
It is only fair to state that there are other efficient topping machines in general use, some being operated by hand, others by power. ”

“ A soft wood, like white pine, for example, would readily take moisture in damp weather, expanding enough to throw the rules in a die out of register with the make-ready on the press, and this would mean damage to the make-ready as well as changes in the sizes of the boxes which are being cut out. The Cherry Lumber Company, of Cincinnati, O., supplies first class cherry and black walnut wood in strips, and from these strips the box maker may cut the pieces of blanking-out furniture to the sizes required for the steel die. ”

“ Some operators of covering machines also use a cloth in smoothing the paper as it is applied to the sides of the box. Others use merely the palm of the hand. Attached to the machine is a receptacle for holding tallow which many workers make use of for keeping their hands free from glue. On the new model covering machines the cut-off device is adjustable, up and down, by means of screws, and it can be moved to and from the box-spindle in any desired position, without it being necessary for the operator to leave his or her seat. The cut-off device may be operated by hand by means of a lever. ”

“ If a printing company can afford to operate a large plant, running almost exclusively on work for paper box manufactures, there is no reason why the box-makers themselves cannot make money by having their own printing plants. The writer, however, has heard some box manufacturers complain about not earning any profits from private printing plants, and in this article the writer will attempt to point out to the box-makers the ways and means of profitably conducting a printing department. ”

“ By opening flat some carton which is nearly the size and style of the new carton desired, the box maker will have an idea of the layout for the die which will be necessary for the new carton. Follow the measurements taken with the aid of the blocks, and with pencil, ruler, penknife and blank sheet of stock, make up a dummy for the desired folding box. When completed, the flat dummy will appear like this diagram:
This dummy will serve the box maker in measuring off the sizes of steel cutting and creasing rule which will enter in the construction of the die. ”

“ The embossing plate, or female die, is usually made of brass, and it contains an intaglio reproduction of the printed subject which is to be embossed. When the embossing plate is to be used on a platen press in the same way as a form of type, the plate is made type-high and is locked up in a chase with furniture and quoins in the usual manner. When the embossing plate is to be attached to a patented base, like the Hartford Electric Heater, the plate is not made type-high, but just high enough to allow for the thickness of the patented base. ”

“ The main advantage of the rotary board cutter is in the smooth, clean edges left on the box-board after it has been cut into the various sizes. The smooth, clean edges could not be procured on an ordinary paper cutting machine, but in the case of common paper boxes, the rough edges of end-pieces would not be a serious matter. For the better grade of boxes the edges of the end-pieces should be smooth and free from small particles of the board, especially when the box is to be covered, as the rough edges would show plainly from under the covering. ”

“ When steam power, or a single large motor, is used in a plant, it costs money for shafting and belting, and it also costs something to operate the shafting and belting before the power reaches the machines. Belts often break and must be repaired while the machines are standing idle. All of this expense is eliminated by the individual motor system; it helps in maintaining clean work-rooms, and it saves the manufacturer a considerable sum of money on account of the electric current being consumed only at points where the machines are in operation. ”

“ If the box maker desires to cut steel rule on an ordinary printers’ lead and rule cutter, this device must be kept in first class order, and the cutting must be done in that part of the machine which is intended to cut only heavy brass rule. ”

“ New candy factories are being erected in almost every town and city. American men and women are consuming larger quantities of chocolates, chewing gum and candies than ever before—they are paying high prices for the best sweetmeats, and expensive grades of confections are selling more rapidly than the cheaper grades. All of this means more business for the box-makers, and the box manufacturer who is in a position to make fine candy boxes as a specialty may have all of this class of work that he may care to produce. ”

“ A first class bronzing machine is a necessity for the printing department of a paper box plant where bronzing is done to a considerable extent. The machine dusts the sheets in addition to applying the bronze, and no hand work is necessary other than feeding the sheets into the bronzing machine. The time-saving method of transferring the sheets from the press to the bronzer, mentioned in the foregoing paragraphs, makes it possible to operate the bronzing machine without a feeder. ”

“ Many of the smaller paper box-making concerns are also operating private printing plants, and when managed efficiently, the printing department is a profitable investment for any paper box factory, large or small.
The writer knows of several large printing concerns, of New York City and Philadelphia, who are specializing in the production of wrappers and other printed matter for paper box manufacturers. All of these printing establishments are continually busy, and from all indications, are earning substantial profits on their work. ”

“ One of the best power topping machines on the market is that made by the Hobbs Manufacturing Company, of Worcester, Mass. This machine has an automatic cut-off device, and it is equipped, of course, with a work table, glue pan, gluing roller, etc. A roll of paper, nearly the same width of the lid, or box-bottom, which is to be covered, is placed on the machine. Glue is applied to one side of the paper as it is drawn over the surface of the gluing roller. ”