THE PRESS.

CHAPTER III.

Construction of the original Printing Press by Blaen of Amsterdam— Perspective and Geometrical Views of every part of the Press-Of Presswork-Practical directions particularly applicable to those Presses— Putting up a Press-Making ready-Inking-Beating, &c.—Pulling— Wetting Paper-Balls-Rollers-Printing in Red, or other Colours with Black-Mixing and grinding Colours with Varnish-Rules and Remedies for Pressmen.

THIS, and the following three chapters, will be appropriated to descriptions of the various machines and apparatus, as far as have come within my knowledge, which from the time of the origin of the art have been devised for the purpose of taking off the impression after all the foregoing described processes have been completed; or, in fact, the actual printing. The division of the subject will be according to the order of the invention: first, of those machines which are worked in every part of the process by the judgment and power of men brought up to the business, as a profession; and these, for distinction sake, I have denominated Manual Printing Presses. The second division will treat of Printing Machines, or Engines, in which the art of the engineer is every thing, and the printer, nothing; whether the motive power be that of steam, horse, or man, the impulse to the machinery being unaided or undirected by professional judgment, or any effort of mind.

On the Construction of the Original Printing-Press.

HAVING endeavoured to lay before my readers the necessary information connected with the COMPOSITOR's business, I shall

now call their attention to that important branch of the art-the PRESSMAN's-a branch which is the very end and consummation of all the compositor's previous care and labour-a branch which, if in the least degree neglected, will cause all the printer's pains and skill in display, all his expenses in beautiful type and accurate correctors, to be passed over disregarded.*

What is generally termed fine work, has been progressively improving since the time of the ingenious Baskerville; and it may with truth be said, that the British press at this moment stands unrivalled for the beauty of its execution; but this, like many other improvements, has had its attendant evils. The wages paid for fine work were generally double, often treble, the amount of those allowed for the common. This great disparity rendered the pressmen careless and indifferent in their execution of common work, which, a few years since was rapidly degenerating, but the emulation and judgment lately called into action, together with the more general adoption of the superior machinery, has brought the art into a degree of creditable repute which it never before possessed. But before the practical directions to the Pressmen are entered upon, it will be necessary to make some observations on the Machine itself, and the various improvements which have lately been attempted upon it.

A press being constructed on principles of mechanism which combine much simplicity and harmony, when kept in proper order by an intelligent pressman acquainted with its principles and operation, is capable of producing a clear and perfect impression; but, unfortunately, few pressmen can be found, possessing mechanical talent or ingenuity, or who feel sufficient interest or due pride in the execution of their work. Unless they are engaged on established high wages, their aim, generally, is to get through as much work as possible, with little regard to neatness and uniformity.

A perspective representation of the press, as used up to the time of earl Stanhope's improvements, has been given at p. 415; it will now be necessary to exhibit the various parts properly dissected and explained. Mr. Moxon is the first author we have who gave an accurate description of the press, and engravings of its parts. His description was 'copied nearly verbatim by

It is a somewhat curious circumstance that one author of a Printer's Grammar never mentions either press or pressmen. See Preface.

Luckombe, and his engravings were perfect fac-similes of Moxon's. Mr. Stower took his description from Luckombe, but accompanied it with newly-drawn cuts, which cuts are given in the present work; and as to the description, it required but very little amendment. It is somewhat remarkable, that the name of every part of the press-the technical terms used—and operations described, remain the same to the present day as in Moxon's time. I do not know of even a new part, or new term having been introduced till the iron press of lord Stanhope had been invented, when the coffin, plank, and stone were dispensed with, and the part substituted was designated as "the table"-the cheeks, head, feet, and rails, also, having been abandoned for an iron frame-work, capable of sustaining all the action of the mechanism, was termed "the staple"-the ribs and cramps became "the slides"-the bar and handle resolved themselves into "the lever and coupling bar," &c. &c.

Various alterations and improvements in the construction of this press have taken place since the introduction of the art of printing into this country. William Jansen Blaew, about the year 1620, made considerable improvements in it, which were generally adopted throughout Holland several years before they were introduced among us. The press was, at one time, in the early age of typography, rather a fashionable (and could there be one more appropriate?) ornament to the frontispiece of a book, having been adopted by a number of printers. From the fac-similes of these engravings, as given by Mr. Dibdin, we may gather some idea of the rude construction of this machine about a hundred years before Blaew.-See Decam. vol. ii, day vi, pp. 118-121.

This ingenious artist was an eminent printer at Amsterdam, and also famous for his astronomical and geometrical productions. In the early part of his life he was bred up to joinery, in which employment he served an apprenticeship. Being of an inquisitive disposition, he rambled to Denmark, about the time the famous Tycho Brahe established his astronomical observatory, by whom he was entertained, and under whose instruction he was employed in making mathematical instruments, which curious art he greatly improved; and it was generally reported that all or most of the sidereal observations published in Tycho's name, were made by Blaew, as well as the instruments.

Before these observations were published to the world, Tycho

to gratify Blaew, gave him the copies of them, with which he went to Amsterdam, and there practised the making of globes according to those observations. As his trade increased, he found it necessary to deal in geographical maps and books, and became so particularly curious in his plates, that many of the best globes and maps were engraved by himself; and by his frequent connexion with the printing of books, got so good an insight into the practical part of the art, that he set up a printing-office; he here soon found the inconveniences attending the structure of the old presses, which induced him to contrive remedies, and in that succeeded so much to his expectation, that he caused nine of them to be made, which he named after the nine Muses.

The excellence of the improvements soon became known to other printing-offices, which induced their proprietors to follow Blaew's example, so that presses of his construction became, in the course of a few years, almost general throughout the Low Countries, and from thence, notwithstanding the opposition of the ignorant, were introduced into England.

Many improvements were made subsequently on Blaew's press. The engraving before referred to is an accurate description of the common press, which has been in use from the time of Moxon. It consists of the following parts:

These are the names of the different parts of the press; but, to convey a more perfect idea of its construction, perspective and

geometrical views of the principal parts are here given in the order in which a press is generally put up.

(The measurements will be understood to be feet and inches.)

The feet are 3:1 long, A to B, and 0:5 square; the distance asunder, 1:10. 0:3 from each end, the mortise holes are made on the middle of the breadth of the upper side of the foot, for receiving the tenons of the cheeks and hind-posts. The mortise holes for the cheeks are 0:8 long; those for the hindposts, 0:2, and 1:7 asunder. For the sake of ornament, the ends are bevelled off according to the taste of the joiner, but care should be taken not to weaken them by so doing.