THE PRINTING DEPARTMENT (Continued)

ONE of the larger paper box manufacturing concerns of Philadelphia is operating a printing department in connection with its plant which is equipped and managed in a highly efficient manner. This printing department includes a complete composing room, cylinder and platen presses of various models and sizes, bronzing machines and paper cutters. Many kinds of printed matter are being produced, but the principal specialty consists of wrappers for fine candy boxes. The business cards of candy manufacturers are printed on these wrappers. Some of the printing is done in straight colors like black, blue, red, green, etc.; some is done in gold printing ink. Other wrappers are printed in gold size and afterwards finished in gold bronze, others still are printed in gold size and afterwards finished with gold leaf. Moreover, many of the fancy wrappers are printed in beautiful designs in several different colors.

Usually, the wrappers containing business cards, or designs, done in gold ink, bronze, or gold leaf, are embossed after the gold had been applied. Some of the business cards, or designs, printed in colors are also embossed after the printing has been done.

Among the time-saving features in this plant are two platen presses which produce bronzed wrappers in connection with two bronzing machines. Running between each platen press and each bronzing machine is an endless conveyor which carries the freshly-inked sheets from the press to the bronzing machine. In other words, the feeder of the press lays the damp sheets on the conveyor as the sheets are taken from the press, and the conveyor automatically “feeds” the sheets into the bronzing machine.

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.

HAND BRONZING

With hand bronzing, a table is moved near the press where the gold size is being applied to the sheets. At one end of the table is a box containing the bronze powder. The workers who do the bronzing sit on either side of the table. As the feeder of the press removes the printed sheets he lays them on the table where the bronzing is done. After the sheets are thoroughly dry, all loose particles of the bronze powder are wiped off by means of rubbing with raw cotton.

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. The conveyor system is a comparatively new idea, however, and the concern referred to had the device built on special order. There is no reason why any box-maker could not have the same kind of device built for his purpose.

There are several good bronzing machines on the market, and one of the most popular machines of this kind is made by the Fuchs & Lang Manufacturing Company, of New York City. This concern also supplies all kinds of bronze powders in all shades, bronze sizes, and all colors of regular printing inks.

Practically all of the printing ink manufacturers will supply bronze powders and bronze sizes in any quantity desired.

PRINTING IN GOLD SIZE FOR BRONZING ON BOX WRAPPERS

The printing plate, or form of type, is locked up in a chase in the same way as any other form for printing. Gold size—a special printing ink having a “tacky” body, and usually light brown in color—is put on the press. If the run is to be a long one, say 5,000 impressions or more, the size should be applied by means of an ink fountain which will insure an even flow of color.

Making ready for a form of this class is not difficult. The tympan may consist of half a dozen sheets of news or book paper, a sheet of fuller board (or binders’ board), and one top-sheet of heavy manila paper. The fuller board should be placed directly under the Manila top-sheet, and the sheets of news or book paper should be placed underneath the fuller board. This is called a “hard” tympan, and it will give better results in the printing than a “soft” tympan. Start the make-ready with a weak impression, and then add sheets of news or book paper, underneath the fuller board, until the subject prints sharply and distinctly on the stock used for the wrappers.

Highly glazed paper is generally used for box-wrappers which are to be bronzed, and the heavy size will often “lift” or “pick” the glazed surface of the stock in printing. To overcome this trouble, add a few drops of boiled linseed oil to the size, or a few drops of 00 reducing varnish. Any of the printing ink manufacturers can supply a reducing preparation for this purpose. Only a few drops of the reducer should be added to a quantity of the size as the size will not hold the bronze powder when made too thin.

As the sheets are printed with the size, the bronze powder should be applied immediately. No more than a dozen or so sheets should be printed ahead of the bronzing. Carry merely enough size on the press to cause the type-form or plate to print clearly. An extra-heavy flow of color will retard drying and will cause a wastage of the bronze powder.

Bronzing may be done in rich-gold, pale gold, silver, green, red, etc. Rich-gold bronze powder is the most used for box wrappers. Fancy labels for perfume bottles, face powder boxes, etc., are often bronzed in green or red in addition to gold and silver.

Special bronze size, of the one color, will do for all colors of bronze.

BURNISHING

When it is desirable to have a brilliant polish on bronzed subjects of box wrappers, burnishing is done as follows:

After the wrappers have been sized and bronzed, and after the printing is thoroughly dry, the rollers and disc (or cylinder) of the press are washed clean of the size. We refer to the same press which has handled the form for the bronzing in question. The rollers are then removed. About four extra sheets of news or book paper are placed in the tympan, again underneath the fuller board, so as to make a stronger impression. The same plate or form of type which has been used for the size remains on the press. The bronzed sheets are then run through the press for the second time, feeding them to close register. This second “inkless” printing causes the plate or type-form to polish the bronzed subject on the sheets.

PRINTING IN GOLD INK

Several of the leading printing ink manufacturers are now making a special gold ink which gives a close imitation of gold bronzing. The Sleight Metallic Ink Company, of Philadelphia, is supplying an excellent gold ink which is particularly adapted to glazed paper. This ink is furnished in the form of a liquid and a bronze powder, and the printer mixes a fresh quantity of the gold ink for each job.

Printing in gold ink is done in the same way as other printing, with the exception of having rather a light impression, and the inking apparatus must be absolutely clean before the gold ink is put on. Rollers containing traces of regular printing ink, oil or grease, will seriously affect the quality of the gold ink. Heavy impression will cause the subject to press deeply into the paper, and this in turn will cause the gold ink to present a “ragged” appearance at the edges of type characters, rules, borders, etc. A light impression allows just the right amount of gold ink to transfer to the surface of the paper.

When printing a long run of paper with gold ink, the rollers and other inking parts of the press should be washed about every two hours. Fresh color is then put on, and this helps in keeping a bright color.

GOLD LEAFING FOR BOX WRAPPERS

Gold leafing for printed designs on box wrappers may be done with the aid of a platen press as follows:

First, a special size, made especially for gold leafing, is required, and this size can be obtained from any of the leading printing-ink manufacturers. This size is used on the press in the same way as size for bronzing.

The gold leaf layers, as they are called in the trade, work on a table arranged near the press on which the printing is being done. As the printed sheets are laid on the table, single sheets of the gold leaf are “shaken” from the books containing the gold leaf, and the leaf is laid over the printed detail so accurately that all parts of the printed design are minutely covered. When one sheet of gold leaf is not large enough to cover all of the detail, another sheet is used to complete the work.

After the gold leaf has been applied to the wrappers, some workers employ a common clothes wringer in making the gold leaf adhere firmly to the printed detail. The wrappers are simply run through the rollers of the clothes wringer under heavy pressure.

Loose portions of the gold leaf are not rubbed off the wrapper until after the printing is thoroughly dry.

Another method of making the gold leaf hold firmly to the size is in running the wrappers through the printing press after the leaf has been laid. In this case, a quantity of blank sheets of news or book paper are essential. The wrapper containing gold leaf is again placed in the press, close to the feeding guides, and over the detail, or gold-leafed design, a sheet of the blank paper is spread. An impression of the form is then taken on the blank sheet, causing the gold leaf to press firmly to the size. This is said to be the best process for gold leafing with the aid of a platen press.

After running the gold-leafed sheets through the rollers of a clothes wringer, or for the second time through a printing press, in the manner described, loose portions of the gold leaf are rubbed off the sheets with a piece of raw cotton.

In gold leafing of this class, the wrappers are usually embossed after the gold leafing has been done, producing a beautiful effect with the detail of the subject standing up in bold relief.

EMBOSSING ON PLATEN PRESSES

Both hot and cold embossing can be done successfully on regular platen presses of the Hartford and John Thomson type, although there are special embossing presses made especially for the work.

The National Machine Company, of Hartford, Conn., are making the “Hartford Electric Embossing Plate Heater,” which may be used on all styles of platen presses for hot embossing. As indicated by its name, the Hartford Electric Heater, while on the press, is heated by electric current supplied from the regular wiring system in the plant. The female die, or several female dies, are attached to the surface plate of the Hartford Electric Heater by means of Bunter-Post Registering Screws. By moving these screws, the die or number of dies may be placed in any position desired.

Hot (electric) embossing will produce more perfect effects than ordinary cold embossing, although cold embossing is good enough for the purpose of box wrappers in many instances.

It should be understood that the Hartford Electric Heater will do for both hot and cold embossing, as it is an excellent device for holding and registering embossing plates.

Cold embossing means simply that no heat is applied to the embossing plates.

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.

MAKING THE MALE DIE, OR COUNTER DIE, FOR EITHER
HOT OR COLD EMBOSSING

The male die, or counter die, for either hot or cold embossing, is made in the same way, as follows:

First, the inking rollers are removed from the press. A regular embossing press, of course, has no inking rollers.

Second, the chase (or patented base) containing the female die is placed on the press. If an electric heater is used, the electric current is turned on immediately so that the embossing plate will become heated while the counter die is being made.

Third, all tympan sheets are removed from the platen of the press, and in place of these a sheet of straw-board or news-board, about one inch larger on all four edges than the sheet that is to be embossed, is glued to the surface of the platen with LePage glue.

Both platen printing presses and regular embossing presses of the Hartford or John Thomson type have removable steel platen plates which are used for either cutting and creasing work, or embossing work. The counter die is made ready on the platen plate instead of being made ready directly on the platen of the press. When printing is done on a Hartford or John Thomson press—a printing press—the steel platen plate (held by counter-sunk screws) is removed.

On all other platen printing presses there is no removable steel platen plate, and when cutting and creasing, or embossing, is to be done, the counter die is made directly on the platen.

In all cases of cutting and creasing, or embossing, a sheet of straw-board or news-board is glued to either the platen of the press, or to the steel platen plate, as the case may be. The counter die is then constructed on this sheet of straw-board or news-board.

Fourth, the next step in making a counter-die for embossing is inking the face of the female die with black printing ink, applying the ink with a hand roller, and then printing an impression of the female die on the sheet of straw-board or newsboard. This impression will show where the embossing composition is to be placed.

EMBOSSING COMPOUND

There are several good, “home-made” embossing compounds in use which will give first class results.

One compound is made of sodium silicate, Alabastine, and a small quantity of LePage glue, all mixed together to form a body like soft putty.

Another compound is made of sodium silicate, carbonated magnesia, and a small portion of LePage Glue, mixed to the consistency of soft putty.

An ordinary compound for a small counter die and a short run of embossing can be made of LePage glue, a small portion of sodium silicate, and plaster of Paris.

The first-mentioned compound is the best for heavy counter dies and long runs.

Fifth, after the compound has been mixed with the aid of a printers’ pallet knife, a thick layer of the composition is spread over the printed subject on the straw-board or news-board. Roughly, this layer of composition should be about one-eighth of an inch thick. Over this lay a sheet of French folio paper. Work rapidly so that the composition will not harden before an impression of the female die is taken on it.

Sixth, take a second sheet of French folio—a full size sheet—and lay this over the first sheet, holding an end of the second sheet of French folio in the right hand as an impression is taken. Now run the press slowly and pull half-a-dozen more impressions on the large, loose sheet of French folio, moving the sheet slightly as each impression is taken. The raised detail of the counter die should by this time stand up sharply.

Seventh, with a sharp make-ready knife cut away all parts of the embossing composition which have nothing to do with the detail of the subject. In other words, scrape away all composition which forms the blank edges of the counter die, working close to the raised detail of the subject.

Near the raised, detail of the subject, cut away the composition on a bevel.

Eighth, run the press at regular speed for about five minutes, allowing all of the fine lines in the female die to work up as perfectly as possible. After the detail has been “pounded up” sharply in this way, stop the press and with make-ready knife clear away any additional composition which may have “squeezed out” from the detail into the flat edges of the counter die.

Ninth, take still another sheet of French folio, large enough in size to cover the entire counter die, including blank edges. Cover one side of this sheet with a thin film of LePage glue, and then glue this sheet over the surface of the counter die. Take a number of impressions on this final sheet so that all detail will again work up sharply.

Tenth, the counter die is now complete. Allow it to stand and harden for a couple of hours before going ahead with the regular embossing.

REGULATING IMPRESSION

On either platen printing presses or regular embossing presses of the Hartford or John Thomson type the impression can be regulated by means of the adjustable slides and nuts which hold the throw-off bar in place. These slides are held with bolts in notches, and by loosening the bolts, the slides can be moved upward or downward in their notches, thereby increasing or lessening the amount of impression for each job. Before making a counter die on either a Hartford or John Thomson press, first put on the steel platen plate; glue on the sheet of straw-board, and then regulate the impression by means of the slides holding the throw-off bar. By inking and re-inking the female die, and by taking impressions of the die, on a sheet of news-board, the right amount of impression can be obtained (moving the slides accordingly), before applying the embossing composition.

On other styles of printing presses like the C. & P., for example, the impression screws should not be moved, but with a Golding press the impression can be adjusted with the screws which are at the right-hand side of the platen.

In a case of embossing where it is not advisable to move the impression screws, it may be necessary to glue two or more sheets of straw-board or news-board to the platen to obtain sufficient impression before applying the embossing composition.

The feeding guides for close-register embossing can be made of three-em 12-point quads. Attach the quads with LePage glue to the foundation board, following the same positions held by the feeding guides which had been used when the sheets were printed. This helps in making perfect register of the embossing with the printed subject. When printing the sheets, mark the positions of the feeding guides on one of the printed sheets. Use this marked sheet, and follow the marks, when placing the feeding guides for embossing.

Rub the quads over a sheet of fine sand-paper before applying glue. This roughens the surface of the quads and helps the glue to hold them firmly to the foundation board.

The embossing process described in the foregoing is used for embossing all kinds of printed and lithographed matter on either paper or cardboard. When box wrappers containing holly designs printed in colors, or lettering done in gold ink, gold leaf or gold bronze, are embossed after being printed, the effect is exceedingly beautiful. In the cases of gold ink, gold leaf, or gold bronze, the embossing not only raises the design in sharp relief but also serves in polishing the gold in the same way as burnishing.

SPECIAL PROCESS FOR PRINTING GLAZED WRAPPERS

When printing plates or type forms on highly glazed paper, for box wrappers, labels, etc., a beautiful imitation of lithography may be had by following this process:

Add to either black or blue ink a small quantity of German blue powder—the kind that is carried by a first class drug store but not the kind that is furnished by the average paint dealer. The genuine German blue powder will prevent black or blue printing ink from “picking” or “lifting” the surface of glazed paper in the printing, no matter how bold the face of the plate or type may be. The German blue powder also produces a soft, dull-finish effect in the printing which makes the work appear like lithography.

Add to any shade of red ink a small quantity of Vermilion powder for the same purposes mentioned. Vermilion powder will also do for any shade of brown printing ink.

Add to any shade of green ink a small quantity of Paris green powder.

When adding any of the powders mentioned to the printing ink, use a printers’ pallet knife for mixing the powder into the ink. The mixing should be done on a small sheet of glass or on a stone.

If the printing ink is too heavy in body after the powder has been added, a small quantity of reducer will be needed. Paste dryer, or a few drops of kerosene will do.

Use a “hard” tympan for the make-ready, and do not allow the press to stand idle for a long time, as this kind of printing ink dries rapidly on the press as well as on the stock.

IMITATION STEEL DIE STAMPING

Many wrappers for candy boxes, jewelry boxes, etc. have the business card die-stamped upon them, the stamping being done from steel dies on power plate printing and die stamping presses. During the last few years, however, a special process has been perfected for producing imitation steel die stamping and embossing on regular platen printing presses from type forms or line engravings.

This new process calls for special printing inks and powders, and also for a patented machine on which the freshly printed sheets are “powdered” and heated, causing the printed subject to stand up in relief in the same way as steel die stamping or embossing. Numerous box-makers are now using this process in connection with the work of printing box wrappers of the better grade.

With this process the sheets are first printed in the same manner as ordinary printing, in black, color, gold or silver, using the special compound instead of ordinary printing ink or size. As the sheets are printed they are fed one at a time into the powdering hopper of the patented embossing machine. In the hopper is a granulated resinous compound which adheres to the printed detail. As the sheets are taken from the hopper they are placed on a conveyor which carries them through a heating oven, fusing the powder with the ink, and causing the printing to raise like embossed or die-stamped work. The entire operation is very simple and the results are satisfactory.

There are several patented “imitation” embossing processes now in use and one of the most efficient is that supplied by A. Stokes & Co., of Cleveland, Ohio. This machine is called the “Stokes’ Process Embossing Machine, Model C,” and it will handle sheets up to 17 inches wide. The Stokes Co. furnish complete instructions and all inks, powders, etc., necessary for this process.

One of the best printing ink reducers on the market is called “Reducol,” made by the Indiana Chemical and Manufacturing Co., of Indianapolis, Ind. Reducol is particularly adapted to all kinds of printing inks used on glazed paper.

PATENTED PRINTING PLATE BASE FOR CYLINDER PRESSES

Large-size cartons for cereals, coffee, tea, medicine bottles, etc., are printed from electrotype plates on cylinder presses, and many of such cartons are printed in several different colors. As many as a dozen or more different plates are printed from at one time, the stock being cut into smaller sizes after having been printed, cut and creased. Cutting and creasing for large sheets of this kind are done on other cylinder presses like the Walter Scott cylinder press, for example.

Usually, the printing plates for work of this class are attached to patented base, instead of being locked up in forms in the ordinary manner. The patented base allows for rapid adjustment of the printing plates for close register color printing.

The Uprightgrain Printing Bases, made by J. W. Pitt, Inc., of Bath, N. Y., are useful and economical for all classes of folding box printing, and this base is now being used in a large number of box-making plants.

The Wesel Printing Base system, made by F. Wesel Manufacturing Co., of Brooklyn, N. Y., is another good base that is adapted to the highest grade of register color printing.

When imposing large forms of half tones or electrotype plates on patented base, no regular printers’ furniture is required, and the plates are placed in the necessary positions in very short time.