From Case TO Press.
HARD HITTING.
By a Stone-Hand.
IN considering the “Art Preservative,” the uninitiated could not be expected to find room for such a genus in the noble profession as a “stone-hand.” Nevertheless, there exists such an individual, although many “patent efforts have been made to put the “screws” on him in a “lock-up” for his “imposition” and noisy “hard-hitting” propensities, which he considers essential in the perfection of a book.
In a visit to a printing-office you can scarcely fail to observe this personification of industry and perseverance, as he deftly plys the “bodkin,” adjusts with “rule,” or wields the mallet to cover a multitude of errors, unseen to the hawkish eye of Professor Syntax, or unfelt by the hasty manipulator of the small metallic substances which shape men's words and give life to “dead letters.” Thus the “stone-hand" gives the final touches of accuracy which nears perfection for the press impressions to immortalize.
In this department little consideration is looked for—and less found, as a rule—from author, compositor, artist or reader. The discovery by the author of “little changes,” often to satisfy mature considerations of suggesting connoisseurs; compositors’ irregularities with “wfs.," or spaces of larger though convenient fonts; readers with the terrifying scratches on a third revise, together with the frequent accidental dropping of an iron “shooting-stick” on an inside page by the “devil,” and the final hair-splitting “throw-in and throw-out” registering at the press—all contribute to exercise both brain and muscle of this hard-hitter or stone-hand, who often has occasion to wish that he had more than a pair of hands to satisfy demands. From him is looked for the fruits of the “chase” in a “live” form though an instance is known where the anxious proprietor thoughtlessly commanded: “Never mind the chases; send the forms to press!"
The imposing-stone is a slab of marble, polished and evenly imbedded in plaster-of-paris on a frame about forty inches high. Marble is preferred, because it is less apt to chip by coming in contact with the sharp edges of the chase or from an accidental slip of the shooting-stick.
It is essential to good workmanship, the comfort’ of the printer and facility of the work, that the stone should be in as lightsome a position as possible, and kept clean to save the type from destruction.
The appendages to the stone are drawers, well stocked with quoins, a pair of light boxwood mallets and planers for type and taking proofs, while in proximity is a bureau for assorted furniture, used in imposition as spaces between the pages of type and to “dress” the chases which hold the forms to be “locked up” or tightened with the same, so that they may be carried to and from the press-room without falling into “pi,” there being no “bottoms” to chases, at which the uninitiated often express wonder.
Planers, already referred to, should be used on the face of the type with gentle and sympathetic touches from the mallet, so as to have perfect evenness, without which it would be difficult to get a readable impression. Where cuts or electrotypes are used in connection with type, the stone-hand must be careful not to deface them by an indiscriminate use of mallet and planer, because, as a rule, they stand higher on the surface than type—necessarily so for the convenience of presswork.
Electrotype or stereotype cuts call for extra attention from the stone-hand, as their adjustment with the type is seldom completed before reaching the stone, when cards or often thin paper are brought into requisition; and after all this he may find that the cuts are mounted in a treacherous manner, which shows itself with all of its horrors, when, after a few revolutions of the press, they rip off and lie on the face of some other particular cut or page of type upon which great attention has been bestowed, involving utter destruction, the responsibility of which the stone-hand is often expected to father.
So much for the hard hitting experienced at the stone-work printing-office, and it is presumable that the stone was introduced when printing took the form of hard work and lost its identity as a labor of love.
Modern inventions have not contributed to lighten this branch, except it be with the noiseless truck, used to roll forms to and fro. The application of roller skates is apprehended. Picture a six-footer, with a form of royal octavo on his shoulder, skating from the stone to the press bringing it back “dead!”
PRINTING AS AN ART.
THE art of printing is, perhaps, one of the most difficult subjects to treat upon, its application being varied and its influence the greatest. Coming before all classes in many forms and styles it is more open to comment and criticism than all others combined. The fear of conflicting with established rules and usages laid down by individuals practically identified with the business has a tendency to cause one to treat lightly and handle the subject carefully; but a few practical hints applying to the business are ventured.
There is, judging from specimens daily coming to hand, room for serious criticism on the work termed “commercial printing,” of the letter, note, statement, bill-head, circular, pamphlet and business-card order—work that is a disgrace to the printing business. Large and flourishing houses put forth some of the most outrageous-appearing printing that can be imagined, and the reason is that, giving their work to amateurs, who have had no experience and cannot distinguish good work from bad, they willingly accept anything that is readable for a trifle lower figures than those charged by legitimate and practical printers, from whom they could get something of the first order by paying a little higher rate.
Good printing is the same as other meritorious productions. There is a certain market value placed upon it and it cannot be obtained for less.
In the columns of one of the morning papers, the following, which speaks for itself, lately appeared:
PRINTING RUN MAD.—10,000 bill or statement heads, 6x8 inches, $5; 20,000 bill-heads, 4½x6, $6; 10,000 hand-bills, 6x9 inches, $5 20,000, 4½x6, $6; perfect work only; 100 men employed; write me for samples of this work,
Judging from the large production for so low a rate, any sane man would hazard the assertion that, rather than “printing having gone mad,” the author of the above had gone crazy. Such rates for “perfect work only” are suggestive of bankruptcy and the poorhouse.
FANCY PRINTING.
This branch, it may be said, is distinct in itself, combining both artistic and mechanical knowledge, and is adapted to various classes of work—pamphlets, catalogues, commercial, professional printing, &c. One very important point in this work is the disposition of the matter to be displayed. It is always essential to avoid bringing too many lines into striking prominence, as otherwise the work will present a crowded appearance. Modesty and taste in the use of ornaments should be impressed on the mind of the workman, as a limited number of embellishments, properly disposed of, are more pleasing to the eye than an indiscriminate use of fancy pieces in a small space to overshadow the type-lines, and suggest the idea that a “new font” had recently come in, and that the printer was anxious to show
