THE COVER-STAMPING ROOM
under heavy hydraulic pressure to remove the indentation. This is done in the Dry-Press Room, a large room occupying the lower floor of the Composing Building, adjacent to the Press-Rooms, and it is from here that the sheets are taken to the Bindery for the final step in book-making.
The Bindery, which occupies a large part of the main building, turns out from 10,000 to 15,000 books a day, and there are no fewer than 62 machines and 40 presses for the various stages of the work. Here the sheets, upon which there may be as many as 128 printed pages, are folded automatically by the folding machines. These separate folded sheets, or signatures as they are called, are then gathered into their proper sequence by one of the latest inventions, a gathering machine. To secure compactness, the books are then subjected to a quick, sharp pressure, and are ready for sewing, which is done by machines especially adapted to all sizes of books. The edges are trimmed, and then gilded or marbled if that is required, after which each book is rounded to conform to the general custom for shape, and “backed,” that is, a little ridge is made on each side of the back to hold the covers more securely in place. It is then ready for the covers.
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