TR
B 1,315,065
925
733
Relativity
Printing
Theo. Bernsteins
་་
PRESENTED TO THE
University of
Michigan
LIBRARY


through PROFESSOR LOUIS C. KARPINSKI
by CLARENCE E. EPSTEAN 1918-20
TR
925
. R33
Copyright 1924
THE REGENSTEINER CORPORATION
CHICAGO
Ekster
1193

Relativity of
Printing
A BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF MODERN PRINTING
PROCESSES AND THEIR RELATION
TO EACH OTHER
BY
THEODORE REGENSTEINER
&
Price, One Dollar
PUBLISHED BY
THE REGENSTEINER CORPORATION
CHICAGO

FICHA
hodore
MU
gist
The Power of Printing
O YOU realize that the most valuable
invention of all time, and the one which
has had the greatest influence upon civil-
ization and mankind is printing? His-
tory proves that inventive genius was
dormant, until printing came on the
scene. The inventions of the last century outnumber
and overshadow in importance, those of the preceding
four thousand years.
Practically all human knowledge is recorded and dis-
tributed through the medium of printing.
The most wonderful invention in the world amounts
to nothing, unless a full knowledge of it is placed in
the hands of the great masses of people. What benefit
would humanity receive from the electric light, if only
Edison and a few of his neighbors used it? Do you
suppose we would be making millions of automobiles, if
the inventor had to introduce and popularize them in
person and by word of mouth? The greatest invention
in the world, the greatest stock of merchandise, the
greatest collection of wealth is a liability until it can be
brought to the attention of the public which buys it,
uses it and turns it into an asset. Printing makes all this
possible, and more.
Historians designate the period of time between the
fall of Rome and the discovery of printing as the "Dark
Ages," and rightfully so. During that period, writing
was understood and practiced by very few, and means
of communication were primitive and extremely poor.
This was the condition until printing was invented,
when the curtain of darkness was rent asunder and the
light of knowledge allowed to penetrate the gloom.

That day marked the beginning of modern civilization.
Twentieth Century business is based upon two func-
tions, viz.: Production and Distribution. Of these,
distribution is the more important. Men and money can
readily be found to make things, but to distribute them,
to sell that is far more difficult. Every modern business
depends upon advertising in one or more of its various
forms to sell the goods, and advertising is 98% printing.
If we recognize printing as the principal medium of com-
munication between human beings, and the one whereby
all human knowledge is perpetuated, we can appreciate
what a wonderful contribution it is to humanity and
to life itself.
Originally, printing meant nothing but an impres-
sion made from type, but modern printing is a marvel of
ingenuity and a source of wonder to even the initiated.
Printing today conveys the message not only in words,
but also in pictures, and thus not only tells the story, but
enlivens the imagination of the reader, arouses interest
and carries conviction with it. This combination of
type and pictures represents the most flexible of human
inventions, inasmuch as it can be used in endless variety
and for every purpose.
The importance of pictures or illustrations in adver-
tising is fully realized and well understood by the great-
est business institutions in the world. It is not uncom-
mon to find a full page magazine advertisement costing
from $7,000 to $10,000, in which 75% of the space is
devoted to a picture.
With the introduction of illustrations in printing,
however, it ceases to be a simple practice. Type will
print under almost any condition and on all grades of
paper. Not so with pictures. Modern usage and cus-
tom demands illustration not only in one color, but
often in full color effects. This is true regardless of
whether the pictures are to be printed in a newspaper, a
magazine, a catalogue, or a book. Very often the most
minute detail in a photograph is to be reproduced with
mechanical sharpness and precision. Sometimes an
artistic effect is the essence of the reproduction.
Even though we confine ourselves on this occasion to
the most important branches in printing, we find a maze
of various processes, which are, however, simple to
understand once we grasp the fundamental principles
upon which they are founded. True, the average buyer
and user of printing knows the various processes at least
by their respective names, but without a true knowledge
of each, he finds it difficult to apply them to the best
advantage to himself. Due to the fact that most
printers specialize in but one method, the printer, as a
rule, is not in a position to act as counsellor to the buyer
and the buyer consequently must choose for himself,
both the process and the printer. While all these
modern printing processes are co-related, each and every
one of them is fundamentally different, each answers a
different purpose and each has a place of its own.
The writer, having devoted thirty-three years to
pioneering and developing the Colortype, Offset, Roto-
gravure illustrating and printing methods, today heads
the only corporation in the United States operating all
of these methods, and therefore feels that in setting forth
in plain language a complete description of each process,
its relative merits and its proper application, he is
rendering a distinct service to the buyers and users of
printing. This little book is written solely to impart
useful knowledge to those who may require it in an
effort to bring about a better understanding of the
various methods of printing, so that the buyer may
knowingly select that which best answers his particular
purpose. Each of these printing methods has been
highly specialized, and it may surprise you to learn that
even the craftsmen themselves, although fully con-
versant with the particular method in which they
operate, have but a scant knowledge of the others.
Relief or Letter Press
Printing
N the years between 1450 and 1455, Johann
Gutenberg carved the first separate pieces
of movable type, of which history has
any authentic record. Prior to that time,
it was necessary to engrave or carve an
entire page of text matter on one solid
block of wood. Gutenberg conceived the idea of cut-
ting the letters singly, so they could be assembled in any
combination and used over and over again. A form of
such type was inked on its surface, a sheet of paper was
placed on top, pressure was applied and an impression
made. In that manner, the printed sheet was secured.
This principle is still used today in all Letter Press
printing. We have greatly improved the old method
however; most of the type today is set by machinery,
and instead of applying the ink by hand and the pressure
through the medium of a screw set in a solid frame,
wonderful machinery is now used, greatly improving the
quality and quantity of the output. Instead of using
original type, duplicate plates known as electrotypes
and stereotypes are used on large editions, and printing
is done on either platen, cylinder or rotary presses.
The platen press is one in which the type form is held
rigid in a vertical position, a sheet of paper is placed on
the platen and the latter is brought into contact with
the type form, thereby producing the printed sheet.
Sheets handled on this press usually are not very large
as the press is intended for smaller runs only. The
cylinder press is one in which the type form is placed

horizontally on a flat bed, which moves back and forth
under the impression cylinder. The sheet of paper is
inserted between the type form and the impression
cylinder, and thus is brought in contact with the type
or printing plate. A rotary press is one in which the
revolving principle of operation is used. The form is
either an electrotype or a stereotype, semi-circular in
shape, which is locked on the form cylinder, which
comes in contact with the impression cylinder, the paper
being supplied from a roll or web traveling between both
and thus receiving the impression. The rotary press,
because of its mechanical principle, is the most rapid in
action; consequently, is used in large edition printing,
such as magazines, newspapers and catalogues.
Up to the latter part of the 19th Century, wood
engravings only were used for picture illustrations.
The picture was drawn on a block of box wood and was
converted into a printing plate through the medium of
lines and stipples, engraved or cut with a fine pointed
tool. The variation in the width and depth of the lines,
their proximity to one another, and their texture, pro-
duced the picture. Every line and dot that was intended
to print remained in relief, the balance being cut away.
Wood engravings made in the manner described, were
very expensive, and as the demand for illustrations and
printing increased, the genius of invention was once
more called upon for more practical engraving methods.
By the application of photography and mechanical
methods, zinc etchings and half tones were developed
in a comparatively simple, efficient and economical
manner. (See Fig. 1.)
The first of these photo-mechanical methods was the
Zinc or Line Etching Process, which came into use in the
early seventies of the last century. This process pro-
duces in relief, a perfect printing plate from any subject
drawn in pen and ink, viz., line or stipple, in the
following manner.

Fig. 1-Illustration printed from a Wood engraving.
Notice the clearness and sharpness of every line. The character and artistic
effect depend solely upon the skill of the engraver.
R

(Glen)
ہم
・特
​Fig. 2-Illustration printed from a Zinc etching.
The original of this picture is a pen and ink drawing about twice as large
as shown here. The results of this kind of illustration depend upon the
cleverness of the artist, who draws the picture. The printing plate is made
entirely by photo mechanical means.
C


100 line screen
125 line screen


133 line screen
150 line screen
Fig. 3-Illustrations printed from Halftone engravings.
The original copy in this case was just an ordinary good photograph. A
finer ruled screen in the Camera preserves more detail and modeling than a
coarser one, but the former requires fine coated paper and better printing ink,
whereas the latter gives good results on cheaper papers and less expensive inks.
UNIV
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A photographic negative is made from the drawing
or copy, from which a photographic print is made on a
sheet of sensitized zinc. When this is properly done,
every line and dot in the original appears clean and
sharp. These lines and dots are prepared in a manner
that makes them impervious to acid, and the parts of
the zinc not so protected are etched away with strong
acids until the required depth is secured. All of the
cartoons and many of the newspaper illustrations of
today are made in this manner. Zinc etchings have
great printing depth, and therefore are especially suited
for rapid printing on the cheaper grades of paper. (See
Fig. 2.)
To make a photo-mechanical printing plate from a
photograph or a picture painted in either oil or water
colors, in continuous tones instead of lines, requires a
different treatment, because the continuous tone of the
original must be broken up into lines or dots, which can
be etched in relief, so that they will make a printing
plate.
It was discovered some years ago, that by placing a
glass plate ruled with very fine lines, crossing each other
at right angles, and commonly called a "halftone
screen" placed in front of a sensitive photographic plate,
the correct tone values could be rendered through a
multitude of dots of varying sizes and shapes. These
blend from the very finest pin-point dots into solid
tones, and in that manner, produce the halftones which
appear in practically every piece of printed matter today.
To reproduce a picture of any kind by this method, for
printing on coated paper, a screen with a ruling of 133
to 150 lines to the inch is generally used. This contains
from 18,000 to 22,500 dots in each square inch of printing
surface. You can readily understand the necessity of
using enamel or coated paper when a plate of that kind
is to be printed from. When it is desirable to use
uncoated paper, coarser screens are applied, varying in
fineness from 50 to 80 lines per square inch. The news-
paper illustrations used by the Metropolitan newspapers
are ever present examples of this class of work. (See
Fig. 3.)
The introduction of the halftone process in the early
Eighties is chiefly responsible for the remarkable devel-
opment in Letter-Press Printing. It is also responsible
for the many improvements in printing presses, paper,
ink and roller making.
Prior to the year of the Chicago World's Fair, 1893,
comparatively little color printing was done by the
Relief Printing method, as no practical way of making
good color plates had been invented. Through many
years of experimentation, it was finally discovered that
by photographing a painting or color subject of any
kind, through a "Ray" filter, the three primary colors
could be selected and recorded on a photographic nega-
tive, regardless of the number of shades and tints
appearing in the original. The primary colors are
yellow, red and blue. A photographic negative made
through a purple ray filter applied in front of the lens,
will transmit and record the yellow color values only,
the red and blue rays being absorbed by the filter. A
green filter will only permit the red rays to penetrate,
and an orange filter only the blue rays. These ray
filters are usually made by filling a glass cell with a
liquid dye for each primary color. When photographed
in the manner here described, the result is one negative
containing all the yellow values, another containing all
the red, and a third containing all the blue values. By
adapting the Halftone Process previously described in
connection with color photography as here explained,
three halftone printing plates are obtained, which
when printed in succession in the three primary colors,
and superimposed one on the other, result in a faithful
color reproduction of the original. (See Fig. 4.)
This process was effectively and commercially intro-

392
Fig. 4 Illustration of a Rug printed from Colortype plates.
This reproduction was made directly from the rug by the Colortype process in
three colors, each color photographed separately through a "Ray" filter, and
each Color negative made into a single Halftone printing plate. These plates
are printed with primary color inks in above indicated succession over each
other with final result in lower right hand corner. Note the difference in
tone values in yellow, red and blue impressions.
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V.
By permission of Gerlach Barklow Co., Joliet
Fig. 5-Reproduction of an Oil painting by the Colortype Process printed in
4 colors.
duced in 1894 by the Photo Colortype Co., of which
the writer was President. Experience in the course of
time indicated that because of the variations in paper,
printing inks, atmospheric conditions, etc., a fourth
color, usually a black, could effectively be added. This
fourth color helps to define detail, adds depth and color
to the picture, and aids in preserving register, sharpness
and uniformity on large editions.
In order to secure the best results from color process
plates, and to preserve all the sharpness and delicate
tones of the original, it is necessary that a comparatively
fine screen be used. Consequently, an enamel or highly
coated paper is best for printing purposes. Color
printing and plates as herein described are commercially
known as "Colortypes." Most Colortype printing is
done on single color and two color cylinder presses.
The color sections of some of the largest magazines
requiring a great number of copies are printed on presses
that print 4 colors at one time, with pleasing result.


22
Kellogg'
TOASTED
& CORN
BOOK
COOK
DEAN
RISCO
Fig. 6-Made directly from the Kitchen Cabinet.
Fig. 7-These illustrations are made directly from the Wood panels. This
page printed from Colortype plates in 4 colors.

496/2
496/3
496/4
544/1
544/2
544/3
544/4
557/2
557/3
557/4
537/1
537/2
537/3
537/5
539/2
539/3
539/4
543/1
543/2
543/3
543/4
547/2
547/3
547/4
554/1
554/2
554/3
554/4
534/2
534/3
534/5
548/1
54872
548/3
548/4
540/2
54073
540/4
503/1
50372
50373
503/4
Fig. 8-Illustration of
Fabrics,
showing a wonderful variety
of Colors and Tones and remarkable sharpness of
texture and details. (4 colors)
AINA
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Planographic or Offset
Printing
FFSET PRINTING is the 20th Century
application of Planographic Printing,
and is a refinement of lithography. The
art of lithography was invented in 1796
by Senefelder. Lithography, which
means "stone writing," is based upon
the principle that grease or oil and water will repel each
other and will not mix. Senefelder's contribution to
the world consisted of the accidental discovery of a
certain porous stone, which possesses equal affinity for
both grease and water. The lines which form the
subject to be printed are laid upon the stone with a
greasy ink or crayon, the entire surface is dampened
with water, and as the ink roller, which carries the
greasy printing ink, travels over the surface, the water
repels the ink, the grease attracts it. The paper is then
laid upon the stone, pressure is applied and a printed
sheet results. It will be noticed that the entire printing
surface is a plane; consequently, as no projections or
indentations occur, it is called "Planographic" Printing,
or printing from a plane surface. This is its chief dis-
tinction from the other printing methods.
Offset Printing being an adaptation of the principles
of stone lithography, derives its name from the fact that
the printed impression is made from a thin, flexible,
metal plate, curved to fit a cylinder, first upon a revolv-
ing cylinder covered with a rubber blanket, which in
turn offsets it onto the paper. The invention of the
offset printing method is due to an accident. It was
discovered by making a misimpression on a rubber


blanket by Mr. Rubel, of this city, about twenty years
ago, who, when he saw this misimpression, imme-
diately perceived wonderful possibilities if the idea of
printing from rubber to paper could be properly utilized.
It was he who built the first Offset Press. In this
instance, the transfers* instead of being made on stone,
are made on a large sheet of zinc, which is first provided
with a grained surface sufficiently coarse to hold the
proper amount of moisture. This is necessary, since
zinc itself is not porous; consequently, would not absorb
or hold water, if applied to a perfectly smooth surface.
The sheet of zinc containing the printing form, is held
down with clamps around the surface of the cylinder.
Dampening rollers and ink rollers supply the right
amount of moisture and ink to the printing cylinder,
and the printing cylinder in turn leaves its impression
on the cylinder covered with a rubber blanket, which
runs in close contact with the other. The third cylinder
of the offset press is called the "impression" cylinder,
and comes in direct contact with the rubber covered
cylinder. The sheet of paper to be printed passes in
between these two last cylinders and therefore receives
the impression. Since by this process, printing is done
from rubber to paper, instead of from the metallic surface
to the paper, on account of the resilient character of the
rubber, it can readily be seen that a paper with a natural
surface, or even with a comparatively rough surface,
will receive a perfect impression, and will have every
bit of sharpness and character of the original plate. As
the Offset press is rotary in character, it also follows that
the printing speed is much greater than on ordinary
flat bed cylinder presses, and it is this greater speed that
is responsible for the economy and the great variety of
papers that can be used, all of which have contributed
to make this process popular.
*"Transfers" in a lithographic sense means the duplication of the matter to be
printed and answers the same purpose as electrotypes and stereotypes in letter press
printing.

حرجة
4.
Cedar
By permission Practical Drawing Book Co.
From a pencil sketch-Reproduced by Offset Process
GF
MIS

C. E. Falls
By permission Fall's Service, Chicago
Fig. 9-Reproduction from a Pastel printed by the Offset process in 7 colors.
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BY FREDERICK DUNCAN
By permission of Gerlach Barklow Co., Joliet
Fig. 10-This illustration is reproduced directly from a Water
Color painting and printed in 7 colors by the Offset process.
By using an antique finish paper and printing from rubber to
paper, the result is an exact reproduction in technique, finish
and appearance.
UNIV
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Fig. 11-An artistic Cover for an artistic
Catalogue printed in Five Colors
by the Offset process.
The
Sheridan
FICH

Seven Hats that are so Pretty. We want you to see
them as soon as you open your
PHILIPSBORN Style Book
3W5660 Only $2.98 for this dressy all feather torban.
COLORS: Harding blue with pearl ostrich; red and midnight blue
(dark navy blge); burnt orange with moth. $2.98
pheasant. midnight blue (navy blue), or black.
PRICE,
3W5601 Stylush ft brim silk velvet hat with wool yarn trimming.
COLORS: Mocha (brown) with sand trimming; black with peacock
blue; midnight blue (dark navy blue) EPA Dinal, $2.48
or Harding blue with pearl. PRICE, PREPAID,
3W5602 Huwing off-the-face hat of silk velvet with the new "Ver
celled" silk brim. Stylish jet trimming pin.
COLORS: Black velvet with Nile green silk: beaver and Colonia!
blue (copenhagen blue): all midnight blue (dark navy
blue), or all black PRICE, PREPAID to your home:
$2.98
3W5603 Kmart and becoming silk velvet turban-with Ane silk lace
drup act of with handsome cut steel beads.
COLORS: Tangerine (new burnt orange) with brown lace: Colonial
blue (copenhagen blue) with midnight blue lace: all
black or all midnight blue. PRICE, PREP D to your home. $3.98
3W3604 Targe drooping brim hot of silk velvet with silk fringe.
Moire facing. Silk velvet poppy with ostrich trimming.
COLORS:
Mohawk (henna), purple, midnight blue, or black; all $3.98
with black fringe. PRICE, PREPAID to your home,
3W5605 mart and rich looking silk velvet hat, trimmed with
genuine pheont tolls.
COLORS: Black, midnight blue, Harding blue.
All
with natural color pheasant talls. PRICE, PREPAID, $4.98
3W5606 Handame metallic embroidered velvet farban.
Silk cabochon trimming. COLORS: Midnight blue with allver
embroidery: mocha (brown) with gold; black with silver, or
peacock blue with allver:
PRICE, PREPAID to your home..
$3.78
Description of Coat on Front Cover
Parisian Model-Silk Seal Plush-$5.00 Cash Savings!!
IW 2930 Parisian model silk seal plush scrap coat seith deep
chenille fringe trimming and silk petals-$5.00 cash maring.
Flowered silk lining. COLOR: Black only. SIZES: 32 to 44
bust. 45 inches long.
PRICE, PREPAID to your home,
$29.98
SIZES:
$29.98
1W2931 Same style for misses and small women.
32 to 38 bust. 43 Inches long.
PRICE, PREPAID to your home.
3W3604
$3.98
3W5603
$3.98
3W5601
$2.48
3W5600
$2.98
3W5602
$2.98
3W5606
$3.78
2
Copyright, 1921, by
PHILIPSHORN'S Chicago
"PHILIPSBORN'8" Style and Shopping Guide
Vol. 42, No. 3, August, 1921
3W5605
$498
PHILIPSBORN'S
Fig. 12-A commercial Illustration by the Offset Process reproduced directly
from Water color sketch in 4 colors. Special color
is used for the tint background.
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Another factor, which makes it possible to secure
wonderful results in one, two or more colors, is the
adoption of various photographic methods in preparing
the original plates. The Halftone Process never played
a great part in the old art of stone lithography, but in
the present method of Offset Printing, you will find
that the halftone screen is applied to nearly every piece
of printing which results from that process. If photo-
graphs or wash drawings are to be reproduced, the half-
tone negative is made with the use of the screen,
practically the same as if a halftone relief plate were
to be produced, but instead of making the print on
copper, the print is made on sensitized grained zinc.
No etching of any consequence is necessary, and since
the plate is not made in relief, all branches of photo-
engraving, such as routing, etching, and finishing, are
eliminated. As a matter of fact, an offset printing
plate, whether the original or a large transfer plate is
practically nothing but a photographic print on a piece
of zinc, divided into a lot of very fine small dots, of
various shapes and sizes. The surface is flat and there
is no relief to either the type or the picture. Since this
is printing from a plane surface, there is nothing to
punch through the paper or wear out the plate. There
is practically no "make-ready" in Offset Printing, as
the term is known and understood in Relief Plate
Printing. Color Offset Printing is done in a similar
manner, except that an original plate is made for each
color. These color plates are transferred on a large
sheet of zinc and successively printed in their required
colors on the Offset Press.

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Fig 13-Rotogravure Illustration from a Photograph.
This process is now extensively used by most of our prominent
monthly magazines.

S
Rotogravure Printing
HIS method is also called Rotary-Gravure,
or Rotary-Photogravure, and is in entire
contrast to both Letter Press and Plano-
graphic Printing. As a matter of fact,
it is the very opposite; it is a modern
adaptation of the Intaglio method of
plate making and printing. In Intaglio Printing and
Engraving, the figure or design is depressed below the
surface of the material, and has the normal elevations.
of the design hollowed out, so that an impression from
the design yields an image in relief. The type and
pictures instead of being in relief, are sunk below the
surface of the metal in Rotogravure Printing.
The earliest and best understood form of Intaglio
Printing is represented by copper plate engraved cards,
letter-heads, etc. The design being cut into the plate,
the space is filled with ink, the surface is cleaned off
and an impression is taken on paper. This produces a
wonderfully sharp print, slightly raised above the
surface of the paper, which is the basis of its principal
charm. While in Relief Printing and Offset Printing
as well, only a very thin film of ink is laid on the
surface of the printing plate, and as the picture is
formed by smaller and larger dots and solids, each of
these dots always carrying the same volume of ink, the
Rotogravure Method is based on the principle of repro-
ducing the lighter portions of a picture with a very thin
film of ink, the darker portions with a heavier film of
ink, and the darkest portions with a still greater
amount of ink, and these variations in the volume of
ink and the thickness of the ink film are regulated by
the depth of the etched copper cylinder. The lightest

portions of the picture are very shallow, just enough to
catch the slightest quantity of ink. The deepest por-
tions, where a heavy background for instance, is
required, are etched from four to five one-thousandths
of an inch deep, which by comparison, holds a great
amount of ink, and which under impression is all trans-
ferred to the paper. Therefore, in Rotogravure Print-
ing, we have a reproduction which is not made up of a
combination of dots of various shapes, sizes and prox-
imity, but instead is made up of a variation of the
thickness of the ink film and it can be readily seen and
understood that by this method, we get a richer and
more artistic reproduction of a picture than can be
secured by any other method.
The cylinder on which the entire form is etched is
one solid copper shell of approximately one-half inch in
thickness, fastened on a cast iron cylinder, which is a
part of the specially designed Rotogravure Printing
Press. Most of the machines now in use employ one
cylinder for one side of the paper, and another for the
reverse side, both sides of the sheet being printed at the
same time, the paper being supplied from a roll or web.
The engraved copper cylinder or "rolls" as they are
usually termed, revolve in the ink fountain, the ink
itself being of a thin consistency. This naturally fills
up all the etched portions and also leaves a lot of ink
on the surface of the copper roll. This superfluous ink
is scraped off with a long oscillating knife, slightly
heavier than a safety razor blade. When this operation
is completed, the surface of the cylinder or roll is left
entirely clean and the ink remains only in the depressed
portions of the engraved cylinder. When the paper
is brought in contact with the engraved cylinder, and is
pressed against it by a rubber covered cylinder, it
receives the impression.
This process was introduced in this country in 1913,
and at first was used chiefly by newspapers and maga-
:
zines, who readily saw its great possibilities in the
reproduction of photographic pictures of more than
usual attractiveness. Our company has successfully
operated this process since 1914, and has constantly
developed both the engraving, as well as the printing
methods to the point of perfection. Work printed on
these presses is now in great favor for advertising pur-
poses, and for illustrations in magazines and books of
almost every character. Every new process requires
years for its introduction, before the public learns to
appreciate its value and effectiveness. Buyers of print-
ing are being convinced that Rotogravure is not a fad,
but of great commercial value, and the demand for this
kind of printing is therefore increasing by leaps and
bounds.


JACKIE COOGAN
Reel
Stars
Fig. 14-On account of the rich softness of Rotogravure it is being
used very extensively for magazine inserts where perfect photo-
graphic reproduction is paramount.
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THE CATHOLIC
ART CALENDAR
FOR 1922
COMPILED BY REV. JOHN J.LANNON.PH.D.
Fig. 15-The calendar cover shown above is truly a work of art.
This reproduction is made from a combination of Clay Model and
Photographic Panel; printed by the Rotogravure process. The
richness of the original is greatly enhanced.
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OF
MICH

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Fig. 16-Where Contrast in shading is required no modern process
is quite as effective as Rotogravure. If the above subject were
reproduced by any other process its richness would be entirely lost.
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OF
MICH

0
Fig. 17-The reproduction shown here is from a Rotogravure
catalog recently made for a nationally known Furniture Institution.
Note the clearness of detail and the natural richness of the wood
as shown by Rotogravure.
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OF
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Very choice
VAN DYCK
CIGAR
SELECT SIZES HAVANA FILLED
MICH
Fig. 18-This is a small reproduction of a poster used by one of
the largest chains of Cigar Stores. A series of four posters were
used in various ways in their window displays.

Relativity of Printing Plates
Fig. 20-Cross section of a Zinc
Etching greatly enlarged.
The lines on the printing surface
are almost equally as sharp as on a
Wood Engraving. The space be-
tween the lines is etched away
with acids.
Fig. 22-Cross section of a Plano-
graphic or Offset Plate greatly
enlarged.
Similar to a Halftone Engraving
the surface is composed of dots of
varying sizes and shapes. But
here you find a total absence of
printing depth.
Fig. 19-Cross section of a Wood
Engraving greatly enlarged.
Note the sharpness of the lines on
the printing surface and the depth
of the engraving, ordinarily called
printing depth.
Fig. 21-Cross section of a Half-
tone Engraving greatly enlarged.
The surface of a Halftone Engrav-
ing is composed of a multitude of
dots of varying sizes and shapes.
Note the greater depth of the en-
graving as the dots on the surface
get smaller.
Fig. 23-Cross section of a Roto-
gravure Engraving greatly
enlarged.
Contrary to Halftone and Offset
Engravings the surface is here
divided into a multitude of very
small cells of equal size but of
varying depth. These cells are
filled with ink and scraped off on the surface. The shallow cells
hold very little ink and the deep cells a greater amount and when
released on paper the amount of ink controls the tones of the picture.
Relativity of Printing
ITH the description of the fundamentals
of the three principal processes of print-
ing well in mind, the prospective buyer
of printing is greatly aided in selecting
the best process for his particular require-
ments. You have learned that Relief
or Letter-Press Printing in one or more colors requires
a coated paper stock in order to secure the best results.
When printing ink is applied to coated paper, it remains
almost entirely on the surface; consequently, has greater
brilliancy than if it were absorbed. If you have in
mind a piece of printing, of either a catalogue or an
insert, or for any other purpose where the appearance
of paper or the brilliancy of ink is paramount, the
process of Relief Printing should be chosen. You have
probably noticed fine automobile catalogues printed on
expensive coated stock, because the paper itself gives
the book both tone and character, and you find Color-
type illustrations in mail order catalogues and in other
instances, where it is important to have the colors
appear in exact reproduction of the merchandise itself.
The reflective qualities of highly coated or enamel paper
are necessary to produce brilliancy in color printing,
and where that is desirable or necessary, no other
method can compete with Colortype Printing produced
on a Letter-Press.
On the other hand, if your printing and the subjects
you intend to portray require a touch of artistic softness,
and where its apperance would be enhanced by the use
of uncoated paper of antique finish, nothing but the
Offset Printing Process will insure a first-class job,
whether in one, two or more colors. Another important
feature in this connection is the fact that an Offset

printed job on paper of that character, eliminates the
undesirable effect of the halftone screen, which some-
times so clearly shows on Letter-Press Printing and on
enamel paper. For this reason, Offset printing lends
itself wonderfully in the reproduction of water color
pictures and even in oil paintings, when a sufficient
number of colors are used. The finished production is
always pleasing to the eye.
The coating of a sheet of paper is merely the applica-
tion of chemicals and fine clay on top of a piece of
ordinary paper, and therefore, while a great deal of
weight is added, this is done at the expense of strength.
Wherever a cover is needed for a book or a catalogue,
strength is one of the salient features, and a cover of
equal thickness, without coating, has almost double the
strength of a cover made of coated stock. For this
reason, if for no other, the Offset Process has replaced
seventy-five per cent of all covers of large edition cata-
logues, formerly printed by other processes. For broad-
sides and folders which are sent through the mail, and
therefore have to be folded several times, strong, un-
coated paper is far more desirable, and the Offset
Process gives the best results.
An illustration printed by the Rotogravure Process
is richer in color, tone and artistic quality, than if
printed by either the Letter-Press or Offset Process.
The picture stands out prominently, because the ink is
piled high where required, a thing entirely impossible
by either of the other methods, as previously explained.
Therefore, for catalogue work, which requires a great
number of illustrations, or in any book or part of a book
where it is desired to bring out certain illustrations with
emphasis and power, these should be printed by the
Rotogravure Process. The paper generally used is an
uncoated stock with a smooth surface, commonly called
"machine finished" or "super-calendared book paper.
Although a great deal of Rotogravure Printing appears

Rece
DISTINCTIVE
Style Square Beauty
Hats
$495
78F9297
$395
78F9307
Poses by
Fox Photo
$448
78F9312
Players
$475
78F9317
$375
78F9322
Name of each
Actress with
description of
Hat
$675
78F9345
$325
78F9337
$445
78F9342
$495
78F9327
$348
124
38F
SEARS. ROEBUCK AND CO.
78F9350
$398
78F9355
Fig. 24 "Relativity" Specimen A, showing a Halftone reproduction printed
on coated or enameled paper.
Compare with same Relativity Specimen B and C.
UNIV
OF
MICH

DISTINCTIVE
Style Square Beauty
Hats
$495
78F9297
$395
78F9307
Poses by
Fox Photo
$448
78F9312
Players
$475
78F9317
$375
78F9322
Name of each
Actress with
description of
Hat
$675
78F9345
$395
78F9337
$445
78F9342
$495
78F9327
Sears, Roebuck and Co.
28E
Chicago
$3,48
78F9350
$398
78F9355
Fig. 24-"Relativity" Specimen B, showing an Offset reproduction printed
on uncoated, antique finished paper.
Compare with same Relativity Specimen A and C.
UNIV.
OF

DISTINCTIVE
Style Square Beauty
Hats
$495
78F9297
$395
78F9307
Poses by
Fox Photo
$448
78F9312
$475
78F9317
$375
78F9322
$675
78F9345
Players
Name of each
Actress with
description of
Hat
$325
78F9337
$445
78F9342
$495
78F9327
124
38F
SEARS. ROEBUCK AND CO.
$348
78F9350
$398
78F9355
Fig. 24-Relativity" Specimen C, showing a Rotogravure reproduction
printed on Calendar coated paper.
Compare with same Relativity Specimens A and B.
UNIV
OF
MICH
in various shades of sepia color, excellent results are
obtained by printing in dark green and dark blue tones.
It is quite natural to assume that the matter of price
enters into the selection of the process to be used. It is
impossible to arrive at comparative figures, or in what
relation the selling price of each printing method is to
the other, unless specific instances are cited. Generally
speaking, of course, Relief or Letter-Press Printing is the
most economical and cheapest, and this holds true on
large printing jobs in particular. With the develop-
ment of Offset Printing, however, you will find in a good
many cases, where a great many illustrations are used
and the edition runs from 25,000 to 100,000, that there
is an actual economical advantage in using the Offset
Process. The principal saving is accomplished in the
making of the illustrations or halftones, the lesser
expense of a transfer in comparison to electrotypes, the
saving of time in making the form ready for printing,
and last but not least the use of lighter weight paper
which has the same bulk as the heavier coated stock.
These economies in the last analysis mean greater speed
in the production of the job, and therefore, when
properly chosen for a specific purpose the Offset Process
has a triple advantage, viz., quality, lower cost, and
greater speed. The cost of Rotogravure printing is
naturally greater than either of the other processes of
using one color only, but it has the richness of a high
class photographic reproduction and a selling power
which is greatly superior, and which is at least as
effective as two colors, when printed by the other two
methods, and is less expensive.
Owing to the absence of the halftone screen, hand
manipulations and arbitrary departure from the original
Rotogravure printing possesses a certain indescribable
charm not found elsewhere. No other process produces
results which so closely convey the beauty of a good
photograph.
Un
Relativity in Printing
à la Einstein

ROM the preceding chapters, it must be
clear to the reader that all of the modern
illustrating processes owe their existence
to the cross-lined screen which photo-
graphically cuts any picture into a great
many little dots of various sizes. The
average screen employed is about 133 lines to the lineal
inch, which means in plain language, that every square
inch of picture printed in one color contains 17,689 dots.
An ordinary halftone illustration about 7½ x 10 inches,
such as you can find in the average mail order catalog
has 1,326,675 dots.
Now if you consider that the printer has to print
32 pages on one sheet at a time or 32 engravings as
described, he will have to print 42,453,600 dots at
every revolution of his press. If a similar sheet carries
32 pages of Colortype or Offset illustrations in 4 colors,
the sheet carries 169,814,400 dots.
The average printing press turns out about 1,000
sheets per hour, a large Offset press about 1,800 per
hour. It may be interesting to the reader to figure
out how many billions or trillions of little dots a printer
is called upon to print per hour and mind you, every
dot has to be sharp and carry just the right amount and
correct shade of ink.
With these enormous figures well in your mind,
can you realize what expert workmanship is required
from photography down to pressmanship, and what
wonderfully accurate apparatus and machinery are
necessary to perform such work?
Einstein speaks of four dimensions in his discussion
of the Universe. And in Color printing, whether 2 or 4
or more colors and whether Colortype or Offset, we
deal with one great important element which may well
be termed the fourth dimension. The width and the
length and the thickness of the sheet and width and
length and thickness of the dot constitute a definite
something when printing in one color only but in
Color printing the relative position of each dot of one
color to each dot of another color is extremely important
to secure a perfect and harmonious result. It is known
by the term Perfect Register. Register in colorwork
may justly be called the fourth dimension in printing.


UNIVERSITY OF MICHIGAN
3 9015 01333 0728