/ / 7 7 ,1 THE UNIVERSITY OF MISSOURI BULLETIN Volume 17 Number 7 JOURNALISM SERIES 14 MAKING THE PRINTED PICTURE A TREATISE ON PHOTO-ENGRAVING METHODS HERBERT W. SMITH Instructor in Illustrative Art, University of Missouri {Drawings by the Author) UNIVERSITY OF MISSOURI COLUMBIA, MISSOURI April, 1916 THE UNIVERSITY OF MISSOURI BULLETIN Volume 17 Number 7 JOURNALISM SERIES 14 MAKING THE PRINTED PICTURE A TREATISE ON PHOTO-ENGRAVING METHODS BY HERBERT VV. SMITH Instructor in Illustrative Art, University of Missouri {Drawings by the Author) UNIVERSITY OF MISSOURI COLUMBIA, MISSOURI April, 1916 ACKNOWLEDGMENT Deeming it unsafe to wander far from one’s own practical experience in a treatise of this nature, the writer has handled in the main only such problems as have arisen in making the Uni- versity Missourian an illustrated newspaper and in teaching the principles of photo-engraving and of illustrative art. Acknowledgment for reading proof and for resulting sug- gestions is due R. B. Teachenor, president of the Teachenor- Bartberger Engraving Company, Kansas City, Mo., and to Roger Cunningham, secretary of the same company. i\Iuch of the section on “Printing the Plate” is based on the thirty years’ experience of P. J. Seley, pressman, of Columbia, ^lo. Students in the School of Journalism and fellow members of the Journalism faculty, who have by suggestions and prac- tical work helped to enliven the Missourian’s columns with pic- tures, are also entitled to the thanks of the author. MAKING THE PRINTED PICTURE Few persons have had the opportunity of visiting a photo- engraving shop, compared with the number who have been able to see the workings of a printing establishment. This accounts to a great degree for the general lack of under- standing of engraving processes. Merchants and others who have had business relations with a printing plant have some idea of the appearance of printing plates or “cuts”* but have, in most cases, no conception of the differ- ence between the vari- ous kinds of engravings. The electrotype is; familiar to the retail merchant because this kind of plate is gener- ally supplied to him by the wholesale houses and manufacturers. Consequently he is ♦There formerly existed a confusion of usage regarding the word “cut.” At a conference of engravers from forty cities held in Chi- cago, November 11, 1911, a code of technical trade terms was adopted in the interest of standardization. Later these terms were ofiBcially approved by the International Association of Manufacturing Photo- Engravers. No. 5 of these terms declared the word “cut” to be obsolete, inapplicable to photo-engraving, and “engraving” or “plate” was recommended for use instead. The dictionaries, it is claimed, indorsed the word “cut” as a proper definition for “an engraved block” at a time when such blocks were always wood-engravings, which were in reality a product made by cutting with sharp-edged tools. The present photo-engraved plates are produced by etching processes and are not “cut” in their manufacture. — R. B. Teachenor. ( 3 ) Fig. 1 — Line copy. A pen drawing. 4 MAKING THE PRINTED PICTURE likely to designate every plate as an “electro/’ This misunder- standing has even extended in a few instances to the printer. It has resulted in the engraver’s being asked to make an electro directly from a drawing or photograph and to do other impossi- ble things. Lack of close observation has prevented some from know- ing that a halftone picture is made with dots, and that the dots are in straight rows that run across the picture at an oblique Fig. 2 — Line copy. A pen drawing with stipple shading. angle. If not for the acumen of the reader, this condition speaks well for the halftone process, for the less obvious the dots, the better is the illustration. Dots represent tones and have no par- ticular virtue in themselves — in fact, were some better means found for interpreting the original copy as cheaply and practicably as the halftone process, dots would not be used. The photo-engraver has awakened to his share of responsi- bility in educating the public. Until recent years he worked be- hind closed doors and endeavored to keep his processes secret. The volume of his business has grown so that he has found it necessary to prepare campaigns of education in the form of circu- lars, house-organs and posters, to enable the customer to meet him on the ground of mutual understanding. This literature in general is good, but is open to the criti- cism of being fragmentary and disconnected. An article giving a good description of the process of etching a halftone plate may leave its readers in the dark regarding the way in which the neg- ative is made. Books on photo-mechanical subjects have been written, mostly technical manuals, for the workers in the craft, but not suitable for the layman. INTRODUCTION 3 Although lack of knowledge and interest in the mechanical side of the work is pronounced, interest in the subject matter is correspondingly great, else illustrated publications would not have today. Through the pow- erful aid of pictures to the imagination of the reader, news is visualized. So great is the demand for il- lustrated news that most metropolitan papers main- tain staff photographers, who accompany reporters or go on special assign- ments for pictures. An art department to supplement and embellish the material thus gathered is often an adjunct. A photo-engrav- ing plant completes the ef- ficient daily. The country newspa- Fig. 3 — Line copy. per office is generally the A scraper-hoard drawing. clearing-house for the en- graving problems of the community. The editor in his ca- pacity of advertising director, publisher and job-printer is asked regarding prices of plates, how to prepare copy for the engraver, what screens to use, how to figure reductions, what reproduction methods will best serve different kinds of copy and what kinds of photographs will make the best halftone copy. It is reasonable to consider him the local authority in these matters ; his daily work brings him in contact with the engraver’s products. If not he, then who else in the community? Lack of knowledge of plate-making and its requirements upon the part of the engraver’s customer causes no end of trouble and loss to both engraver and customer. The letter accompany- ing the order is often burdened with indefinite instructions ; some- 6 MAKING THE PRINTED PICTURE times no instructions worthy of attention are given. It is to the credit of the engraving houses that, despite these drawbacks, efficient service is the rule. Condition of copy comes in for a share of the blame. Photo- graphs that are bedimmed with age or soiled, or that are flat and contrastless, or lacking in details, can scarcely be rectified in the engraving shop. Drawings that are yellow with age, bethumbed or made with other than jet black ink will undoubtedly give trouble. The fact that the engraver returns fair plates from this sort of copy is no proof that the customer is not losing in some way as a result of bad copy and unintelligent I ordering. The loss may ' be in time — that occasion when the engraver was compelled to write for a more complete statement of some point. In this case the loss is the customer’s. The loss may be in money — a detail of instruction omitted or an error in the copy that is not noticed until the proof is returned from the engraver. A,s a result the corrected plate may be returned too late for the press. Copy is sometimes misplaced or lost in the engraving shop because of the lack of identification inscrip- tion. Indifferent photographic work may require expensive re- touching in the engraving shop. These mistakes of carelessness or oversight cause financial loss to both engraver and customer. The organization of an engraving house is rather complicated. The work is highly specialized. The main departments are the business office, including superintendent, solicitors, clerks, steno- graphers ; the art department, wherein each worker is adept in only one line, such as lettering, retouching, etc. ; the engraving department, which is another department of specialists : operators, etchers, finishers and routers ; and the shipping department, wherein the finished product is prepared for shipment. Of course not every plant is so complicated, nor does it follow that the CnlvereStT- Missourian lllustrstes Itself. The University Missourian, the afternoon daily published and edited by students of the School of Journalism at the University of Missouri, is proud because it has put in. an up-to-date photo-engraving plant The paper now makes Its own cuts from phtitographs-. and the futore journalists who are sent |out on assignments are "called down” by the city ^editor unless they get picturvg to go with stories I When indicated. (N. B.— Here’rf a fine chance for ^he college boys to get their girls’ pictures In the ^paper.) Fig. 4 — Line copy. A clipping of type-matter. THE LINE ENGRAVING / largest houses make the best engravings. Good work and efficient service are to be found in the engraving business only by trial on the part of the customer. Because of the number of hands through which the copy passes in the engraving plant, it is necessary that plain instruc- tions and identification inscriptions be written on or attached to the copy. These will be considered later in this bulletin. THE LINE ENGRAVING A plate that reproduces black-and-white copy with no gray tones* is called a line plate. It is usually etched f on zinc. A line plate has these advantages for the printer : cheapness, and ready adaptibility to pa- per, ink and press. A line plate comes nearer to be- ing “fool-proof” in the hands of the printer than any other engraving. It re- quires no “make-ready” or/ special grade of ink or pa- p per. In fact, the cheaper and coarser grades of paper '' quite often yield the best re- sults. In electrotyping, since the depth of etch is greater in the zinc line plate, better im- pressions are obtained than from the comparatively shal- low-etched halftone. Fig. 5 — Line copy. A halftone reprint. *Tone is the relative amount of light reflected by an object. In this discussion, the object is a photo or drawing. In other words, tone is the amount of shadow and light in the various parts of a picture. Color is a quality apart from tone and is not treated here. tTo etoh is to obtain printing depth for the lines or dots on metal by corroding (or eating away) the metal with acid. 8 MAKING THE PRINTED PICTURE In these points the zinc line plate is inferior to the halftone: range in tones of copy to be reproduced and range in the varie- ties of copy. The copy that is to be reproduced by this process must have black lines or spaces on a white background or, re- versed, white lines and spaces on a black background. Under the heading of line-cut copy may be placed : (1) Pen drawings, Figs. 1 and 2; (2) pages of printed matter. Fig. 4; (3) Fig. 6 — Line copy. A crayon drawing. black crayon and soft pencil drawings. Fig. 6; (4) halftone reprints (providing the ink is not gray and the screen used in making the original engraving from which the print is taken was coarse). Fig. 5; (5) scraper-board. Fig. 3. At first sight it would appear that copy of the third class would violate the basic rule that only black-and-white copy may be reproduced by the line process. The drawing, however, is made on a rough stock of paper — a surface with depressions and elevations. The eleva- tions, or minute hills, catch the carbon from the pencil and form a cluster of dots of irregular shapes. Considering the black dot as the unit, the copy is resolved into black and white tones. It is the same in principle as the pen stipple drawing (Fig. 2), the shading of which is made of dots produced by the pen point. The dots are blended by the eye into tones. Again the dot is the unit of shading and fulfills the rule. The coarse screen halftone reprint (4) as copy for reproduction serves as the equivalent of the stipple drawing. Pages or clippings of printed matter are treated the same as original line drawings provided the printer’s ink is not grayed or the stock of paper other than white. Scraper- board drawings (5) are made on especially prepared chalk sur- faces, whose original patterns are parallel lines or stippled effects. A variety of tones are produced by scraping on the surface with THE LINE NEGATIVE 9 a knife blade, lightly for a gray tone and heavily for white. Dark tones can be laid on the surface with soft pencil or crayon. MAKING THE LINE NEGATIVE The old wet plate process, now obsolete in photography, is used for negative making in photo-engraving. It gives the ad- vantage of economy, as the glass can be used over and over, and also gives the maximum contrast of tones in the negative. A piece of clean glass is flowed on one side with an albumen solution and allowed to dry. In the sensi- tizing operation, the dried albumen causes the collodion to ad- here to all parts of the surface of the glass. The collodion in turn, becomes the foundation for silver nitrate, the sensitiz- ing agent. Collodion is a solution of ether, alcohol and guncot- ton, with certain chemicals added to in- crease its affinity for silver nitrate The lighting arrangement. .... . ’ , {Viewpoint, above.) collodiomzed glass, after being immersed for several minutes in the silver solu- tion, is sensitive to light. It is now carried from the dark room in a light-proof plate holder to the camera. Here the plate is ex- posed to light reflected back from the copy, which has been pre- viously tacked onto a vertical board in front of the lens and parallel to the plane of the sensitive plate. Wherever on the plate the strongest reflected light falls, the densest opacity of tone will be built. 10 MAKING THE PRINTED PICTURE In Other words, on the copy A (Fig. 7) are certain black lines and spaces on a background of white paper. Two arc lamps, X and Y, in front of and on each side of the copy send forth rays of light which fall on the copy. The white background of the copy absorbs very little light but reflects most of it back through the lens Z, which focuses the rays and brings them into a perfect image on the plate B. The size of the image depends upon the distance between the copy and the lens. Thus when a great reduction of the copy is desired, the copyboard is removed farther from the lens. The size of the image is measured upon the ground glass before the sensitive plate is brought from the dark room. Now with the exposure of the plate under way, the dense portions of the image are being built by the action of the strong light reflected from the white background of the copy. Since the black lines and spaces on the copy reflect no light, the silvered collodion on the sensitive plate in corresponding parts is unaffected by the light and hence will become transparent in the later devel- oping and fixing operations. The parts corresponding to the white paper of the copy will be black and absolutely opaque in the completed negative plate. Thus the tones of the original copy are reversed, giving rise to the term “negative,” which is applied to the glass plate. Observe that the word “glass” is used here with “plate” to prevent confusion with the metal plate in its final stage, which is also termed “plate”, “printing- plate” or “engraving.” After the negative is finished and dried, it is “stripped.” That is, the collodion film on the glass is treated with certain coatings which enable it to be peeled from the glass plate as a thin membrane and laid on another clean piece of glass, after being turned over. This is for the sake of a reversed image to make the final print from the finished engraving the same as the original copy. Figures 8 and 9 represent the evolutions of the image with respect to position (right to left) and tone (positive and negative). Fig. 8 is the original copy — black lines and spaces drawn on a background of white paper. Fig. 9, No. 1, is the photographic THE LINE PLATE 11 image obtained on glass by the wet plate process — reversed in both position and tone. In 2, the film has been stripped and re- versed (in position only — the tones are the same as in 1). In 3, the image has been transferred to a piece of B jK'^^^izinc by a photographic process. The metal has been etched, mounted and is now a com- pleted engraving. The image in 3 has been — ^ changed into a reversed positive print. By 4 is represented the final appearance — a repro- duction of the original copy, printed in ink on paper. There is some danger that the film will tear or become distorted in stripping. This would be especially detrimental in certain kinds of color work or in reproduction of mechanical drawings, in which extreme accuracy is de- manded. To obviate stripping, a prism is sometimes interposed between the copy and the lens, which automatically reverses the image. The stripped negative is used as a light filter in transferring the image to the metal. A piece of polished sheet zinc is sensi- tized with a bichromate fish glue solution. The film side of the negative is placed directly against the sensitized side of the metal Fig. 8 — The copy. The negative gj iunstripped) . The negative (stripped). The engraving. The final print. Fig. 9 — Evolution of the image with respect to tone and position {right to left). 12 MAKING THE PRINTED PICTURE and then exposed in a printing frame to strong light. The black, opaque part of the film acts as a barrier to the rays of light, con- sequently the soluble sensitizing coat of the metal directly behind this curtain is unaffected ; i. e., remains soluble. The transparent lines and spaces of the negative, corresponding to the black parts of the original copy, allow free passage of the rays of light to the sensitive coating of the metal. This is rendered insoluble. After this printing process has been completed, the metal is removed from contact with the negative plate and is given a thin coating of etching ink on the exposed side. The zinc plate is dropped into a basin of water, which instantly dissolves the /) parts of the sensitive coating beneath the ink that were not affected by the light. The ink also “lifts” from the plate in these parts, leaving the metal bare. The insoluble parts of the coating remain on the Fig. 10 — Powdering the line plate (show- o m . e ing cross-section of zinc line etching), A zinc plate is then dri- represents dragon's Wood embanked against ed and dusted with a ■edges of lines {B). resinous powder which, when heated slightly, amalgamates with the ink to serve as an acid-proof covering for those parts of the metal. The back of the plate is coated with asphaltum varnish. A weakened bath of nitric acid is now given the plate in a rocking tub. When a slight depth of etch has been obtained — that is, when the unprotected surface of the metal has been eaten down slightly — the plate is dried and treated with a powdering of dragon’s blood, a red, resinous powder. The powder is brushed lightly across the surface in four different directions. After brushing in each direction the plate is heated slightly to melt the powder. The object of the powdering is to protect the edges of the slightly raised lines from undercutting by the acid. The brushing embanks a small amount of powder against the edge of the line. The heat melts it and resolves it into an acid-proof- coating. The brushing is so conducted as to keep the open parts of the metal free from powder. THE HALFTONE 13 When the raised parts of the metal are thus freed from the danger of being undereaten by the acid, the plate is returned to the etching bath and given another “bite” in the acid. After a greater depth is reached and fresh surface of the edge of the lines is exposed, the plate is dried and repowdered in four direc- tions as before. A third bite in the acid is now given. Usually three bites in the etching tub are sufficient to give ample print- ing depth to the raised lines. Sometimes more are given. The larger open spaces on the metal plate are “routed,” or deeply cut out with a high-powered drill. This gives additional freedom from the possible clogging of printer’s ink in the press. The metal is nailed to a wooden block of such a thickness as to make the mounted engraving type-high. The edges are planed to bring the plate within the limits of the column rules. The use ot a type-high planing machine is sometimes necessary if the wooden backing has absorbed moisture and has swelled. Since wood is very susceptible to atmospheric changes it often needs such attention, no matter how carefully the engraving has been made. THE HALFTONE The halftone process is especially adapted to the reproduc- tion of copy with middle tones — gray tones ranging between white and black. The purpose of the engraving is to secure a distribu- tion of ink in the final print by means of dots of different size whose massed effect is tones.* *The three kinds of printing surfaces are intaglio, plane and relief. An intaglio engraving is one with sunken lines or spaces into which ink is rubbed; in the press-work the ink is lifted out by the paper. The original smooth surface of the plate yields no im- pression, since the ink is scraped off before the paper is brought into contact with the plate. Examples of this process are the etch- ings of such artists as Whistler, Pennell and Meryon, and the rotary photogravure process now coming into use as a method for news- paper pictorial sections. Intaglio plates can be printed only on special presses, entirely different in construction from the ordinary printing press. On a planographic printing surface the lines of the design are neither raised nor sunken, but are on the same plane with the surface of the plate. The best example of this method is the litho- graphic process, requiring presses especially constructed, entirely dif- ferent from the type presses. The intaglio and planographic methods are capable of more re- fined gradation of tones than the relief method, as represented by the halftone, but are far more limited in application, owing to the fact that printing facilities different from the usual are required. 14 MAKING THE PRINTED PICTURE ' The dot is the unit of tone in the halftone process. A single dot as shown in 1, Fig. 11, is black; a field of similar dots in 2 gives the appearance of a gray tone. In this case the eye blends the black tone of the dots with the white background of paper, and receives the impression of a gray tone. Larger black dots, placed closer tog ether, yield a tone of darker gray, as in 3. When the dots are so increased in size as to join, as in 4, and present a field of black, lightened by small white openings, the effect is a very dark gray tone, nearly black. The problems of the halftone plate-maker in reproducing copy of several tones — for example a photograph — is to interpret the continuous and blended tones of the original by black dots of varying size. Necessarily some details of the original are sacrificed in this interpretation. The larger the scale of the dots, the greater is the loss of detail, and likewise the greater is the contrast of tones. The screen is the new element introduced into negative mak- ing in the halftone process. It is a light filter used immediately in front of the plate of sensitive glass, to resolve the action of the light on the plate into a pattern of dots. The screen consists of two pieces of glass glued together and bound on the edges with an aluminum frame. Each piece of glass has on the inner sur- face a set of black parallel lines, either engraved (etched into «®oV®V • ® • © © # • © © © © © © 3 V© ©• e • • • • • • • • • • • # • • 0 • • • • ® • • # • • • • o • # • • ^ • • • Fig. 11 — How dots produce tones. THE HALFTONE SCREEN 15 the surface) or photographed. These are represented in Fig. 12, 1 and 2. The lines are ruled at an angle of 45 degrees to the edges of the glass and so arranged on the two pieces as to cross, at right angles on the screen (Fig. 12. No. 3). It is easily seen in 3 that the pattern of the screen con- sists of a great number of small squares. The denomination of a screen is determined by the number of lines to the inch on each 1 . 2 . 3. Fig. 12 — The halftone screen. (Spacing of Ivies is exaggerated.) part of the screen. The directions in wdiich the lines are counted are represented by the arrow AB in Fig. 12, Numbers 1 and 2. In a 100-line screen, the denomination used for the University Missourian’s halftone plates, there are 100 x 100, or 10,000, squares in a square inch of surface. As each square of the screen is productive of a dot in the engraving, there are 10,000 dots in each square inch of the printed picture.* *“When you realize that the whole scheme of halftone process is built around the halftone dot, of which there may be as many as 40,000 in a square inch, you can begin to appreciate the troubles of the halftone operator. . . . Keeping the dot intact is as essential to a good halftone as keeping the explosions of your auto-engine coming at regular intervals. When you missed one explosion, you knew there was likely to be trouble.” — A. W. Morley, Jr., vice-president Electro-Light Engraving Company, in address before the T. P. A. 16 MAKING THE PRINTED PICTURE HINTS ON SCREEN RULINGS* GENERAL — Coarse screens give most contrast; fine screens most de- tail. CHOICE OF SCREENS FOR DIFFERENT CLASSES OF WORK— Lines per inch. For large poster work 50 55 For rotary newspaper printing from stereo 55 60 65 For fiat-bed quick newspaper printing 75 85 100 For photo-litho transfers 110 120 For commercial, book and periodical printing 125 133 For magazine and fine book printing 140 150 For fine catalogue engravings 150 175 For microscopic reproduction and fine detail 200 250 For photogravure, heliogravure, intaglio plates and finest letterpress 300 400 Table compiled by William Gamble, F. R. P. S., published by A. W. Penrose d- Co., Ltd., London. ^lAKING THE HALFTONE The copy is placed on the upright copyboard of the camera and brought to the right size and focus as in the case of the line copy. The plate is sensitized the same way as the line plate. Considerable manipulation of camera appliances is necessary in halftone work. Only one exposure and one “stop” in the lens are used in line negative making; for a halftone plate two or three exposures and as many stops may be used. For those unacquainted with camera terms, it may be explained that an “ex- posure” is a time interval during which light is admitted through the lens to the sensitive plate. A “stop” is a diaphragm that regulates the amount of light that passes through the lens. It also gives shape to the dots that are built on the sensitive plate during successive exposures. If the copy is well balanced in tones, there will be in it a large proportion of middle tones, with a small amount of deep shadows and high-lights. Such pictures give little or no trouble ♦Under the heading “Hints on Screen Rulings” there is given a list of screens that is apt to cause trouble to both buyer and en- graver. In England there may be occasional uses for the many odd and especially fine rulings. In America there is rarely need for a screen coarser than 60 line and finer than 150 line. Therefore, the usual engraving concern is ordinarily equipped with screens as fol- lows: 60, 65, 85, 100, 120, 133, 150 and possibly 175. (Anything finer than 150 line costs 25 per cent extra.) — R. B. Teachenor. SCREEN DENOMINATIONS 17 100-line screen halftone. loO-line screen halftone. So-line screen halftone. 120-line screen halftone. (jO-linc screen halftone. Metzograph screen, No. 1 WALT MASON IN SIX ^‘REELS^' 2 18 MAKING THE PRINTED PICTURE 2 . Halftone {60-line screen). to the lialftone operator. When gray tones prevail throughout and shadows are lacking, measures for increasing the contrast of tones may be neces- 1. Line plate. sary. If dark tones are prevalent they must be lightened in the final re- production. The half- tone process always makes for decreased contrast. For instance, a pen drawing with black letters on a background of white paper, al- though legitimately line copy, may be reproduc- ed by the halftone pro- cess. The results are shown in the accompany- ing illustration. Fig. 13, No. 1, is the line repro- duction ; No. 2, the half- tone. In No. 2 the back- ground is a field of uni- form small black dots. Fig. n-TKe same copy ung^er Uoo impression to ferent treatments. the eye of a light gray tone. The face of the black letters is lightened by small white openings. From 1 to 2 there is a great diminution of contrast. When the copy has black shadows a very small circular stop is used during the first exposure. A piece of white paper is pinned over the copy. White absorbs little light but reflects the most; the black shadows of the copy absorb nearly all of the rays of light and reflect few. The relative size of the dots that will be built on the sensitive plate during the triple exposure depends upon two factors : the diameter of the stop in the lens and the relative amount of light reflected back from the different parts of the copy. Consequently a black shadow in the original HALFTONE DOTS 19 t : Fig. 27 — Specimen copy for line plate with directions for engraver. II. Line engravings. Leave sufficient margin around drawing. If copy is a page of printed matter, or clippings, mount it on white cardboard. Touch with black (india) ink any gray spots on letters. Mark on lower margin: (a) Desired width of engraving in inches. (Indicate outer- most points with horizontal arrows). (b) Whether special work is desired (mortising, etc.). (c) Name and address of sender (may be written on back of copy). (d) Time for return of plate. In ordering plates it is well to enclose in a separate envelope a general statement covering work desired, especially if there should be anything in doubt, which may be left to tbe judgment of the engraver. EXPLANATION OF TERMS Halftone, square plate — A halftone in which the outside edges are rectangular and parallel ; may be with or without single black border. TRADE TERMS DEFINED 41 Halftone, outlined — A halftone with the background outside of the object entirely cut away, leaving a definite edge without shading or vignetting. Halftone, vignetted — A halftone in which one or more of the edges of the object are shaded from dark tones to pure white. Halftone, outlined and vignetted — A halftone in which part of the background is cut away and part vignetted. Halftone, oval — one whose outer edges form an oval. Retouching — brush work done by an artist on original photo copy. Mortise — to cut out portions of a plate for insertion of type in the block. Tooling-out — hand-chiseling on plate to lighten the tone or to produce a white space. Special border design — any decorative surrounding of a picture other than straight lines- OTHER TRADE TERMS Direct halftone — A halftone to produce which the screen neg- ative is made by direct exposure of the article itself, and not from photograph or drawing. High-light halftone — A halftone plate in which the elimina- tion of the dots in the high-lights is accomplished by a photo- chemical process instead of by cutting them out with a tool. News-tone — A name sometimes given to a coarse-screen half- tone, always etched on zinc and used mostly for newspaper work. Also known as “quarter-tone.” Duograph — Two halftone plates made from one copy and usually printed in black and one tint, or two shades of the same color, the two plates made with dift'erent screen angles. Duotype — Two halftone plates made from one copv, both from the same negative and etched differently. Two-color halftone — Two halftone plates, either (or both) an etched plate containing parts or all of the design, to be printed in two contrasting colors. . . . , ^ * Three or more color halftones — Same as definition of two- color halftone, using three or more etched halftone plates. 42 MAKING THE PRINTED PICTURE Three-color process plates — Printing plates produced from colored copy or objects to reproduce the picture or object in its original colors by a photo-chemical separation of the primary colors, and etched halftone plates to reproduce each separate color, usually printed in yellow, red and blue. An approximate result may be obtained from one-color copy by using the skill of the workmen in securing the color values on the etched plates. Four-color process plates — Same as the three-color process, with the addition of a gray or black plate. Combination plates, black only — Plates made by the use of a key plate and color plates, either halftone or line, to be printed in two or more colors. Ben Day plates — Plates made by laying shaded tints on cop- per or zinc and etching them to produce colors or combination of colors when printed. Deep etching — Additional etching made necessary to secure proper printing depth where this cannot be accomplished by rout- ing, and usually caused by the use of dense black lines, or line negatives and halftone negatives being combined in one plate. Positive etching — A plate from which the blacks of the origi- nal copy will print white and the whites will print black. Embossing plate — A plate cut or etched below its surface for the purpose of raising the image of the printed surface. Stamping die — A relief plate engraved on brass or zinc for stamping book covers or similar surfaces. ENGRAVINGS USED IN UNIVERSITY MISSOURIAN Besides original halftones and line etchings, electrotypes, stereotypes and occasionally wood-engravings are used in the Missourian. Electrotypes, or electros, are duplicates of orginal line and halftone engravings. A wax impression of the original plate or type is placed in an electrolysis bath, where it receives a deposit of copper. This thin facing of copper is then backed up with lead and mounted on wood to form a printing plate. The process offers the advantage of cheapness, being one-third to one-half the cost of the original plate, and convenience to the advertiser. A whole advertisement, including type and illustrative engraving ELECTROS AND STEREOTYPES 43 can be duplicated in one plate by electrotyping. The process offers a distinct advantage to an advertiser who wishes to run the same ad simultaneously in several publications. A.dvertisers who order signature engravings and other plates that are to he repeatedly used in the press, should he advised to in- wn CELCR5 a 4 - ReuiMVjt. ti 2. " Claud Wheeler ^ ^ cu^JL X Fig. 28 — Specimen copy for an order for electros. elude an order for electros with the original order. After thousands of impressions are made from a plate, it begins to show signs of wear by blotting or yielding indistinct lines. For every desired size of electro an original engraving must be ordered, in- asmuch as the electros are made from the original engraving and not directly from the coi)y. Most engraving houses have electro- typing departments or are able otherwise to handle the work for the customer. Stereotypes may be used in any weekly or daily paper. There are several points to be remembered by the advertiser who furnishes this kind of plate to a medium. If the publica- tion is printed on the perfecting press using curved stereotype plates, he may send the matrix. Casting may be done in the print- ing plant. If a flat-bed press is used and no stereotyping equip- ment exists in the plant, he should send the plate already cast and mounted. 44 MAKING THE PRINTED PICTURE Stereotyping as a method for duplicating plates and type mat- ter is not so satisfactory as electrotyping, for a more porous, baser metal is used in casting stereotypes than is used in the printing surface of the electro. This sometimes causes the loss of details in a picture. Wood cuts, the first method used in printing pictures, sur- vive mainly in catalogue illustrations, although they are occa- sionally used in newspaper ad illustrations. A commercial wood cut print may be distinguished by the fine mechanical parallel lines of shading. For newspaper use, electros are generally made from the wood cut, to avoid the tendency of the original to split, warp and wear out quickly. ENGRAVING CHARGES More specific information on this subject is offered in the advertising and educational literature prepared by various en- graving houses than can be given in a treatise of this nature. A few general points that are applicable to the methods of de- termining charges may be treated. A fixed charge is made on a halftone or line engraving below a certain number of square inches in area, no matter how small may be the plate. A plate coming under this rating is called a “minimum.” Beyond the minimum size, a scale rate is charged up to a size containing 30 square inches, beyond which a square inch rate is charged. Extra work, such as mortising, applying Ben Day mechanical tints, special finishing on halftones, retouching on photographs, etc., is charged on the basis of the time of the skilled employee. Care in preparing copy may result in a saving to the user of engravings. Avoid sprawling a drawing over a large area in which much white space appears. ]\Iake the drawing compact. It may be possible then to order the engraving made smaller and save charges, if it is beyond the minimum in size. The size of the drawing, otherwise, has nothing to do with the plate charges, ex- cept in the case of copy of unusual size or character which may give extra trouble to the plate-maker. THE STANDARD SCALE 45 In a series of drawings or photos, if possible, make the copy of such relative proportions as to allow the same scale of reduc- tion for each. Try to avoid having one twice the final size, another three times, etc. Make all twice or three times the re- duction size, as the case may demand. The engraver may repro- duce several pieces of copy on one negative when they are of similar character and are on the same reduction scale. This helps him to keep down expense and to add to his service. In figuring the area of a plate, preliminary to fixing charges, the engraver multiplies the greatest width by the greatest height (block measure). An L-shaped plate (one with a corner mortised out) would cost even more than if the block were left whole, because of the extra work of mortising. The manufacturing photo-engravers are getting out of the rut in which the printing industry has been mired for years — fix- ing charges that have no relation to the cost of production. Through their organization, the International Association of Manufacturing Photo-Engravers, much has been done in the way of standardization of trade terms, trade methods and trade charges. The standard scale of prices adopted by this body during the past year supersedes the old incorrect square inch method, which after years of cost-findings was found to have no relation to cost of production — thus being unfair to producer and con- sumer. Under the old method many of the small sizes of plates sold below cost, and the profit of larger sizes was absorbed in the loss, thus making it nearly impossible to secure a just and fair average profit. The new scale is based upon exact cost knowl- edge, and is claimed to be a scientific, correct and satisfactory gauge of values. The impelling cause for this adjustment and moderate increase of prices has been the enormous increase in the metal and chemical markets caused by the war, and following upon a steady increase in labor and general expense. The scale is a basis of values intended to be net, but, owing to fluctuations of costs, may have a percentage added or subtracted to secure market prices. It is a much simpler way to ascertain prices than by the old method of computation. The two following pages reproduce this standard scale : standard Scale of Prices For Halftones and STANDARD SCALE OF PRICES Zinc Etchings IN EFFECT JANUARY 1, 1916. THIS SCALE SUPERSEDES ALL PREVIOUS SCALES ENGRAVINGS Time ZUkluw Hnir- tones S«Mr« Inches 1X0 3 2.C0 1X5 « 2.10 1.10 7 2.20 1.15 2.30 1X0 « 2.40 1X5 lO 2.50 1X0 11 2.60 1.35 12 2.70 140 13 2.80 1.46 14 2.90 1X0 13 XCO 1X5 16 3.10 1.60 17 3X0 1X5 18 3.30 1.70 19 3.40 1.75 20 3.50 1X0 21 3.60 1.85 22 3.70 1.90 ^3 3.80 1.95 24 3X0 2X0 23 4.00 2X5 26 4.10 2.10 27 4X0 2.15 28 4X0 2X0 29 4X0> 2X5 do 4.50 2X3 31 4.65 240 32 4.80 2.48 83 4.95 2.55 34 5.10 2.63 33 5X5 2.70 36 5.40 2.78 37 A.55 2.85 38 5.70 2.93 89 5X5 3.00 40 >6X0 3X6 41 6.15 3.15 42 6X0 3X3 43 6X5 3X0 44 6.60 3X8 45 6.75 345 46 6.90 3X3 47 7X5 3X0 48 7X0 3.68 49 7X5 3.75 50 7.50 3X3 31 7.65 3X0 32 7X0 3.88 58 7.95 4X6 34 8.10 4.1^ 53 8.25 4X0 56 8.40 4X8 37 8X5 4X5 38 8.70 443 50 8X5 4X0 60 9.00 4X8 61 9.15 4X6 62 9X0 4.73 68 945 4.80 64 9X0 4X8 63 9.75 4X6 63 9.90 6X3 67 10X9 6.10 68 10X0 6.18 69 10X5 6X6 70 10X0 0««r 70 •«. 4 b. 7H ct*. 1 5 ct>. For plates less than 30 square inches the basis of charges is: for HALFTONES (square finished), a fixed charge of $1.50, plus 10 cents for each square inch of size; and for ZINC ETCHINGS, a Fixed charge of 75 cents, plus 5 cents for each square inch of size. For plates over 30 square nches the basis of charges is: for HALFTONES, 15 cents per square inch, and for ZINC ETCHINGS, 7M cents per square inch. On long narrow plates, figure the width as one- fourth the length. (This is necessary because of waste on large negatives.) All plates charged at block measure (not print- ing face). In estimating the size of halftones, add one-fourth inch to the length and width for bevel. Unmounted plates same price as blocked. Plates made from copy requiring a reduction to less than one-sixth its length or width, double Scale price. 1. HALFTONES — Prices are based upon repro- ductions made direct from photographs or wash-drawings furnished (without alterations or extra work on copy or plate), square finish, mounted on wood, block measure. Metal base, 50% extra. 2. Halftones from paintings, or direct from the object, charged extra, according to the extra time involved. (Where colored copy requires a separation negative in order to produce a suitable halftone, an additional charge is made on the basis of an isochromatic negative and print. Minimum, $1.50.) 3. Retouching, altering or impro\’ing copies and grouping photographs, charged as time work. 4. Vignetted or Outlined halftones charged extra as time work — minimum 33J^% extra. (Half- tones from which all waste metal can be removed with a beveler only, are to be considered “Square” plates. All others are considered as “Outline” or “Vignette” plates.) 5. Hand tooling, inside cutouts, re-etching and burnishing charged extra as time work. Net. 6. Halftones finer than 150 line, 25% extra. 7. Duplicate halftones, square finish, ordered at same time as originals, 15% less. 8. Extra negatives for halftone groups, one-half Scale price. (Where extra negatives are made and inserted into a group or combination, they should be figured at one-half the Scale, based on the size of the negative after they are in- serted.) 9. Inserting negatives and double-printing charged extra as time work. Net. 10. Duotypes, square finish, two plates made from same negative, each plate 50% extra. (Proofing extra.) 11. Duographs, square finish, each plate made from a separate negative, each plate double Scale price, minimum charge $10.00. Minimum size 10 square inches. 12. Two-color halftones, square finish, requiring color separation negatives, each plate three times Scale price, minimum charge $20.00. Minimum size 18 square inches. 13. Three-Color-Process halftones, square finish, each plate three times Scale price, minimum charge $40.00. Minimum size 29 square inches. 14. Four-Color-Process halftones, square finish, each plate three times Scale price, minimum charge $50.00. Minimum size 27 square inches. To compute the prices of Color Process Plates rapidly, take the Halftone figures that correspond to the size of the job you are estimating: For Two-Color Halftone, square finish, multiply Halftone figures on Scale by 6; Outline or Vignette, multiply by 6^. For Three-Color-Process Plates, square finish, multiply Half- tone figures on Scale by 9; Outline or Vignette, multiply by 10. For Four-Color-Process Plates, square finish, multiply Halftone figures on Scale by 12; Outline or Vignette, multiply by 133^. The charge for Outlining and Vignetting of Color Process Plates is computed exactly as the charge for the same work on black and white halftones, viz: 333^% on figures on Scale for each plate. 15. Anchoring halftones on block, 25c for first anchor, 10c for each additional anchor in same block. Net. 16. Line etchings on copper and combination line and halftone etching, double Scale price for halftones. Negatives and insert- ing charged extra. 17. Zinc halftones, 85 line screen or coarser, 25% less than copper halftones. 18. ZINC ETCHINGS — Prices are based upon reproductions from black and white line-drawings or prints furnished (without alterations to copy or plate), mounted on wood. Mount- ing on solid metal: 75% of zinc scale extra. Minimum charge 40 cents, net. 19. Reproductions from lithograph or steel plate copy, script, pen- manship, shorthand, scientific or other difficult copy, charged 50% extra. 20. Extra line negatives, one-half Scale price. 21. Inserting negatives and double printing charged extra as time work. Net. 22. Etchings of tint plates to register, each plate 50% extra. 23. Laying tints and painting-in color plates charged as time work. Net. 24. All color plates to be charged at the same price as for the largest plate of the set. 25. Reverse etchings, black to white, or white to black, mounted on wood, 50% extra. Reverse etchings on metal for embossing, 2 34 times Scale price. Hand tooling extra. Net. 26. Extra proofs and proofs in colors, charged as time work. Net. 27. Mortising on wood, outside 10c, inside 15c; on metal, outside, 15c; inside 25c. Irregular mortises 5c per corner. Net. Supplementary Explanatory Notes High-Light Halftones — Four times halftone figures on scale. All original engravings by any process are invariably mounted on wood. Plates are never mounted upon metal base unless specifically ordered that way, and for which extra charge is always made. Article 7. When duplicate outlined or vignetted halftones are ordered, the 15% discount applies only on the basis of a square finished plate. It does not apply to the 3334% charge for outlining and vignetting. Example: One duplicate halftone, 5x8 in $6.00 Discount, 15% 90 $5.10 Outlining, plus 3334% of Scale price 2.00 $7.10 Finishing halftones in oval or circular forms costs extra as follows: 2x3 inches or smaller, 25 cents each; 3x4, 35 cents each; 4x5, 50 cents each; larger sizes in proportion. Mounting on Wood: 20% of zinc etching figures on scale. Mini- mum charge, 25 cents, net. Unusual service, or work required in less than four hours’ working time, usually charged double. Art Work — Sketches, drawings, retouching, grouping photographs or alterations to copy, charged on basis of time of artist. No sketches submitted on a competitive basis unless paid for by the customer. Line Etchings on Zinc heavier than 16-gauge, and up to 11 points thickness — Double zinc etching figures. Minimum, $3.00. To ascertain the size of a plate to be made from a larger copy, multiply the short dimension of the copy by the long dimension^ of the plate to be made, and divide that sum by the long dimension of the copy. Example: Copy is 9x12 inches, plate is to be 7 inches long — ^9X7=63-7-12=534. Answer; Plate will bo 534x7 inches. - 48 MAKING THE PRINTED PICTURE HINTS FOR USERS OF ENGRAVINGS A halftone electrotype is successful for screen denominations up to 150 lines. It is never quite the equal of an original. The limit of screen fineness in a halftone that is to be stereo- typed is 100 lines. A zinc halftone should yield at least 100,000 impressions before deteriorating. A halftone that is to be used continuously, in a standing ad, for example, should be made in copper if finer than 85 lines. Give the engraver as much time as you can possibly allow. If you would have him do his best work, don’t rush him. An electrotype may usually be distinguished from an original copper or zinc plate by the greater thickness of its metal face. It is well to remember that engravings are no longer priced on any square-inch rate ; that in estimating for halftone price, one-fourth inch is added to length and width of printing sur- face for bevel ; also, that long, narrow plates of any kind are charged as if the width were one-quarter the length. THE UNIVERSITY OF MISSOURI BULLETIN JOURNALISM SERIES / Issued" Four Times a Year Edited by CHARLES G. ROSS Associate Professor of Journalism * 1. Missouri Laws Affecting Newspapers, by Walter Williams, Dean of the School of Journalism. (Out of print.) 2. Journalism Week in Print: From Speeches by Newspaper Makers and Advertising Men at the University, May 6 to 10^ 1912. (Out of print. ) 3. Retail Advertising and the Newspaper, by Joseph E. Chasnoff. (Out of print.) 4. The News in the County Paper, by Charles G. Ross, associate professor of journalism. (Out of print.) 6. Journalism Week, 1913. (Out of print.) 6. Building a Circulation: Methods and Ideals for Small-Town News- papers, by J. B. Powell, instructor in advertising. 7. The Editorial Page, by Robert S. Mann, assistant in journalism. 8. Journalism Week, 1914. (Out of print.) 9. The World’s Journalism, by Walter Williams, Dean of the School of Journalism. 10. Newspaper Efficiency in the Small Town, by J. B. Powell, instructor in advertising. 11. Journalism Week, 1916. 12. Deskbook of the School of Journalism, edited by Charles G. Ross, associate professor of journalism. 13. The Journalist’s Library: Books for Reference and Reading, by Charles E. Kane, assistant in journalism. 14. Making the Printed Picture: A Treatise on Photo-Engraving Methods, by Herbert W. Smith, instructor in illustrative art. The University of Missouri Bulletin — issued three times monthly; entered as second-class matter at the postoffiee at Columbia, Missouri. 2,600 UNIVERSITY OF ILLINOIS-URB 3 0112 107834472