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A sheet ready to go through the Western
proof press
The type being
printed is on the horizontal bed in front of the rollers. Tonge's Travels
was printed 'four-to-view', ie four pages at a time. Each page was a double
column.
Once all the sheets had been run through the press for one set
of four pages, it would take up to three hours to transfer all the type to
galleys, transfer the type for the next four pages from galleys to the press
bed, and then to get them printing well. All the running heads had to be
inserted and removed separately, and blocks for the calligraphy worked in
amongst the type as well. Keeping alignment with the designed page layout was
one of the hardest things, and this is of course particularly important when
'backing up' a sheet: the lines of type on the front and back of a sheet should
overlap perfectly to give an even look to the final page. On an average day,
the sheets for one set of pages would go through the press; on a long and hard
day it would be two sets. Note the mitten to prevent blisters on a long run! |
