Inking-up the roller

Every evening, when leaving off work, and occasionally at meal times, the pressmen smother their rollers in a thick layer of common ink, to preserve the face and keep them from getting hard: this is technically termed “inking-up the roller.” In winter time, as the weather has a tendency to harden the composition, some pressmen introduce a quantity of oil into the ink used for this purpose, as it imparts a suppleness to the face of the roller.