Making-ready a forme

Preparing it for printing—one of the most important of the pressman’s duties. We shall first describe the best method for making-ready on the machine, and then on the press. Our information on the first head is founded chiefly on materials by Messrs. R. Hoe & Co. We believe that no English Manual has hitherto treated of this subject, which, indeed, is apparently regarded as one of the “mysteries” of the art.

Make clean the bed of the machine and the impression segment of the cylinder. Adjust the bearers a trifle above ordinary type-height. See that the impression screws have an even bearing on the journals, and that the cylinder fairly meets the bearers. Select a suitable tympan or impression surface. This tympan may be india-rubber cloth, a thick woolen lapping cloth or blanket, several sheets of thick, calendered printing paper, or one or more smooth and hard press boards. Each of these substances has merits not to be found in any other. Upon the proper selection of the tympan the machine work in a great measure depends, and care should be taken in making the choice.—See Tympans.

Whatever be the material selected, it must be stretched very tightly over the cylinder. All labour in overlaying is but thrown away if this be not carefully attended to. A rubber or woollen blanket can be secured at one end of the blanket by small hooks projecting inward, and laced tightly with sadlers’ thread at the other end; or, by sewing on that end of the blanket a piece of canvass, it may be wound tightly around the reel and kept secure by the pawl and ratchet. Paper and press-boards require a different process. Take a piece of Nonpareil cherry reglet of the full length of the cylinder, Trim down the paper or press-board to the width of the bed between the bearers, but leave it a little longer than the impression segment of the cylinder. Then crease the press-board at a uniform distance of half an inch from the narrower end, and lay this creased part on the flat edge of the impression segment of the cylinders under the grippers. Put the reglet over this and bring down the clamps firmly on the reglet so as to bind all securely. When this is done, a thin web of muslin may be stretched over the whole in the same way in which a blanket is laid on, and rolled up tightly, which will prevent any slipping of the board or of the overlays that may be pasted on it.

The regulation of the margin is the next process. Although type can be printed from any quarter of the bed, it will be found most convenient to lay all formes close to the back part of the bed, and midway between the bearers. This will secure a good impression, give a fair average margin to every forme, and allow the full use of the bed for a large forme, without resetting the cylinder. The bed and cylinder travel together, and the grippers, which bring down the sheet to the forme, should barely lap over the back part of the bed. So long as the toothed cylinder-wheel, and the short toothed rack on the side of the bed remain undisturbed, the grippers will always pass over the bed in exactly the same place. When the grippers are in this position, slightly lapping over the side of the bed, measure the distance between the back edge of the bed and the point of one of the nearest grippers, and with a piece of the reglet cut a gauge exactly corresponding to this measurement. Let no forme be laid upon the machine until the space between the type and the edge of the chase tallies with the gauge. This will prevent the grippers from closing on the forme and crushing it. If the chase will not admit of so wide a margin, or if an extra margin is wanted on the sheet, put a piece of furniture of the extra width behind the chase. The margin can thus be increased of diminished at pleasure.

A book forme may be locked up on a chase so large and with the type so far from the frame that the grippers will bring down the sheet in such a position that it will be printed with the margin all on one side. To remedy this, the cylinder must be re-set. Proceed thus: remove the screw and washer at the end of the cylinder-shaft, and draw the intermediate wheel out of gear; loosen screws in the gauge rack; then turn the cylinder to the point required, connect the intermediate wheel, adjust the gauge rack, and screw up tight.

The machine having been adjusted, next examine the forme to be printed. Not only see that it has been gauged correctly, but also that it is not locked up too tightly, that chase, quoins, letter, and furniture are all level and lie flat upon the bed. If the forme springs, the quoins must be slackened; if this loosens the type too much the justification should be amended. Make clean the type by rubbing it over with a dry brush. The rollers are often made foul and the colour of the ink changed by dust and particles of dirt clinging to the type.

Fasten the forme so securely on the bed that it will not be moved by the action of the cylinder or the rollers. Take a proof on its own paper, using very little ink. Adjust the drop guides so as to bring the sheet exactly in the right position. Push out the iron tongues at the edge of the feed-board at equal distances from each other, so that they will sustain the paper evenly. Slide the drop guides along the rod, until they fall squarely over the tongues. Set the side guide so that it will give a true margin in length to the sheet to be printed. Adjust the grippers so that they will seize the sheet at proper intervals, making the margin exactly even by lengthening or short the chop guides. Then take a clean, on its own paper, exactly in the right position, before making-ready, and show it to the reader. It often happens that an error in the margin, or an imperfection in the register is thus noticed, and its timely discovery and correction before overlaying will save much time and trouble. A readable proof may be taken before overlaying by running through; a sheet or two of thick proof paper. Make register, if it is a book forme, before overlaying.

When everything has been found correct, then proceed to regulate the impression. If the type is fair the proof should show a decently uniform impression. But if the tonne is large, or if it contains old and new, or large and small type, then the proof will show an uneven impression. To rectify this inequality, three expedients are in use:—

1. Lowering the bearers and putting on more impression. Tin very poor way, for it wears down new type in order to show the face of the old, and invariably produces thick and coarse press-work.
2. Raising the low type to proper height by placing thicknesses of paper under them, which is called Underlaying.
3. Giving additional thickness to the tympan over such parts of the forme as show a weak impression, which is called Overlaying.

It is seldom that any one of these methods will prove sufficient; all should be used together. When the Larger part of the proof-sheet shows a weak impression, approaching illegibility, then more impression should be added. When one side of the proof-sheet shows a weak impression, while that on the other side is full and clear, the more impression should be given to the pale side. The impression should be made decently uniform before any attempt is made at overlaying or underlaying. But the bearers should follow the impression screws, both being raised and lowered together, in order to secure the type from the unimpeded force of the impression cylinder. The bearers should be of even height, and the cylinder shaft should always revolve on a true level. If the impression screws are carelessly used, and the bearers are rashly raised and lowered, this even bearing will soon be lost; the difficulty of obtaining a good impression will be much increased, and the machine will receive a serious injury. For the same reason the bearers should never be packed with cards, as is usual on a press, for it strains the cylinder and all its bearings with an irregular resistance. The bearers should be tampered with even less than the impression screws. When the latter are so set that the cylinder gives a fair, uniform impression, they have done all that can be expected, and nothing more should be attempted with them. Sometimes the proof may show that one cut, or a hue of type, or a set of brass rules is higher than any other material in the forme. The impression should be set regardless of this; it will be found quicker and neater to reduce the impression on one or two such high lines by cutting out the tympan sheet over them than it would be to underlay and bring-up all other types to such irregular height. Adjust the impression so that it will face the larger portion of the type, and make the less conform to the greater. Those parts which are high must be cut out of the tympan, those which are low should be raised by underlays; the inequalities should be smoothed by overlays.

When any part of the forme is low, it will not answer to attempt facing it with overlays: it must be brought up to meet the inking rollers, as well as the impression cylinder. In such case, cut out an impression of the forme where it is illegible, and then paste it to the bottom of the type. If some types are high and some are low, make proper distinction, and carefully avoid increasing the height of any type or rule which seems to have a full impression. Pursue the course when a marked depression appears in the centre or a failing impression at the edges. Cut out that section which is light and paste it under the defective part. If the impression grows faint in any part, the underlays must be cut of irregular thickness to suit the lading away of the impression. Cut out an underlay from the edge where the impression begins to be light; then cut another of smaller size where it is quite illegible; paste one over the other, laying them carefully in their proper positions, and then paste them all on the bottom of the forme where it is needed, taking care to lay the smallest underlay nearest the bed. This will restore the type to a proper level, and the next forme should show a uniform impression. The same plan will answer for a low corner. Use as little paste as possible, thin and free from lumps. Be careful that the underlays are put on smoothly, without fold or wrinkle. Cut them all from a proof, which serves as a guide both in cutting and affixing to the forme.

Underlaying should not be practised to any great extent upon a cylinder machine. It is a valuable means of bringing up an old line of type, a hollow or low corner. The underlays of any type forme should not constitute more than one-fourth of the surface; if more than this is attempted, they rarely fail to work up the quadrats and furniture. The action of the quick-moving cylinder upon a forme of type underlaid with yielding paper, will create a springing and rocking of all the materials in the chase.

Of all materials, old stereotype plates need underlays most, as they are usually quite irregular in height. Thin card or pasteboard will be found preferable to paper for the underlaying of plates secured on wood bodies. When the plates are on patent blocks, always underlay between the plate and the block. Always cut the underlay for a plate less in size than the faint impression would seem to require; this will allow for the spring of the plate.* If it is cut of full size, the next impression will disappoint the pressman by being much harder at the edges than he intended. Never attempt to build up a type-forme to a proper impression entirely or chiefly by underlaying.

Underlays should be put under all large and bold-faced types, when used with much smaller types, so as to raise them above the level of the others. This is needed to give the forme closer rolling., extra supply of ink, and that extra force of impression to transfer the ink to paper which all large type requires. When the type has been so levelled by underlays that all parts receive proper bearing from the inking-rollers, and when the cylinder has a correspondingly even impression, then overlaying may be commenced. For ordinary news-work, posters, or job-work, overlaying, may be entirely unnecessary. But fine press-work cannot be done without overlays. Under-lays are chiefly valuable for securing an even impression, while overlays are indispensable for the giving of delicacy and finish.

To overlay a forme properly, the tympan should be covered with a sheet of thin, smooth and hard paper, stretched tightly. Then take a pale impression on the tympan sheet, and also run through the machine two or three proofs on thin and hard paper. Examine the proofs carefully on face and back. If any brass rules or letters ap-pear too high, cut them out of the tympan sheet in one or two thick-nesses, as their varying height may require. Go over the whole proof, examining every line carefully, and by cutting out reduce the im-pression on all projecting letters to an uniform standard. For this, as for all other work on overlays, use a sharp knife with a thin point, and cut on a smooth surface, so that there will be no ragged nor torn edge to the cut.

The next step should be to raise the impression of those parts of the forme where the type appears dull or weak. Cut out carefully and paste the overlays smoothly upon the tympan. Overlays are worse than useless if they are not laid on firmly and neatly, as the slightest bagginess will cause them to slur or mackle. If, by accident, the tympan sheet should bag or wrinkle, tear them off and commence anew.

Cut out and overlay the more prominent parts first. Then try another impression, and from that cut out new overlays for minor defects. Thus proceed until a perfectly smooth and even impression is obtained.

With common work it will be sufficient to cut overlays in masses, as pages or parts of pages, but with fine work every line and letter needs examination, and letters and parts of single letters are often overlaid by careful workmen. When the pressman is expert at making-ready, it is not necessary to take a new impression with every successive set of overlays Many pressmen take a dozen proofs of a forme on different styles of paper, and proceed to cut out and overlay on one of the proofs, and finally paste this proof on the tympan. But this boldness and precision can be acquired only by long practice. It is better for the young pressman to feel his way step by step.

At Press, the term Making-ready a Forme includes: laying the tonne on the press, fixing it in its place, placing the tympan sheet on the tympan, adjusting the points to make register, when both side., if the paper are to be printed, making register, pre-paring the frisket, and producing an equal impression from all the pages and from every part of each page. Tho following directions, extracted from Mr. Houghton’ “Printers’ Every-day Book,” are the most complete we have seen, alter carefully com-paring nearly every other printed work on the subject. Their importance and utility warrant us in giving them in extenso:—

The first thing in making ready a forme is, that it be exactly in the centre of the press-table and platen, so that the piston, to which the platen is screwed, will fall perfectly in the centre of the forme, When the bar handle is pulled. To do this is very easy; it only being required to put the forme the same distance from the tympan as it is from the edge of the press-table next the platen; to the nick on the front edge of which it is to be adjusted. This clone, fasten the forme on the press-table. If it be a small one, and no rack-chase for making-ready at hand, it may be done with two empty folio, quarto, or octavo chases, according to its size, by putting one on each side and locking it with quoins against a sidestick. If it be a large one, quoins only will be necessary to fasten against the side irons.

The forme being fastened, the tympan sheet is laid on it, and adjusted as near the centre as possible, when the tympan is damped a little, to make the sheet stick, and then pulled. The corners of the tympan sheet thus brought up from the forme, are then pasted fast to the tympan, and such blankets put into the inner tympan as will suit the nature of the forme. For instance, if it be an ordinary job, jobbing-blankets are used, but if a half-sheet or a sheet of twelves, blankets of a finer texture are used, or, perhaps what is as good, a few sheets of paper.

Thus far, if the mere folding of a sheet before it is laid on a book-forme he excepted, in making-ready all formes are alike, but how they should be proceeded with must depend upon circumstances. If the job to be worked be only an ordinary one, by putting on and cutting out the frisket (which should be previously pasted), a little overlaying, and regulating the pull, it will be ready to go on with. But if the forme be a half-sheet or sheet of book-work, a little more care is necessary, and requires one or two things to be done before it is ready to go on; such as putting on the points, getting register, in-laying, &c.

Suppose, for example, the forme be a half-sheet of twelves, the tympan-sheet of which, after being folded into sixes, and laid by the creases to the long and short crosses and pulled, is pasted on the tympan as above. The proper blankets intended for use also being in their place, a pair of twelves point, which differ from those used for octavo, quarto, &c., are screwed exactly on the upper crease of the tympan sheet, so that the spurs of the points will be at equal distances from the outer edge of each side of the impression, and fall in the groove of the thick cross-bar of the chase. As these points are re-quired to be exactly of a length, it is best to measure both from the spur to the outer edge of the impression on the tympan-sheet, and adjust them to each other accordingly. If this be properly done, and the furniture in the forme be exact, the register will also be exact with little trouble.

The points being adjusted, pull, before the frisket is cut out, a slip-sheet or set-off sheet, without rolling, and back it, by putting the hole made by the near point on the off spur, and that made by the off point on the near spur. If the register be not good, make it so, by altering the points, or moving the forme a little to suit the necessity of the case; or by slacking one square, and locking up the opposite one tighter, which may, perhaps, do better than either. Having now got register, take an impression on the frisket, which has previously been covered, and cut it out with care. The advantage of getting register of a half-sheet before the frisket is cut out, is, that it obviates the probability of having again to cut the frisket for bites, which is a necessary consequence if the forme be moved to get register after the frisket is once cut.

It is now necessary to examine the impression; for this purpose another slip-sheet is laid exactly to the tympan-sheet and pulled, and the impression examined accordingly. This sheet will, perhaps, exhibit places where the impression is more or less heavy. Cutting out of this sheet every place where it is so, and pasting pieces of paper on it to bring up the light parts, it is placed inside the tympan, and the process repeated until the impression is made perfectly even and free from black and gray appearances. The thickness of the sheets used for this purpose must, of course, depend on the state of the impression pulled, of which the pressman only can judge. Some formes requiring much thinner sheets to bring the impression even than others, it is in judging correctly, and in using sheets of a proper thickness for this purpose, that the art of getting an even impression consists. For, if any part of the impression only requires ea sheet of a ream weighing twelve pounds to make it perfect, it is obvious that, to use a sheet out of a ream weighing eighteen or twenty pounds, would make the part heavier than the rest, and consequently all the other parts light.

Practice and observation, however, are the only things by which this art can he practically attained. If any other trifling inequalities appear from the impression of this sheet, overlays of thin paper pasted on the tympan-sheet will perfect it. The pull may be then adjusted according to the nature of the forme, light or heavy, and be considered now ready for working. If the points have not springs, the best substitute is a piece of page-cord wrapped round the point-screws and passed across the tympan so as to fall within the margin of the thick cross-bar. This acts as a spring, and throws the hoot, when pulled, off the points, and thus insures good point-holes. The only difference between making-ready a sheet and a half-sheet, whatever be the number of pages on a sheet, is, that the register of the sheet is not made till the inner forme is off, and the second or outer forme is laid on, whereas the register of a half-sheet is made in making-ready, before it is gone on with.

But if the half-sheet of twelves, which I suppose to be now made-ready, consists of stereotype plates, the process of getting it ready will be somewhat different. For instance, after the plates are put on the blocks or risers, at equal distances, they should be marked, that they may be better detected if they move. This done, the proper blankets are put in the inner tympan, and, without rolling an im-pression, pulled, before the tympan-sheet is laid. By the impression of this sheet, such plates as are found low are raised by underlays of paper, of various thicknesses, being put under those parts of the plates on the blocks which come off light. This done, a second sheet is pulled for the same purpose, and again adjusted in the same way, until a tolerable impression is exhibited. The forme is now ready for the tympan-sheet, but before this is laid, ascertain whether any of the plates are moved from their places on the blocks before marked. Satisfied that the forme is correct, the tympan-sheet may be laid, and proceeded with as before advised, namely, screw on the points, get register, pull a sheet or two and cut out the impression, where necessary, to paste in the inner tympan, cut out the frisket, overlay, ∓c. The heap is then lifted on the paper-horse, the bank cleared of all waste paper, and the forme gone on with.

We would also commend to the attention of the young press-man the remarks contained in Stower’s “Printers’ Grammar,” pp. 345—354; in Savage’s “Dictionary,” pp. 468, 469; in “The American Printer,” pp. 228–231; and in Johnson’s “Typographia” Vol. II., pp. 519–323.