The idea
which now occurred to Koenig was, to employ a cylinder instead of
a flat Platen machine, for taking the impressions off the type,
and to place the sheet round the cylinder, thereby making it, as
it were, part of the periphery. As early as the year 1790, one
William Nicholson had taken out a patent for a machine for
printing "on paper, linen, cotton, woollen, and other articles,"
by means of "blocks, forms, types, plates, and originals," which
were to be "firmly imposed upon a cylindrical surface in the same
manner as common letter is imposed upon a flat stone."[3] From
the mention of "colouring cylinder," and "paper-hangings,
floor-cloths, cottons, linens, woollens, leather, skin, and every
other flexible material," mentioned in the specification, it
would appear as if Nicholson's invention were adapted for
calico-printing and paper-hangings, as well as for the printing
of books. But it was never used for any of these purposes. It
contained merely the register of an idea, and that was all. It
was left for Adam Parkinson, of Manchester, to invent and make
practical use of the cylinder printing machine for calico in the
year 1805, and this was still further advanced by the invention
of James Thompson, of Clitheroe, in 1813; while it was left for
Frederick Koenig to invent and carry into practical operation the
cylinder printing press for newspapers.
Pages:
195
196
197
198
199
200
201
202
203
204
205
206
207
208
209
210
211
212
213
214
215
216
217
218
219