300 Mr. Gill on Improvements in Printing. [Oct. 



Article VIII. 



On Improvements in Printing. By Thomas Gill, Esq. 



(To the Editors of the Annals of Philosophy.) 



No. 11, Covent Garden Chambers, 

 GENTLEMEN, Sept. 11, 1818. 



Having had my attention directed lately to the important arts 

 of letter-press and copper-plate printing, and having obtained a 

 knowledge of several new and useful improvements therein, I 

 shall make no apology for communicating them to the public, 

 through the medium of your Annals. 



The improvements made in the typographic art by the late 

 Earl Stanhope, and particularly in forming the press of that 

 unyielding substance cast iron, instead of the elastic materials 

 before used, in making the platten and table with truly plane 

 surfaces, and in working the screw by a combination of levers, 

 has given the means of taking off an impression from a much 

 larger surface at once than could ever be done with the old 

 presses ; and the art of making paper by machinery in long con- 

 tinued sheets has also afforded another important aid to this 

 object. 



This increased size is, however, attended with the inconve- 

 nience of causing much greater labour to the pressmen ; and it 

 has accordingly been the study of several ingenious mechanics 

 to cause 'the press to be w r orked with more ease, and particularly 

 to introduce other contrivances in place of the screw, which, 

 although a powerful agent, moves with very great friction. 



Mr. Medhurst was, I believe, amongst the first to substitute 

 another movement, which, however, has never been brought 

 into general use ; Mr. Ruthven constituted a new combination 

 of levers ; and Messrs. Cogger and Scott, circular inclined 

 planes ; and lately an alteration of Mr. Medhurst's contrivance : 

 still, notwithstanding all these endeavours, a great exertion of 

 human strength is required in working these presses. 



I am, however, glad to state, that this evil is now in a very 

 great degree alleviated, by the introduction of the Columbian 

 press, invented by Mr. George Clymer, of Philadelphia, several 

 of which are now in use in different printing establishments of 

 this metropolis with very great advantages indeed in point of 

 power and ease in working over other presses. 



Printing by machinery is also making considerable progress 

 in this country, particularly by Mr. Kcenig's machines at Messrs. 

 Bensley's, Messrs. Taylors', and the Times newspaper printing 

 offices, and by Messrs. Applegart and Cowper's new invented 

 machine. 



We are at present, however, outdone by our trans-atlantic 

 competitors, insomuch that the Bible is now printed in North 



