facsimile is desired, regardless of cost, it is possible to 

 produce such a facsimile so closely resembling the orig- 

 inal in every particular that it requires the eye of an 

 expert, sometimes aided by the microscope, to distin- 

 guish the original from the print. Some of the ancient 

 Egyptian documents, for example, have been so faith- 

 fully reproduced, both as to the color and design of the 

 papyrus as well as the painting upon it, that only by the 

 closest scrutiny can the difference between the original 

 and the lithographic copy be detected. 



There are two distinct fields, therefore, for three- 

 color and lithographic color-work. The perfection in 

 lithographic printing, in its particular field, produces 

 results which are as yet not attainable by any other 

 method. Three-color work, on the other hand, is in its 

 infancy. But it has been making such rapid strides 

 during the last ten years that no one at present is 

 warranted in predicting the limits of its possibilities. 

 Even now it has practically driven lithography out of 

 certain fields; and it may be only a question of time, 

 and perhaps a very short time, before it will supersede 

 the older process in every field. 



The process of three-color work as just described 

 represents the general method in use, and the prin- 

 ciples involved. Needless to say there are endless varia- 

 tions in details in applying the process. In some of 

 these processes the half-tone screen is in use; in others 

 it is used only in certain parts of the picture; but the 

 number and variety of these variations do not affect 

 the general principle involved and need not be dwelt 

 upon here. 



[216] 



