Stereotype Printing. 321 



the flux for running it clean and clear, so that no vacuities be left ; 

 for which purpose, I am told, that the funnel, by which the melted 

 metal is poured in, being made large and the filling it with the melted 

 metal after the mould is full, is of use to make the letter every where 

 full and complete. For, by the weight of the metal in the funnel, 

 the liquid metal in the mould is pressed into every crevice. The 

 funnel's extending the whole length of one of the sides, gives like- 

 wise free vent to the air. 



" Or, after a page shall be composed, as before mentioned, and 

 the types and matrices well secured in a frame upon a strong plate, 

 they may, by a screw, be pressed upon a sheet of melted lead, and 

 thereby a plate of lead be procured, representing as the former a 

 page composed of types for printing. Which of the methods are 

 most practicable artists can best determine. 



" After the page shall be thus formed the matrices may be loosen- 

 ed and dispersed in their proper boxes, and may serve for as many 

 other pages as types in common printing do. 



" When a number of pages, sufficient for a sheet are thus made, 

 they may be carried to any printing press, and such a number of 

 sheets as shall be thought proper be cast off, and then be laid by till 

 more copies be wanted. 



" I choose an octavo page, because, if the page title and page 

 number be left out, as likewise the directions and signatures at the 

 foot of the page, by joining two pages together, it may be made a 

 quarto, or by joining four a folio. Thus several editions in octavo, 

 quarto and folio, may at once be made, to suit every buyer's humor. 



" The page titles, number and bottom signatures may be cast in 

 small moulds apart, and joined, as may be proper. 



" The most convenient size of a page is that of small paper, so 

 as to fill it up, and to leave very little margin ; then by adding the page 

 titles, or marginal notes, or notes at the bottom, all cast in frames 

 separately, the large paper may be sufficiently filled. 



" I believe that this method of printing, every thing considered, 

 will not be more chargeable than the common method. A thousand, 

 or some thousands sometimes, of copies, are cast off at once in the 

 common method, and the paper and pressman's labor of what is not 

 speedily sold may, or must lie dead for some years, whereas in this 

 method, no more need be cast off at a time than may well be sup- 

 posed to sell speedily. If I be not mistaken, the metal necessary 

 for one sheet will not exceed the value of four hundred sheets of pa- 



