OFFICIAL DESCRIPTIVE AND ILLUSTRATED CATALOGUE.
15
machine, the size of the paper and the quality of the workbeing the same, the press will produce 1,250 copies andthe machine 7,000 in the day, at about the same cost forlabour; and comparing the press with the platten machine,the press will yield 1,000 copies, and the machine 4,000,at the same cost; the quality of the work always being infavour of the press.
This high rate of production, however, is only attainablewhere the number of copies required is large : where thenumbers to be printed do not exceed 2 , 000 , not more thanone-half these quantities can be obtained on the average; andwhen less than 2,000 little advantage is gained by usingthe steam-machine.
The machines, however, have an advantage over thepress in size, which doubles, and in the larger machines,trebles the quantity produced; while the press can onlyprint 8 pages of the Catalogue at each impression, someof the machines printed 48 pages at one operation.
Taking the small Official Catalogue as an example:—290,000 complete copies were printed at 15 cylindermachines, in 42 days; it would have required 47 hand-presses 97 days to have produced the same result; or,while 15 machines, with 15 men and 30 boys, produced7,000 copies of the Catalogue daily, 47 presses, and 94men, could have produced but 3,000.
The following Table shows the average number ofpersons engaged in editing, compiling, anil printing thevarious Catalogues, &c.—
Editor ------ i
Compilers ----- 17
Annotators - — - — - 30
Indexers ------ 20
— 71
Compositors - - - - _ 44
Headers and Boys - - - - 8
Pressmen ----- 32
Machinemen and Boys - - 55
Warehousemen and Boys - - 11
— 152
Printing Inh. —The cost of this article forms no incon-siderable item in the expense of printing. The ink usedfor the Catalogues was manufactured by Messrs. Shackelland Edwards ; the quantity required for the small Ca-talogue amounting to nearly 4,000 lhs.; for the IllustratedCatalogue about 400 lbs.; and the entire quantity con-sumed on all the works printed for the Exhibition not lessthan 6,000 lbs. The ink for the Illustrated Catalogue isa fine specimen of black, made purposely for the printingof wood engravings. Printing ink varies much in price,according to the quality : that used for the IllustratedCatalogue is nearly four times the cost of the ink used forthe small Catalogue ; but as a less quantity of the finerdescription is necessary to cover the same amount ofsurface, the comparative increase of price is somewhatreduced.
Engraving. —Three classes of artists are necessary forthe production of an engraving—the designer, the artistwho transfers the original drawing to the wood-block, andthe actual engraver. The designer is usually consideredthe superior artist, although the elaborate workmanshipexhibited on some of the engravings in the IllustratedCatalogue would make this point somewhat doubtful: two,three, and even four weeks having been occupied on asingle illustration. Engraving is a profession followedby both sexes : many engravers are also designers ; andwhere this is the case, the highest point of excellenceexhibits itself in their productions.
Upwards of six thousand pounds have been expended onthis department: it would be difficult to form more thanan approximate estimate of the number of persons engaged,but as a Supplementary Volume is in the course of pre-paration,—probably not less than 200 , from the commence-ment of 1851 to the present time.
Lithography. The art of printing from stone also con-tributed towards the embellishment of the IllustratedCatalogue. The Plan of the Building was lithographedin three colours, aud employed a draughtsman 10 days tocomplete three stones : 96,417 impressions were thereforenecessary to obtain 32,139 copies, and was equal to thework of 3 printers for 108 days: 22,187 of the Plans weremounted; this operation employed 6 persons 40 days.
The Prince of Wales’ Shield occupied one draftsman9 days, and the Liverpool Model 6 days, in lithographing;and printing 9,000 copies of the former, and 11,000 of thelatter, required 2 men 36 days-
The Kieff Bridge—a ^beautiful specimen of tinted litho-graphy-employed the artist 14 days. To produce thedesired effect, three stones were used; and as each im-pression was the result of three printings, 6,000 copiesemployed 3 men 24 days.
When the numbers to be printed are largo, transfers toother stones can be made : and by this means, with the aidof additional presses, copies can be rapidly multiplied.This process, however, is only applicable to ink drawings,such as the Shield and Liverpool Model; but for chalkdrawings, similar to the Kieff Bridge, it is scarcely prac-ticable.
The entire impression of the Kieff Bridge, and thegreater portion of the other lithographic illustrations, wereexecuted by Messrs. Day & Son, and the remainder by-Messrs. Standidge.
The coloured map of the Geographical View of theGreat Exhibition, by Mr. Petermann, was engraved onstone (a process combining despatch and excellence ofexecution). It was found necessary to refer to at least 150different maps and books, in order to identify the variouslocalities from whence the contributions to the Exhibitionwere supplied; and occupied 3 persons upwards of twomonths iu compiling and engraving; printing 7,0(10 copies(and for which two printings were necessary) occupied 4men 70 days; and the colouring 6 persons about 50 days.
Hot-Pressing restores the fine gloss and smoothness thatthe paper originally possessed before printing ; and whichthe wetting and the impression from the type destroys.After the printed sheets are thoroughly dried they areplaced singly between highly-glazed thin card-boards, calledPressing Papers, aud at certain intervals a hot iron or zincplate is introduced. When a sufficient quantity has beenthus prepared, the hatch (as it is technically termed) isplaced in an hydraulic press of great power, for 8 or 10hours. In cold pressing the only difference in the processis in the use of cold instead of hot plates. The pressing of6U00 reams employed 4 men and 4 boys for 7 5 days.
Binding. The services of 12 binders were retained toeffect this last operation iu the production of the smallOfficial Catalogue ; and, by the united efforts of not lessthan 500 persons, 20,000 copies were sewn and covered inthe course of a few- hours.
The binding of the Illustrated Catalogue was intrustedentirely to Messrs. Remnant, Edmonds, & Remnant, andthe Messrs. Westley & Co., in addition to the binding ofa very large portion of the small Official Catalogues.
Presentation copies of the small Catalogue, and of thefirst Part of the Illustrated Catalogue, were also preparedfor Her.Majesty and H.R.H. Prince Albert , on the openingof the Exhibition. These books were elegantly bound,with gilt edges, by the Messrs. Westley & Co., in theshort space of six hours.
The division of labour in binding is great: the variousprocesses are performed by men, women, and youngpersons of both sexes. To complete the small English ,French, and German Catalogues—the Priced Lists—Index—and the English aud French Synopses—nine operationswere necessary for each book; the binding of these variousworks gave employment to 20 men and 100 women for SOdays.
The Illustrated Catalogue required 17 operations toproduce a complete volume ; and binding the whole im-pression afforded occupation to 40 men and 90 women for 'about 48 days.