General Information

Serial #

N/A

Part Number

1

Total Parts

17

AKA

N/A

Patents

N/A

General Description

Metal (including iron frame castings, steel gears and brass gears (selected), bushings, oil cups, etc.); rubber rollers; fibre belts; wood tray.

Dimensions

Note: These reflect the general size for storage and are not necessarily representative of the object's true dimensions.

Length

4.6 m

Width

3.0 m

Height

2.1 m

Thickness

N/A

Weight

N/A

Diameter

N/A

Volume

N/A

Lexicon

Group

Printing

Category

Image transfer

Sub-Category

N/A

Manufacturer

AKA

DUPLEX

Country

United States of America

State/Province

Michigan

City

Battle Creek

Context

Country

Canada

State/Province

Ontario

Period

This press used c. 1930- 1978,

Canada

This style of press was once common in Canada, being well suited to the smaller circulation requirements of Canadian urban dailies & weeklies. It has since become rare in Canada. This press was used to print a hand-set Chinese language daily newspaper in Toronto, the Shing Wah Daily News. This newspaper was established in 1922 and is the house organ of a charitable organization, the Shing Wah Association. A Chinese-Canadian cultural society, the Shing Wah Ass'n was subscribed by the community and said to be the oldest and largest such group in eastern Canada. According to Dr. Ban Hoe (CCFCS), the original printing office was destroyed by fire c. 1930. Sydney Stone of R. Sydney Stone Ltd., Toronto installed the Duplex at the Shing Wah c. 1930-33. He terms the machine a "QQ Model" (as marked on many of the roller stocks). The press was supplied by Manton Bros., a now defunct Toronto supplier-manufacturer of printing eq., which bought out Westman & Baker. The Inland Printer (1907, Vol. 39) lists other Canadian operations using Duplex presses, ie. The Chronicle (Halifax, NS); The Bulletin (Edmonton, AB); The Telegrom (St. John's, NL); The Laurier (Brantford, ON). Similar machines were used in Smith's Falls, ON at The Record News (Goss "Cox- O-Type" and The Western Producer in Saskatoon (Goss "Comet"). [Ref. 1]

Function

General: To transfer images from prepared type onto paper. Specific: This press used to print and fold newspapers.

Technical

The Duplex was a very important development in the field of newspaper letterpress. Invented by Joseph L. Cox in 1889 and introduced in 1890 it was considered the first web-fed flat bed press developed specifically for newspapers to increase production without having to incur the extra space and expense requirements inherent in rotary press stereotyping operations. By using such equipment as the Duplex (also the Campbell "Multipress", and Goss "Cox- O- Type" or "Comet") many printing operations retained their more traditional letterpress operations (ie. older typesetting methods) until offset became more economical or practical. This example was operable when removed from the Shing Wah Daily News and replaced by a Goss "Community" offset press. It can produce a 4, 6 or 8 page newspaper at a rate of 3500 to 4500 per hour. [Ref. 1]

Area Notes

Unknown

Details

Markings

" DUPLEX PRINTING PRESS CO./ BATTLE CREEK, MICH. U.S.A." cast in raised print on frame; letters highlighted with gold colour paint. "FROM/ MANTON BROTHERS/ MANUFACTURERS OF PRINTING MACHINERY & SUPPLIES/ TORONTO CANADA'" cast in raised print on plate fixed to frame; letters highlighted with gold colour paint. On counter: 'ALTER SCOTT & CO./ PLAINFIELD, N.J.'/ Patent date list cast in raised print on plate fixed to frame, below metal triangle; text highlighted in gold colour paint; reads 'PATENTED/ OCT.14 1890/ NOV.4 1890/ DEC.2 1890/ MAY 5 1891/ AUG.4 1891/ SEP.22 1891/ DEC. 15 1891/ JUL.5 1892/ MAR.21 1893/ JUL.11 1893/ AUG.1 1893/ NOV.14 1893/ NOV.20 1894/ DEC.18 1894/ MAY 14 1895/ OCT.6 1896/ OCT.26 1897/ MAY 17 1898/ OCT.25 1898/ JUL. 20 1899/ JUL.4 1899/ AUG.28 1900/ APR.30 1901/ AUG.6 1901/ NOV.12 1901/ APR.22 1902'.

Missing

NONE From CA of 08/19/1997 by Gordon Perrault: No - Complete

Finish

Cast metal frame painted black; black, silvertone & brass colour components. [Finish is not original- original catalogue card reports that little original finish remained when press was collected. Painted by NMST.] Buff-colour fibre ( canvas ?) belts and strapping. Wooden tray..Rubber [?] rollers.

Decoration

N/A