Ruthven printing press
The Ruthven printing press was invented and manufactured by John Ruthven of Edinburgh, Scotland, from 1819 to 1822. The Ruthven press was an iron bed press which functioned by means of an unconventional platen which rolled over a stationary table which held the type, where the pressure on the type faces was exerted from below, instead of in the conventional method where pressure was applied from above. The platen is supported by two iron springs, under which are four brass bevelled wheels which move along on two tracks made of bevelled steel. After the impression is made the springs give way, and consequently rise up. The press overall incorporated a number of other rather complex mechanical components, the details of which are beyond the scope of this article. The press was smaller in size than most presses of this period, easier to use, and subsequently it quickly established a favorable reputation for itself among English printers.[1][2][3]
The Ruthven printing press was put to use printing and establishing a number of newspapers in its day. The first newspaper in Western Australia, The Fremantle Observer, Perth Gazette and Journal, issued April 5, 1831, was printed on the Ruthven press. As commercial printing ink was not available in Fremantle, an alternative ink was concocted by mixing
See also
- Adam Ramage, printing press manufacturer in the early 1800s
- George E. Clymer, printing press manufacturer in the early 1800s
- Early American publishers and printers
Citations
- ^ Johnson, 1824, p. 544
- ^ Newman, Article
- ^ Moran, 1973, p. 71
- ^ a b Western Australia Museum, Essay
Sources
- Johnson, John (1824). Typographia, or the Printers' instructor: : including an account of the origin of printing. London : Published by Messrs. Longman, Hurst, Rees, Orme, Brown & Green...
- Moran, James (1973). Printing presses: history and development from the fifteenth century to modern times. London, Faber. ISBN 978-0-5200-2904-0.
- "Ruthven Printing Press". Western Australia Museum. Retrieved December 29, 2022.
- Newman, Jeremy. "John Ruthven Invents the Ruthven Press". HistoryofInformation.com. Retrieved December 29, 2022.