chapter 179 part 1
Chapter 178: Prototype
2023-05-02 Author: Yue Shang Xintou
Inside the warehouse of the Messenger Newspaper.
Everyone laid eyes on the new rotary press Colin had mentioned. The machine was a modification of an old rotary printing press, and Old John and the others could still see traces of the old press on it, including some of the bearings and handles.
However, the overall structure of this rotary press was completely different from the one in their memory. It somewhat resembled the color rotary printing press currently in use at the Newspaper Agency, yet there were distinct differences.
Gazing at this machine that was and wasn't what they knew, Old John and the others opened their mouths but didn't know what to say.
"Next, don't blink."
Standing before the Prototype, Colin took a deep breath, connected the power, and pulled the switch. The old rotary press surged with new Life Force.
Squeak, creak—
Most of the Prototype's parts came from the old rotary presses that the Newspaper Agency had previously scrapped. Even though Colin had polished some of them, he couldn't change the fact that they were old.
Under everyone's watchful eyes, the rotary press began to start up.
Paper was fed into the machine in an orderly fashion. As the rollers turned, the printing work was repeated over and over. In no time, a color newspaper cover appeared before them, which was then automatically received by the machine.
The entire printing process was smooth and natural, and its speed was more than a notch faster than the color rotary press currently used by the Newspaper Agency.
Of course, that wasn't the most important part.
"The quality of this printing!"
Reaching out to take a newspaper cover from the machine's receiving tray, Old John looked at the crisp, clear font and colors on the paper. He couldn't help but take off his glasses and say with a tremor in his voice, "I have never seen such a clear printing effect, sir. How on earth did you manage this?"
"Offset Printing," Colin replied with a smile. "I replaced the Lead Alloy Movable Type in the rotary press with a much softer and more elastic Rubber Blanket, allowing the Ink to be transferred to the paper more evenly during the printing process."
Currently, the mainstream printing technology on the market was still the Lead Alloy Movable Type Printing Process.
Although offset presses already existed, they had never been able to replace the rotary press market dominated by the Lead Alloy Movable Type Printing Process.
After all, while the offset press was being invented, the technology of the lead alloy movable type rotary press was also advancing. Despite its disadvantages, such as high labor intensity, long production cycles, and environmental pollution, its cost had been pushed to the absolute limit after decades of development, far beyond what an offset press could compare with.
At the same time, the onset of the Great Depression also hindered the promotion of offset presses.
Under normal circumstances, the Planeta-Deca, the first four-color sheet-fed offset press truly capable of Color Printing, would be launched by Koenig & Bauer in 1932, symbolizing the tremendous progress of Offset Printing technology and its potential for commercialization.
However, due to the outbreak of World War II, the entire development of Offset Printing technology was delayed by more than a decade, only flourishing in the mid-to-late 1940s.
But this Prototype in Colin's hands had clearly leaped over this period of history.
The Four-Color Duplex Sheet-fed Offset Press he had modified not only incorporated the developments of later Offset Printing technology, forming a mature technological process, but it was also more advanced than the single-sheet offset press launched by Koenig & Bauer in the same year. It was fitted with a Perfecting Device, enabling it not only to perform Color Printing but also to print on both sides.
This small Perfecting Device design alone incorporated the ingenuity of many later offset press manufacturers and was not something that could be created offhandedly. It wasn't just the Perfecting Device; functions like Automatic Paper Loading, Automatic Paper Receiving, Automatic Cleaning, Automatic Ink Color Detection, and Automatic Ink Volume Adjustment were all integrated by Colin into the Prototype.
The Ink-Water Balance problem during the Offset Printing process was another issue that wasn't solved until the sixties with the continuous Dampening System. Yet, in Colin's hands, the installation of this system was already complete.
It could be said that the technological content within this single offset Prototype had already surpassed the level of printing presses on the market by twenty to thirty years.
The newspaper in his hand was taken and passed around by the others, but Old John paid it no mind.
He walked up to the Prototype, reached out with his rough palm to touch the machine, and said to Colin with an excited tone, "Sir, I have a feeling that your invention might change the history of printing and start a revolution in the newspaper industry."
"We'll wait and see."
Hearing this, Colin did not show much excitement. He just turned his head to look at the Prototype in the warehouse and said with a slight hint of regret.
Limited by the standards of the era, he couldn't push the technology of the rotary printing press to a higher level.
In his mind, there were printing technologies more advanced than this Four-Color Duplex Sheet-fed Offset Press Prototype. However, the development of many technologies required not just inspiration but also corresponding advancements in materials. During the Great Depression, many material sciences familiar to later generations were still in their infancy or simply hadn't appeared at all.
Therefore, even if Colin wanted to elevate the technological level of the printing press, he couldn't do it in a short period of time.
Unless he not only participated in the creation of the rotary press but also delved into materials science research.
But that would undoubtedly be too tedious. If possible, Colin didn't intend to make himself work so hard in the Main World.
After all, he didn't come to the Main World to benefit society. `Superman` was his foundation.
Achievements in other fields, no matter how extraordinary, couldn't unlock a single additional power for him on the Bronze Mark.
...
"Extra edition, extra edition!"
"The Messenger introduces new printing technology, letting you see a clearer Superman!"
"Same price, clearer Superman!"
On a weekend morning.
The Newsboys shouted their loud slogans, waving the latest issue of The Messenger as they appeared on the streets and alleys of New York City.
"Give me a copy of The Messenger..."
After a long period of hard work, The Messenger had firmly secured its position as the second-best-selling newspaper in New York City.
In response, apart from the World Daily News occasionally publishing targeted reports claiming that The Messenger's approach wasn't a News Report at all, the vast majority of the newspaper industry had already accepted this fact.