Original 12-card horizontal E91 strip may reveal 1909 printing format

[tedzan]

Patrick R.

Thanks for the links to this auction regarding the E91-A strips.....very interesting.

I have to differ with your referring to these (varying length) strips having been cut from (2-dimensional) sheets. This original find of 9 strips would have also included some form
of a partial (or complete) uncut sheet if these cards were indeed printed in sheet form by the Maryland Printing Co.


Now, it may be that the E91-B and E91-C series were printed in sheet form. However, no sheets (or strips) have surfaced from these two issues.


This 8-card strip of the 1943 M. P. & Co. issue is an example of BB cards printed and issued strictly in strip form. The M. P. & Co. issued a similar 8-card strip in 1949 that I recall
as a kid which were sold at candy stores as intact strips of 8 cards.
Just thought I'd bring this up so collectors can appreciate the fact that (on occasion) cards were printed and marketed strictly in strip form.






TED Z
.

[Jayworld]

I've been following this post and conversation for some time with great interest, both from the conjecture side of what may/may not make up an early 20th century era printing sheet, and also the wealth of E91, T206, early 20th century cards information.

As a graphic designer with over 25 years in the design/print field, I am especially interested in the print side of the conversation, so much so, that I have inquired within the print field to those with 50+ years of print experience and knowledge into early printing processes. I found it interesting that printers agree that cards of this era would NOT have been printed as strips, but rather on sheets and then those sheets cut into strips. Printing on strips would have been unfeasible for many reasons, including the most important: registration. The smaller a sheet is, the more movement can occur in the printing process. Those that collect T206 (or other) scrap are well aware of the movement of the sheets between printing of plates. Just because a sheet of E91 cards does not exist (as of yet) does not mean that sheets were NOT printed. T206 sheets (as far as we know) no longer exist (or have yet to be found), but that does not mean that the T206 cards were not printed on sheets.

A typical print press sheet of today measures 28" x 40." Larger print shops/companies can run even larger sheets. Presses were not as large as 28" x 40" in the early 20th century, and offset printing was first manual, then automatic later with the proliferation of electricity, etc.

The T206 cards were printed in 6 colors. I am amazed as to the quality control of these cards, over 100 years later, as the majority are registered extremely well, all things considered.

[steve B]

Presses in the 1910 era were often just as large as the ones we have today. They were slower, but only when comparing types.

Here's a Hoe company press from 1879 that has a max image area of 35.25 x 24. http://www.howardironworks.org/colle...ress-1879.html

This article - Page 62 if the link doesn't go directly to the page- Give details of Hoe company display at the St Louis worlds fair in 1904. They mention a Hoe #3 Lithographic press that's got a 31 1/2 x 43 bed.

https://books.google.com/books?id=is...0press&f=false


I'll post pics later of some other articles from about then, one an ad showing the stone size of a Hoe number 5 as 40x60 the other a brief mention of ALC installing a Hoe two color litho press in about 1897.

Steve B

[Paul S]

Originally Posted by Jayworld

...

I found it interesting that printers agree that cards of this era would NOT have been printed as strips, but rather on sheets and then those sheets cut into strips. Printing on strips would have been unfeasible for many reasons, including the most important: registration...

Which would be the reason why I used to own the below example (and many other M. P. & Co. cards) that look just like this: