Curious about how t206's were cut from sheets.

[emmygirl]

Hi Robert and Todd, great points by you both. First Roberts three questions answered as best I can. I ended my printing career in 2012 in a plant with very mordern machinery. The presses were 6 color over 2 color with strobelight press check running at 12k-14k sheets per hour speed Actualy worked on a 1920's cutting machine when I was 19 yrs. old in 1965. Probably like the cuttuers used back in 1909-11.
How many sheets would have been cut on each "LIFT" probably no more that 200 maybe less because of the smallness of the final pieces. The higer the stack the more diffucult to control the little beauties.
Would the strips slid side by side cause some to slip under each stack? Yes, thats a possibility but the strips do not leave the cutting surface until the final cut. They stay on the cutting machine in strips so the TIGHTNESs of eash strip is maintained. Then carefully slide back together as a solid group ready for the final cuts. A Good Cutting Operator is what makes for minumum lose of product (cards).
Wasted Stock at the Cutting Machine? Sure there is some especially back then. MakeReady Sheets are used at all pionts in the printing processing. They help each area of work to use these sheets to "Make Ready' their particular job. The Cutter Operator would recieve a "rule out sheet' showing the cut lines of every card and he would then get ready to cut a small lift of card sheets and place the rule out sheet ONTOP and make all cut to see if they're OK or if there needs to be an adjustment somewhere. If everything looks good with the small stack maybe 50 sheets away he goes with bigger stacks.
Todd's comment about the guiatine cuts is absolutly correct. Stock always captures air in the middle of the sheets and causes a roundness in the "Center" of a large sheet when stacked say with 5k sheets. Heavy stock like that which was used for older cards like T206' s would have some air but not as much as thin stock. The extra air is Smoothed Out by the Cutter Operator as he places the sheets into his machine, maybe 25 sheets at a time until he has the "Desired Amount" he feels comfortable cutting. If the air is not removed then beveled results will appear on the cards edges.
Just a couple of final thoughts, first the stock used back then was not the best stock as they knew these little cards where for the most part going into cigarrette packaging. No need for high end paper here. And the printing presses and cutting machines did an ok job for what they wanted for a final product. Wrong Backs are made with the "Make Ready Sheets used to get the press ready to run before the OK is given. they where spun and flipped around etc for the pressman to get ready quicker. Make Ready Sheets where normally thrown away after the print run was over. Sometimes these make ready sheets would be used for other jobs to get the next job "UP TO COLOR" to save some additional paper. Hope this helps a little..
Best Jim