Faster Writing Machine

The industrial age altered the world in many ways, from improvements in working with metals to advances in the steam engine, and LaVellen Engineering has consistently led the way into the future.
One of the more recent advances to come out of LaVellen Engineering is the Faster Writing Machine. This machine presses print onto pages, allowing a team of two men, working together, to produce over 100 times the work of a scribe; In less time and with less waste due to errors.

How it Works

The Faster Writing Machine is intended to be operated by a two man team. One man acts as the beater, evenly coating the typeset with ink using special tools known as ink balls. The second man, known as the puller, positions the paper between the tympan and frisket before he lowers them to cover the type in the bed of the coffin. He then operates the rounce to the move the coffin into position and pulls the long lever to press the platen down onto the coffin at a pressure of roughly 70 pounds per square inch. The coffin is then moved back to the starting position with the rounce, where the puller repositions the paper, or replaces it with a new sheet, while the beater re-inks the type with the ink balls.
Proper operation of the Faster Writing Machine will produce an average of approximately 80 to 120 impressions in an hour, but it is not easy work. The task of operating the machine is equal to the kind of exertion a man gets when working all day plowing a field, so it is advised that the men switch tasks at regular intervals.

The Type

For each page that is to be printed a typesetter needs to put together the type at a typesetting bench, then position it in the bed of the coffin for inking and printing.

The Ink

The ink used by scribes is a thin water-based ink, however, that kind of ink is unsuitable for use on the steel lettering used with the Faster Writing Machine. The Faster Writing Machine uses a specially designed black ink that is thick and tacky; similar to the consistency of pitch or oil paint. The ink is spread onto a smooth inking work surface then the rawhide ink balls are gently pounded against the surface to pick up the ink.

The Ink Ball

Professional printer's ink balls are stuffed with horsehair and covered with either goose skin or rawhide.
Held by a wooden handle, the ink ball is moved back forth while being rotated in a circular pattern to coat the surface as evenly as possible in ink. The second ink ball is held in the inker's other hand and the inked surfaces are rubbed together in a manner that smooths the ink out evenly across the surfaces of both ink balls. Time and care must be taken at this stage to assure proper ink distribution.
Once the balls have been properly inked they are carefully pounded onto the letters by the beater. It is essential that the beater sets the balls straight down onto the letter plates, then lifts them straight up before giving a slight turn before the next strike so that the ink is only spread across the tops of the letters and does not smear onto the edges or fill the letters in.

The Paper

Papers can be made either by hand, as single sheets, or pressed by machine in a process that creates a continual length of wide paper that is rolled onto a drum.
The higher quality of hand-made paper is preferred for books, posters, awards, stationary, and other printed materials that will be subjected to harsh conditions or repeated handling. Machine-pressed paper is most suited to handbills, news fliers, and other printed materials that need not withstand weather, rough handling, or the punishment of time. The printer must know if a book is to be illuminated before it is bound, as the choice of paper differs if the pages will be passed to an illuminator.
When illumination is to be applied to the pages the printer should use good quality paper and create clear dark lettering using unblemished type. A typeset layout that allows for illuminated lettering to be added is required, as well as the inclusion of wide margins to leave plenty of space for both decoration and later cutting during the binding process.
Vellum or hand-made paper are both good for illumination, however care should be given to avoid art papers, as the clay surface is unsuited to illumination and the papers are less durable than good quality paper.

An Advancement, Not A Replacement

Rather than replacing scribes, the Faster Writing Machine frees the scribe to focus on the illumination of manuscripts and book pages. Thus producing more beautiful, and less expensive, books in far greater quantity than has ever been possible.

Significance

The Faster Writing Machine is a significant development that has not yet been realized. The general populace has not yet discovered the value of easily available books and printed media, and the higher classes see no reason to hurry along the creation of books when they already have sizable collections of books that were created by scribes.

Item type

Mechanical

Subtype / Model

Printing / Bookbinding

Manufacturer

LaVellen Engineering

Related Technologies

• Inks and paints
• Metalsmithing
• Papermaking

Rarity

Although it has been around for a few years, the Faster Writing Machine is still a fairly new creation and is only readily available in the crown city at news flier offices and workshops that specialize in printing books.

Application of Ink

Ink Recipe

The ink used with the Faster Writing Machine is made from a combination of lampblack or soot mixed with boiled linseed oil, animal fat, or vegetable oil. The proper consistency for the ink is akin to that of pitch or oil paints; being just thick enough to stick to the tops of the letters without filling them in or creating lumps that can ruin a manuscript page.

The main use of the Faster Writing Machine at present is:

The Temple of Justice

• Prints carefully compiled collections of prayers and passages from the Book of Laws. These small easily printed books are intended for people to keep in their homes to protect from demons.
• Posters to warn of the dangers of demons and activities that attract the attention of demons.

The City Guard

• Prints notices and posters for mass distribution throughout the city and beyond.
• Prints wanted notices for distribution to guard posts and other areas both in the city and beyond.

News Criers

• Creates fliers that they can distribute to people in the markets - funded by selling advertisement space in the fliers to businesses.