Capítulo 226: The Printing Press 2
Translator: Cinder Translations
...
The workshop supervisor approached with a smiling face.
"Honorable Factory Manager, ladies, how can I be of service?"
"Just show them around the workshop and explain the printing process."
"Yes."
The factory manager nodded, then turned to Eileen and Ladia, saying, "He is the supervisor in charge here. If you have any questions, just ask him. I have other work to attend to, so I will leave you now," and then walked away.
Eileen pouted at the departing figure of the factory manager. Ladia took her hand and turned to the workshop supervisor, saying, "Thank you for your trouble, Mr. Supervisor. Betty and I are very interested in this place."
The supervisor awkwardly smiled, "Not at all, please follow me."
The three of them went to the nearest printing press, and the supervisor began explaining the structure and working principles of the machine in detail to Eileen and Ladia.
Coincidentally, a worker was operating the machine, allowing the two women to watch a complete printing process.
The printing workers worked in pairs, taking turns operating the platen, pulling the press. This job was physically demanding, while evenly applying ink to the paper required a higher skill level.
One worker used a handle to apply ink to the raised printing plate, carefully spreading it with an ink roller, then took an ink dabber from the rack, lightly tapping the ink, and moving in a circular motion to evenly distribute it on the plate's surface.
Next, they applied ink to each page of the plate, occasionally dabbing the ink to adjust its distribution.
Meanwhile, another worker placed a sheet of paper in the fixed printing position, closed the paper frame above, and used his right hand to lower the press, bringing the paper and frame to the inked typeface; then he gripped the handle, turned it to move the front part of the platen under the press, and pulled down, then released the handle to let it bounce back; lifted the press, moved the platen out, and removed the paper frame.
"Wow! So simple! This printing press is incredibly useful!"
Eileen clapped her hands in delight, her voice as clear as a silver bell, drawing everyone's attention again. Of course, in their hearts, they disagreed: "Simple? This little girl makes it sound so easy. Try printing 200 single pages an hour yourself, and you'll be crying."
The workshop supervisor smiled and explained, "After finishing one side, we print the planned number of sheets on one side, then the other, hang them to dry, and finally bind them for storage in the warehouse. Used plates must be cleaned with an alkaline solution and disassembled by typesetters."
"Is this movable type?"
Ladia Sertia walked over to Sam, the typesetter, looking at the tiny metal types on the table, smaller than her fingernail.
"Yes, Advisor Sertia, these are movable types. Though small, they are quite challenging to make."
The workshop supervisor spoke with a tone of pride.
"First, a letter engraver sketches the letter on the end of a metal blank, then carves or files away the unnecessary metal, hardening these positive molds and stamping them into brass or bronze to create blank negative molds. The width must vary with the letter size."
"Next, they file off all the raised metal on the printing surface and adjust the mold size, ensuring the type can fit precisely into the base of the printing mold. The negative molds are then handed to the casters, who ensure the molten metal fills every corner of the letter face, testing their skills."
The two women exclaimed in amazement, "So complicated!"
"How many sheets can you print in a day?"
The workshop supervisor roughly estimated and replied, "With a standard-sized printing plate, two skilled workers can print 250 to 300 single pages per hour. If the plate is larger, evenly applying ink becomes more challenging, and the speed decreases."
"In this workshop, we can print 3,000 double-sided pages a day." The supervisor proudly patted his chest and said, "Other workshops can't match our speed, and their quality isn't as good as ours."
Eileen's mouth opened slightly in astonishment as she said, "This speed is indeed much faster than copying by hand."
Ladia picked up a newly bound book nearby and was pleasantly surprised to find that it was a collection of poetry from her hometown, Horn Bay.
"They even print this kind of book here?"
"Oh, that one! The lord sent us a batch of books from Horn Bay to print. We don't understand the Horn Bay language, so casting the type and setting the type was quite an effort. I heard the lord plans to sell them back to Horn Bay. The factory manager said it's a collection of poems by some Horn Bay poet called 'Wet Pole.' To be honest, these Horn Bay folks seem to have too much time on their hands, writing all this sentimental stuff."
Ladia was speechless, as the workshop supervisor continued to express his opinions, unaware that the consultant in front of him was from Horn Bay: "Anyway, selling them back to those rich folks there is a good business. I've heard people there are filthy rich... ouch!"
The supervisor jumped up, holding his foot.
Eileen apologized, "Oh, I'm so sorry. I didn't notice where I was stepping..."
Looking at her delicate face, the supervisor couldn't get angry and waved it off, saying, "Haha, it's nothing."
...
Eileen and Ladia toured the factory for half a day. Near noon, they left the samples to be printed and took their leave.
They chatted as they walked, discussing their thoughts on what they had seen.
"Betty, I think the printing press is more remarkable than those guns and cannons."
"I agree. If more printing presses are made, books will become cheap enough for even commoners to afford."
"The literacy book and basic hygiene manual we just sent for printing are targeted at commoners, aren't they? Although the content is simple, they are keys to opening the door to knowledge. Haha, as the head of the Education Department, you can really make a difference."
"Yes, seeing the printing press has given me more confidence. Speaking of the Education Department, if you were there at the time, the fool might have appointed you as the head instead."
"Don't say that. Appointing you to this position is just right. Let those men see what we women are capable of."
Eileen clenched her fist, "I'll do my best."
Then she suddenly relaxed and, as if remembering something, said with a hint of distraction, "But will the role of 'scholar' become less valuable?"
Ladia's face darkened for a moment before she smiled and said, "Isn't it a joy for us to see more people gain knowledge?"
"You're right!"
Seeing her friend's open-mindedness, Eileen also felt relieved.
(End of the Chapter)
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