Mimeographing Techniques (1958)

one of the problems found in both business and teaching is that of communication letters of course can communicate very well to a limited number of people mostly on a personal individual basis but there are broader needs for communication various types of announcements must be posted in many places mailing pieces are needed for advertising and promotional work agendas make meetings flow smoother and accomplish more work books assist the teacher to make this written communication easier and faster many different machines have been developed the simplest is the typewriter making carbon copies the number of copies of course is limited the liquid duplicator is usually used to produce 50 to 100 copies one of the most commonly used machines is a stencil duplicator or mimeograph this one is manually operated this one is electrically operated generally speaking stencil duplication should be used when 50 to several thousand black copies are wanted there are machines of all ages and makes in use today you may see or use some of these but regardless of the machine their basic duplicating principle is the same a stencil sheet with a wax coating which can be removed by typing or a drawing with a special stylus and a pad that supplies ink the ink passes through the stencil where the wax has been removed and makes an impression on the paper supply is available for Mamiya graphing are varied first of course is the stencil these are for average work they usually come in letter and legal sizes cellophane or plastic covered stencils give print like copy these die impressed or stamped are for repetitive needs photo etched stencils are used to reproduce pictorial copy as our electronic stencils addressing stencils are printed so that addresses can be easily typed when these are run on perforated gummed paper periodic mailings are easy and inexpensive a wide variety of insects may be purchased which can be cemented into stencils to give professional results a mineus cope with these styli guides and screens makes it easy to do hand lettering and drawing the selection of paper is important choose a genuine mimeograph paper which should be lint free and will absorb ink properly it comes in many sizes colors and weights are mimeograph demonstration will be made on this machine you'll have to adapt the operating procedures we show you to the Machine you use ready to go to work well practice makes perfect and here are some tips that will make mini a graphing easier and the results better first to clean the keys of your typewriter a bristle brush will usually loosen the dirt and clear it away typing through the ribbon will produce fuzzy copy so move the ribbon control to stem position remove the protective sheet that comes with the stencil and insert the cushion sheet with the wax surface facing the stencil insert the top of the stencil into the typewriter making sure that no wrinkles form use your paper release lever match the dotted line at the top of the stencil with the metal guides on the typewriter this straightens the stencil for a professional job type evenly use a slightly slower speed and heavier touch to produce the best copy when an error is made roll up a few spaces pull back the plastic covering and brush a light coating of Correction fluid over the error let it dry a few seconds replace the covering and tap the correct key lightly you may want to tap it again to match the other characters the lighter character looks less conspicuous than a heavy one after you've finished typing the stencil use the paper release lever to help take it out of the machine remove the cushion sheet if you want to add hand work do it on the memmio scope for best results the stencil backing sheet goes through a slot on the Mineo scope the stencil is held tight against a writing plate over an illuminated ground glass turn on the light and raise the horizontal ruling edge to position for your work select a lettering guide and place it on a ruling edge in alignment with your typewritten copy use the correct stylus for each guide it's number is often stamped into the lettering guide use a firm even pressure but be careful not to tear the stencil when you want a mimeograph drawings or other artwork tape your copy to the Vimeo scope in the position you'll want it to appear on the paper what the writing played over the copy and under the stencil surface now you can easily trace the artwork special screening plates can be used to produce shaded effects always use the right stylus for the job you are doing you are now ready to run off copies on the mimeograph there are a few simple steps to follow for the most efficient operation of the mimeograph machine first get out your paper and place it in the feed tray adjust the paper feed set the counter for the number of copies you want to make open the right hand locking mechanism and loosen the ink pad covered relock the mechanism and peel back the cover open the left hand blocking mechanism remove the cover and throw it away insert the stencil facedown lock the top end into place keeping a firm pressure on the stencil and backing sheet rotate the drum so that the stencil goes on smoothly and evenly tear off the backing sheet and throw it away run one copy and examine it carefully there are many adjustments that can be made so that your work will appear at its best the paper may be adjusted laterally diagonally or raised or lowered on the page you may need more ink the inking process varies with different models this particular machine uses a paste ink rather than a liquid leakage caused by a fingernail scratches or other breaks must be checked correction fluid or a piece of scotch tape will cover them a switch starts this electrically operated model a separate switch starts the paper feeding a lever controls the speed at which copies can be run off if you've made all your adjustments properly your machine should now be running good copy just the way you want them but keep your eye on them anyway you should never go off and leave a machine running this machine automatically stops feeding paper when the required number are run but you have to turn off the motor lower the paper feed tray then if you're going to save your stencil to use again run a stencil file folder through the machine so that you can identify your stencil later remove the stencil and lay it in the folder and carefully blot it raise the paper feed tray then put an ink pad cover on the machine in place of the stencil run about five sheets of paper through the machine to smooth out the cover then clamp the loose end run about five more sheets this seals the ink pad so it will not dry out position the drum so that the arrows or stop here marks are opposite each other engage the break lower the feed tray and put your unused paper away it's a handy means of identification if you replace the paper in the original package your work is now completed and your machine is prepared properly for next time we have shown you how to minigraf with black ink you'll find that color can add a great deal of value to your work and it's easy to do just put a fresh clean ink pad right over the regular ink pad cover clamp it at both ends put on your stencil and lock it at one and only leave the backing sheet on and fold both of them back dot colored ink around the areas that you want Mamiya graphed in that color smooth the stencil over the new ink pad so that your colored dots will transfer fill in these areas with the same colors put the stencil down and you're ready to run off copies in as many as six different colors one at a time or all at once if fast-drying inks are not used quality copy should be slip cheated to prevent ink smudges on the back regulation cardboard slip sheets used paper or cut newspaper can be interleaved between copies allow a few minutes before removing the slip sheets as you've seen it's easy to produce good mimeograph copies if you follow a few simple rules clean typewriter keys set ribbon controlled a stencil make good Corrections type evenly letter and draw carefully choose the right paper use your mimeograph properly practice and be ready to do your part in aiding communication in schools or offices through modern mini a graphing techniques