looking for info on Line-O-Scribe show card writer

I think that you are referring to a Line-O-Scribe show card press. The term “writer” does not make sense to me, but there were a plethora of Line-O-Scribe proof presses in different sizzes and configurations manufactured well into the 1960’s and possibly later. I did have a catalog for these at home and searched for it last night to no avail. I then realized that I had given it, along with a Line-O-Scribe press to a historical museum. If it is indeed any one of a number of Line-O-Scribe presses, they are basically very simple machines and it should not be too hard to determine if it is complete. They did generally come with a plate that could be inserted into the bed if type is set-up and locked directly into the press. This plate could be removed it the type to be printed was already in a galley. The plate compensated for the thickness of the bottom of a galley.

Thanks for the info. The tag on it says”…writer”, but it is basicly a table top proof press. There is no plate. I goggled it and found very little, except that some may or may not use magnets in some way to lock the type(?)

Reuben, I have a Line-O-Scribe cataloge with instructions for care of the Line-O-Scribe machine model B. I would be happy to copy the info and mail it to you. Most of the cataloge is type fonts, but the instruction part is very clear.

That would be great, Thank you. I’ll e-mail my adress.

hi reuben, i started out printing on a signpress similar to the line-o-scribe. you can use magnets to lock up polymer or magnesium plates, or woodcuts or linoleum cuts. if you have ever printed on a larger cylinder press (like a vandercook) i have also had a lot of success locking up forms in the bed of the signpress the same way i would on a cylinder press, using quoins and wooden furniture. you should have some kind of dial on the press where you can adjust the height of the rollers, and you ink whatever you’re printing with a brayer. hope that helps a little.

Hi, I am a teacher at a high school and teach newspaper and journalism. Someone just gave me a line-o-scribe sign machine made by the morgan company of Chicago, and we would like to learn how to use it , but we do not have a clue how it works! I believe it was made in the 50’s and it would be a good experience for my students to understand how the older generation did things before computers. Please if someone could help with some instructions from a manual it would be greatly appreciated. The kids might actually listen to learn something from the older generation. I read the other discussion about a plate and magnets, but still do not get it.

Thanks,
Michelle

It’s been years since I used a Morgan Line-O-Scribe sign press, but I just brought home a Line-O-Scribe Show Card Writer and it’s not quite the same thing. Although pretty obviously an ancestor of the Morgan sign machine, my Show Card Writer isn’t as heavily built, nor will it take standard type high type or cuts. It came with large rubber type and a couple rubber “cuts” only about 1/4” thick. The nameplate says “Line-O-Scribe Show Card Writer Line-O-Scribe Inc. Adrian Michigan.” Anybody have any further info?

Dave

Dave, What you have is a Line-O-Scribe model R. They made two models. The model R used a rubber type that you descried. The model B uses normal metal or wood type. I hope this helps. Howard

Howard, thanks for the info. I never thought of two models with different bed heights - do you know if otherwise they were basically the same? It makes me wonder why they went to the trouble of making (or having made) the rubber type & cuts, which I’m guessing were unique to their press, when standard type and cuts were so widely available. I suppose they could sell the rubber type for less than wood type, and also increase their own sales?

Dave

Hi,

I recently aquired a Line-O-Scribe “Sign Matic”. Use seems to be pretty self-evident to me, so maybe the ones people are asking about here are different. I am attaching a picture of the critical part - an adjustment wheel sort of thing. If you press on the two small spring-loaded silver things sticking out from the wheel, you can then rotate the wheel, which raises or lowers the roller in the thing that rolls over the bed, thus changing the pressure. It’s got a fair amount of variability, so combined with sheets of 1/4” or 1/2” plywood, you can print anything from 1/8” thick through 1”

Proofing-Press-Dial_2082.jpg