The Post Lightning Speed Envelope Press
This is my first posting with this group since I just joined today. Sometime back I obtained a copy of The Twentieth Century Encyclopedia of Printing and on page 356 there is a picture and description of the Post Lightning Speed Envelope press. I have attempted to Google information about this press but so far I have found nothing. Has anyone a suggestion where I might find more information on this press or even better, where I can actually see one? The press speed they claim is rather amazing considering one has to go to a modern Halms Jet press to obtain that volume of production today. Thanks!
Mike
Yes Mike, there is a Post Lightning Speed Envelope Press. At a later time it was known as the Southworth-Post Envelope Press. I saw one in operation on a high school field trip. Class of 1954! Some time in the seventies I was offered one..like “get this thing out of here!” I didn’t have the wherewithall to move it, nor a place to set it up. I was told it went to the scrap yard.
Southworth-Post also manufactured punches, and round hole perforators,
I’m surprised to hear of another copy of “The Twentieth Century Encyclopedia of Printing.” 1930. I paid $30.00 for my copy sometime in the sixties!
Martin Heir, editor of the Graphics Arts Monthly, the author, covered printing in its entirety, the book is a history of printing, with lots of estimating charts, but I would supect that Martin might have been overcome at times with fumes from the smelting pots or he just might have been smoking some funny stuff.
Stan Pekala
>>I’m surprised to hear of another copy of “The Twentieth
>>Century Encyclopedia of Printing.” 1930. I paid $30.00 for
>>my copy sometime in the sixties!
I’m afraid that’s not gone up in value… There are several copies available on Abebooks/Amazon for under USD30.
BLP:
I guess my language skills are failing me in my declining years. Point I wanted to make was that $30.00 was a lof bucks back then. Its value has certainly not kept up with the rate of inflation.
Stan
Thanks for the input…I was starting to wonder if this was something in the realm of “experimental” equipment. I sure haven’t had any success finding any info on line. When you saw this back in ‘54 do you remember this actually running envelopes at the speed they claim? I would REALLY like to see this baby running at that speed! I work as a commercial offset lithography pressman….and have for 33 years…and this is SMOKING compared to what my offset press runs. If it actually does, I WANT ONE!
Mike
Sanislaus,
I meanwhile wasn’t trying to make any sort of point at all, merely to provide some information that might, at best, be tangentially useful to any other reader who was persuaded that either (a) they couldn’t afford to buy a copy, or (b) that their copy must be worth a fortune!
Best
Although not exactly the machine you mentioned I was intrigued about this press so did a quick dig around and found this dedicated envelope press. Its a pretty impressive looking machine!
Here is a little info about it at this link >>
http://museumvictoria.com.au/collections/items/415535/printing-press-har...