LITHOGRAPHIC TRANSFER PAPERS
Essential Features--Varnish Transfer Paper--Damp-stone
Transfer Paper--French Transparent Transfer Paper--
Copperplate Transfer Paper--An Alternative Recipe--
Granulated Papers--Photo-litho Transfer Paper.
Transfer papers are even more used than the transfer compositions
already described, and in greater variety, in consequence of which there
is a wide difference of opinion concerning their merits.
To a certain extent the specific value of any transfer paper must depend
upon local conditions. That which might be of the utmost value to one
printer would in all probability fail to meet the requirements of
another. With these also, as with the transfer inks, the main point is
to grasp the general principles involved. Adhering to these principles
enables any intelligent workman to adapt the transfers to his own
peculiar necessity. It is most important that lithographic transfer
paper should be absolutely impervious to the transfer composition or
ink, so that an impression of full strength can be conveyed to the
stone, leaving its greasy properties unimpaired. The paper therefore
must undergo special preparation, and here again the character of the
work and the conditions under which it is carried out are the chief
controlling elements. So much is this the case that many lithographic
printers prefer to make their own transfer paper, and find such a
procedure eminently satisfactory.
A good bank post double foolscap paper, about 26 lb., first thinly
coated with a solution of concentrated size and afterwards varnished
with a heavy coach body varnish, gives excellent results. When
transferring large work in which a number of printings are involved, and
where accuracy of register is a _sine quâ non_, the following mixture
may, if desired, be substituted for the coach body varnish:--
Best oak varnish 1 quart.
Turpentine 1/2 pint.
Boiled linseed oil 1/2 pint.
Paper thus prepared rarely stretches or becomes distorted to any
appreciable extent, and can be used with equally good results on either
cold or warm stones.
Its keeping qualities are, however, limited; it is therefore advisable
to utilise the transfer impressions with as little delay as possible.
This may be criticised as a somewhat primitive and old-fashioned
transfer paper; but of the many transfer papers now in use, none can
claim to be exactly new.
Another stone-to-stone transfer paper of the simplest possible character
can be made by coating a good writing paper with the following
composition. Soak 3 oz. of glue in 6 oz. of water for about 8 hours.
Reduce 1 lb. of starch to a thick, creamy paste by rubbing it down in a
little cold water and then adding boiling water until the required
consistency is obtained. Mix the starch and glue together, and add a
little gamboge or cochineal as colouring matter, so as to enable the
printer to see at a glance which is the coated side of the paper. Spread
this composition on the paper while it is still warm.
A transparent transfer paper with a soluble coating is frequently
desirable, and for certain purposes may be strongly recommended. A
French transfer paper meets such a requirement, and at the same time
possesses many other excellent qualities. It picks up a firm, clean
impression, and transfers every particle of it to the stone. It is also
transparent, and sufficiently adhesive to stick to a very slightly
damped stone under a light pressure.
A transfer paper which may be used as a base upon which to write or draw
a design for subsequent transference to stone, as well as for
stone-to-stone transferring, should be coated with a composition of a
gelatinous character, which will not be readily soluble in water.
Writing transfer ink is of course dissolved in water, and its effect on
a soft, soluble composition would be disastrous.
The following formula is suggestive as well as practical:--
Gelatine 4 oz.
Isinglass 6 oz.
Flake white 3 lb.
Gamboge 2 oz.
Make a strong size of the above by boiling the gelatine and isinglass
with a little water. Mix the gamboge and flake white with a little warm
water, and add the mixture to the gelatine solution. This composition
must be applied to the paper while still quite warm, as it forms into a
comparatively stiff jelly while cooling. This paper should be
transferred to warm stones.
Copperplate transfer paper is to some extent a development of the
variety just described; that is, if the conditions under which such
transfers are made will bear comparison with operations of an
essentially different character.
The composition used for coating copperplate transfer paper must possess
a somewhat heavy body, and for this reason plaster of paris enters into
its composition, which is as follows:--
Plaster of paris 2 lb.
Flake white 1 lb.
Flour 2 lb.
Fish glue 1/4 lb.
Alum 1 oz.
Soak the alum and glue from 8 to 10 hours, and then boil them until they
are dissolved. Make the flour into a smooth paste by the addition of a
little water, and mix it with the flake white. Mix the plaster of paris
with water, and stir continuously until it becomes incapable of setting.
Add the other ingredients, already mixed, and see that they become
thoroughly incorporated with the plaster of paris, after which coat the
paper twice with the mixture.
The following may be substituted for the above:--
Plaster of paris 2 lb.
Flour 2 lb.
Gelatine 4 oz.
A transfer paper with its surface granulated to represent a mechanical
stipple, or the texture of a grained stone, may be prepared in the
following manner. Take of:--
Starch 9 oz.
Parchment chippings 12 oz.
Flake white 14 oz.
Prepare the starch as previously described, and dissolve the isinglass
by boiling. Mix the flake white into a thin paste by the addition of
water. Warm the three ingredients, and mix the whole thoroughly. Coat a
fairly heavy printing paper twice with this composition, and when it is
thoroughly dry give it the required granulation by means of grained
stones or engraved plates. The grain thus imparted breaks up the drawing
into a series of minute dots. Paper of this description is most suitable
for pencil or crayon work. Its usefulness is obvious. It enables the
artist to use his chalks in the usual manner, without the inconvenience
of handling large stones. No graining of the stone is necessary, and the
grained effect can be confined to any portion of the design.
Photo-litho transfer paper is in every respect a specific article, the
coating of which consists of a gelatinous emulsion, which can be readily
sensitised, and upon which a photographic image can be developed.
Special preparation and manipulation are therefore necessary in
connection with its production, and these points will be fully dealt
with in a subsequent chapter.
One more variety of transfer paper should be mentioned, namely, the
diaphanic, which possesses excellent qualities for certain classes of
work. It is very transparent, and extremely useful in the tracing of key
formes, or for making facsimile drawings for immediate transference to
stone.