1904 - The Discovery of Offset -

As if a floodgate opened, 112 years ago the offset process was born. Perhaps that’s not completely correct. Planographic printing from a stone was an already mature industry for metal decorating, maps and posters. Metal decorating refers to an image printed onto a sheet of steel. Variants of this process also included the printing of gelatinous transfer materials used as decals for products that were not flat. Stone printing was invented or discovered by Alois Senefelder, a German, in 1796. Crude as it was the possibilities of using limestone as the “plate” excited a lot of people. Doing the work, however, was difficult and lithography remained a very limited pastime until 1875.

In 1904, Ira Rubel of Tenafly, New Jersey, ran a small print shop and discovered a missing sheet while his zinc press was on impression. Zinc printing process technology used a plate (zinc or possibly aluminum) with an image that was transferred directly onto paper. Rubel noticed the “wrong reading” image transferred to the subsequent sheet, was much sharper than directly from his plate – Eureka! Why had no one seen such an obvious thing before? It’s said that about the same year The Harris Brothers of Niles, Ohio, who had already revolutionized the letterpress world with a 15,000-per-hour machine called the E1, came upon the same discovery.

Rubel then partnered with another man, Ike Sherwood, forming what was called the Sherbel Syndicate to make and sell his press. One went to Chicago and one to the J.C. Hall Co. in San Francisco just after the 1906 earthquake. Price of this press: $11,000. The others stayed in the east and the syndicate only allowed a few chosen printers the chance to own one. The idea of controlling a new technology proved to be a big mistake. This particularly riled Charles Goes of Chicago’s Goes Lithographing as he was locked out by the syndicate and he so desperately wanted in. Goes, which continues to this day, was a major producer of stock certificates and posters. All printed lithographically and with a stone. Goes knew the magic and possibilities of offset, how it worked and the fantastic advantages to his company.

The Sherbel Syndicate was already falling apart two years later when Rubel left for England. There he contracted Bentley & Jackson Engineers to fabricate his design. But death soon followed in 1906 as did the demise of The Sherbel Syndicate. George Mann Engineers in Leeds got a hold of some of Rubel’s print samples that were left at De La Rue & Sons which spawned the British entry into offset in 1906. Restricted trade practices, hidden deals and lots of deceit were the unfortunate consequences of the earliest days of offset. The Premier-Potter Printing Press Co, later to be acquired by Harris in 1927, made all but one of Rubel’s machines and continued on their own after the collapse of Sherbel and death of Rubel. Kellogg was the other builder who like Potter started with Rubel’s crude press design.

The real winner was the Harris Automatic Press Co. Charles Goes was so upset he caught the ear of Charles Harris. Now it should be said that Alfred Harris had come about the same epiphany much earlier. In fact, in 1898 at the offices of the Enterprise Printing Co. in Cleveland. While installing an E1 press Alfred is said to have heard foul language coming from a pressman and directed at a girl who had missed feeding a sheet. Wondering what the commotion was about Alfred came upon the same deduction as Rubel did years later. But Harris never acted upon it.

Charlie Goes provided the fuel. He knew exactly what he wanted: a rotary press with three cylinders using a rubber blanket and a zinc plate. Harris struggled and tried to sell Goes a curved stone press, by Charlie said no, it wasn’t going to work. So Harris took a model S4 letterpress (22 x 30 inches) added a cylinder, modified it and came up with their first offset press! This press designated the S4-L was sold in 1906 to Republic Bank Note in Pittsburgh and now resides at the Smithsonian Museum. Goes received the next presses (possibly two) of the earliest design. A string of presses followed and placed Harris as the undisputed leader in offset. Printers from far and wide started reading about this amazing new technology that used a zinc plate, rubber blanket and impression cylinder. No type, no forms, faster speeds!

Things got tougher, on two fronts. Firstly, the industry long known for conservative thinking, rebuffed offset as trash printing. Huge armies of letterpress suppliers ganged up on the fledgling offset makers to disprove the technology. Secondly, the early days of lithographic printing was horrible. Heavy zinc plates, big investments in ancillary machinery such as plate grainers, whirlers, cameras, chemicals, and expensive pressroom supplies were squeezing the most progressive offset printer.

Even the Miehle Printing Press Company (the leader in letterpress machines) wanted no part of offset. It was not until 1922 that Miehle finally built one. Harris became not only a trailblazing offset pioneer but also provided substantial money to advertise what offset could do.

Today Print Is Not Needed, but Must Be Wanted!

Major segments of the letterpress era started to disappear by the 1960’s, as more printers sought out the benefits of the offset process. One should remember that prior to photo-typesetting, copy was actually letterpress proofed and then shot on a camera. With constant new technologies in the new pre-press segment, electronics provided the final nail in letterpress’s coffin.

But, as we all know offset’s early days meant incredible skills of the operator dealing with new problems such as paper stretch, static electricity, constant re-packing of “hard” blankets and the still mysterious concept of using water and ink at the same time. This created new divisions within the printing community. There surfaced the “fine lithographers” those pushing the envelope on quality and the rest that struggled with even rudimentary techniques such as duo-tones and “pleasing color”.

The battle between letterpress and offset raged on. Offset had the ability to replicate higher quality 4 color and take advantage of the growing film technologies. The rigid composing skills, massive amounts of heavy type, expensive labor of letterpress and cheaper costs gave offset the advantage that could not be disputed. In North America strong unions employing hundreds of thousands of people, fought hard to destroy offset. In the end better technology as always won out just as it is about to with todays emerging digital devices.

What was once an industry that had important services such as stationary, catalogues, books and magazines is not essential any longer. Much more time needs to be put into the growth of Print as a want not a need. Letterpress is still alive albeit a tiny fragment of the overall volume of print but its growth is driven by "want". Beautiful greeting cards and personalized stationary are expensive and not considered a commodity like much of offset is. The idea of want is also behind some of our most successful offset printers as they spend more time creating than chasing everyday work trade shops do for less.

Offset and its major impact celebrates 112 years and up until recently grown and prospered. The machine builders have done amazing things furthering its impact and encouraging printers to re-invest. But UV and LED instant dry as well as, soft touch coatings and strike-through varnishes still involve the same technology of over 100 years ago. Harris Corporation once the world’s largest offset press builder, is today a billion dollar company but the closest they get to print is changing a toner cartridge in the file room. VOMAG is gone having been caught up in the manroland bankruptcy a few years ago. Miehle went on to sell the Faber & Schleicher Roland offset presses (also an early innovator), and all but forgotten now.

It’s All about Content and Control

The giants of our industry know that the pie is getting smaller. They continue to devour smaller printers to survive. Content is more important than ever. The offset press today has matured but still relies on expensive labor and is a major investment. That’s a reason why press sales continue a downward trajectory. Profits are thin for the process alone. It must be combined with other services. One sure sign of the demise is the ease of which on-line trade printers can draw work away from a traditional printer. These shops do it even cheaper which furthers the argument for not investing in an offset press.

Time For Something New

The exciting days of offset have faded. Time for the next process to take hold. Digital on-demand, short or long run technologies are well implanted in print shops. Some show glimpses of what may be next. What we print today is much different and unlike any time in our history, changing exponentially almost by the month. When a new faster more robust platform comes – and it will, then people like Charlie Goes will be snapping it up. It was the printer who found the offset solution and it was the printer who pushed for offset’s development.

Digital’s ongoing emergence into higher quality, faster more robust machinery will end up ruling the day. One surmises that day is very close. Goodbye offset. Since 1904, you have done fantastic things for the industry.

                                                      By:  Nick Howard