11 Jan
1999
11 Jan
'99
4:12 a.m.
Spiritusumdrucker! What a fantastic word! I think
that would be a
mimeograph?
Oh, a spirit duplicator! I've been wondering for ages what a Mimeograph
was!
In the UK such machines were generally known by brand names. For small
runs - a couple of hundred copies - one used a Banda machine (2-part sheets
on which typing or writing transferred a waxy, usually purple ink to the
back of the top sheet. The duplicating machine put solvent on this so it
would transfer the ink to the paper.
For longer runs one used a Gestettner (I don't know how to spell it,
either) machine. Cut stencils by typing with the ribbon disabled in your
typewriter, or drawing with a special stylus.
I heard of electronic stencil cutters that would transfer a plain paper
image to a Gestettner stencil, but I never saw one.
Philip.