On Thu, 15 Mar 2001, M. Thayer wrote:
>
> ----- Original Message -----
> From: <PSHedgpeth@a...>
> To: <BRHSlist@yahoogroups.com>
> Sent: Thursday, March 15, 2001 9:40 AM
> Subject: Re: [BRHSlist] Kable Bros.
>
>
> > You guys might want to conduct an informal contest to see "Who knows what
> the
> > Roto Gravure is. Hint song Easter Parade
> >
> It is a printing process which involved a large, rolled metal plate with
> photos etched into it in fine halftone. An early use was for newspaper
> Sunday Supplements (the ancestors of Parade and USA This Week). In the New
> York papers, one of the early subjects was society photos, hence the
> reference to "Rotogravure" in the song Easter Parade.
>
> Marshall
That description is accurate, but it fails to mention that
it is a form of recess (intaglio) printing, where the part
to be inked is recessed into the plate rather than sticking
up above it. Intaglio plates were originally made by hand
using various cutting and polishing tools to cut the part
to be printed into the plate. Rotogravure (also called
Photogravure) was a development permitting halftones to
be reproduced by screening them to cut into the plate in
a similar matter.
Fine business cards and fine stationery used to be
produced by recess printing. You can tell if it's the
real thing because from the back of the piece of paper
on which it is printed there is a slight indentation
from the pressure forcing against the (recessed) plate
from the back.
It's an expensive process, and much of the use for
business cards and business stationery has been replaced
by a cheapie method in which the articles are printed in
the usual way using an ink which sort of bubbles up when
heat is applied, and so as it cools it leaves raised
lettering to imitate the raised surface of engraved
(recess) fine printing.
But you can tell if it's imitation by feeling the
back of the sheet or card.
For the special magazine sections of newspapers, it
is mostly no longer used because of improvements in
other printing methods which make the images as clear
and sharp (if well done) as by Rotogravure or Photogravure.
But for fine stationery, including wedding and other
formal invitations, the real thing is still preferred.
Wes Leatherock
wleath@s...
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