From its founding and through several decades, the Lee family ran the Challenge Machinery Company. Challenge, which began as the successor to Shniedewend & Lee, became one of the largest printing equipment manfacturers with a wide range of products. Among their many innovations were the first paper drilling machine, the first hydraulic paper cutter and [...]

Andrew Franklin Wanner (1855–1935) was a typefounder and the proprietor of A.F. Wanner & Co. a printing supplier and press manufacturer in Chicago. Today the company is remembered as the original maker of Potter and Poco proof presses. It was also one of the earliest selling agents for Vandercook. In 1867, Wanner moved to Chicago [...]

This will likely be of interest to owners of British-built Vandercooks: Chip Coakley (the Jericho Press) emailed me with the serial number on his No. 4 made by Pre-Press Ltd. and to let me know that its original brass bearing blocks had British Standard Whitworth interior threads. When he bought replacement blocks from NA Graphics, [...]

Here’s the cover and spreads from an eight page booklet (5×7″) showing Vandercook’s Eastern Office and Demonstration Room. Formerly located at 323 East 44th Street, this aerial photo suggests that it had a view of the distinctive United Nations building (foreground), which was completed in 1952. Posted for New York friends in advance of my [...]

Among the Burt Roozee papers I recently acquired is this employee recruitment flyer. This rare, post-WWII ephemera is letter-folded and printed both sides on the same coated sheet that Vandercook used for catalogs. The plant on N. Kilpatrick Ave., shown above, was built by the company in 1928, its replacement was built on W. Touhy [...]

A request was made via email for larger images than those I previously posted to the Flickr Vandercook group of the ephemera I received with my SP15 no. 23339. I’ve just completed uploading massive original scans to replace the measly ones previously posted. http://www.flickr.com/photos/interrobang918/375450973/in/photostream/ Perhaps they can be of some use, though I believe I [...]

This photograph shows former Vandercook Vice President Bill Critchlow (4th from left) and his sales team. Vandercook had become a division of Illinois Tool Works in 1968. Several of these names appear on the serial number/model cards held by NA Graphics. Critchlow is married to E.O. Vandercook’s daughter Lynn. Joe Koyak (3rd from left) was [...]

Harold E. Sterne (APA 502) died October 2 at age 81. Hal who co-founded NA Graphics is responsible for saving what remained of Vandercook—its records and parts inventory—from being dumped when he bought what was then called Vandersons. For this and for helping to develop the earliest version of this website and for writing the [...]

While looking for information on proof presses built by Harrild & Sons, better known for its iron hand presses, I asked Stephen O. Saxe, author of American Iron Hand Presses, what he knew about this British firm. In reply he scanned this page from a 1906 Harrild catalog, shown at left. This press features a [...]

I became the proud owner of a beautifull Vandercook SP20 this week. We moved it from Leiden in the Netherlands to Brussels on friday. The press is in reasonable condition I think, allthough before starting to operate it I would like to give it a decent cleanup, regrease and finetune all machine parts. Could Anyone [...]

Today I received an email from Kurt Vandercook Osenbaugh, a grandson of Vandercook & Sons President Edward O. Vandercook who shared some interesting family anecdotes. He says his grandfather’s middle name reflects a relation to “the Oatman girls,” two girls who were captured by [Yavapai] Indians in 1851. “One died in captivity, the other escaped, [...]

Paul Moxon is in Chicago teaching his Vandercook Maintenance class at Evanston Paper and Print so some of us took a tour of Robert O. Vandercook’s grave and his house in Evanston. I’ve posted some photos: http://www.facebook.com/album.php?aid=2052602&l=0ab706a80d&id=1462172660