This rare Wesel proof press, in Australia, has been brought to my attention by its owner Josh Dobija of Dobija Print World. It appears to be the “Self-feeding Self-Inking Web Proof Press,” made by F. Wesel Manufacturing Co., circa 1888-1903. Wesel was an early innovator of flatbed cylinder proof presses whose sophisticated equipment predated Vandercook. […]
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Ferdinand Wesel
Ferdinand Wesel (1846-1912) was the founder of the F. Wesel Manufacturing Company, which among other equipment, made some of the first flatbed cylinder proof presses. Born in Frankfurt A.M., he learned the printing-machinery trade, as The Inland Printer once put it, “in the thorough manner characteristic of his countrymen.” In 1866, he emigrated to New York and […]
MoreMore TagOrigin of the modern proof press reconsidered, Part II
In a 2010 post, I examined Vandercook’s claim to be “the originators of the modern proof press.” In it I discussed presses shown in a 1906 catalog issued by the British manufacturer Harrild & Sons (courtesy of Steven O. Saxe). In the comments, Eric Holub shared images from a 1904 catalog for Soldan’s, another British firm. Here’s another contender thanks again to Steve Saxe, with whom […]
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