A typewriter that squeezes out letters on metal plates (9 photos)

How and why was it invented?





When one American accountant got tired of writing by hand addresses on envelopes, he invented a special typewriter for fast production of metal printing plates. And during the second world war, such devices were used for other work - they printed soldier badges.








Graphotype is a typewriter. Only it does not print on paper, but extrudes letters on metal plates. Then these plates are used as molds for a special printing press, transferring names, addresses, type marks and labels to paper for correspondence and documents.



This machine was invented in the 1890s by an American accountant. Joseph Duncan forced to write an address on all correspondence companies. After a successful invention, Duncan retired and in 1893 founded his own company - Addressograph Company. She provided offices and post offices with new stamp-making devices.



Working on a graphotype is not particularly difficult. The operator is was mainly a female profession - he placed an empty metal plate between the matrix and punch circles. Punch - part with convex symbol, and the matrix - with a recess for the symbol. Every character one had to choose in order by spinning the wheel. The operator then pressed pen and pressed the punch into the metal. The car had an electric drive, helping to save the operator's energy. The advertising slogan read: "Any boy or girl can operate it" - "Any boy or girl can operate it manage". The graphic typewriter printed 500–600 forms a day.






One of these devices is now stored in the Polytechnic museum. This copy from 1925 to 2005 served in the printing house "Young guard." Anyone who at that time subscribed to publications of the Young Guard or corresponded with the editors, received envelopes with a return address, which was printed using the form stamped with this typewriter.



In the USA, this machine not only stamped molds for addresses. After the start of World War II, graphic types printed 19 million soldier dog tags, which received the slang name dog tags - “dog medallions. Each soldier had two of these tokens. When death, one of them was buried with the body, and the second was sent to the center to notify relatives and record the dead.