Press, Printing

Object number92.53.1

Manufacturer The Chandler & Price Company

Date1890

MediumIron; Steel; Other metals; Wood; Rubber; Paint; Electric motor

Credit LineGift of Estate of Thomas Pears III and Davis & Ward Inc.

DescriptionPrinting press (jobbing platen) used to produce individual sheets.Dimensions61.9999 x 51.9999 x 61.9999 in. (157.5 x 132.1 x 157.5 cm)
MarksImprinted along back bar: Chandler & Price, Cleveland, Ohio
Historical NotesChandler & Price Printing Press used in the Pears print shop.Label TextThe large Chandler & Price Printing Press was perhaps the most famous and influential press developed in the nineteenth century. This press is known as a “jobbing platen, and was used for production of advertisements, handbills, letterhead, and business cards. The press was manufactured by the Chandler and Price Company of Cleveland, OH, and based on a design by George Gordon of New York, in 1851. In 1884, Chandler and Price reintroduced the model and by the end of the year, over 300 presses had been built. The Press building business of the 1970s and 80s was a highly competitive one and over 100 models of the platen press were on the market at the time of the C&P. Many of the presses produced were cheap, light weight machines for use in small rural printing offices, and produced uneven prints with much effort. The simplicity of operating the C&P, along with its quality construction, gave it a competitive edge that has insured it’s presence in the print shop to current day. How does it work? Although this press was originally powered by a treadle, or foot peddle, it has since been converted to run by motor. The ink is distributed by a roller from the ink disk to the type locked in a metal frame called a chase, (featured on top of the type cases). The printer would hand feed paper from the wooden shelves in front, known as “feeding tables”, to the platen which is the surface you see stretched with paper sitting in front of the shelves. A skilled operator can pull over 2000 impressions in an hour with this style of press! This particular press belonged to Thomas Pear III, who inherited the business of printing from his father. Pear worked with Davis &Warde, Downtown Typographers and Printers in Pittsburgh, to produce over 100 fine and rare books. Pear started printing at age 14, when he wrote and published his own newspaper, “The Park Place Herald”. Pear confided to the Post-Gazette in an interview that favorite task was selecting a type face that most accurately conveyed the meaning of the words being printed. “Its future,” pear commented, “will only be for hobbyists, (and) museums…”

Related person Thomas Pears III

Previous owner Pears Print Shop

Subjects