How Paper Boxes Are Made

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Title: How Paper Boxes Are Made
Author: Salade, Robert Francis
Language: English
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HOW PAPER BOXES ARE MADE

A Practical and Instructive Book Telling
How the Beginner May Manufacture All
Kinds of Paper Boxes, with Special
Chapters on the Printing Department for Paper Box
Plants, Embossing, Gold-Leafing, Label Work, etc.

With 100 Illustrations

ROBERT F. SALADE

Author of “Plate Printing and Die
Stamping,” “How to Make Cutouts,”
“Newspaper Men of the Night,” etc.

Published by
The Shears Publishing Company
Lafayette, Indiana
1920

LIST OF CONTENTS

CHAPTER I

Introduction. Great Growth of the Paper Box Industry. The Field for
Attractive and High Quality Boxes. Creating Orders by Submitting
New Ideas for Boxes. Plain “Set-up” Paper Boxes--Kinds of Materials
Used. How “Set-up” Boxes Are Made. Kinds of Machines Used, etc.
Page 7

CHAPTER II

Plain “Set-up” Boxes (continued). Modern Methods of Working.
Various Kinds of Cover Paper. Gold-Edged Paper Boxes. The Stokes &
Smith Automatic Wrapping Machine. Extension Bottom Boxes. Properly
Grouping the Machines to Save Time and Labor. Larger Size Paper
Boxes With Flanges and Mitered Corners.
Page 21

CHAPTER III

Plain Paper Boxes With Flanges. Effecting a Saving of Stock. How
the Blanks Are Mitered. Efficiency in the Production of Hand-Made
Paper Boxes. Kinds of Paste and Glue Used. Equipment Required for a
Small Paper Box Plant. The Advantages of Specializing.
Page 37

CHAPTER IV

Druggists’ Pill and Powder Boxes. Round Pill and Powder Boxes.
Round, Shouldered Pill Boxes With Projecting Edges. Plain, Round,
Shouldered Magnesia Boxes. How the Tubes, or “Barrels,” for Round
Boxes Are Made.
Page 51

CHAPTER V

Druggists’ Pill and Powder Boxes (continued). Covering Paper for
Round Boxes. Cutting Round and Oval Pieces of Box-Board for Tops
and Bottoms. Oval Shouldered Pill Boxes With Projecting Edges.
Round Face Powder Boxes With Dome Tops. The Doming Machine.
Odd-Shaped Face Powder Boxes. Plain Oblong Powder Boxes. Sliding
Boxes for Powders and Lozenges. Oblong Shouldered Powder Boxes.
Square Shouldered Boxes. Square Telescope Boxes. Suppository Boxes
With Partitions.
Page 65

CHAPTER VI

Candy Boxes. The Increasing Demand. Specializing in Fancy Candy
Boxes. How the Machines May Be Arranged to Speed Production. Plain
Paper Candy Boxes. Telescope Candy Boxes. Lacing. Shouldered Candy
Boxes With Extension Tops and Bottoms. Trays for Candy Boxes. Flat
Candy Boxes. Round Candy Boxes With Extension Edges. Large, Round
Candy Boxes With Dome Tops. Large, Odd-Shaped Candy Boxes. Art
Candy Boxes.
Page 81

CHAPTER VII

Miscellaneous Paper Boxes. Wedding, Party and Banquet Boxes.
Jewelry Boxes. Handkerchief, Garter, Suspender, Necktie and
Collar-Button Boxes. Cut-out Inserts. Cigarette Boxes. Stocking
Boxes. Oyster and Ice Cream Boxes. Oyster Pails. Paper Dishes.
Suit, Hat and Flower Boxes. Graining Board for Boxes. Round Hat
Boxes. Suit Cases and Traveling Bags. Pocket Cigar Cases. Boxes
for Hardware, Glass, Tools, Picture Frames, Toys, etc.
Page 101

CHAPTER VIII

Folding Boxes and Cartons. Equipment Required for a Small Cutting
and Creasing Plant. Kinds of Stock Used for Folding Boxes. Making
the “Dummy” for a Folding Box. Kinds of Furniture Used in Blanking
Out the Steel Rule Dies. Steel Cutting Rules and Creasing Rules.
Work-Bench for the Folding Box Maker. Steel Rule Cutting and
Bending Machines.
Page 117

CHAPTER IX

Folding Boxes and Cartons (continued). Making a Cutting and
Creasing Die. Blanking Out the Steel Die. Making Steel Dies for
Cut-Outs. Cutting and Creasing on Platen Presses. Making Ready a
Steel Cutting and Creasing Die. Putting on the Feeding Guides.
Corking the Steel Die Form. Feeding the Sheets of Box-Board.
Stripping. Gluing Folding Boxes. The Gluing Machine. Cutting and
Creasing on Cylinder Presses. Making Ready a Steel Cutting Die for
Advertising Novelties, etc.
Page 137

CHAPTER X

The Printing Department for a Box-Making Plant. Equipment Necessary
for a Medium-Size Printing Department. Kinds of Machines. The Type
Equipment. Hartford and John Thomson Platen Printing Presses.
Cylinder Presses. The Kidder Automatic Printing Press. C. & P.
Press With Miller Feeder. Kinds of Work Done in the Printing
Department of a Paper Box Plant.
Page 159

CHAPTER XI

The Printing Department (continued). Time-Saving Suggestions.
Printing in Gold Size and Bronzing Box Wrappers. Burnishing.
Printing in Gold Ink. Gold Leafing for Box Wrappers. Embossing on
Platen Presses. The Hartford Electric Plate Heater. Making the Male
Die for Hot or Cold Embossing. Kinds of Composition Used for Male
Dies. Making Ready for Embossing. Special Process for Printing
Glazed Box Wrappers. Imitation Plate Printing and Steel Die
Stamping. Patented Printing Base for Cylinder Presses.
Page 179

CHAPTER XII

Corrugated and Fibre Products. The Great Field for Corrugated Boxes
and Paper Cans. The Making of Paper Cans. The Equipment Required
for Making Paper Cans. How Corrugated Paper Boxes Are Made. Various
Kinds of Machines Used. Regular Slotted Carton. Center Special
Slotted Carton. Overlap Slotted Carton. Full Flap Slotted Carton.
Half Slotted Carton With Separate Cover. Double-Wall Carton. Double
Cover Box. Telescope Box. Double Lined Slide Box. Single Lined
Slide Box. Double Slide Box. One-Piece Folder. Two-Piece Folder.
Corrugated Paper Tubes. Partitions. Printing Cartons. The End.
Page 199

HOW PAPER BOXES ARE MADE

CHAPTER I

Within the last few decades the paper box manufacturing industry
of the United States has grown to tremendous proportions, due of
course to the ever-increasing demand for paper boxes of every kind
imaginable. The manufacturers have kept in steady progress with
the times, and so efficiently have they organized and managed the
industry that today it ranks among the largest and most important
in the country. The business is rapidly developing on every side.
New uses for paper boxes are constantly being discovered. In many
instances, paper boxes, on account of their neatness, lighter weight
and economy, are taking the places of those made of wood or tin.

Comparatively few people outside the industry ever stop to consider
the fact that the paper box business has been responsible for the
success of many another business. Manufacturers of the many different
varieties of packaged-goods which are sold over the counters of
retail stores, advertising experts and salesmen, know well that
attractive, graceful paper boxes help wonderfully in _selling_ the
goods. But, the buying public in general gives little thought to this
truth. With the exception of advertising and first class printed
matter, handsome paper boxes today are one of the greatest selling
forces in business.

It has been only during recent years that manufacturers, advertising
men and salesmen have been giving closer attention to the selling
power of high grade paper boxes. In days gone by the quality and
appearance of paper boxes received little consideration. Some years
ago, a plain, commonly-made box was considered good enough for the
purpose, but not so in these days. In this age the average buyer
would not be interested in a nationally-advertised product if it were
packed in a mean-looking box, no matter how excellent the product
may be. This explains why we see such a large number of display
advertisements on bill-boards, in the street cars, and in newspapers
and magazines, including the statement, “Packed in a Neat Box.”

In the present time, after a large manufacturing concern has
perfected all arrangements for making perhaps, a new breakfast
food, a new perfume, toilet soap, candy, tooth paste, or some other
desirable article, the next step that is taken to market the product
is in organizing a good sales force. Then, the manufacturers consult
with one of the big advertising agencies for the purpose of launching
a national advertising campaign. Among the first features of the
campaign to receive close study by the advertising experts is the
style and appearance of the paper boxes which are to contain the
product in question. Often, many different shapes and colors for
the containers are planned and tested before the right design and
color scheme are decided upon. The broad-minded manufacturer will
not object to paying substantial prices for attractive paper boxes
any more than he would object to paying high prices for advertising
in newspapers and magazines, as the advertising men can easily prove
to him the fact that beautiful paper boxes will help in selling the
goods.

QUALITY IS ESSENTIAL.

This does not mean that any manufacturer could succeed with the
aid of attractive paper boxes in selling anything that is not of
good quality. He would possibly sell an inferior article, by means
of advertising and appealing paper boxes, for a limited time, but
the public would soon learn whether the article was good or not.
But, the manufacturer of a high grade product may always depend on
good advertising and attractive paper boxes to help him in making a
success of his business, and this is the point that the writer wants
to make clear to the reader. The psychology of a handsome paper box
is something wonderful. Women, particularly, delight in buying candy,
perfumes, and many other things packed in beautiful paper boxes and
tied with colored ribbons. Men, too, derive pleasure through buying
goods packed in attractive boxes. All of us like dainty packages,
whether we admit the truth or not.

When paper boxes are made and used for the purpose of carrying goods
to retail dealers, in cases where the dealers unpack the merchandise
and sell it in loose form to the public, it is not necessary, of
course, to have such fine boxes as those which go into the possession
of the buying public. Large size shirt and hosiery boxes, for
example, seldom pass into the hands of customers of retail stores.
Boxes of this class should be neat, strong and of good appearance,
but there is no reason for having them expensively finished. The
larger-size boxes which are to be found upon the shelves of retail
shops are usually covered with glazed paper, in colors such as buff,
red, light blue, pink, etc. Store-keepers prefer boxes covered with
glazed, colored paper for the reason that colors, and the high gloss
of the paper help in making their sales-room look attractive.

These are very important facts that every paper box manufacturer must
keep in mind, and the more attention that is given to the aesthetic
side of paper box making, the better for the business in general.
The field for fine and fancy paper boxes, as well as for plain
boxes, is without limitations. It is a rich, fertile field, and the
manufacturer with new ideas and good business management can “plant
and grow” all the orders for paper boxes that he may care to handle.

The box-maker with ideas does not have to wait for orders to come
to him. Hundreds of manufacturers in various lines of business are
willing and ready to consider suggestions in the way of unique and
handsome paper boxes which may mean increased sales of the goods
or articles that they are marketing. The demand for “dust-proof,”
“germ-proof,” “damp-proof,” and the trade-marked folding paper boxes
is without end. Box-makers who are in a position to offer new-style
containers of this character will have no reason for complaining
about “slack seasons.” The fiber container field also offers
unlimited possibilities to the manufacturer of fiber products.

This is the age of progress. Creative salesmanship is now needed
in every line of business. The box manufacturer in these days must
give more of his time and thought than in the past to the subject of
creative salesmanship. He should work hand-in-hand with merchants,
sales managers and advertising experts when big selling campaigns are
being planned. The United States is just entering the greatest period
of prosperity in the history of the country, and without question the
paper box industry is to enjoy its proper share of this prosperity,
but the box-maker who fails in keeping abreast with the times will be
in danger of “falling by the wayside.”

IMPORTANT QUESTIONS.

Creative salesmanship, standard cost systems, efficient plant
management, and the matter of procuring a sufficient supply of
skilled labor are among the most important questions of today which
must receive deep study from the box manufacturers in general.
With these serious questions in mind, the writer has prepared this
text book on the subject of Paper Box Making for the purpose of
helping the progress of the industry in every way possible. Before
attempting this work, the writer spent considerable time in several
of the modern paper box factories, studying the mechanical equipment,
labor-saving methods, ordinary working operations, etc. Several of
the larger plants where paper box machinery is designed and made,
were also visited. In this manner, valuable data for this book were
secured.

The main purpose of this book is to _teach_ beginners, or
apprentices, the practical work of paper box making. We are not
so egotistical as to believe that we can make a trained paper box
maker with the aid of printed matter, but at least we can try to
offer simple, practical information which we hope will be helpful to
beginners. We shall try to do our very best in making the technical
facts plain and understandable, and if we succeed in giving the
reader a clear, general idea of how paper boxes are made, we will be
well satisfied.

May we suggest to employers, superintendents and foremen in the paper
box industry to place this book in the hands of apprentices for
study? It may even be possible to present copies of the book to young
men and young women who are not working in the industry, but who may
desire, after reading this volume, to engage in the interesting work
of paper box making. This is merely a suggestion, but it may be of
some value in gaining new apprentices.

This book will include information on Plain Paper Boxes, Fancy Paper
Boxes, Round, Oval and Odd-shaped Boxes, Cutting and Creasing for
Cartons, The Label Printing Department, Fiber Containers, and on
other subjects of this character. It would be almost impossible for
anyone to describe all of the many different kinds of plain, fancy
and folding boxes that are being made at the present time, so we will
merely describe the regular line of paper boxes that are considered
as standard in the trade.

PLAIN “SET-UP” PAPER BOXES.

The term “set-up,” applies to paper boxes which are covered with
separate lids. Folding boxes do not come under this term for the
reason that they are glued together at one side, and remain in
flat form until the time when they are used as containers, cut out
sections of the sheet then being folded to serve as “lids.” In other
words, a folding box is complete in one piece, while a set-up box (a
shoe box, for example), is of two parts, the box and the lid.

A set-up box must be cut, creased, folded, stayed and covered before
it is complete. The lid also must be cut, creased, folded, stayed and
covered.

Various kinds of boxboard are used for the making of plain paper
boxes, but the three principal kinds used are called “Chip-board,”
“News-board” and “Straw-board.” Chip-board is made from pulp formed
of all kinds of waste paper. News-board is made from pulp formed
of old newspapers. Straw-board is made from straw. These three
different kinds of boxboard come from the paper dealers, or from
the mills, in various sizes and thicknesses to meet all of the
requirements of the box factory.

Chip-board is more generally used for all kinds of plain paper boxes.
It is of gray color, and it has rather a rough surface. When the
boxes are to be of good quality, like a candy box for instance, the
chip-board is lined on one side with white news paper, or white book
paper. This lining is done before the boxboard is cut and creased in
shape for making the boxes. Many of the larger box-makers do their
own lining on a special machine called the Parry Liner, which has
been designed especially for the purpose. Other box-makers send the
boxboard to outside concerns who make a specialty of lining board for
the trade.

Chip-board, news-board or straw-board, when used for the making of
ordinary boxes--shoe boxes, for example--is not lined. Better-class
boxes, such as are used for holding collars and cuffs, silk shirts,
handkerchiefs, neckwear, writing paper, and “white goods” of many
varieties, should be lined with white book paper.

The first step toward the making of a paper box is in deciding on the
proper measurements. The specifications must indicate the length,
width and depth of the box, as well as the length, width and depth
of the lid. The length and width of a lid, for a plain set-up box,
must of course be slightly larger than the length and width of the
box. To ascertain the correct sizes of both the box and its lid, the
box-maker first makes models, and after these have been approved, the
regular work of making quantities of the boxes is commenced.

[Illustration: Robinson Double Rotary Cutter and Creaser.]

The full-size sheets of boxboard are fed into a scoring machine which
cuts and creases the sheets to the proper dimensions. Several pieces
of board, of the size required for the boxes, or lids, are cut from
the sheet with one operation. The machine is equipped with a series
of rotary knives and rotary scorers, which can be moved and adjusted
to the positions desired. The rotary scorers are like dull knives,
and are set up a little higher than the cutting knives; thus they
score the sheet instead of cutting completely through it.

Single scoring machines, which score and cut the sheets of boxboard
in only one direction, are used in some of the box-making plants.
In other plants double scoring machines, which score and cut the
sheets in both directions, are in service. The double scoring machine
is naturally a big time-saver on large orders for the simple reason
that it cuts and scores, _both ways_, on the sheet without it being
necessary for the operator to feed the sheets through the machine a
second time.

The cut and scored blanks, when in flat form ready for cornering and
folding, appear like this:

[Illustration: Figure 1. Showing blank for paper box, cut to proper
size, scored, but with corner-pieces not yet removed.]

The next operation is in removing the corner pieces from the blanks.
This work is performed with the aid of a cornering machine. There are
single, double and quadruple cornering machines in some of the larger
plants, but the single and double cornering machines seem to be the
most popular. The single cornering machine removes only one corner
from the blank with one operation; the double cornering machine cuts
out two corners with a single operation and the quadruple machine
removes all four corners with one operation.

[Illustration: Power Double Cornering Machine.]

The cornering devices are equipped with cutting knives, arranged so
that they may easily be adjusted. The guides may be adjusted so that
many different sizes of corners may be cut out of the blank stock. As
many as twenty or more blanks may be placed under the knives at one
time. The double cornering machine has two sets of knives and guides
which are adjustable to provide for the various sizes of blanks. In
the same manner the knives and guides of the quadruple machine are
adjustable to provide for many different sizes of stock and also
various sizes of corners.

When feeding the blanks into the single cornering machine, it is
necessary, of course, for the operator to feed the sheet four times
before all of the corner pieces have been removed.

When the four corner-pieces have been removed from a sheet of stock,
the blank has the following appearance:

[Illustration: Figure 2. Showing blank for paper box, cut to proper
size, scored for folding, and with corner-pieces removed.]

Some of the box-makers who make a specialty of fine, small-size
set-up boxes for the drug trade, jewelers, etc., have machines which
score the blanks, and cut out the corner-pieces simultaneously.
This device is for small work only, and its principal advantage is
accuracy. When scoring and cornering small-size blanks separately,
it is often difficult to have this scoring line in perfect alignment
with the corners. On this special type of scoring and cutting machine
it is necessary for the operator to feed one blank at a time. Cutting
and creasing of this kind can also be done on cutting and creasing
presses, with dies formed of steel cutting and creasing rules. This
process will be explained in another article.

After the blanks have been cut, scored and the four corner-pieces
removed, the blanks are then bent upwards on all four sides so as
to put them in form for the staying machine operation. Several of
the blanks can be bent partly into shape with one operation. The
operator of the staying machine then takes each blank and properly
shapes it into the form of a box as the stay paper is applied to
each corner. The staying machine is equipped with a roll of narrow
Kraft paper which is gummed on one side. The machine is also equipped
with a water-pan and a roller which moistens the gummed paper as it
passes along. The operator places one corner of the box in position
on the machine; the head of the machine descends and affixes a strip
of the stay paper on the outside corner of the box. The operator
then turns the box in rapid succession while the machine “stays” the
other three corners of the box. The cutting of the stay paper to the
proper size is an automatic operation, and the device can be adjusted
to cut off any length of stay paper. The stay paper placed on the
outside corners of the box, holds the box together.

[Illustration: Power Corner-Staying Machine.]

In the case of very small boxes and lids, the stay paper is attached
by hand, although the machine is adapted to small-size as well as
large-size boxes.

CHAPTER II

PLAIN “SET-UP” BOXES (Continued)

After the work of staying the corners of a plain set-up paper box,
and its lid, has been completed, the next operations are to cover the
sides of the box, and the sides of the lid, with paper of the desired
weight, color and finish. The kinds of paper which are generally
used for covering plain paper boxes are, white glazed, cheviot, and
colored glazed. This stock may be bought from the manufacturers in
either the form of large rolls, or in the form of flat sheets. When
the ordinary power covering machine is used, the paper is applied to
the sides of the boxes from rolls of the proper width.

The slitting and rewinding machine is used for the purpose of cutting
the large rolls of paper into rolls of various sizes. The cutting
wheels on the slitting and rewinding machine can be “spaced apart”
to any width required. They may be set as close together as ½ inch
apart. Conveniently located on the machine is a steel bar containing
a scale, marked off into inches and fractional parts of inches. This
scale makes it an easy matter for the operator to fix the slitting
wheels in the positions wanted for cutting the large roll of paper
into smaller rolls. As the wide sheet of paper unrolls and passes the
slitters, the smaller strips of paper are rewound on spindles.

There are several good slitting and rewinding machines on the market
which may be operated by hand or power, as desired.

[Illustration: Cameron Cutting and Rewinding Machine.]

When the sides of paper boxes are to be covered with the aid of a
covering machine, a roll of paper of the necessary size and kind
is first placed on the machine. The width of the roll of paper is
about an inch wider than that of the surface of the box which is to
be covered, for the reason that about one-half inch of the paper is
turned in and over on the inside of the box, and about one-half inch
of the paper is turned in over the bottom of the box. One operator
attends to the covering operation, while another performs the work of
“turning-in.”

[Illustration: Knowlton Power Covering Machine.]

SOME OPERATORS CARELESS.

The standard covering machine is equipped with a glue-pan, heating
apparatus, gluing roller, glue scraper, a table, and a cut-off
device. The gluing roller revolves in the glue pot, in such a
manner as to apply the glue to one side of the paper as the paper
passes over the surface of the roller. The glue pan may be heated
by steam, gas or electricity. The scraping device regulates the
amount of glue applied to the paper. When the machine is in action
the operator simply wraps the strip of paper around the four sides
of the box, allowing a “lap-over” of the paper, at one corner of
the box, of about one inch. Some operators are careless, and they
often allow “lap-overs” of several inches of paper, which of course
results in considerable wastage of paper during the course of a day.
The carefully-trained operator will try to save as much paper as
possible. Another important point which the efficient operator will
consider is in having the “lap-over” occur at one corner of the box,
and not in the center of one side of the box. When the “lap-over” is
made at one corner of the box, the work looks neat and finished, but
when the seam is made on one side of the box, the work presents a
poor appearance.

[Illustration: Long, narrow set-up paper box. Size, 3¹⁰⁄₁₆ × ⁴⁄₁₆ in.
Used by the medical profession for holding hypodermic needles.]

It is also very important that the work of “turning-in” should be
done as neatly as possible. The “turner-in” works on a table near the
covering machine. As the operator of the covering machine finishes
wrapping a box, it is passed to the second operator who turns in
the corners and edges of the paper. A wad of cheese-cloth, or a
soft, clean cloth of any kind, is useful in the work of turning-in,
the corners and edges of the paper being rubbed down firmly and
smoothly. Some operators of covering machines also use a cloth
in smoothing the paper as it is applied to the sides of the box.
Others use merely the palm of the hand. Attached to the machine
is a receptacle for holding tallow which many workers make use of
for keeping their hands free from glue. On the new model covering
machines the cut-off device is adjustable, up and down, by means
of screws, and it can be moved to and from the box-spindle in any
desired position, without it being necessary for the operator to
leave his or her seat. The cut-off device may be operated by hand by
means of a lever.

TIME SAVING SYSTEM.

In a large number of paper box making plants tables are placed near
the covering machines, and the work of “turning-in” is done on these
tables. Near the covering machines are the topping machines. The work
is handled in such a manner, that one operator passes the boxes on
to another, until finally the boxes and the lids are completed and
assembled. The boxes are then packed in cases ready for immediate
shipment. This system is the means of saving time, labor and expense,
as it makes it unnecessary for the operators of the various machines
to leave their seats. One operator does the covering of boxes, the
second operator covers the sides of the lids; the third attends to
the work of “turning-in”; the fourth is in charge of the topping
machine. Girls or boys then assemble the boxes and lids, and pack
them in the cases.

Many set-up paper boxes, in addition to being covered with white
glazed, cheviot, or colored glazed paper, are finished with
gold-paper edges. Some have a gold edge at the top of the lid, and
a gold edge at the bottom of the box; others have four gold edges;
still others are covered with colored glazed paper, and have four
edges of white glazed paper. Paper boxes of this variety may properly
be placed under the heading, “fancy,” but we want to mention them
here on account of the edging-work being done on covering machines in
about the same way as plain covering work.

Let us take the case of a gold-edged paper box for example: The
narrow roll of gold paper is placed on the covering machine, along
with the wider roll of glazed, or cheviot paper. Both the gold strip
and the other strip are applied to the box, or lid, simultaneously,
the gold strip being placed underneath the main strip. The main strip
of paper is a size that when applied to the box, or lid, (over the
gold strip) it allows the gold edging to show. Only the gold strip is
“turned in,” either over the top or bottom of the box, or over the
top and edge of the lid. With work of this character the operator
must be careful to have the two strips of paper run straight and even
as one is glued over the other.

The topping machine operates much on the same principle as the
covering machine, and it is used for applying paper to the tops of
box-lids, after the sides of the lids have been covered. The better
class of set-up boxes are covered on the bottom in addition to having
the tops of their lids covered, but ordinary, plain set-up boxes are
not covered on the bottom. The writer has before him a set-up box
which had been used for holding a dozen linen collars. The board for
this box has been lined with newspaper, making it neat and clean on
the inside. The lid is covered and topped with pale yellow glazed
paper. The sides of the box are covered with glazed paper of the
same color as the lid, but at the top the edges are trimmed with
white glazed paper. The bottom of the box is covered with white book
paper. This is that kind of box which should have the bottom covered,
although the bottom piece of paper is not absolutely necessary.
Writing paper boxes should also be covered on the bottom. The
question of covering the bottoms of set-up boxes should be determined
by considering the general qualities of the box, and the purpose for
which it is to be used. There is no reason for covering the bottoms
of common set-up boxes.

[Illustration: One of the smallest set-up paper boxes manufactured.
Size 1⁷⁄₁₆ × ⁷⁄₁₆ in. Sides ³⁄₁₆ in. Used by the medical profession.]

One of the best power topping machines on the market is that made by
the Hobbs Manufacturing Company, of Worcester, Mass. This machine
has an automatic cut-off device, and it is equipped, of course, with
a work table, glue pan, gluing roller, etc. A roll of paper, nearly
the same width of the lid, or box-bottom, which is to be covered, is
placed on the machine. Glue is applied to one side of the paper as
it is drawn over the surface of the gluing roller. When the strip of
paper has been stretched across the top of the lid, or the bottom of
the box, the operator depresses the adjustable lever at one side of
the machine, and the paper is cut off to the required size. On top of
the work-table is a locating projection which holds the box in place.
A locating gauge is also provided so that the vertical adjustment of
the table can easily be made.

It is only fair to state that there are other efficient topping
machines in general use, some being operated by hand, others by power.

Many set-up paper boxes, which are made for heavy usage, such as for
holding hardware, tools, toys, glassware, etc., are wire stapled
at the corners instead of having the corners strengthened with
Kraft paper, or stay paper. Some box manufacturers are making all
of their set-up boxes with wire-stapled corners. There are several
wire stitching machines now being made by well-known concerns which
have been especially built for use in the paper box industry, and
they have proved very satisfactory. The boxes and their lids, after
having been fastened at the corners with copper, or wire devices, are
covered and topped with paper in the usual manner. The wire stitching
machine is operated in much the same way as the staying machine, each
corner of the box, and of the lid, being “stitched” with wire in
rapid succession. For an exceptionally strong paper box which is to
have rough usage, the wire-staying will be found more practical than
paper-staying.

[Illustration: Figure 3. Diagram shows shape of wrapper used on
Stokes & Smith Wrapping Machine.]

Perhaps the most remarkable machine ever invented for use in the
paper box industry is the Stokes & Smith Wrapping Machine which
automatically places glued paper on all kinds of paper boxes. One
of the great advantages of this device is that it completely wraps
the box, or its lid, with a single sheet of paper. In other words, it
“covers” and “tops” at the one operation. Flat sheets of paper, cut
out at the corners like the diagram shown on page 29 are necessary
when using this machine.

[Illustration: Stokes and Smith Wrapping Machine.]

For cutting the sheets of paper to this special shape, a Stokes &
Smith Double Cornering Machine is essential. The sheets are first cut
square, or oblong, to the size desired, and the odd-shaped corners
are cut out afterwards. The Double Corner Cutter will cut two corners
from a pile of the sheets simultaneously. In about an hour’s time
a sufficient quantity of the wrappers can be cut to provide for a
day’s run of work on the Stokes & Smith Wrapping Machine.

Extension bottom boxes, or to use the old term, boxes with “French
edges,” may also be wrapped on the Stokes & Smith device, but for
this class of work wrappers of still another shape than that shown
by Figure 3 are necessary. Again, for work of this character,
the machine must be equipped with an Extension Bottom Covering
Attachment. The change in the shape of the wrappers is made by
equipping the Double Corner Cutter with the proper sub-presses,
knives, and dies.

Another advantage of the Stokes & Smith Wrapping Machine is that
it will apply printed or lithographed wrappers to the paper boxes,
therefore making it unnecessary to have printed labels pasted on the
boxes after they have been covered. These facts are not presented for
advertising the Stokes & Smith Company. In offering these facts we
merely desire to acquaint the reader with all that is new in the way
of paper box machinery, and were we to omit mention of the Stokes &
Smith Wrapping machine, we would feel that this series of articles
would not be complete.

HOW WORK IS HANDLED.

In plants where this machine is in operation, the work is handled as
follows: First, the sheets are cut square or oblong to the required
size. Second, the corners for regular paper boxes, or the corners
for extension bottom work, are cut from the paper. Third, the
wrappers are fed through a gluing machine, which by means of rollers,
places a thin coating of glue on one side of the paper. Fourth, the
sheets, with the glue-side up, are placed on a revolving table which
is really a part of the wrapping machine. Fifth, from the revolving
table the operator of the wrapping machine lifts up a wrapper with
one hand, and with the other hand takes an uncovered box, placing it
bottom down on the glued paper, being careful to see that the bottom
of the box is accurately centered between the cut out corners of the
wrapper. Sixth, the box and wrapper are then placed on a form on the
wrapping machine. The action of the machine thereafter is “almost
human.” The box and its wrapper pass down through a series of brushes
and rollers which draw the wrapper closely to the sides of the box,
neatly folding the paper at the corners and ends, and turning in
the edges of the wrapper on the inside of the box. At the end of a
complete revolution of the machine the box emerges from the machine
in a finished condition.

In some of the larger paper box manufacturing plants, where Stokes &
Smith machines are being used, a great deal of time is being saved
by grouping the machines, and by working the operators in teams.
For example, two wrapping machines and two gluing machines are so
arranged that the boxes and the lids are finished, inspected and
assembled with all of the work being done in one small “department.”
In not a few shops the boxes and lids are covered on machines which
are located a considerable distance apart, resulting in a waste
of time when the boxes and lids are assembled. The accompanying
illustration will give the reader an idea of how the machines may be
properly grouped so as to eliminate unnecessary handling:

[Illustration: Figure 4. Illustrating how time and labor may be saved
in the plant by grouping the machines properly, and by working the
operators in teams.]

SHOULD STUDY FLOOR PLANS.

Paper box manufacturers should devote time and study to floor plans
of this character. With the shorter work-day being adopted in all
parts of the country, and with skilled labor becoming more scarce
every day, it behooves the manufacturer to work out plans by which
time and labor may be saved, and which will make an increased amount
of output possible. This may be accomplished through following plans
that will effect _real_ efficiency in the factory. No matter what
kinds of machines the manufacturer may be using, they may be grouped
in such a way as to make it possible for the various operators to
work closely together in teams.

Within the last few months the writer visited a paper box making
plant where the staying machines were located at one end of a
spacious room, and where the covering machines were located at the
other end of the room. In about the center of the room the topping
machines were placed. Think of the great number of unnecessary
foot-steps which are made by the workers in this shop during the
course of a day! Consider the large amount of time that is being
wasted every day in carrying the material from one machine to
another! The reader can readily understand that by grouping the
staying machines, the covering machines, and the topping machines
in small “departments,” so to speak, the boxes and lids could be
finished, inspected and assembled simply by passing the work from one
operator to another as the different processes are completed.

The larger sizes of plain paper boxes, such as those used for
holding envelopes, shoes, etc., are not made from the same shapes
of blanks as are used for the making of the smaller sizes of boxes.
In the majority of cases the board used for the larger-size boxes
consists of three separate pieces. The main piece contains flanges
with mitered corners. After the main piece of box-board has been cut
to the required size, and after it has been scored and the corners
mitered, the board is folded or bent to form the bottom and two sides
of a box, having flanges at either end. Separate side pieces are
then glued to these flanges, making the box complete as to form. The
principal reason why the larger-size boxes are made in this fashion
is because it prevents wastage of box-board.

CHAPTER III

SIDE-SET PAPER BOXES.

If a single piece of box-board were to be used for the making of
a large-size set-up paper box, (a hat box, for example) it would
necessitate the cutting out of four corner pieces which would be as
large in size as the two side walls of the box, therefore the reader
can readily understand that it would not be economical to cut out
corners of stock which is to be used for the larger-sized boxes.
Another advantage of the side-set paper box is in the ends being
stronger than the ends of a one-piece box. While this strong feature
of construction would not been needed in a small-size box--a pound
size candy box, for instance--it is an advantage for a larger size
box such as is used for holding 500 No. 10 envelopes.

For this kind of a box, the chip-board, news-board, or straw-board
is cut and scored to the size required on either a single or double
scoring and cutting machine. This refers to the body-piece of the
box. The side pieces may be cut to the desired size, in stacks of
fifty or more sheets at a time, on an ordinary power paper cutter,
or of course, the side pieces may be cut from large-size sheets of
box-board on a scoring and cutting machine, or on a rotary board
cutter. In many of the big paper box plants the rotary board cutter
is being used for neck-pieces, side-pieces for side-set boxes, and
for other plain cutting where no scoring is to be done in connection
with it. The main advantage of the rotary board cutter is in the
smooth, clean edges left on the box-board after it has been cut into
the various sizes. The smooth, clean edges could not be procured on
an ordinary paper cutting machine, but in the case of common paper
boxes, the rough edges of end-pieces would not be a serious matter.
For the better grade of boxes the edges of the end-pieces should be
smooth and free from small particles of the board, especially when
the box is to be covered, as the rough edges would show plainly from
under the covering.

[Illustration: Fig. 5. Showing the construction of the flange style
of paper box. Note the mitered corners of the flanges. Fig. 6. Shows
the end-pieces glued to the flanges.]

Mitering for stock that is to form the body-pieces for side-set
boxes is done on a machine such as the Hobbs Duplex Corner Cutting
and Mitering Machine which is also used for cutting the corners for
one-piece set-up boxes. The Hobbs machine is so constructed that two
corners may be cut from box-board on one side, and two miters cut
from box-board on the other side. In other words, it is a quadruple
machine which will permit two operators to work upon it at the same
time, the operator on one side doing corner cutting, and the operator
on the other side doing mitering. Either side of the machine may be
used independently of the other, and all sizes of corners up to 3
inches, and all sizes of miters up to 1 inch in depth, can be done by
making the necessary adjustments of the dies, sub-presses, and gages.
The two miters may be spaced as wide apart as 22 inches, and the two
corners as wide as 20 inches.

Some of the paper box manufacturers are making the side-set boxes by
hand, but the majority of box-makers are using Ending Machines for
this kind of work. The hand method of construction is very simple:
The operators are seated on each side of a long table; one operator
“turns in” the flanges of the body-pieces, and shapes them ready
for receiving the end-pieces; another operator applies glue to the
end-pieces and keeps a supply of the glued end-pieces, arranged in
rows, ready for the next operator who places the body of each box on
a form, and then applies the end-pieces. It requires care for the
operator to place the end-pieces in true register with the bottom
and sides of the box. The scoring lines made for the flanges are
followed as guides for putting on the end-pieces squarely. The form
is simply a smooth block of wood, the size of the interior of the box
that is being fashioned. The amount of work which a force of skilled
hand-workers can turn out during the course of a day is really
surprising.

HOW EFFICIENCY IS ACCOMPLISHED.

Efficiency in the production of hand-made paper boxes, as well as
efficiency in the production of machine-made boxes, is accomplished
by keeping the workers, or the machines, abundantly supplied with
material, and by having boys or girls carry the material to and from
the tables or machines, instead of having experienced operators
attend to such work. When a force of operators start work at a table,
or at a group of machines, there should be a steady flow of material
to keep them constantly employed. This is the system now being
followed in the leading box-making factories, and it is a system
which should be adopted by every box manufacturer, no matter how
small his shop may be. _Keep your skilled help plentifully supplied
with material._ Do not allow your best operators to waste time in
carrying stock from place to place when boys or girls, with the aid
of light trucks, can do this class of work just as well.

This leads up to still another important suggestion which we will
offer to the manufacturers in general: Do not keep your apprentices
working for long periods at menial tasks, such as carrying stock,
sweeping floors, running errands, etc. Push the apprentices ahead as
rapidly as possible. Train them to become first-class box-makers.

A brief description of the Hobbs Automatic Ending Machine will
doubtless give the reader an idea of how end-pieces are attached to
the flanges of boxes mechanically: This machine is equipped with a
form, pasters, a hopper and a feeder, all being adjustable to provide
for paper boxes of various sizes. The machine is designed to apply
end-pieces to the bottom and sides of a box, causing the ends to
adhere to the in-turned flanges at either end of the box. The body
of the box is placed upon the form by the operator with the flanges
lying flat upon the surface. The end-pieces are placed in a hopper,
and the machine automatically feeds the undermost end-piece forward,
applies paste to three edges as it is being fed, registers the end
accurately with the box-body upon the form, and then presses the
end-piece firmly to the flanges. This completes the ending operation.

VARIOUS KINDS OF ADHESIVES.

Various kinds of paste and glue are used for ending work. White
Dextrine is recommended for this purpose by many box-makers. Stein,
Hall & Company, of New York City, make a Dry Ending Gum, as well as
Dry Gums for all classes of paper box work. The “Mikah Cold Glues,”
manufactured by the National Glue and Gelatine Works, of New York
City, are also well recommended. There are other good glues and
pastes on the market.

In addition to the Hobbs Automatic Ending Machines there are several
other ending machines in general use which are rendering first class
service. The Kingsbury & Davis Double Ending and Quadruple Staying
Machine is another “wonder-worker” which is worthy of special
mention. It is said that one of these machines will do the same
amount of work that can be done on five single enders or stayers.

Some of the larger-size paper boxes which are constructed with
flanges and end-pieces, have a strong linen thread running around the
sides of the box, near the top, for the purpose of strengthening the
corners, the paper covering of the box concealing the thread. Other
paper boxes with flanges and end-pieces, have the corners stayed on
the outside with Kraft paper in the same way as the smaller-size
set-up boxes. Others still have the four top edges and the four
corners of the lid stayed with Kraft paper, also the four bottom
edges and the four corners of the box stayed with the same material.
This makes a box and lid of very strong construction, and as a rule,
a box and lid of this kind are not covered with glazed paper, or in
fact, paper of any kind, the box-board being allowed to show in its
natural color. Many of the larger-size envelope boxes are made in
this manner, the corners and edges stayed, but no covering paper
applied to either the inside or the outside of the box or lid.

Shoe boxes, in nearly all instances, are stayed at the corners, and
afterwards are covered with white glazed paper of an inexpensive
grade.

MANY TWO-PIECE BOXES.

Although the great majority of paper boxes of the larger sizes seem
to be made on the plan of the flange construction with separate
end-pieces, there are also many boxes made from _two_ pieces of
box-board--one continuous side-piece, folded and joined at one
corner, and a “set-in” bottom-piece. A square-shaped box containing a
“neck”, such as is used by manufacturing chemists for magnesia, etc.,
is often made on this pattern. Writing paper boxes, and other boxes
which are high and square in form, are also made in this way.

When a paper box is made on this plan--with one continuous side-piece
and a set-in bottom-piece--there is practically no wastage of
box-board, for the reason that no corner-pieces are cut out of
the stock as would be the case with a one-piece set-up box. The
continuous side-piece is scored at three corners, and is joined and
stayed at one corner. The body is then set on a form, of the same
size as the interior of the box, and while the body remains on the
form, the bottom-piece is set in. Strips of stay paper are then
pasted to the four edges of the bottom-piece, and to the four bottom
edges of the box, so as to hold the body and bottom-piece together.
When an extra strong box of this design is wanted, gummed linen tape
is used instead of stay paper for holding the body and bottom-piece
together. Sometimes the stay paper, or linen tape, is pasted on
both the inside and the outside of the box, along the edges of the
bottom-piece and body, for the purpose of making an exceptionally
strong box.

Paper boxes of the kind which have been described in the last few
paragraphs are usually covered, after the staying material has been
applied to the corner and at the bottom of the box, with cheviot
paper, or with glazed paper in white or color. A large-size, high
and square box of this type looks particularly handsome when covered
with light gray cheviot paper. The high, oblong box also makes a nice
appearance when covered with the cheviot. Trimming of white glazed
paper, at the top edges of the lid, and at the bottom edges of the
box, forms a good “color scheme” with the cheviot paper, and the
trimming enhances the general appearance of the box.

When large-size paper boxes are made with either flanges and
side-pieces, or with continuous side-pieces and set-in bottoms, the
lid is made on the same pattern as a lid for a plain set-up box,
that is with cut-out corners, and with the corners joined together
with staying material. In the case of a large-size “telescope” box,
however, the lid is made in the same way as the box, the size of
the lid being large enough, of course, for the lid to fit over the
sides of the box. A “telescope” box is the kind generally used for
holding suits, coats, shirt waists, men’s underwear, etc. Boxes of
this class are usually low in depth, say about three inches, and are
therefore made with cut-out corners, or with folding corners. Some
telescope boxes, in the larger sizes, are made as high as 12 inches,
both the box and the lid being formed of two separate pieces. We
shall endeavor to explain how folding suit boxes are made in another
chapter.

EQUIPMENT REQUIRED FOR SMALL PLANT.

While holding an interview with a manufacturer of paper box making
machinery who has furnished complete plants for many box-makers
during the last two decades, the writer asked the manufacturer to
mention the equipment that would be required for a small paper box
factory just starting in business. The manufacturer answered that
it would be difficult for him to specify the kinds and sizes of the
machines necessary for a small new plant, without knowing exactly the
class of work which was to be produced. The manufacturer explained,
however, that for an ordinary plant where a general line of plain
set-up paper boxes were to be made, the following equipment would
probably be sufficient in the beginning of the venture:

One Single Scoring and Cutting Machine.
One Staying Machine.
Two 9-inch Covering Machines.
One 12-inch Covering Machine.
One 16-inch Covering Machine.
One 16-inch Topping Machine.
One Ending Machine.
One Single Corner Cutting Machine.
One Paper Slitter.
One 34-inch Paper Cutter.
Supplies of box-board, staying material, white and colored glazed
paper in 25-inch rolls, cheviot paper in 25-inch rolls, paste,
glue, etc.

The corner cutting machine may be equipped with interchangeable dies
for cutting round corners, miters for box-bodies with flanges, and
odd shapes of many kinds, such as for example, corners for wrappers
used on Stokes & Smith machines. All of this work may be done on the
single cornering machine in addition to the plain corner cutting for
set-up boxes, but it would be necessary to order the special dies as
“extras,” as they are not furnished with the regular equipment.

ECONOMY IN POWER EQUIPMENT.

The machines mentioned may be operated by either hand or foot
power, or they may be equipped for power fixtures. Power machines
are recommended as always being the most economical, as the amount
of work produced on power machines is far greater than the amount
of work produced by hand or foot power. In many of the big paper
box making factories practically all of the machines are driven by
individual electric motors, which means that there is no wastage of
electric current when all of the machines are not in motion. When
individual motors are being used in a plant, no overhead shafting
or belting is necessary. Overhead shafting and belting is often
responsible for dirt, dust or oil being thrown on expensive material.
When steam power, or a single large motor, is used in a plant, it
costs money for shafting and belting, and it also costs something
to operate the shafting and belting before the power reaches the
machines. Belts often break and must be repaired while the machines
are standing idle. All of this expense is eliminated by the
individual motor system; it helps in maintaining clean work-rooms,
and it saves the manufacturer a considerable sum of money on account
of the electric current being consumed only at points where the
machines are in operation. On occasions when all of the machines are
not running, there is a certain reduction in the amount of current
used. This is not the case when a single large motor is in service.
It spends its power in driving shafting and belting even when only
one of the machines is in operation.

With the mechanical equipment which has been suggested for the
establishment of a small paper box-making plant, and with a force
of experienced operators, the manufacturer would be in a position
to produce all kinds of plain set-up paper boxes such as are used
for confectionery, shoes, writing paper, collars, envelopes, and
so forth. As the business grows other machines of greater capacity
may be added to the plant. In due course of time the manufacturer
could have a double scoring machine, and perhaps an automatic
wrapping machine, installed, but it would not be advisable for the
box-maker to invest money in such machines unless he controlled
enough business to keep them constantly busy. It would be a mistake
for the manufacturer to buy an automatic wrapping machine, or other
extraordinary equipment, when he is not sure of having sufficient
work to provide for such equipment.

Practically all of the large and successful box-making concerns are
specializing in some particular line. For example, one large company
is specializing on druggists’ pill and powder boxes. Another firm
is making fine candy boxes of all kinds. Still another concern is
making nothing except folding boxes. The specialty line seems to
be “the thing” in these days, and one can easily understand why it
would not pay a manufacturer in attempting to make _every_ variety
of paper boxes and folding boxes. It would be almost impossible for
him to properly equip his plant with the machinery which would be
necessary to handle all classes of work. The folding box business
is one branch of the industry; the set-up box business is another
branch. Nevertheless, there are some cases where the manufacturer of
set-up boxes could add a cutting and creasing department to his plant
with advantage, and there are also some instances where the maker
of folding boxes could enter the set-up paper box field. But, in no
case would it pay the manufacturer to make _all_ kinds of folding and
set-up boxes. As a general rule the box-maker should specialize in
some particular line.

CHAPTER IV

DRUGGISTS’ PILL AND POWDER BOXES.

One of the most important branches of the paper box industry is
that which is devoted to the manufacture of druggists’ pill and
powder boxes. Only a comparatively few concerns are engaged in the
production of these specialties, and at the present time these firms
are practically in control of this class of business, for the reason
that their plants have been especially equipped for the production
of this line. In some instances these manufacturers have had special
machinery built for the particular needs of their factories.

While it is true that a great many of the small pill and powder boxes
are made by hand, by skilled workers who have had long experience on
this kind of work, it is also a fact that large numbers of small pill
and powder boxes are being made on machines. In one large plant, of
Philadelphia, there are several specially-built machines which are
being used for the making of round pill boxes of various sizes. The
owners of this plant will not allow strangers to see these machines
in operation; in fact, only certain loyal employes of the firm are
permitted to enter the department where these machines are located.

Another concern, who for the last sixty years has been making a
specialty of druggists’ pill and powder boxes, will not allow
visitors in the mechanical departments of the plant under any
circumstances. All “secrets” in the processes of manufacture are
carefully guarded, and only certain employes have admittance to the
work-rooms where round pill and face powder boxes are put together.
The manufacturers of pill and powder boxes in general seem to have
erected a “Chinese Wall” around their industry, and they should not
be blamed for this, as in some instances the manufacturers have spent
thousands of dollars in perfecting machines and processes, and these
of course are their own private property.

Nevertheless, the writer is of the opinion that no manufacturer
will lose anything by allowing visitors to walk through all
departments of his factory. Personality in business and quality
of product are things which cannot be stolen. You cannot steal a
man’s ideas, or rather his brains. Consider the business methods
of the Curtis Publishing Company, of Philadelphia, for example.
This company is said to have the best-equipped printing plant in
the world. Doubtless the reader knows about the superior quality of
_The Ladies’ Home Journal_, _The Saturday Evening Post_, and _The
Country Gentleman_--the three famous magazines produced by the Curtis
Publishing Company. This company invites the public to go through all
departments of its wonderful plant. This great $25,000,000 concern
is not afraid of anybody stealing its “secrets.”

“Competition is the life of trade.”

ROUND PILL AND POWDER BOXES.

Through the courtesy of one manufacturer of druggists’ pill and
powder boxes, the writer was permitted to see how this line of work
is produced, so far as the plant in question is concerned, and the
writer will attempt to explain the practical side of this work in
the following paragraphs. The reader will be particularly interested
in this subject, no doubt, when it is mentioned that some of the
facts presented have never before appeared in print, to the writer’s
knowledge. This is a bold statement, but we believe that it is well
supported.

Round and oval paper boxes, especially the smaller sizes such as
are used for face powders, pills, capsules, etc., are made by
highly-skilled labor and this class of work is considered to be the
most difficult in the paper box industry. Round work is far more
intricate than square-box work of any kind. It requires years of
practical experience for one to become a first class round or oval
box maker. Round work is an art, and many of the fine pill and face
powder boxes which are seen in drug stores are beautiful works of
art. The greater portion of round and oval work is done by hand,
although as stated, some round pill boxes are made on machines.

Round pill and powder boxes are made in a considerable number of
sizes and in a great variety of colors and trims. Round pill boxes
are made as small as three-fourths of an inch in diameter and with
a depth as low as eight-sixteenths of an inch. Then there is a full
range of sizes all the way up to three and five-sixteenths inches in
diameter, and even larger.

Plain, round, shouldered pill boxes are made from two round pieces of
box-board, two “rings” of equal size, made from paper, and one larger
“ring” which forms the shoulder or neck.

[Illustration: Round Shouldered Pill Box--Covered with colored glazed
paper, leaving four white edges.]

Note that a round box of this type does not have projecting edges
at the top of the lid and at the bottom of the box. The round top
and bottom pieces set within the rings. The ring is first placed
over a form; glue is applied to the edge of the round piece of
box-board, and this is then set inside the ring. A strip of thin
trim paper--gold, white or colored--is then pasted around the side
of the ring, the strip of trim paper being wide enough to extend
slightly over the top of the lid, or over the bottom of the box.
This extension of the trim paper helps in holding the round piece of
box-board to the edge of the ring and produces a smoothly-covered
edge.

THE FINISHED BOX.

Both the lid and the bottom of the box are made in the same manner
as described. After the trim-paper has been applied to the sides and
edges of the rings, strips of white or colored glazed paper are then
pasted around the sides of the rings (over the trim-paper), these
strips not being as wide as the strips of trim paper. The finished
box shows four edges of the trim, one at the top of the lid, one
at the bottom of the lid, one at the top of the box and one at the
bottom.

The shoulder ring, or neck, is nearly double the height of the ring
which forms either the box or the lid. Paste is applied to one edge
of the neck-ring and the neck-ring is then placed inside one of the
box-rings, the end containing the paste adhering to the bottom of
the box. It is well also to put a small portion of the paste on the
side of the shoulder-ring which goes down inside the box. The lid, of
course, fits snugly over the neck.

Some round, shouldered boxes of this type are covered on the inside
with colored glazed paper, others have merely the tops and bottoms
lined with white paper. In the latter case, the box-board used for
the round top and bottom pieces is lined on one side before being cut
into circles.

The rings for the lids, boxes and shoulders, when made of white
paper, are naturally white on the inside. We will explain how the
tubes for the rings and shoulders are made later on.

[Illustration: Round, Shouldered Projecting Edge Pill Box--Covered
with colored enameled paper, leaving four gold edges.]

BOXES WITH PROJECTING EDGES.

Round, shouldered pill boxes with projecting edges are made in about
the same way as the plain, round boxes, with the exception that
greater care must be taken by the operator in wrapping the trim
paper around the projecting edges of the lids and boxes. Particular
care must also be taken in placing the round pieces of box-board
accurately in position over the edges of the rings.

For trimming the edges of boxes with projecting edges, light-weight
paper having special stretching qualities should be used. In the
trade this stock is known as “Round-work Glazed.” A. Hartung &
Company, of 506 Race street, Philadelphia, are in a position to
furnish this paper on special order. It can be supplied in white,
gold and in various colors. It comes in rolls 24 inches wide.

Many expert operators on round box work are capable of making boxes
with projecting edges without using forms for placing the tops and
bottoms of the boxes accurately into position. Some operators make
use of metal rings which are placed over the box-rings after the
round pieces of box-board have been attached to the glued edges of
the box-rings. According to the size of the boxes being made, the
metal ring’s outside dimensions are the same as the diameter of the
round pieces of box-board. The inside of the metal ring fits closely
around the outside of the box-ring. By careful manipulation with the
fingers, the operator with the aid of the metal ring, obtains an even
margin on the projecting edge all around.

Other operators do not use glue in applying the edges of the rings to
the round pieces of box-board, the strips of trimming paper serving
to hold the material together firmly. The strip of trimming paper,
with paste applied to one side of it, is neatly wrapped around the
outside of a box-ring and around the edge of the round piece of
box-board. One edge of the trim paper is then turned over the edge of
the round piece of box-board, and the other edge of the trim paper
is then turned over the edge of the ring. It requires experienced
fingers indeed to accomplish this tedious work without causing the
turned edges of the trimming paper to wrinkle. “Practice makes
perfect.” The skilled operator can produce a surprising amount of
this class of work during the course of a day. The finished product
shows the trimming paper smoothly wrapped around the boxes and lids,
and where the paper passes over the projecting edges of the boxes
and lids, not the smallest wrinkle in the paper is to be seen. The
turned-in edges of the trimming paper are even and smooth.

EDGES LEFT EXPOSED.

The operator holds in proper position one of the box-rings, and one
of the round pieces of box-board, as the trimming paper is applied.
After the trimming paper has been put on, strips of glazed paper, of
the color desired, are pasted to the sides of the boxes and lids,
leaving the edges of the trimming paper exposed.

Round, shouldered pill boxes with projecting edges are made in many
different sizes, some as small as one and one-sixteenth inches in
diameter, and with a depth as low as one-half of an inch. These boxes
are trimmed and covered with papers of various colors, and beautiful
effects are obtained when correct color schemes are chosen. White or
gold trimming paper harmonizes well with all other colors of paper.
A box covered with white trimming paper and bronze enameled paper,
leaving four white edges, forms a pleasing color combination. Bronze
and gold, light blue and white, red and gold, light blue and gold,
are only a few of the many good color schemes which are being used.

Some of the fine, round, shouldered pill boxes with projecting edges
are lined inside with silver, gold, colored or tin foil paper.
Some of these boxes are covered entirely with gold paper, others
are covered entirely with white or colored paper. Others again are
covered with fancy embossed, or watered paper, after gold or silver
trimming paper has been applied.

The tops of the lids for these boxes are not covered by the box-maker
as a general rule. Druggists who buy these boxes paste their own
printed round labels to the lids of the boxes as physicians’
prescriptions for pills, capsules, etc., are filled.

One can form some idea of the large number of round pill boxes which
are being consumed in this country when considering the number of
drug stores that are located in all sections of the United States.
The demand for high grade round pill boxes is constantly increasing.
At the present time, the supply of fine, hand-made pill and powder
boxes is not equal to the demand, as only a few manufacturers are
specializing in this class of product.

SHOULDERED MAGNESIA BOXES.

Among the other kinds of small paper boxes which are used extensively
by pharmacists are plain, round, shouldered magnesia boxes, as they
are termed in the trade. Round boxes of this variety are higher in
form than the pill boxes which have been described, and they are used
for holding other powders in addition to magnesia. (Insect powder,
for example). Some boxes of this model have a depth of three inches,
while the diameter of the lid is one and fifteen-sixteenths inches.

[Illustration: Round Shouldered Magnesia Box--Covered with colored
glazed paper.]

Round, shouldered boxes of this class are made in about the same way
as plain, round pill boxes, the round pieces of box-board being glued
to the inside edges of the rings. In some instances, the sizes of the
rings for the lid and box are both the same. In other cases the depth
of the ring for the box is considerably larger than the depth of the
ring used for the lid.

The shoulder, or neck, for this kind of box consists of a tube which
is almost the same height as the interior of the box. One edge
of this tube is glued to the bottom of the box. Some glue is also
applied to the side of the tube, so that it will hold firmly to the
inside of the box. On account of the neck on this style of box being
higher than the neck on a pill box, some slight difficulty would be
experienced in placing the lid of the box over the neck. To overcome
this, a slit, running slightly on an angle, is cut into the neck with
a sharp knife. This slit causes a lap-over of the neck, at the edge,
making it an easy matter to slide the lid on.

PURPOSE OF HOLES

Before cutting the slits in the necks, some operators punch small
holes, with a bodkin or an awl, in the sides of the necks, at a point
where the length of the slit is to be determined. The hole serves two
purposes: First, it acts as a guiding mark when the operator cuts the
slit; second, it has an influence on the lap-over, allowing it to be
moved freely as the lid is placed over it.

Round, shouldered magnesia boxes are covered with glazed or enameled
paper, white or colored. Trimming paper is seldom applied. When
tubes, or rings of white paper have been used in the construction of
these boxes, the covering paper for the side of the box and side of
the lid may be cut to widths that will permit four white edges of the
box to show. These white edges make the box and lid appear as though
they had been trimmed with white paper. The reader is to understand,
however, that in the case of a round box with projecting edges, it
would be necessary to apply trimming paper, before pasting on the
regular covering paper, as the trimming paper serves to hold the
round piece of box-board to the edge of the ring.

In the case where the tops and bottoms of plain, round boxes are to
be covered with glazed or enameled paper, there are two methods of
covering: One method is in having one side of the box-board (which is
to be used for the tops and bottoms of the boxes) covered with glazed
or enameled paper before the box-board is cut into round pieces. The
other method is in having round pieces of the paper, of desired size
and color, cut out with a die, and the round pieces of paper are then
pasted to the tops and bottoms of the boxes.

Labels for round magnesia boxes are usually pasted to the sides of
the boxes, and for this reason the tops and bottoms of these boxes
are frequently covered with glazed or enameled paper, the same color
as that applied to the sides of the boxes.

As mentioned in a previous paragraph, some plain, round boxes,
not having projecting edges, are trimmed on all four edges with
“Round-Work Glazed Paper” before regular glazed or enameled paper is
applied to the sides, but as a general rule, only round boxes with
projecting edges are treated in this manner.

HOW THE “BARRELS” ARE MADE.

To a person not familiar with the process of manufacturing round and
oval paper boxes, it would appear that the sides of the boxes are
formed of light-weight cardboard, rolled to the required shape. Such
is not the case. The tubes, or “barrels” from which the rings for the
boxes are cut, are made of paper. The tubes from which the shoulders
or necks are cut, are also made of paper. Manila stock is used for
tubes of the cheaper grade. Machine finished book paper is used for
tubes of good quality, and the tubes which are used for the making
of the finest face powder boxes are constructed of white coated or
enameled paper. This will explain the beautiful gloss-white surface
which may be seen on the inside of expensive face powder boxes.

[Illustration: Knowlton Tube Cutting Machine.]

The various kinds of paper used for the making of tubes comes in
rolls, and can be supplied by any of the well known paper dealers
in rolls of standard widths. What is known in the printing trade
as 50-pound manila, 50-pound machine finished book, and 80-pound
enameled or coated-one-side, are the kinds of paper generally used
for making the different varieties of tubes. These papers can be
furnished in all of the standard weights or thicknesses.

Parallel tube rolling machines are necessary for this class of work.
James Brown, Jr., & Sons, Manayunk, Philadelphia, Pa., have invented
a tube rolling machine which is capable of turning out twenty-two
“barrels,” sixteen inches long, per minute. This machine is equipped
with a paste tank, a steel mandrel of the desired size, a cut-off
device, and a roll of the paper, say sixteen inches wide. Adjustments
can be made so as to roll the tube to any required thickness.
Three or four complete revolutions of the mandrel are all that are
necessary for a tube which is to be used for small pill boxes. Flour
paste is recommended in making tubes of the kind in question, but
dextrine or any of the patented cold glues on the market may be used
for the purpose.

CHAPTER V

DRUGGISTS’ PILL AND POWDER BOXES (Continued)

In addition to manufacturing tube rolling machines for the
box-makers, James Brown, Jr. & Sons, Manayunk, Philadelphia, are
also making tubes for the trade. Instead of manufacturing the tubes,
or “barrels,” for round boxes in their own plants, some of the
box-makers order the tubes made by concerns like James Brown, Jr.,
& Sons. Afterwards, the box-makers have the finished tubes cut into
rings of the required sizes, and assembled into boxes in their own
plants. There is an advantage, of course, in the box-maker having his
own tube rolling machines.

The finished “barrels” for round paper boxes are cut into rings of
various lengths on a rotary tube-cutting machine which works somewhat
on the principle of a lathe. Some of the larger manufacturers of
round pill boxes have had special cutting machines built for this
purpose. Tube-cutting machines of this kind are supplied by some of
the larger manufacturers of paper box machinery.

In some paper box factories, where small, round and oval pill boxes
are produced as a specialty, the tubes are rolled by hand on forms of
the required sizes. After a tube has been rolled, it is placed on
another form to dry for about twenty-four hours before being cut into
small sections on a lathe. The machine-made tubes are said to be just
as satisfactory as the hand-made tubes. All of the tubes are allowed
to dry thoroughly before cutting them into rings.

COVERING FOR ROUND AND OVAL BOXES.

As previously mentioned, small round and oval boxes are first covered
with Round-work Glazed Paper, having special stretching qualities.
This stock comes in rolls, 24 inches wide. A rotary slitting machine
is used for cutting the paper into widths of the necessary sizes. The
slitting and rewinding machine cuts the large roll into strips, and
these are rewound into small rolls. The operators on the round and
oval boxes make use of the smaller rolls when covering the boxes.

The glazed white or colored paper used for finishing the boxes
also comes in rolls, and the large rolls are cut into sections, or
different widths, on the slitting and rewinding machine, in exactly
the same way as the Round-work Glazed Paper.

In some plants, small covering machines, of special model, are used
by the operators in applying the paper to the sides of round and oval
boxes. In other plants, all of the covering work is done entirely
by hand, the operators working with paste, scissors, and the small,
narrow rolls of glazed paper. This is artistic work, indeed, and it
can be done only by experienced operators.

The hand-operators work on spacious tables, and these are provided
with the tools, gluing-boards, paste-containers, and all of the
material necessary for the making of the round and oval paper boxes.
The operators at intervals rub their fingers on small cakes of
bees’ wax to keep the fingers clear of paste or glue. One operator
continually works at covering the boxes and lids; another works
exclusively at finishing, or rather, covering the sides of the
boxes and lids with strips of colored glazed paper; still another
operator inserts the necks in the boxes. The boxes and lids are then
assembled together, and the completed product is afterwards packed in
large-size paper boxes, usually holding one gross each.

CUTTING ROUND AND OVAL PIECES.

The round and oval pieces of box-board for the tops and bottoms of
the round and oval paper boxes are cut to the proper sizes and shapes
by means of steel dies and a press. A steel die of the required size
and shape is placed over about a dozen pieces of box-board. The die
and stock are then placed under the head of the press; powerful
pressure is applied, and the steel die cuts through the dozen or more
pieces of box-board, cleanly cutting out the disks or ovals as the
case may be. It is necessary, of course, to have a steel die for each
size and shape desired. The manufacturers of small round and oval
boxes have complete sets of steel dies, suitable to all the standard
sizes of work, and these dies are kept in first-class condition so
that they are always capable of doing sharp, clean cutting. Several
different dies may be put under a large press at one time. The square
or oblong pieces of box-board are cut to sizes to conform with the
various sizes of dies so as to prevent as much wastage of stock as
possible. A margin of about one-half of an inch, all-round, will do
for the average die. Steel dies and die-presses can be furnished by
any of the large manufacturers of paper box machinery.

OVAL SHOULDERED PILL BOXES WITH PROJECTING EDGES.

Oval shouldered pill boxes with projecting edges are made much in the
same manner as round shouldered pill boxes with projecting edges,
with the exception that oval forms are used for properly shaping the
boxes and their lids.

The forms for the oval boxes are usually made of hard-wood, and they
are accurately cut and smoothly finished so that the box and lid will
fit nicely together. The covering is done while the box, or the lid,
remains on the form. The regular rings, cut from the round tubes are
used, and these round rings are easily placed over the oval forms.
Extreme care must be exercised by the operator when applying the
Round-work Glazed paper to the sides and projecting edges of the oval
boxes and lids. The work of setting in the necks is comparatively
simple.

[Illustration: Oval Shouldered Pill Box with Projecting Edge--Covered
with enameled paper, leaving four gold edges.]

A particularly beautiful effect is obtained by first covering an oval
shouldered pill box (projecting edges) with gold Round-work Glazed
paper, and by then covering the sides with white, buff, pink or blue
glazed paper. This leaves four gold edges. A striking color effect is
obtained by first covering the box and lid with black paper, and then
covering the sides with lavender glazed paper. Purple and gold make
another pretty color scheme.

ROUND FACE POWDER BOXES WITH DOME TOPS.

Among the most popular face powder boxes are the round ones having
domed tops. Boxes of this design also have projecting edges. Some
are covered with fine, colored and embossed paper, leaving four gold
edges; others are entirely covered with gold paper; others still have
four white or gold edges and are finished with colored glazed paper.

[Illustration: Face Powder Box with dome top--Covered with colored
enameled paper, leaving four gold edges.]

[Illustration: Beck Doming or Embossing Machine.]

The Charles Beck Company, of 609 Chestnut street, Philadelphia, make
a duplex embossing press which has been designed especially for the
“doming” of tops for round or oval face powder boxes. It is a hot
press, and by means of brass male and female dies, it shapes round
or oval pieces of box-board into convex forms for the tops of the
boxes. The Beck Duplex Embossing Press consists of _two_ complete
presses which operate alternatingly. A set of dies is placed in
proper position in each press. The operator places a box-top over
the female die of one press, and as that box-top is being embossed,
the operator places another box-top over the female die of the other
press. In this way there is always a box-top being embossed, either
on one press or the other. The box-top remains between the heated
dies long enough to be firmly molded into a dome.

The printed labels for dome-topped face powder boxes are pasted on
the round or oval pieces of box-board before the embossing is done,
so that the labels will have the same convex form as the box-board.
The covering is done the same as with flat-topped round boxes with
projecting edges.

ODD-SHAPED FACE POWDER BOXES.

Fancy face powder boxes are made in many different sizes and shapes.
Some have mirrors set in on the inside of the lids, so that the lady
using the powder, when traveling, may see her face. Novelty boxes
of this kind are “irresistible” to the fair sex. They are in great
demand, and they bring high prices. Some face powder boxes are square
with round corners; others have shapes like hearts, diamonds, etc.
The odd-shaped boxes usually have wide flanges, or French edges, top
and bottom, sometimes projecting as much as one-quarter of an inch.
The tops are embossed, or are padded with cotton wadding before the
covering is applied. The covering often consists of fine embossed
paper, in rich colors like deep red, royal blue, purple, gold, pink,
and warm brown.

All of these boxes are made entirely by hand from fine grades of
cardboard, although the tops and bottoms are usually of the ordinary
box-board, covered on both sides with glazed paper. Forms are used in
making the odd-shaped boxes, and the work is done by highly-skilled
operators who have had long experience on the one line of product.

PLAIN OBLONG POWDER BOXES.

Small paper boxes of this variety are used extensively by the drug
trade for physicians’ prescriptions calling for powders wrapped in
papers.

[Illustration: Oblong Plain Powder Box--Covered with colored glazed
paper.]

Boxes of this type are made from light-weight Manila, news, chip or
straw-board, and they are cut, scored and folded in practically the
same way as the larger-size set-up boxes. There is a machine on the
market especially designed for cutting corners and scoring blanks for
small boxes of this variety. The corner-cutting and scoring are done
simultaneously, so that the corners and scoring-lines will register
accurately. In fine hand-work, pieces of the glazed covering paper
are cut to the sizes needed. The strips of paper are pasted around
the sides of the boxes and lids, and the edges of the paper are
turned in, top and bottom.

Many small-size, square and oblong pill and powder boxes are now
being made by machines. The Improved Brightwood Automatic Box
Machine, manufactured by the U. S. Automatic Box Machinery company,
of Boston, Mass., will make paper boxes as small as 1 and ½ inches
as well as boxes of larger sizes. Another wonderful device is the
Automatic Box Making Machine, Model 33, manufactured by the New
Jersey Machine Corporation, of New York City. This machine will
automatically make a wide range of small set-up boxes such as are
used for cigarettes, cigars, needles, pins, buttons, clips, pills,
powders, jewelry, garters, etc.

SLIDING BOXES FOR POWDERS AND LOZENGES.

The small-size sliding boxes are also used liberally by the drug
trade, for powders, pills, lozenges, etc.

[Illustration: Sliding Box--Covered with gold embossed paper.]

These boxes are made from light-weight manila, news, chip or
straw-board, both the box and the sliding holder being covered with
glazed paper, or fancy embossed paper. In some instances, the edges
of the slide and box are trimmed, but in most cases plain covering
is done. The box proper is made the same as a small set-up box. The
sliding tops are made the same as the necks for square or oblong
boxes. Nearly all sliding boxes are made by hand.

The sliding tops for this kind of boxes are first made in long
sections, being cut and creased on a regular cutting and scoring
machine to the desired widths. The long sections are then cut into
smaller pieces on a machine like the Robinson Chopper, made by John
T. Robinson Company, of Hyde Park, Boston, Mass. Necks for other
styles of boxes are cut, scored and “chopped” in the same manner.

After the long sections for the sliding tops have been cut into the
proper lengths, the covering is then done. The pieces of cover paper
are cut on a paper cutter to the necessary sizes. The operator first
pastes a sheet of the cover paper around the sides of the slide,
leaving the edges of the paper projecting at each end of the slide.
Then, with scissors, the operator cuts the projecting paper, at each
corner, on an angle. The edges of the cover paper are then turned
in on the inside of the slide. The box is covered the same as a
large-size set-up box, the edges of the paper being turned in at the
top and bottom. The corners of small sliding boxes are not always
stayed, the covering paper being sufficient to hold the corners
together.

Some sliding boxes are covered with white “watered” paper; others are
covered with glazed plaid paper of various colors. Others, still, are
covered with calico paper, or with gold star paper.

OBLONG SHOULDERED POWDER BOXES.

Paper boxes of this model are generally used by druggists for holding
physicians’ prescriptions of powders, but these boxes are also used
for holding capsules, tablets, etc.

[Illustration: Oblong Shouldered Powder Box--Covered with white
enameled paper, and having four gold edges.]

These boxes are made from Manila, news, chip or straw-board, of the
lighter weights, and the side of the stock which will appear on the
inside of the boxes and lids is first lined with white paper. Some
of these boxes are made the same as regular set-up boxes (with the
exception of the neck). Others are made with set-in top and bottom
pieces. The box-board for the inner tops and bottoms of the best
quality boxes are lined with white enameled paper, the stock used for
the sides of the boxes is lined with plain white paper.

In the case of an oblong shouldered box having set-in top and bottom
pieces, forms, or blocks, are used by the operators for holding the
tops and bottoms into position as the trimming paper and covering
paper are applied. The trimming paper is applied first, then the
covering paper is put on, leaving four edges of the trimming paper
exposed.

The necks, or shoulders, are first made in long sections with the aid
of a rotary cutting and scoring machine. The long sections are then
cut into the desired lengths on a machine like the Robinson Chopper.
The outer sides of the necks are now covered with white enameled
paper, and after the paper has been turned in over the inner sides of
the necks, the necks are then inserted in the boxes, held with glue
at the sides.

Small boxes of this style usually are covered on the bottoms with
white enameled paper. The tops of the lids are not covered, the
printed labels used by the druggists serving as coverings. The boxes
and lids of shouldered boxes of this kind are both of the same size.
The trimming and covering is done in various colors of paper.

The greater number of square and oblong shouldered boxes have the
tops and bottoms set in, instead of the box and lid being formed of
solid pieces of box-board, for this reason: The sides for shouldered
boxes are made in long sections, and after the long sections have
been folded to the proper shape, and stayed at one corner, (on the
inside) the long sections are cut into the necessary widths on a
chopping machine. Naturally, by this method, the “frames” for the
boxes and lids are all of the same square or oblong size, on account
of having been cut from the one size material. This means that the
lid and box register accurately.

SQUARE SHOULDERED BOXES.

Square shouldered boxes, for physicians’ prescriptions of powders and
pills, are almost as popular in the drug trade as round boxes.

[Illustration: Square Shouldered Pill and Powder Box--Covered with
buff glazed paper, trimmed with four gold edges.]

Practically all square shouldered pill and powder boxes are made with
set-in tops and bottoms. The sides are first made in long sections.
The long sections are then cut on a chopping machine to the smaller
sizes necessary for the sides of the boxes. The small “frames” are
put on forms; the square blanks are set in, and the trimming paper
is applied which holds the square pieces to the sides. The strips of
covering paper are then pasted around the sides. The necks are made
in long sections, afterwards being cut into the required lengths.
The stock used for the necks is lined on the inner side with white
paper. After the long sections have been cut into smaller lengths,
each small section is covered on the outer sides with white enameled
paper, the paper being turned in over the edges which will appear at
the top of the neck. The necks are then inserted in the boxes, held
with glue at the sides. The lids and boxes are both the same size,
and they register accurately over the neck.

An attractive color effect for a square shouldered pill and powder
box is obtained by first covering the box and lid with red glazed
paper, and then covering the sides of the box and lid with green
imitation wood paper. This leaves four red edges showing.

Some square shouldered pill and powder boxes have hinged lids, so
that in the homes of sick people the covers of different boxes cannot
become interchanged, and wrong directions on the labels of the covers
followed.

SQUARE TELESCOPE BOXES.

The telescope pill and powder box is also popular in the drug field.
The lid and box are both of the same depth, and the lid fits down
over the sides of the box. A box of this type may be over-filled
with capsules or powder papers, the deep lid allowing for the extra
capacity.

[Illustration: Square Telescope Powder or Pill Box--Projecting edges
at bottom--Trimmed with gold paper, and covered with colored glazed
paper.]

Telescopic boxes of this class are made the same as small set-up
boxes in cases where the box does not possess an extension bottom.
When the box has projecting, or French edges, the sides are made
in the same way as the square shouldered boxes, with the exception
that the bottom piece of blank is not set within the sides. In this
case, the square blank is placed against the edges of the body, in
proper position, and the operator wraps the paper in such a manner
as to hold the bottom-piece firmly to the edges of the sides. Some
telescope boxes have projecting edges trimmed with gold paper, and
the sides covered with white enameled, or colored glazed paper. The
inner sides of the box and lid are usually lined with white glazed
paper.

SUPPOSITORY BOXES WITH PARTITIONS.

[Illustration: Suppository Box--Covered with white enameled paper,
four bronze edges--Lined with tin foil.]

Suppository boxes with partitions are made much the same as square or
oblong shouldered pill and powder boxes, with the exception of the
lids being deeper, and the addition of the partitions. Some boxes of
this variety are hinged.

The stock used for the partitions is usually lined on both sides with
white enameled paper, or with tin foil. The interior of the box and
lid is also lined either with white enameled paper, or with tin foil,
to correspond with the partitions.

The Charles Beck company, of Philadelphia, supply a paper box-maker’s
saw which is particularly adapted to the work of sawing slots for
partitions of paper boxes. The E. G. Staude Manufacturing company,
of St. Paul, Minn., furnish the Junior and Standard Slotters which
are adapted to all kinds of slotting work for paper box partitions.
The Staude slotting machines are equipped with automatic feeders, and
they are capable of turning out a great amount of finished product
very rapidly.

The edges of the partitions are glued to the sides and bottoms of the
boxes.

CHAPTER VI

CANDY BOXES

On account of the greatly increasing demand for candy boxes of all
kinds in every section of the country, the writer thought it well
to devote a chapter to this important subject, and an attempt will
be made to explain the styles and construction of the most popular
models of candy boxes which are on the market at the present time.
It would be almost impossible for one to describe all of the many
different kinds of candy boxes which are being made today, so it is
the writer’s intention to mention merely those boxes that may be
considered as standard in the trade.

Standardization of the styles and sizes of candy boxes is
something that is seriously needed in the paper box industry, but
standardization cannot always be followed by the manufacturers
of candy boxes for the reason that the confectioners often want
odd-shaped and special sizes of boxes to make their product more
attractive to the public. It is a fact that a beautiful, odd-shaped
paper box helps greatly in selling expensive candies, and even
a “freak” box that is attractive without being beautiful is
nevertheless a powerful selling agent. When the confectioner wants
an out-of-the-ordinary box, and is willing to pay the necessary
cost, the box-maker should give the confectioner what he wants,
but whenever possible to talk the confectioner into using boxes of
standard sizes, the box-maker should do so, as the standard styles
and sizes of candy boxes will serve well for every practical purpose.

DEMAND FOR SWEETMEATS

With the passing of strong drinks in this country came a greater
demand for sweetmeats from every direction. Confectionery and ice
cream parlors are taking the places of liquor saloons in many
instances. New candy factories are being erected in almost every town
and city. American men and women are consuming larger quantities
of chocolates, chewing gum and candies than ever before--they are
paying high prices for the best sweetmeats, and expensive grades of
confections are selling more rapidly than the cheaper grades. All of
this means more business for the box-makers, and the box manufacturer
who is in a position to make fine candy boxes as a specialty may have
all of this class of work that he may care to produce.

Many box-makers are specializing in fancy candy boxes. Their
plants are equipped to handle this one line of product to the best
advantage. By making a specialty of this line, a great deal of the
work can be standardized in such a way that the blanks, wrappers,
neck-strips, trimming paper, covering paper, extension bottoms,
etc., can be cut to standard sizes. The operators, through working
continually on the same styles and sizes of boxes, soon become very
efficient, and are capable of producing a larger output than would
be the case in a plant that is not specializing on candy boxes. All
successful box-makers are specializing in some particular kind of
work, and this is a custom which should be more generally followed in
the trade.

SYSTEMATIC ARRANGEMENT OF MACHINES

On the next page is a diagram which shows a systematic arrangement of
machines for staying and wrapping extension bottom boxes and lids,
affixing two laces in each box, and closing the boxes.

The extension bottoms are registered and attached to the box and lid
blanks by means of a Stokes & Smith Extension Bottom Gauge, Model W.

The blanks are glued with a hand stencil and are placed in the gauge
with the extension bottoms, after which they are delivered to the
staying machine, which is elevated on a portable platform.

After the staying operation the boxes and lids are passed through a
hopper to the operator of a Stokes & Smith Wrapping Machine.

The operator of the gluing machine places the glued wrappers upon
a revolving table within convenient reach of the wrapping machine
operator.

[Illustration: Systematic arrangement of machines for Staying and
Wrapping Extension Bottom Boxes and Lids; Affixing Two Laces to Box,
and Closing.]

From the wrapping machine the lids are discharged to a receiving
table ready for closing. The boxes are discharged to a hopper
conveniently located near the lacing machine operator, who applies
the two laces to each box and then passes it on to the receiving
table. The boxes are then conveyed to the table on which the lids
have been discharged, where the boxes and lids are closed ready for
packing.

This is one of the efficiency plans which is being used in many large
box factories with successful results.

PLAIN CANDY BOXES

[Illustration: Plain Telescope Candy Box.]

Plain candy boxes are made of chip-board, news-board, or straw-board,
the board lined on the inner side with white news or book paper
before being cut up into blanks of various sizes. The board is cut
and scored to the required sizes on a cutting and scoring machine.
The corners are then cut out of the blanks on either a single or
double cornering machine. The top of the lid is covered on a topping
machine. The corners of the box and lid are stayed on a staying
machine. The sides of the box and lid are covered with white or
colored glazed paper on a covering machine.

Plain boxes of this type may also be covered on the automatic
wrapping machine, but in that case the wrappers must be cut out at
the corners as described in a previous article. Either tight wrapping
or loose wrapping can be done on a Stokes & Smith machine, or on an
Alger Wrapping Machine.

Plain candy boxes are made in ¼, ½, 1, 2 and 5 pound sizes.

TELESCOPE CANDY BOXES

These are made in the same manner as plain set-up boxes, with the
exception of the lid which is as deep as the box, and which sets down
over the sides of the box, permitting the box to contain an overflow
of candy. Boxes of this kind usually have the lid loose wrapped, but
many are tight wrapped, or are covered in the regular way on covering
and topping machines.

[Illustration: Telescope Perfumery Box.]

The loose wrapped candy box is very popular on account of its
artistic appearance. The same wrapper tightly glued on the lid
would not look as well as the loose wrap. This statement applies
to telescope candy boxes. The loose wrap plan saves a considerable
quantity of glue, as the glue is applied only to the margins of the
wrapper.

The majority of telescope candy boxes are covered on wrapping
machines, although many are covered by hand. The shape of this style
of box is long and rather narrow, so far as the smaller sizes are
concerned. They are made in ¼, ½, 1, 2 and 5 pound sizes.

LACING

Paper lacing adds decidedly to the appearance of the interior of
a candy box, and it helps in making the contents of the box look
tempting. Nearly all good candy boxes contain lacing for the reasons
mentioned, and some have lacing which is of excellent quality. In
some cases the box has two laces, one on either side, and in other
instances, a plain or fancy fly leaf on one side.

The Stokes & Smith Lacing and Fly-Leafing Machine is a very useful
device on this class of work. It will glue and insert laces or
fly-leaves to the boxes as fast as the operator can handle them.

A great deal of lacing and fly-leafing work is still being done by
hand operators, and one advantage of the hand-work is that a pure
white paste may be used, while the machine requires glue to run
properly. On fine candy boxes sanitary white paste should be used
for the lacing or fly-leaves, as a yellow glue would not look as
clean.

[Illustration: Candy Box with Two Flyleaves and Two Laces.]

The U. S. Lace Paper Works, Inc., of New York City, supply many
different varieties of lacing to the trade. This paper may be run on
the Stokes & Smith Lacing and Fly-Leafing Machine, or on the Bird Fly
Machine. Sample books of the lacing will be furnished on request.

SHOULDERED BOXES WITH EXTENSION TOPS AND BOTTOMS

Manufacturers of fine chocolates and candies are using shouldered
boxes with extension tops and bottoms to a great extent as containers
of this product, and many boxes of this variety also have padded
tops.

The boxes and lids are first made in the same way as plain set-up
boxes. Separate pieces of box-board, about ¼ of an inch larger on
all four edges than the size of the box, are then glued to the tops
of the lids and to the bottoms of the boxes. After this has been
done, the boxes and lids are then wrapped with the covering paper,
the paper being turned in over the top edges of the box and the
corresponding edges of the lid. The shoulder, or neck section is then
set in the box.

[Illustration: Candy Box with Extension Top and Bottom.]

The John T. Robinson Company, of Hyde Park, Mass., has designed an
extension edge machine which is especially adapted to this kind
of work. The machine automatically glues and places the blanks on
the tops and bottoms of the boxes, placing the blanks accurately
into position so that the margins are the same on all four edges.
Stacks of the blanks are set in the machine which is equipped with
a glue-fountain and rollers for applying glue to one side of the
blanks. As the operator places a box or lid on the form, an automatic
feeding device moves the glued blank to the box or lid in just the
right position. This machine is adjustable, of course, to blanks of
various sizes. The Stokes & Smith Extension Bottom Gauge is another
time-saving device for this kind of product.

[Illustration: Stack of Box Blanks with Bottoms Attached.]

As mentioned before, the Stokes & Smith Wrapping Machine is well
adapted to the work of wrapping candy boxes having extension edges,
but when this or any other wrapping machine is used for such work, it
is essential that the wrappers be cut out at the corners to suit the
requirements.

[Illustration: Box Ready for Staying.]

In the case of a padded top for a candy box, this top is applied
after the cotton wadding has been put on and covered. First, the
cotton wadding is loosely placed on the piece of box-board which is
to form the top. Second, a sheet of heavy paper, same size as the
wadding, is laid over the top of the wadding. Third, the top is then
wrapped with the covering paper, turning in over the under-side of
the top. Fourth, the covered, padded top is now glued to the top
of the lid which has previously been covered on the sides. This is
said to be the most efficient method for making lids with padded
tops, although it is practicable to cover the lid while the piece of
box-board and wadding rests upon it.

[Illustration: Development of the Wrapper.]

Some expensive candy boxes in the larger sizes, square or oblong,
have extension edges as wide as ½ of an inch, but in such cases the
box-board used for the tops and bottoms should be of heavy weight so
that the wide, covered edges will not break easily. Most extension
edges on candy boxes average from ⅛ to ¼ of an inch.

[Illustration: Shouldered Candy Box Tied with Ribbon.]

Many shouldered candy boxes with extension edges have padded
tops; are covered with fine colored and embossed paper, and are
tied together with silk or satin ribbon of a color that blends
well with the color of the covering. When ribbons are used, the
ribbons are inserted between the bottom of the box and the piece
of box-board which forms the extension edges, which means that the
extension-bottom piece must be glued to the bottom of the box after
the ribbons have been applied. The ends of the ribbons are to be tied
in large bows over the top of the lid after the sweetmeats have been
placed in the box. Or, the ribbons may be in the form of loops,
which slip over the lid.

The shoulders, or necks, are made in long strips; are folded and
stayed at one corner, and are then cut to the proper sizes for
insertion in the boxes. The cut sections of shoulder-strips are
covered with glazed paper, at the top edges, before being set in the
boxes.

Box-board used for all good candy boxes is lined on one side with
white news or book paper before being cut and scored.

TRAYS FOR CANDY BOXES

Not a few of the better-grade candy boxes are fitted with trays for
holding the different kinds of chocolates, etc., separately. Some of
the larger-size candy boxes have several trays, arranged either in
groups or in tiers. Others have merely one tray. These trays are made
of the ordinary, light-weight box-board in the same way as set-up
boxes, cut, scored, cornered, stayed and covered with white glazed
paper. Before being cut, the box-board is lined on one side with
white paper.

FLAT CANDY BOXES

Flat candy boxes are made as low as 1 inch, and are made in various
sizes. They are used for holding single layers of chocolates,
caramels, gum-drops, etc., and by reason of their long and wide shape
they have the appearance of holding more material than is actually
the case. The flat box of this type is usually of the telescopic
pattern, extension edge bottom, the lid fitting down over the sides
of the box, although many are made without extension bottoms.
Sometimes small ends of ribbon are glued to the inner sides of the
lid, the ends of the ribbon extending outside so that one may readily
lift the low lid with the aid of the ribbons.

Thumb-holes at the sides of the lids are advisable with boxes of
this kind. The thumb-holes are cut after the lids have been covered.
There are several thumb-hole cutting machines on the market which are
capable of handling all varieties of such work.

THE DUPLEX SHOULDER-BOX PRESSER

The Stokes & Smith Company, of Philadelphia, is manufacturing the
Duplex Shoulder-Box Presser which is a time-saving device for all
kinds of shoulder-box work. The use of this machine prevents the
sides of the boxes from pulling away from the shoulder, and it also
eliminates finger markings so noticeable in hand-work.

This company also manufactures a Shoulder-Box Gluing Machine which is
intended for gluing the inside of shoulder-boxes, and the device is
a big time-gainer over the ordinary hand method of gluing necks, or
shoulders.

ROUND CANDY BOXES WITH EXTENSION EDGES

All round candy boxes are made by hand by skilled operators who
have had long experience in the one line of work. Practically all
round candy boxes are made with extension tops and bottoms, and have
shoulders, although some are being made with plain tops and bottoms.
The round, shouldered box with extension edges is formed of four (4)
pieces of box-board--two disks, the side-piece, and the neck.

The disks are cut out to the proper sizes on a die-press by means of
round steel dies. When plain covering paper is to be applied to the
tops, or fancy covering paper for that matter, this paper is also cut
to the necessary sizes and shapes with the aid of round steel dies.

For the side-pieces of round candy boxes the stock should be a
quality of strong cardboard which will roll easily into “rings.” The
ring is held together at the two ends with a strip of stay-paper, or
linen, glued to the inner side of the ring.

First, the ring is placed over a form to obtain the proper round
shape. Second, one of the round pieces of box-board, which is to form
the top or bottom and extension edges, is placed to the edges of
the ring in accurate position. Third, the operator then applies the
covering paper, wrapping it around the sides of the ring and turning
over the edges of the paper, top and bottom of the ring. The box and
lid are both covered in the same way, the paper holding the round
disks of box-board to the edges of the rings. Fourth, a round piece
of paper is pasted to the lid of the box. Fifth, a slightly smaller
ring than the one forming the side of the box, and higher, is glued
to the inside of the box. This forms the neck, or shoulder. The box
is now complete.

[Illustration: Large Round Candy Box with Flat Top.]

Plain, round candy boxes are made much in the same manner, only the
round disks of box-board are inserted at the top edges of the rings.
Boxes of this model usually have shoulders, although some few are
made on the telescopic pattern, the lid being large enough to fit
down over the edges and sides of the box.

Through the courtesy of Jesse Jones Company, of Philadelphia, the
writer is able to furnish information in reference to large round
boxes with convex, or dome tops--information which is very practical
and valuable. The Jesse Jones Company for many years has been noted
for the production of round and fancy candy boxes and this concern
has been successful in building up an extensive business in this line.

Dome tops for large-size round boxes, such as the five-pound size,
for example, are made after the lids and boxes have been covered.
The finished boxes are lined up on a spacious table. The lids are
then inverted and placed upside down over the top edges of the
boxes. Over the inverted lids soft, dampened pieces of muslin are
spread. Each inverted lid is then filled with fine buck-shot, and
while holding the buck-shot the boxes and lids are allowed to stand
in that condition for several hours. The dampened muslin and the
weight of the buck-shot causes the top of the lid to shape into an
almost perfect convex form. This is said to be the best process for
doming the tops of large round boxes. The lids for large-size oval or
odd shaped boxes can be domed in the same way. It is necessary, of
course, for the box-maker to have on hand a considerable quantity of
the fine buck-shot when following this plan.

ART CANDY BOXES

Some fine candy boxes are covered with silk or satin, and on the
tops of others are glued fancy “cut-outs,” such as pictures of
girl’s heads, yachts, flowers, etc. Hand-painted designs, pictures,
etc., are glued to the tops of some of the larger-size boxes. There
is always a strong demand for beautiful candy boxes of this kind,
no matter how costly they may be. They are particularly popular at
Christmas time.

[Illustration: Beautiful Art Candy Box. The picture contains a real
feather.]

LARGE, ODD-SHAPED CANDY BOXES

The larger-size candy boxes, like the five-pound size, are often
made in the form of hearts, diamonds, hexagon, octagon, square with
round corners, oblong with round corners, shamrocks, fans, keystones,
shields, and other figures. Nearly all boxes of this variety have
shoulders and extension tops and bottoms. The pieces of box-boards
for the tops and bottoms, whatever the shape desired may be, are cut
out by means of steel dies, and the cover paper for the tops are also
cut out with steel dies, so that the paper will accurately fit on the
tops, or lids, after the other covering work has been done.

Moreover, for fancy boxes of this class, smaller pieces of box-board
than the pieces used for the extension tops and bottoms must also
be cut out into the shapes of hearts, diamonds, etc., to be used as
formers for the boxes and lids, as follows:

First, the strip of heavy cardboard for the side of the box is
stayed together at the ends, and the side-piece is then placed
around a form of a heart, diamond or whatever the subject may be.
This correctly forms the sides of the odd-shaped box, but to keep
the shape permanently, the smaller piece of box-board is set in at
the top, and the sides of the box are then covered, the edges of the
covering paper being turned at the top of the form so as to hold the
set-in piece firmly. The form may now be removed from the box, and
the covered extension-edge piece of box-board glued on. The lid is
constructed in the same way.

Another, and perhaps a better method is in placing the side-piece
on the form; setting in the bottom or top-piece; gluing on the
extension-edge piece, and then covering the box in such a manner
as to wrap the edges of the covering paper around the sides and
extension-edges. The cut out piece of covering paper--a heart,
diamond, or whatever it may be--is then pasted to the top of the lid.

It is to be understood that the side-pieces, and the set-in top and
bottom-pieces are lined on the inner side with white or colored
glazed paper before the boxes and lids are made. In other words, the
stock is lined before being cut into the different shapes.

CHAPTER VII

MISCELLANEOUS PAPER BOXES.

It is the writer’s purpose to devote this chapter to miscellaneous
paper boxes that are in popular demand and which may be classed as
specialty lines. Important facts about the style and construction of
the various kinds of boxes will be given, and by carefully studying
this practical information, the reader should be capable of making
any of the boxes in question. In some instances, however, it would be
necessary to employ the special machinery which will be referred to.

WEDDING, PARTY AND BANQUET BOXES.

For centuries it has been the custom for people attending a wedding
reception to receive individual pieces of the wedding cake to take
home as souvenirs. It is a pretty custom and doubtless it will remain
in vogue until the end of time. Some brides simply wrap the pieces of
cake in fancy paper napkins, but those who want to have things done
right usually place the bits of cake in fancy paper boxes so as to
prevent breakage. Some newly-weds go so far as to have the names of
the bride and groom printed or die stamped on the lids of the boxes.

Wedding cake boxes are small in size, and are made in the shape of
hearts, diamonds, clover-leaf, fans, etc. Small, plain, round, oval,
square or oblong boxes are often used for this purpose, but the
odd-shaped boxes mentioned are always the most popular.

In making a heart-shaped wedding cake box, for example, the
side-piece of cardboard is placed around a heart-shaped form, after
having been stayed together at the two ends. The top-piece, cut out
in the shape of a heart of the proper size, is then inserted. After
this has been done, the sides of the box are covered with fancy
paper, the edges of the paper being turned over at the top and at
the bottom. A heart-shaped piece of paper is then pasted on the top
of the lid. Both the lid and the box are made in the same way--on
forms--only it is not necessary to cover the bottom of the box with a
heart-shaped piece of paper.

A box of this kind usually contains a shoulder, both the lid and box
being of the same size. The shoulder-piece is set in after the box
has been formed and covered. The stock for the top and bottom pieces
is lined with colored or white glazed paper before being cut out
in the form of hearts. The stock for the side pieces is also lined
before being cut to the essential sizes. This means that the box and
lid are lined on the inner sides before being made up as described.

HEART SHAPED BOXES.

When a heart-shaped box is to have an extension top and bottom, the
top and bottom pieces are put on after the box lid has been made on
the forms. The heart-shaped pieces of boxboard which are to serve
as extension tops are about ¼ of an inch larger all round than the
pieces of heart-shaped board which have properly formed the top of
the lid and the bottom of the box. The covering may be done after the
extension tops and bottoms have been attached, or the covering may be
done before they are attached, but in the latter instance, it would
be necessary to cover the extension top and bottom pieces, and their
edges, before attaching them.

Other odd-shaped boxes, such as diamonds, clover-leaf, fans, etc.,
and made on the same plan as the heart-shaped box. Practically all
boxes of this variety have shoulders. Some have extension tops
and bottoms, others are made plain. The covering is done in fancy
colored, glazed, embossed, watered or gloss-white paper. The box
usually contains fine paper laces.

Fancy boxes of this class are frequently used at parties in the same
way as at wedding receptions, the guests being presented with the
boxes which are filled with candies, nuts, or cake.

At many of the special banquets given by clubs, business
organizations and fraternal societies, ice cream and other desserts
are served in fancy boxes, thus adding an unusual touch to the last
course of the dinner. These “banquet” or dessert boxes are made
in various odd shapes, and are also made square, oblong, round or
oval, and as a general rule, there are no lids for the boxes which
are covered with colored, gold, silver, white or embossed paper.
The inside of a box, used for this purpose, should be lined with
plain white book paper, rather than with colored paper, so that the
coloring matter in the paper would not transfer to the dessert. Two
fine paper laces add an artistic finish to a square, or oblong, box
of this variety. The square and oblong dessert boxes are made in
the same manner as plain set-up boxes, cut out of a single piece of
boxboard, the corners stayed and the sides covered with colored or
white glazed paper.

JEWELRY BOXES.

Some concerns are making a specialty of jewelry boxes and the field
for this product is very extensive. Many jewelers pack watches,
rings, tie pins, dress pins, clasp pins, lockets, belt buckles,
cigarette cases, match boxes, vanity cases, mesh bags, rosaries,
fans, fountain pens, etc., in pretty paper boxes of the proper
shapes, and not a few of these boxes are works of art. The writer
recently saw a small paper box for a diamond ring, which cost the
jeweler one dollar apiece, the party who bought the ring paying for
the box, of course. The box in question was beautifully covered with
thin, dark green leather, and four edges of the box were hand-tooled,
the borders being finished in goldleaf. The interior of the box was
lined with white satin, with billows and a rest for the ring formed
of the same material. The box also contained a shoulder and the lid
was hinged.

Some jewelry boxes are made in the regular set-up style, others are
made with shoulders. Round and oval boxes are often used for watches,
rings, lockets, necklaces, etc., while long, oblong boxes are used
for tie pins, fountain pens, chains, gold pencils, envelope openers,
pen knives, dress pins, hair pins, etc. Square boxes are adapted to
silver and gold belt buckles, ladies’ shoe buckles, match boxes,
cigarette cases, mesh bags, etc. The progressive jeweler carries a
wide assortment of fine paper boxes, of many different shapes and
sizes, so that he may have a box suitable for any piece of jewelry,
or novelty, sold. He will even have sets of larger size boxes for
holding silverware, toilet articles, fans, cut glass, picture frames,
clocks, and so forth.

COVERED AND LINED.

These details will convey to the reader an idea of the great variety
of paper boxes required by the average jeweler. Many of the smaller
boxes are covered with white or colored glazed paper, and are lined
and padded with silk, satin, plush or velvet, of a tint or color that
will harmonize with the color or tint of the box covering. One of the
most beautiful paper boxes ever seen by the writer was one of oval
shape, used for holding a costly pearl necklace. This box contained
a shoulder with the edges of the shoulder covered with white glazed
paper. The outside of the box and lid was covered with golden-brown
paper in imitation leather. The interior of the box and lid was lined
with pale buff velvet, padded in the bottom of the box in such a way
as to form a resting place for the string of pearls. Note the beauty
of this color scheme.

One prominent jeweler has a complete assortment of paper boxes, all
covered with light blue embossed paper, and all lined with white
satin paper, those for rings, pins, etc., having padded rests formed
of white satin. The name-card of the jeweler is die stamped in bronze
blue ink on the lids, or wrappers for the lids. The color effect is
very pleasing. The wrappers for lids of jewelry boxes are die stamped
or printed with the card of the jeweler before being pasted to the
lids.

Jewelry boxes seldom have extension edges. These with shoulders, or
necks, are made in about the same way as the druggists’ pill and
powder boxes, a description of the construction work having been
given in another chapter of this series of articles. The set-up box
is made from a single piece of boxboard, lined with white glazed
paper, cornered, stayed and covered with colored, glazed, white,
watered or embossed paper.

GARTER, SUSPENDER, HANDKERCHIEF, NECKTIE AND COLLAR BUTTON BOXES.

All paper boxes of this class are made on the plain, set-up pattern,
the lids extending down over the sides. For example, a garter box
is made from one piece of light-weight boxboard, cornered, stayed
and covered with white glazed paper, while the lid is covered with a
printed or lithographed wrapper inscribed with the particular name of
the garter. We refer to the well-known brands of men’s garters. Many
of these garter boxes contain holiday wrappers (for Christmas gifts)
handsomely done in bright colors, and the lids have thumb-holes at
two sides so that they may be easily lifted.

Many garter, suspender, necktie and collar button boxes are fitted
with cut-out inserts for holding the contents attractively. These
cut-outs are of light-weight folding cardboard and are produced on
cutting and creasing presses.

Suspender, handkerchief and necktie boxes are often covered with
fancy colored wrappers suitable for the holiday trade. The designs
on the wrappers are printed or lithographed, and are usually applied
to the lids of the boxes with the aid of wrapping machines. Some are
loose-wrapped, others are tight-wrapped. Not a few fine handkerchief
boxes are covered with colored or embossed paper, and hand-painted
designs appear on the lids. The stock for handkerchief, necktie and
suspender boxes is usually lined with plain white paper before being
made up. There is an increasing demand for better quality boxes of
this variety.

CIGARETTE BOXES.

Numerous brands of cigarettes of the better quality are packed
in paper boxes of the set-up style, and the lids in most cases
are hinged to the boxes, the hinge being formed of tape or linen.
Cigarette boxes of this type are usually made of light-weight
boxboard, and are equipped with shoulders. The inner side of the
boxboard is lined with white paper, and the stock is then scored and
cut so as to form long, oblong strips after being folded and stayed.
The strips are then “chopped” up into small sections of the essential
sizes to make the sides for the boxes and lids. The shoulders for
the boxes are made in the same way. The blanks for the bottoms of
the boxes and for the tops of the lids are cut to size on a rotary
cutting machine, although it is possible to cut the blanks, from
small piles of full-size sheets, on a regular paper cutting machine,
but for the sake of accuracy blanks of this kind should be produced
on a rotary cutter.

After the top and bottom pieces have been inserted, the boxes and
lids are covered with white or colored glazed paper. The shoulders,
or necks, are then put in the boxes. Printed or lithographed labels
are put on the inside as well as on the outside of the lids.

When the boxes are to be hinged, the hinging material is applied to
the box and lid, on the inner sides, before the shoulder pieces are
set in the boxes.

Many cigarette boxes (not folding boxes) are made on the same plan as
the larger size set-up boxes, the box and lid being cut from single
pieces of cardboard; creased, cornered, folded and stayed in the
usual manner, but when boxes that are made this way have shoulders,
the register of the box and lid is not as accurate as in the case of
the box and lid being made from long folded sections.

STOCKING BOXES.

Great quantities of paper boxes are continually being consumed in the
stocking industry for packing the stockings in convenient lots for
the trade. The average box contains half a dozen pairs of hose, or
stockings, and often the retail dealer gives the box to the buyer of
half a dozen pairs, which means that a box of this kind should be of
good quality and attractive to some extent.

Stocking boxes are all of the set-up type. Some have shoulders,
others are on the telescopic pattern, some are made with ordinary
lids. The stock is usually lined with white paper. The covering is
often done with colored glazed paper. In some instances, the edges of
the lids and boxes are trimmed with paper of another color. Sometimes
fancy laces are placed in fine stocking boxes. The label of the
stocking manufacturer is placed on one end of the box.

When putting on the lids of finished stocking boxes, or in fact, when
placing on the lids of any oblong boxes, the operator can save time
by setting on the lid over the narrow way of the box, rather than by
placing the lid over the long way of the box.

OYSTER AND ICE CREAM BOXES.

Some concerns are making a specialty of ice cream and oyster boxes,
and special automatic machines are used for printing, scoring and
cutting the boxes to the required specifications. Oyster and ice
cream boxes are made from Manila tag-board, and the inner side of
the board is given a coating of _sodium silicate_ (liquid glass) so
as to make the boxes “water tight” to a considerable extent. Boxes
of this class may be produced on cutting and creasing presses, with
dies made of steel cutting and creasing rules, but as stated, this
work is usually done on special machines having great speed capacity.
An oyster box is glued and folded together, while an ice cream box
is usually wire-stitched at the sides, and is equipped with a handle
of tape. Oyster pails, and paper dishes are also wire stitched.
We refer to paper dishes used by grocers for holding loose jelly,
pepper sauce, lard, etc. The oyster pails have wire handles. These
specialties offer a big field for the box maker who may also include
milk bottle tops in this line.

SUIT, HAT AND FLOWER BOXES.

There is a promising field for numerous box makers who would care to
specialize in the manufacture of suit, hat and flower boxes. We refer
to folding boxes of this variety which are made with lock corners and
slits, and which may be produced from single pieces of box board in
a very simple manner. The Hobbs Creasing Machine, and the Hobbs Lock
Corner Cutter, have been especially built for this work. On these
devices the blank stock is creased and cut in such a way that both
the lids and boxes may easily be folded together without staying,
gluing or wire stitching.

Plain suit, hat and flower boxes are made from folding Manila
boxboard and practically all of the plain boxes are made on the
telescopic pattern. No covering is done.

GRAINING BOARD FOR SUIT, HAT AND FLOWER BOXES, ETC.

Handsome effects are produced by graining boxboard for suit, hat and
flower boxes, etc. Jute or Manila is generally used when graining
is done. Charles Beck Company, of Philadelphia, supply a Rotary
Printing Machine which has been designed for producing various kinds
of graining. This device is equipped with an intaglio printing
roller, inking rollers, fountain, feed-board, etc., and the sheets
of boxboard are printed by the intaglio process on the order of this
illustration:

[Illustration: Example of Box Board Graining.]

Different patterns of graining, imitation alligator-skin and other
designs can be produced on the Beck machine by changing the intaglio
cylinders which contain the patterns engraved below the surface of
the cylinders. The printing cylinder is first inked all over, some
of the ink depositing in the engraved places on the cylinder. The
surface of the cylinder is then wiped clean, leaving the ink in the
engraved places. The impression in the printing transfers the design
in the cylinder to the sheet of boxboard--steel plate printing, as it
were.

Large size suit and hat boxes are also made with the corners folded
in and the ends of the boxes folded over, held firmly together by
means of heavy wire staples. Boxes and lids of this kind are made
from single pieces of jute boxboard, the blanks properly creased on
a creasing machine so that they will fold readily into form. These
boxes are usually of the telescopic pattern; are comparatively cheap,
and are strong enough to withstand hard service.

ROUND HAT BOXES.

Milliners and hatters dealing in the better grades of hats are large
consumers of round and oval hat boxes. Some of the fine millinery
boxes are covered with fancy embossed, colored or striped paper, and
these are presented to the buyers of the hats. The square-shaped hat
boxes, however, are the most popular on account of their lower cost,
and of course they are just as useful as the round and oval boxes.

The round or oval hat box is formed of a side-piece and a set-in
bottom-piece, the lid being made on the same plan. The side-piece,
after being stayed at the two ends (on the inner side) is placed on
a round or oval form. The bottom-piece is then set in. The turned-in
edges of the covering paper serve to hold the sides and the bottom of
the box together. After the sides of the lid have been covered, and
the edges of the covering paper turned in, a round, or oval piece of
covering paper is pasted to the top of the lid.

SUIT CASES AND TRAVELING BAGS.

Several of the larger paper box manufacturing concerns are making
suit cases and traveling bags as a side line in addition to the
regular lines of paper boxes. These suit cases and traveling bags
are of the lower-priced variety, no genuine leather entering into
their production. The inside of the cases and bags is of heavy
chip-board, lined with leatherette paper. The outside is covered
with heavy “leatheroid.” Iron frames are essential in the cases, and
the material is held together with copper or brass rivets. This is
a specialty line which should have the consideration of many other
box-makers who have plants equipped for the production of such work.

POCKET CIGAR CASES.

Many cigar dealers furnish customers buying loose cigars with paper
cases for protecting the “smokes” while held in the coat pocket.
These cigar cases are made of single pieces of Manila board, round
cornered, and folded so as to form a holder. The sides are formed of
strips of heavy paper, glued on the inner edges of the Manila stock,
and folded so as to allow for expansion when the cigars are inserted
in the case. One long and narrow piece of Manila tag-board, folded
in the center, and two narrow strips of Manila paper, each strip
containing a center fold, make the cigar case complete.

Any box-maker is in a position to manufacture paper cigar cases of
this kind. The stock can be cut to the necessary sizes on an ordinary
paper cutter, and the round cornering can be done on a regular
round cornering machine. No creasing-work is essential, as all of
the folding can easily be done without any creasing. The sides of
the cigar cases may be imprinted with the names of retail tobacco
dealers distributing them, or with the names of cigar manufacturers
who supply the cases gratis to the dealers. The cases may be made and
sold in large quantities.

BOXES FOR HARDWARE, GLASS, PICTURE FRAMES, TOOLS, TOYS, ETC.

There is always a strong demand for plain, common-grade paper boxes,
made on the set-up pattern, for holding hardware, glass, picture
frames, tools, toys, books and any other things which do not call
for high-grade boxes. Plain boxes of this variety should be made of
heavy-weight chip-board, news-board or straw-board, and the corners
should be stayed with tape or wire stitched. The creased edges of
the boxes and lids are often stayed on the outer sides with the
ordinary brown staying paper so as to prevent breakage of the boxes
and lids at the places where creased. No covering of any kind is
necessary. Paper boxes of this class may be made up during slack
seasons, and they always find a ready market, especially when they
are moderately priced.

CHAPTER VIII

CUTTING AND CREASING FOLDING BOXES.

One of the most important branches of the paper box industry is that
devoted exclusively to the making of all kinds of folding boxes and
cartons, and this branch of the business has been growing wonderfully
during the last few decades. The manufacturers of folding boxes are
in a class by themselves, and as a general rule, they have nothing to
do with the making of set-up paper boxes, although some of the larger
plants are producing both folding boxes and set-up boxes.

There are good reasons why it would not be advisable for the
average box maker to handle both folding boxes and set-up boxes in
his factory, and the principal reason is the matter of mechanical
equipment. The folding box plant must be equipped with machinery
which cannot be used for the production of set-up boxes, and in a
like manner, the set-up paper box plant calls for machines that
cannot be used for the manufacture of folding boxes. Another fact to
consider is that operators on folding boxes are usually skilled only
in that line of work, while operators on set-up boxes know but little
about the work on folding boxes.

Henry Ford, the automobile king, declares that specializing is the
main reason for his great success in business. Says Mr. Ford:

“Any manufacturer or merchant, to be successful, must specialize. Do
one thing. Do it well. Sell at one standard price--and you’re just
bound to succeed.”

[Illustration: =Tooth Pick Carton.= No gluing required. Holds
together when folded.

Plain lines represent steel cutting rules.

Dotted lines represent steel creasing rules.]

There should be a “tip” here for many a box manufacturer.

Folding boxes are now being used for holding a great variety of
merchandise such as, for example, bottles containing medicines, cakes
of soap, toothpicks, tubes of tooth paste, bottles of perfume, many
different kinds of drugs, brushes, cough drops, cakes and crackers,
safety razor blades, powders of various kinds, tools, grass seed,
herbs, dried raisins, butter, spices, rice, sugar, absorbent cotton,
bandages, etc. This list gives merely an idea of the many different
uses for folding boxes, and it would be possible to add to this list
hundreds of other articles which are packed in paper cartons. The
drug trade alone uses great quantities of the smaller-size folding
boxes for holding pills, tablets, medical goods, etc. Countless
numbers of the larger size cartons are used for holding cereals,
cake, tea, dozen lots of cigarette packages, dry goods, etc.

A folding box, or carton, is made from a single piece of cardboard,
cut and scored in such a manner that it may easily be folded and
glued together so as to form a complete box. The cutting and creasing
dies are made by the box maker, from steel cutting and creasing
rules. The blank sheets of stock are cut and creased, with the steel
dies, on either platen presses or cylinder presses. The cut out
sheets are then glued together at two ends on a gluing machine.

EQUIPMENT REQUIRED FOR A SMALL CUTTING AND CREASING PLANT.

One Cutting and Creasing Press, size of platen, 14 × 22 inches.
One Cutting and Creasing Press, size of platen, 21 × 30 inches.
One Steel Rule Bending Machine.
One Steel Rule Cutter.
One Power Circular Saw.
One Power Jig Saw.
One Imposing Table.
One Power Gluing Machine.
Supply of Cherry and Black Walnut Board, in strips of various
widths for blanking out large steel dies.
Supply of Laminated Wood for holding Steel Cutting Rules in
Odd-Shaped Dies, such as Circles, Ovals, Hearts, etc.
Supply of Labor-saving Wood, Lead, Steel and Iron Furniture, in
assorted sizes, for blanking out space in Steel Dies.
Supply of Steel (Hard) Cutting Rule, in full-length strips.
Supply of Steel (Soft) Cutting Rule, in full-length strips.
Supply of Steel Scoring Rule, in full-length strips.
Cabinets for holding Furniture.
Work Table, fitted with vise for bending Soft Steel Cutting Rule.
Supply of Corks in assorted sizes.
Supply of Cork in strips.
LePage (or fish) Glue for make-ready on presses.
Box-Makers’ Glue for gluing Folding Boxes on Gluing Machine.
Set of tools, including Pliers, Files, Hammer, Mallet, T-Square,
L-Square and Steel Straight-Edge.

With this equipment, the box maker would be in a position to make
all kinds of steel cutting and creasing dies for every variety of
folding boxes, also all shapes of steel cutting dies for cut-outs of
advertising novelties, cardboard fans, odd shapes for fancy boxes,
etc. With this equipment, the box maker could also manufacture all
sizes and all styles of folding boxes up to those requiring blanks of
cardboard as large as 20 × 28 inches. It is the writer’s purpose to
explain all the technical work necessary in the making of the steel
dies, made-ready on the presses, and other practical work relating to
the making of folding boxes, cartons, advertising novelties and so
forth, and if this information is carefully studied and followed, the
apprentice in box making should have no difficulty in producing all
of the work in question.

KIND OF PAPER STOCK USED FOR FOLDING BOXES.

The ordinary news-board, chip-board and straw-board, such as used
for the manufacture of set-up boxes, is not adapted to folding boxes
for the reason that these boards have a tendency to break when
folded. The stock used for folding boxes includes Manila tag-board,
bristol-board, clay coated Manila, Manila-lined board, and other
kinds of pasted boards which are tough and flexible. Coated box-board
comes in white, colors and tints. One side is coated in white, color
or tint, the other side being of Manila. When the box is to be
printed, the printing is done on the coated side. This stock comes
500 sheets in a ream, size 22½ × 28½, the weight running from 90
pounds to 200 pounds per ream. This stock also comes in rolls, and
may be run in rolls on rotary printing presses.

Among the well known firms who supply folding box-board of all kinds,
are the following: A. Hartung & Company, of Philadelphia; Berton C.
Hill Company, of New York City; Baird & Bartlett Company, of Boston,
Mass.; C. L. LaBoiteaux Company, of Cincinnati, Chicago, Cleveland
and New York City, and the White Pigeon Coated Paper Company, of
White Pigeon, Mich.

MAKING THE “DUMMY” FOR A FOLDING BOX.

The “dummy,” or pattern, for a folding box is the first requisite.
For example, a carton is wanted for holding a glass jar of cold
cream. If any printed matter, such as a booklet, directions for
using the cold cream, etc., is to be packed with the jar, inside the
carton, this must be considered when determining the size of the
folding box.

Attach the printed matter to the jar, held with rubber bands. Then
place two blocks of wood on either side of the jar, the blocks and
jar standing on a table. The blocks should stand close to the jar and
its printed matter. Now lay a ruler across the jar and blocks, and
the ruler will give the dimensions for the top and bottom of the box.
Next, lay the jar on its side, and set the two blocks at the top and
bottom of the jar. Span the ruler across the blocks. This will give
the dimensions for the height of the box. This same method is used in
taking the measurements for all kinds of boxes.

By opening flat some carton which is nearly the size and style of the
new carton desired, the box maker will have an idea of the layout
for the die which will be necessary for the new carton. Follow the
measurements taken with the aid of the blocks, and with pencil,
ruler, penknife and blank sheet of stock, make up a dummy for the
desired folding box. When completed, the flat dummy will appear like
this diagram:

[Illustration: (Dummy folding box.)]

This dummy will serve the box maker in measuring off the sizes of
steel cutting and creasing rule which will enter in the construction
of the die. Before attempting to describe the building of the steel
die, however, the writer believes that it would be well to give
details about the furniture and other material used in the building
of the die, so that the reader will become familiar with this
material as it is handled in the proper order. Later on complete
information will be given about the construction of the die, the
make-ready of the forms on the presses, “corking,” striping, and so
on.

KINDS OF FURNITURE USED IN MAKING DIES FOR FOLDING BOXES.

Cherry, or black walnut, is excellent material for blanking out
large steel dies, as cherry and black walnut are woods which are not
greatly affected by atmospheric changes. A soft wood, like white
pine, for example, would readily take moisture in damp weather,
expanding enough to throw the rules in a die out of register with
the make-ready on the press, and this would mean damage to the
make-ready as well as changes in the sizes of the boxes which are
being cut out. The Cherry Lumber Company, of Cincinnati, O., supplies
first class cherry and black walnut wood in strips, and from these
strips the box maker may cut the pieces of blanking-out furniture to
the sizes required for the steel die. This wood is about ¹¹⁄₁₆ of
an inch in thickness, which is the right height to hold the steel
cutting and creasing rules firmly in a vertical position, and on
extremely heavy forms it would prevent possible bending of the rules.
The box maker uses a power circular saw in cutting this wood to the
wanted sizes. The sawing must be done truly vertical, as even a
slight angle on the end or side of a piece of wood furniture would
cause the rule coming in contact with that end or side to have the
same angle, resulting in that rule cutting lower than another rule
which was absolutely true, vertically, and it would also affect the
face-size of the die to some extent. This means that no furniture for
die-blanks should be cut with a hand saw, as hand sawing is seldom
accurate.

[Illustration: Showing one of the New Style Imposing Tables; iron
top. Equipped with complete fonts of wood furniture for locking up
forms. Also has racks for holding forms, or chases.]

The box maker saves the pieces of cherry and black walnut, when
old dies are broken up, and these pieces of wood are used again in
building other dies.

Steel, iron and lead labor-saving furniture is also largely used in
the construction of steel dies, and in many instances, series of
small dies for drug cartons, etc., are entirely blanked out with
labor-saving lead or iron furniture. What is called “improved metal
furniture” (lead) in the printing trade is very useful for the
box maker. This furniture comes in many different sizes--standard
sizes--and is stored in cabinets which have compartments for each
size. Within a short time the box maker becomes familiar with the
standard sizes, and when blanking out a die he can tell at a glance
what sizes of metal furniture are needed to fill in the blank places.
The sizes of this improved metal furniture are known as “2 × 4 ems,”
(pica); “3 × 4 ems,” (pica), and so on up to the larger sizes. Often,
the smaller sizes of metal furniture are used in conjunction with
larger sizes of cherry or black walnut wood to fill in the blank
places of spacious dies.

STEEL FURNITURE USED.

Steel sectional furniture, notched at the ends, is also used for
building spacious steel dies. This steel furniture (as well as the
iron and lead furniture) may be bought in regular fonts, or complete
sets, from the American Type Founders’ Company, Jersey City, N. J.,
or from any of the printers’ supply houses. These concerns also
supply the cabinets for holding the furniture conveniently. For the
information of those not acquainted with the printing terms, it is
explained that the term “point” in printing means 72 points to an
inch. The steel sectional furniture comes in 24-point width with
12-point notches at the ends; 36-point wide with 18-point notches;
48-point wide with _three_ 12-point notches; and 54-point wide with
_two_ 18-point notches. It also comes in a full range of lengths, all
the way up to 24 inches long.

[Illustration: Showing Style of Patent Steel Furniture with
interlocking corners for forming hollow squares and oblongs.]

With four pieces of this sectional furniture almost any size square
or oblong frame, up to 24 inches, may be formed simply by putting
the four pieces together. The frame is used for blanking out a
square or oblong space in the die-form. At times several squares and
oblongs can be made in this way and used instead of wood blocks or
small pieces of metal furniture. The steel sectional furniture is
absolutely accurate and it can be assembled very rapidly.

[Illustration: “Challenge” Improved Labor-Saving Metal Furniture,
with Chamfered Edges.]

Plain iron furniture is to be had in a large number of standard
sizes, but the smaller sizes are used by many box makers for blanking
out portions of steel dies, the larger spaces in the form being
filled in with blocks of cherry or black walnut. The iron furniture
is comparatively inexpensive, and it will stand hard service for a
life-time.

[Illustration: Showing style of Morgans & Wilcox Enlarged Iron
Furniture.]

Enlarged iron furniture comes in many different sizes and is
particularly adapted to blanking out extra-large dies. The larger
sizes of this material, such as for example, 25 × 100 ems (pica),
are very popular with die-makers. In each piece of enlarged iron
furniture are two round holes, on the top so to speak, enabling the
die-maker to handle the piece of furniture easily by means of the
round holes. (Pica means 12 points in printing parlance.)

[Illustration: “Challenge” Labor-Saving Iron Furnitures.]

Mammoth iron furniture is made on the order of enlarged iron
furniture, and it comes in pieces as large as 60 × 120 ems (pica.)
Round holes are in each piece, making it light in weight and easy
to handle. Special cabinets are furnished for the enlarged and
mammoth furniture. The cabinets are subdivided for holding the
different sizes of material, and by looking over the contents of
these compartments, the die-builder can see exactly what sizes of
furniture is available to suit the requirements of each die. The
cabinets save a great deal of time, as the die-maker does not have to
“sort out” the furniture from a “mixed” assortment of sizes.

[Illustration: Showing Cabinet holding font of No. 3 Mammoth Iron
Furniture. Opposite side of Cabinet holds other sizes of Mammoth Iron
Furniture. This Cabinet also holds all standard lengths of M. & W.
Interlocking steel furniture.]

In these days of high wages and short working hours, the folding
box maker should have a plentiful supply of both wood and metal
furniture, and the furniture should be systematically stored in
cabinets so that the die-maker can work to the best advantage.
A plentiful assortment of improved metal furniture, plain iron
furniture, and enlarged or mammoth iron furniture, in cabinets, will
pay big dividends in any folding box plant.

STEEL CUTTING RULES AND STEEL CREASING RULES.

All dies used for cutting and creasing folding boxes are constructed
of steel cutting rules and steel creasing rules, and with the proper
material and devices, the box maker will have no difficulty in
building his own dies to suit all requirements.

The apprentice in the folding box industry should carefully note the
fact that there are two kinds of steel cutting rule--one kind is
called “hard” cutting rule, the other kind is known as “soft” cutting
rule. The hard steel cutting rule is used for all straight-line die
work which does not call for the rules being bent into round, oval or
odd shapes. The soft steel cutting rule is used in all cases where
rule-bending is to be done. For example, a die having round corners
for the flaps of folding boxes would call for the use of _soft_
cutting rule in forming the round corners. All odd-shaped dies, such
as dies for cutting hearts, semicircles, ovals, etc., are made of
soft steel cutting rule on account of the soft rule bending to the
special shapes easily. “Square” dies for cutting diamonds, oblongs,
crosses, keystone, and other straight-line work of this class, are
made of hard steel cutting rules.

The “hard” and “soft” steel cutting rule, and the regular creasing
rule, comes in strips from 24 to 30 inches long, and is sold by the
foot. The standard height of steel cutting rule is .923 in. The
standard height of steel creasing rule is .918 in. Both the cutting
and creasing rules are made in various thicknesses, from 2-point size
up to 6-point size, but the 2-point cutting and creasing rules will
do for the greater portion of all folding box work. The following
list will give the reader an idea of the standard kinds of steel
cutting and creasing rules:

[Illustration: Cutting Rule]

[Illustration: Scoring Rule]

No. Description Height Thickness
A-10 2-point Hard Black Cutting Rule .923” .029”
A-11 3-point Hard Black Cutting Rule .923” .042”
A-12 4-point Hard Black Cutting Rule .923” .057”
A-13 6-point Hard Black Cutting Rule .923” .083”
A-14 2-point Hard and Polished Ctg. Rule .923” .029”
A-15 3-point Hard and Polished Ctg. Rule .923” .042”
A-16 4-point Hard and Polished Ctg. Rule .923” .057”
A-17 6-point Hard and Polished Ctg. Rule .923” .083”
A-18 2-point Soft Cutting Rule .923” .029”
A-19 2-point Hard Scoring Rule .918” .029”

The Simonds Manufacturing Company, of Fitchburg, Mass., is a large
manufacturer of all varieties of steel rule for cutting, scoring or
perforating. This concern is in a position to furnish the folding
box maker with any kind of steel cutting or steel creasing rule. The
American Type Founders’ Company, of Jersey City, N. J., or any of the
printers’ supply houses, will also furnish the box maker with steel
cutting or scoring rule.

THE WORK-BENCH FOR THE FOLDING BOX MAKER.

A good, substantial work-bench, fitted with drawers, tools, vise,
steel rule cutter, etc., is an essential for the folding box maker.
The box maker who is “handy” may readily build his own work-bench
with the necessary lumber, but for the information of those who may
not know about it, the American Type Founders’ Company has a steel
work-bench which is very convenient for the purposes of a folding
box making plant. On request, this company will send illustrated
circulars describing this steel work-bench.

THE STEEL RULE CUTTER AND THE STEEL RULE BENDING MACHINE.

While it is possible for the folding box maker to cut steel rules to
all required sizes for dies on an ordinary lead and rule cutter, such
as is used in a printing office, nevertheless the writer strongly
advises the installation of a “Hercules” Steel Rule Cutter in the
folding box factory. This device is made by J. F. Helmold & Brother,
of 1462 Hamburg street, Chicago. It is especially built for cutting
all thicknesses of steel cutting, or steel scoring rule, to any
lengths wanted.

If the box maker desires to cut steel rule on an ordinary printers’
lead and rule cutter, this device must be kept in first class order,
and the cutting must be done in that part of the machine which is
intended to cut only heavy brass rule.

[Illustration: The “Hercules” Steel Rule Cutter.]

The Multiform Rule Bender is an excellent device for bending steel
rule. It is made by the J. A. Richards Co., of Kalamazoo, Mich. This
concern also makes steel rule cutters, combination rule benders, box
maker’s special saws, etc.

[Illustration: The “Eureka” Steel Rule Bender.]

The “Eureka” Rule Press, or steel rule bender, is another great
time-saving device for any folding box factory. This machine is made
by J. F. Helmold & Brother, of Chicago. This Rule Press, with its
equipment of molds, is capable of bending steel rule to any of the
odd shapes required in steel rule dies for folding boxes or cartons.

Some die-makers do all of the steel rule bending with the aid of a
powerful vise and pliers of various sizes. The steel cutting rule
is heated by means of a gas flame so that the rule may be bent more
easily. When working with the heated rule the die-maker wears heavy
canvas gloves to protect his hands from the hot rule. After the
heated rule has been bent to the wanted shape, heat the rule again
and immerse in cod oil. This re-tempers the rule.

CHAPTER IX

CUTTING AND CREASING (Continued)

We have now described the machinery and material which are essential
for a modern cutting and creasing plant, and with these matters
disposed of we will next take up the subjects of making the steel
dies, press-work, etc.

MAKING A CUTTING AND CREASING DIE

No matter what shape or size of a folding box or carton which may be
wanted, it will require both creasing and cutting, and this means of
course that both steel scoring rules and steel cutting rules will be
needed in making the die.

Hard steel cutting rule is to be used for all straight cutting lines
in the die.

Soft steel cutting rule is to be used for all round corners or
odd-shaped sections of the die.

For the average folding box or carton 2-point cutting and creasing
rules will be thick enough for their functions, but in the case of a
large die for exceedingly heavy-weight box-board, 3-point, 4-point,
or 6-point cutting and creasing rules will be found better for the
press-work than the 2-point rules.

The regular 2-point cutting rule, turned upside down, or inverted,
will serve as scoring rule, although the special scoring rule, made
for this purpose by the manufacturers, will always produce the best
results on account of it having a rounded face instead of a blunt
face.

[Illustration: Steel die form from Simonds Mfg. Co.]

On common-grade folding-box work, when the stock is heavy and tough,
some die-makers use inverted cutting rules for scoring rules--usually
old cutting rules which have lost their sharp edges by long service
in other dies. By placing two 2-point inverted cutting rules together
a 4-point crease is obtained. By placing three 2-point cutting rules
together (inverted), a 6-point crease is obtained. Wide creases of
this kind are needed only in heavy work, such as for example, suit
boxes, flower boxes and hat boxes in large sizes.

A 2-point crease, or rather a fine crease obtained from standard
2-point scoring rule having a rounded face, will do well for the
great majority of folding boxes.

BUILDING THE DIE

Now for the building of the die, say a die for cutting and creasing
a carton for holding a medicine bottle: Take the “dummy,” or an
old carton of the required size and form, and with the aid of a
foot-ruler find out the lengths and number of pieces of rule which
will be required for the die. Jot down the figures upon a tablet. For
example, you will need four long pieces of 2-point scoring rule, all
of the same length; four short pieces of 2-point scoring rule, all of
the same length; then you will need four “L’s” for cutting flaps,
these “L” pieces to have slightly rounded corners and to be made from
_soft_ steel cutting rule. Also will be needed two pieces of soft
cutting rule which are to be bent in the form of a large “U,” these
to be used for cutting the folding top and folding bottom of the
carton. Other pieces of both scoring and cutting rule will be needed
to make the die complete, and with careful application of the ruler,
the correct lengths may be ascertained.

[Illustration: =Carton for Cough Drops.= Plain lines represent steel
cutting rules. Dotted lines represent steel creasing rules.]

After all of the various measurements of the rules have been taken
and marked down on the tablet, the next step is to cut the rules
on the steel rule cutter to the essential sizes, following the
measurements which have been written down. The steel rule cutter
is equipped with a movable gage and this gage is accurately set to
provide for the cutting of each rule. A number of the rules are cut
to the same sizes. Your figures on the tablet should tell how many
pieces of each size are wanted. It is really a simple matter to cut
the rules, but too much care cannot be taken in doing the cutting
accurately.

The pieces of soft steel cutting rule which are to have rounded
corners or odd shapes are now bent to the proper forms on a rule
bending press, or with the aid of a vise. Extreme care should be
taken in bending the rules in such a way that none of the bended
lines are on an angle. In other words, each “bend” should be truly
vertical so that when the odd-shaped rule lies in the die its cutting
surface will be perfectly level. One of the great advantages of the
steel rule bending press and its molds is that all rule bending on
this machine is done perpendicularly true. An experienced die-maker
can do wonders in rule bending with an ordinary vise and a pair of
pliers, but the beginner will not find this work easy.

[Illustration: Steel die for =Soap Container=. Plain lines represent
steel cutting rules. Dotted lines represent steel scoring rules.]

With all of the required number of pieces of cutting and creasing
rule cut to sizes and bent to the proper shapes, the next step is to
“set up” the die with lead, steel, or iron furniture. In the case of
a large-size die, the main blanking-out is done with black walnut or
cherry furniture, but with a small-size die, practically all of the
blanking-out may be done with labor-saving metal furniture.

[Illustration: Steel die form for =Medicine Bottle Carton=. Plain
lines represent steel cutting rules. Dotted lines represent steel
scoring rules.]

WORKING CONDITIONS

The die-maker should work upon the surface of an imposing table.
First, he places on the table the chase in which the die is to be
locked up. Second, he fills in the chase with regular printer’s wood
furniture, leaving space in the center for the die, and placing
locking quoins near the top of the chase and on the right-hand side
of the chase. Third, the cutting and creasing rules are set in the
open space in the center of the chase, filling in with metal or wood
furniture. Fourth, after the die has been carefully set and blanked
out, the entire job is locked up with the aid of a quoin-key and the
quoins.

Note these points: Printers’ wood furniture is not as high as black
walnut or cherry wood used inside the die, and the printers’ wood
furniture is only used as locking-up material on the outer sides of
the die.

There are several varieties of printers’ quoins, but the best quoins
for the die-maker’s purpose are called “Hemple Improved Quoins.” They
are of iron, wedge-shaped, and contain ridges which make them hold
tightly. By inserting a quoin-key between the “teeth” of a pair of
quoins, and turning the key one way or the other way, the quoins are
locked or unlocked.

The quoins should not be placed directly against the sides of the
chase, or against the sides of the wood furniture. Small strips of
reglet, 6-points wide, placed on either side of each pair of quoins
protects the wood furniture from damage by the quoins, and prevents
loosening of the quoins at the sides of the chase.

An assortment of printers’ leads and brasses--2-point leads and
1-point brasses, in the smaller sizes, will be of great utility to
the die-maker in blanking out. A lead or brass, inserted here and
there between the furniture in the die, will often solve intricate
construction.

[Illustration: Looks like plan for a monoplane, but is layout for
steel die form for small =drug carton=. Plain lines represent steel
cutting rules. Dotted lines represent steel creasing rules. As many
as 24 complete dies are run together in one large form.]

ACCURACY REQUIRED

The die should be blanked out so accurately that when the quoins
are tightened all material in the die will “lift” without any of
the furniture falling out. After the form has been locked up, the
die-maker rests one end of the chase on a block of furniture. He then
strikes the ends of the fingers over all material in the die to see
if any parts of the die are loose. If all holds firmly, the form is
ready for press. If any parts are found loose, the form is unlocked,
and the loose places are fixed up by inserting small strips of
manila paper between the loose pieces of furniture.

With the aid of a straight-edge, an L-square, or a T-square, the
die-maker tests all lines of the die to ascertain if any rules are
binding or out of register. All defects of this nature must be
corrected before the die goes to press.

Intricate rule bending is made more easy by heating the soft steel
rule in a gas flame before bending. When working with heated rule the
die-maker wears canvas gloves to protect his hands. To harden soft
rule, after bending, heat again and dip the heated rule in fish oil.

MAKING STEEL DIES FOR “CUT-OUTS”

Some box-makers, in addition to manufacturing set-up and folding
boxes, also make advertising “cut-outs,” cardboard fans,
wall-pockets, fancy calendars, photograph mounts, and “set-in”
forms for holiday boxes for holding neckties, suspenders, garters,
collar buttons, etc. Work of this variety is also cut on cutting and
creasing presses, but the dies and make-ready are different than the
dies and make-ready for folding boxes.

Steel dies for all kinds of “cut-outs” are made of 2-point cutting
rules. For add shapes like hearts, fans, fancy calendars, etc.,
“soft” cutting rule is used. For straight-line work such as squares,
oblongs, diamonds, keystone and triangle, “hard” cutting rule is used.

The steel cutting rules for dies of this class are inserted in
laminated board, of three, four or more plies, for the reason
that laminated board will not warp or be affected by atmospheric
conditions.

[Illustration: Steel die form for cut-out from Simonds Mfg. Co.]

The design, or several different designs, which are to be cut out,
are marked with pencil on the surface of the piece of laminated
board, which must be of a size to accommodate the dies. These pencil
lines are then followed with a jig-saw, and in the grooves made by
the saw the steel cutting rules are inserted. The die is then ready
for press.

It should be mentioned, however, that it is possible to build a plain
“cut-out” die, like a square or oblong, merely by cutting the rules
to the proper sizes and then blanking out the inside space with metal
or ordinary wood furniture. But, an odd-shaped “cut-out” die should
always be inserted in laminated board.

As many as half-a-dozen “cut-out” dies for cardboard fans,
advertising novelties, etc., may be placed in rows in the one
section of laminated board, and the entire six articles may be cut
simultaneously on the press.

Half-a-dozen dies for folding boxes, or more than this number, can
also be run together in the same form, according to the size of the
cutting and creasing press.

CUTTING AND CREASING ON PLATEN PRESSES

[Illustration: Hartford Cutter and Creaser.]

Cutting and creasing for folding boxes can be done successfully on
platen printing presses of the John Thompson and Hartford type,
provided that a printing press of this type be fitted with a steel
platen plate, and provided also that the inking rollers of the press
be removed. The steel platen plate is removable, and is held to the
platen of the press by means of counter-sunk screws. When printing
is to be done on the press the platen plate is taken off.

The National Machine Company, of Hartford, Conn., and John Thompson
Press Company, of New York City, both manufacture standard cutting
and creasing presses which are built especially for this work. These
presses, which are not designed for printing purposes, are fitted
with removable, steel platen plates, and by having a number of these
platen plates, the folding box maker can save the makeready, or
“female dies” on the plates, and may keep them stored away for future
orders on the same kind of work. In saving such “female dies” on the
platen plates, however, it would also be essential to save the forms
containing the steel cutting and creasing dies so that all would
perfectly register when the dies and plates are again put on the
presses.

MAKING READY A STEEL CUTTING AND CREASING DIE

This applies to making ready the die on a regular Hartford or John
Thomson cutter and creaser, and as mentioned before, the form may
have more than one duplicate of the same die, if desired. For
example, the form may contain say eight complete cutting and creasing
dies, arranged together for cutting eight small cartons from a single
sheet of stock.

First, put on the steel platen plate, and see that it is free from
all old makeready material. Second, take a sheet of chip-board,
news-board or straw-board, and cut it nearly the full size of the
platen plate. Then with LePage glue carefully spread all over one
side of the sheet of box-board, apply the sheet of box-board to the
surface of the platen plate.

[Illustration: John Thomson Cutter and Creaser.]

Third, place the chase containing the die, or series of dies, on
the press. Fourth, with a small printer’s hand inking roller and
printers’ black ink, apply the ink to _all creasing rules_ in the
form. Fifth, take a sheet of the stock which is to be cut and
creased, and by slowly turning the fly-wheels of the press, take an
impression of the form on this sheet of stock. If all of the cutting
rules cut through the stock clearly, the impression is right. If the
cutting rules do not cut sharply, more impression will be required,
and this is obtained by moving the slides holding the throw-off
bar up one or two notches. Do not move the slides up more than one
notch at one time, and keep moving them, after taking additional
impressions on blank sheets of stock until finally the impression is
rightly adjusted.

The first inking of the form was for the purpose of showing the
positions of the creasing rules. Never mind additional inking while
the impression is being adjusted. After the impression has been made
right, ink all of the creasing rules in the form again and then take
an impression of the form on the sheet of box-board which has been
glued to the platen plate. Now comes the most tedious part of the
makeready:

All of the inked creasing lines which appear on the platen must be
carefully cut out with a sharp makeready knife. That is, the thin
lines made on the sheet of box-board on the platen by the inked
creasing rules must be cut away with the knife in long, narrow strips
so as to form the female part of the die. If the creasing rules are
2-point size, cut away about _3-points_; if 4-point creasing rule,
cut away about 5-points; if 6-point creasing rule, cut away about
7-points. In making these grooves slightly wider than the size of the
creasing rules, the stock will press into the grooves easily and will
form the proper creasing or scoring.

Do not cut away any other parts of the sheet of box-board which has
been glued to the platen plate. The steel cutting rules should cut
into this sheet of box-board.

Ordinarily, the counter-die, after having been made in the manner
described, would be completed, but in the case of a long run of work,
the following additional makeready is done:

THE KIND OF MAKEREADY THAT IS WORTH WHILE

After the grooves have been cleanly cut, and after all strips of the
box-board have been removed from the grooves, lay a sheet of plain
white paper over the entire counter-die and pull an impression of
the form on this sheet. Then turn over the sheet of paper; study the
detail of the impression and see if any of the cutting and creasing
rules are weak in certain places. With a blue pencil mark rings
around any of the weak places which may appear. Then with a sharp
knife, flour paste and French folio paper, “spot up” all circles made
by the blue pencil with pieces of the French folio. Some places,
extra weak, may call for two or three circles of the French folio.
After the sheet has been “spotted up”, loosen the counter-sunk
screws in the platen plate; lift off the plate, and with a small
quantity of flour paste attach the “spot-up” sheet to the under-side
of the platen plate in true position so that it will register with
the counter-die, or makeready on the other side of the plate. Paste
the “spot-up” sheet, face up, to the under side of the plate. Then
replace the platen plate with the “spot-up” sheet under it. This
process of makeready is worth while on all forms which are to have
long runs, and it will cause all of the weak cutting and creasing
rules to have an even impression. Strange as it may seem to the
beginner, the little pieces of French folio, when properly placed
under the platen plate, will do wonders in making a die even. In
the case of rules which have been in service for some time, several
“spot-up” sheets may be needed under the platen plate, and in the
case of worn rules, the “spotting up” should be done with pieces of
book paper, or even with heavy Manila paper. An exceedingly weak
place will require a heavy piece of paper under the platen plate.

PUTTING ON THE FEEDING GUIDES

The feeding guides may be of brass, wood or lead. Pieces of 12-point
printer’s brass rule, about two inches long, make the best guides for
heavy sheets of box board. 12-point slugs, about two inches long, or
pieces of 12-point reglet, will serve well as feeding guides for the
general run of work. Rub brass or lead slugs on a sheet of fine emery
paper before applying the glue, as the rubbing helps in making the
guides hold firmly. Use only LePage glue in attaching the guides.

After the guides have been put on in the proper position, fenders are
then applied at the inner sides of the two bottom guides, and one
fender at the lower end of the side guide. There are three guides,
two at the bottom and one on the left-hand side. The fenders are
formed of heavy-weight folding cardboard, or of 1-point brass rule,
about one-and-one-half inches long. The fenders are used to prevent
the sheets of box-board from extending over the guides in the feeding.

CORKING THE STEEL-DIE FORM

After the make-ready for a cutting and creasing form has been
completed, the form must be corked so as to prevent the sheets of
box-board from adhering to the cutting rules as each impression
is taken. One good method of corking is gluing rows of small-size
corks to the wood furniture in the form, the rows of corks placed on
either side of all cutting rules in the form. In the case of metal
furniture, the corks are glued to flat, solid places in the metal
furniture, or are inserted in the small, open places in labor-saving
lead furniture, as the case may be. The corks when properly glued
or inserted, should stand up about one-quarter-of-an-inch above the
steel cutting rules, so that when an impression is taken on a sheet
of box-board, the corks will have force enough to “push” the sheet
off the cutting rules.

Another method of corking is that done with long strips of cork, high
enough for the purpose. These strips of cork are glued on the metal
or wood furniture in the same way as individual corks are applied.
The Armstrong Cork Company, of Pittsburgh, Pa., can supply cork in
strips made expressly for use on cutting and creasing presses. Use
LePage glue in applying the corks, and put on plenty of strip cork,
or individual corks, so that the sheets will leave the form without
breaking.

FEEDING THE SHEETS OF BOX-BOARD

The operator of a cutting and creasing press cannot be too careful
when feeding sheets into the press. It is dangerous work, and the
feeder must be constantly watchful over his hands. _Never reach the
hand in the press after a sheet which may stick to the form, or after
sections of a sheet which may have broken apart in the cutting._ Your
hands are too precious to “take any chances.” Keep corking the form
until all sheets leave the cutting rules without any difficulty. Bend
the sheets of box-board, in small lots, so that the shape of the
sheets makes easy feeding. Always be careful when feeding, and keep
your eyes on your work.

STRIPPING

After the sheets of box-board have been cut and creased, they are
taken to the finishing room where girls and boys do the stripping,
which means removing all waste material from the sheets. About fifty
sheets at a time are stripped. Intricate cut-outs, box-corners, fancy
shapes, etc., are “hammered out” with the aid of a mallet. A small
pile of the stock is laid over the edge of a large wooden box, and
with a blow of the mallet the waste material falls out into the box.

GLUING FOLDING BOXES

There are several well-known gluing machines on the market which are
designed particularly for gluing together folding boxes or cartons.
The ordinary gluing machine is fitted with a feeding table, a series
of steel rollers, a glue fountain and a gluing wheel. As the operator
feeds the sheets, hot glue is applied to the flaps. The operator then
folds each sheet so that the glued flap is in the right position. The
series of steel rollers then press the glued flaps firmly together,
completing the operation.

[Illustration: Staude Gluing Machine]

One of the best gluing machines on the market is the “Staude
Automatic,” made by the E. G. Staude Manufacturing Company, of St.
Paul, Minn. This machine is fitted with a vertical stacker and other
improved devices which make it possible for the folding box-maker to
handle a wide range of work at high speed.

[Illustration: Walter Scott Cylinder Press Equipped for Cutting and
Creasing.]

Another excellent gluing machine is known as the “International,”
made by the International Paper Box Machine Company, of Nashua, N. H.
This machine is equipped with an electric counting device and other
improved features which make it a great labor-saver.

CUTTING AND CREASING ON CYLINDER PRESSES

Spacious forms containing a large number of steel cutting and
creasing dies are being handled on cylinder presses, and the dies
and make-ready are practically the same as for cutting and creasing
on platen presses. The Walter Scott & Company, of Plainfield, N. J.,
manufacture special cylinder presses for use on cutting and creasing
forms, and on order, these presses will be furnished with one- or
two-color printing attachments.

Cutting and creasing can be done on any style of cylinder press,
provided that the cylinder of the press is fitted with a flexible
steel sheet on the order of a steel platen plate. The cylinder must
be timed and adjusted to provide for the steel surface sheet. These
changes should be made by an expert machinist.

Make-ready for cutting and creasing on a cylinder press is
practically the same as on a platen press.

MAKING READY A STEEL CUTTING DIE FOR ADVERTISING NOVELTIES, ETC.

This refers to a steel cutting die to be used only for cut-outs, such
as fans, inserts for set-up boxes, fancy calendars, wall pockets,
photo mounts, leather goods, etc. All of this kind of work can be cut
out on a standard cutting and creasing press, or on a cylinder press,
from dies made of steel cutting rule. As mentioned before, a die of
this character does not contain any creasing rules, and is set in
grooves sawed in laminated board.

The make-ready for a cutting die is altogether different than the
make-ready on a cutting and creasing form. The make-ready is very
simple. No counter-die, or “female die,” is required. The cutting
rules merely strike the bare surface of the platen plate.

If desired, a sheet of chip-board, news-board or straw-board may be
glued to the surface of the platen plate, but this is not necessary.
The main thing is to have the impression even, and of just the right
strength to make a clean, sharp cut of the stock.

The form is corked in the same manner as a form for cutting and
creasing.

Guides and fenders are glued to pieces of heavy Manila paper which
first have been glued to the surface of the platen plate. The Manila
paper is used merely for holding the guides and fenders firmly.

In the case of the stock falling apart on the form, after the
impression has been made, file a few small slots at various points
on the edges of the steel cutting rules. Use a three-edge file for
this purpose. The slots break certain places of the cutting rules,
and thereby prevent the stock from falling apart until it reaches the
stripping department. The small slots do not mar the finished work.

Rough edges of cut-outs, such as fans, odd shapes, advertising
novelties, etc., are easily smoothed by taking small piles of the
cut-outs and rubbing the edges with emery paper or sand paper.

CHAPTER X

THE PRINTING DEPARTMENT

Nearly all of the larger paper box manufacturers are operating their
own printing departments. Many of the smaller paper box-making
concerns are also operating private printing plants, and when managed
efficiently, the printing department is a profitable investment for
any paper box factory, large or small.

The writer knows of several large printing concerns, of New York
City and Philadelphia, who are specializing in the production of
wrappers and other printed matter for paper box manufacturers. All
of these printing establishments are continually busy, and from all
indications, are earning substantial profits on their work. In fact,
it is certain that these printing concerns are making money on their
specialty lines, for they have been in business for a long time; are
paying their employes the standard scales of wages, and are keeping
their plants in first class physical condition by installing new
machines and labor-saving devices immediately as they are placed
on the market. Now unless a printing firm is earning a fair margin
of profit on all of its product, certainly it would not be in the
financial position to do the things which have just been mentioned.

If a printing company can afford to operate a large plant, running
almost exclusively on work for paper box manufactures, there is no
reason why the box-makers themselves cannot make money by having
their own printing plants. The writer, however, has heard some box
manufacturers complain about not earning any profits from private
printing plants, and in this article the writer will attempt to point
out to the box-makers the ways and means of profitably conducting
a printing department. With my eighteen years experience as a
practical printer and executive, I feel that I am capable of offering
information regarding the printing business which should prove
helpful to paper box manufacturers in general.

EQUIPMENT SUGGESTED FOR A MEDIUM-SIZE PRINTING DEPARTMENT

It is my intention to suggest the newest material and mechanical
equipment for a printing plant rather than material and machines
which are not quite up-to-date, and this will explain why I shall
mention such things as _steel_ composing-room furniture, and
automatic feeders for platen presses.

One 14 × 22 Hartford, or John Thomson press, equipped with
individual motor.

One 10 × 15 Chandler & Price press with individual motor.

[Illustration: No. 2005 Tracy Cabinet--Job Side.]

One 10 × 15 Chandler & Price press, equipped with automatic feeder
and individual motor.

One 12 × 18 Chandler & Price press, equipped with automatic feeder
and individual motor.

One “Pony” cylinder press, equipped with individual motor.

One Oswego, or Seybold paper cutting machine, 44-inch, fitted with
individual motor.

One Bronzing machine--one of the new vacuum models.

Roller Cabinets, Ink Cabinets, Drying Racks, Stock Tables, etc.

Two or Three Steel Type Cabinets, each Cabinet containing two
tiers of Type Cases, Cases filled with a well-selected assortment
of Type Faces, suitable for all kinds of box-maker’s printing.

[Illustration: No. 2005 Tracy Cabinet--News Side.]

One Steel Imposing Table, fitted with galley racks, drawers and
chase racks on one side, and with complete assortment of printers’
wood furniture on the other side.

One Indexed Electrotype Cabinet.

Series of Cases for Leads, Slugs, Labor-saving Metal Furniture,
Brass Rules, Borders, Quads and Spaces.

One Proof Press.

One Lead and Rule Cutter.

A printing plant, equipped with the machines and materials mentioned
in the foregoing, could be classed as ideal. It would be adapted to
any kind of printing which may come to the paper box manufacturing
plant. The 10 × 15 and 12 × 18 Chandler & Price presses, fitted with
automatic feeders, would be capable of handling long runs of wrappers
at high speed, while the Hartford (or John Thomson) press would be
engaged on fine color work, embossing, etc., and the Pony cylinder
press could be used for larger work, printing cartons, two or more
wrappers together on one sheet, and so forth.

Steel composing-room equipment has been suggested because of its
great durability and improved design, but hard-wood printers’
furniture, like that made by the Hamilton Manufacturing Company,
of Two Rivers, Wis., and the Kramer Woodworking Company, of
Philadelphia, will serve just as well as steel equipment in the
average printing office. On pages Nos. 161 and 162 are illustrations,
showing front and back views of the Tracy Type Cabinets (Hamilton
Manufacturing Co.) which are very popular in many composing-rooms.

IMPOSING TABLES.

The new-style imposing tables are made from both steel and wood.
Both the steel and wood imposing tables have planed steel tops.
These tables come in various sizes, and they are made in different
styles so far as the arrangement of drawers, galley-slides, letter
boards, chase racks, and lock-up furniture is concerned. The
following illustrations of a No. 4040 Hamilton Imposing table, made
of hard-wood with a steel top, shows the back and front views of
the table. Note the arrangement of the printers’ labor-saving wood
furniture, letter-boards, galley shelves, chase rack and drawers:

[Illustration: No. 4040 Imposing Table (front view)]

The time-saving advantages of an imposing table of this design
should be apparent to any intelligent person. With a table equipped
like this one, with labor-saving furniture, letter-boards, etc.,
the imposition man can lock-up form after form without finding it
necessary to walk away from the table for lock-up material. On the
letter-boards are kept standing “live” forms ready for repeat orders.
Hundreds of small, live jobs are also kept standing on the galleys.
As the forms are locked up for the presses the chases are placed in
the chase rack, and from there the pressman takes them.

[Illustration: No. 4040 Imposing Table (reverse side view)]

TYPE EQUIPMENT

It would be impossible to specify type equipment which would be 100
per cent suitable for the printing department of a paper box plant,
for the reason that the requirements of every printing department are
different. It is safe, however, to install popular type faces like
Lining Gothic, Caslon Old Style, Bodoni Bold, Caslon Bold, Cheltenham
Bold, Goudy Bold, etc. Much of the label and carton work handled in
the box-maker’s printing office is composed of heavy-face type, like
Cheltenham Bold for example, and that is why the bold faces mentioned
have been suggested. Both light-face and bold-face Gothic are always
useful.

When buying display type of some good face it is always advisable to
buy weight fonts of the entire series instead of job fonts. A weight
font, say 25 pounds, will usually fill a job case, and give the
printer plenty of characters to work with, while a job font contains
only a few duplicates of each character.

Have only a limited number of good type faces, but have plenty of
each size and character. Also have an abundance of 2-point leads,
6-point slugs, 12-point slugs, quads, spaces and metal furniture.
Labor-saving brass rule--1-point face on 3-point body, is of
particular advantage for borders of labels, panels for box-tops,
etc.; 2-point face rule on 2-point body, and 6-point face rule on
6-point body, are also very useful. Running borders of artistic
design, in 6-, 12-, 18- and 24-point sizes, are admirable for borders
for box labels of the larger size.

For the printed matter on the fronts of small-size cartons, the
box-maker will need a number of small, compressed type faces, such as
for example: 6-, 8-, 10-, 12- and 14-point Extra Condensed Cheltenham
Bold. Regular Condensed Cheltenham Bold, in these same sizes, will
also be found very useful. Extra Condensed Gothic, in all sizes
from 6-point to 72-point, is excellent for narrow-measure display
composition on carton work, narrow labels for boxes and bottles, and
so forth. These are facts which must be carefully considered by every
box-maker who may be thinking of installing a printing plant.

Many small labels and fronts of cartons contain “Direction for Use,”
and other information printed in very small type, and this means
that the box-maker having a printing plant must use a considerable
quantity of 5-point and 6-point body type. Old Style Roman is a
good face for this class of composition, and it should be kept in
open news cases on the top of type cabinets so as to make the work
of setting as easy as possible for the compositors. It is the right
thing to keep all job type stored in dust-proof cabinets, but in
the case of small body type which is being used frequently, it is
advantageous to keep it in open cases, despite the fact that open
type cases are “dust collectors.”

[Illustration: Hartford Platen Printing Press.]

Much of the smaller work for labels and cartons is of such an
intricate character as to call for the use of a great deal of
small-size type, like 5-point Old Style Roman, 6-point Extra
Condensed Gothic, etc. Often the forms must be spaced out with the
greatest care so as to make the forms fit small spaces. A complete
assortment of thin copper spaces, and of 1-point brasses, laid out in
small cases, will be found exceedingly useful for the fine spacing
referred to.

It would be a mistake for anyone to be under the impression that
box-makers’ printed matter is of the common-place variety, for many
of the wrappers, box-tops and labels produced for fine candy boxes,
rubber goods boxes, holiday boxes and other boxes are printed in
the best style. The type forms and designs, in many instances, are
works of art. This means that the compositor working in the box
manufacturing factory should be a high grade craftsman, capable of
producing first class display typography.

The typography for all box-makers’ printed matter should be simple
and beautiful and easy to read. No ornaments, with the exception of
borders, should be used. Good, clear-cut type faces are better than
fancy type faces.

THE HARTFORD PRINTING PRESS

The Hartford platen printing press, made by the National Machine
Company, of Hartford, Conn., is one of the best machines of its kind
in the world, being built expressly for the finest class of half
tone and color printing. By reason of its powerful construction,
the Hartford Press, in addition to doing printing, is also capable
of doing cutting and creasing. It may also be used for embossing.
It should be understood by the reader that the National Company are
making three different kinds of presses--printing presses, cutting
and creasing presses, and embossing presses. The proper press should
be used for each particular class of work, but just the same, the
Hartford printing press is strong enough to do light cutting and
creasing, and also embossing, in addition to printing.

The Hartford printing press is well adapted to spacious forms of type
or plates for cartons, wrappers and labels. Often, on this machine,
two or more wrappers, cartons or labels can be printed together on
one sheet of stock. On fine color work, pictures, designs, etc., for
art wrappers, the Hartford is especially useful. This machine is also
adapted to close-register color printing on cardboard, as used for
“set-in” forms for holiday boxes, necktie boxes and suspender boxes.
The “set-in” forms, after being printed, can also be cut out to the
required shape on the Hartford Printing Press.

THE JOHN THOMSON PRINTING PRESS

This is another of the first-class platen printing presses which is
particularly suitable for the printing department of a paper-box
plant. The John Thomson Printing Press is also known as the “Colt’s
Armory” press, and it is famous for excellent color and half-tone
work. The finest embossing, also light cutting and creasing, can be
handled on this machine. For long runs of the finest close-register
color work, for “holly” wrappers, pictures, fancy wrappers, etc.,
there is no better machine than the John Thomson press and many of
these machines are being used on work of this class.

[Illustration: John Thomson Printing Press]

Many of the larger-size paper box wrappers, printed in colors, and
embossed in gold, are produced on John Thomson printing presses,
including the embossed work. Advertising novelties, cardboard fans,
and other kinds of paper “cut-outs” are cut out on these machines.
Cutting and creasing for all kinds of cartons are also done on the
John Thomson printing presses, although heavy cutting and creasing
should be done on regular cutting and creasing presses.

Later on the writer will explain how embossing and gold-leafing are
done on platen printing presses.

[Illustration: Miehle Pony Cylinder Press]

THE MIEHLE CYLINDER PRESS

Miehle cylinder presses are in successful operation in many of the
largest printing plants in America, and the adaptability of these
machines to the finest half tone and color work is too well-known
to require comment here. It is enough to say that for the printing
departments of large paper box concerns, where cylinder presses are
needed, no better machines could be installed than those made by the
Miehle Printing Press and Manufacturing Co., of Chicago.

The Miehle Pony Cylinder Press is very useful for printing cartons,
box wrappers, etc. Large Miehle Cylinder presses are excellent for
printing heavy color plates as applied to the larger sizes of folding
boxes, such as cereal boxes, tea boxes, spice boxes and so on. As
many as a dozen of these cartons are printed on the one sheet of
stock, being cut apart afterwards.

THE KIDDER AUTOMATIC PRINTING PRESS

Some of the larger manufacturers of both folding boxes and cartons
are making good use of Kidder automatic printing presses in their
printing plants. In some instances the Kidder is being used for
printing cartons from large rolls of carton stock, and in other cases
the machine is running on big orders of box labels printed from rolls
of paper. Box labels may be printed in one or two colors on a special
Kidder press, and the machine is equipped with a cutting device for
cutting the labels to correct size as they are printed from the rolls
of paper.

For complete information about these machines, write the Kidder Press
Co., of Dover, N. H.

THE MILLER AUTOMATIC FEEDER FOR CHANDLER & PRICE PRESSES

Recently the writer entered the printing department of a
Philadelphia paper box manufacturing concern, and there were seen
three Chandler & Price presses, equipped with Miller automatic
feeders, running on large orders of box wrappers. One press was
engaged in putting on the final color of a four-color design for a
box wrapper; the second machine was running on a form printed in gold
ink, and the third press was operating on a plain, black-ink job.

[Illustration: Chandler & Price Press equipped with Miller Feeder.
The picture shows the feeder in operating position.]

Two of these Chandler & Price presses were of the 12 × 18 size, and
the other machine was of the 10 × 15 size. The three Miller feeders
were working at high speed, feeding the blank sheets in the presses
with no difficulty whatever. One pressman, assisted by a boy, was
keeping these three platen presses continually busy on long runs of
the wrappers. His principal work was in taking away the finished
work, and in putting up new piles of stock to be printed.

Under the old system of feeding platen presses, it would have
required one pressman and three young men, or young women, to keep
these three presses in continual operation, but with the Miller
feeders, the same amount of work, (or even a larger output of work)
was being done by one pressman and one assistant.

Miller Feeders are now being made in three different sizes--8 × 12,
10 × 15, and 12 × 18--by the Miller Saw-Trimmer Co., of Pittsburgh,
Pa. At the present time they are made only for Chandler & Price
presses of the three sizes mentioned. These automatic feeders
will handle all weights of stock, from onion skin paper to heavy
cardboard, and they will feed the sheets to close register for color
printing.

It should be understood that the Miller Saw-Trimmer Co. will supply
the Miller Feeders separately, so that the buyer may have the
feeders applied to C. & P. presses, or the company will furnish
complete “units,” consisting of the C. & P. press, Miller feeder, ink
fountain, counter, speed pulley, motor, etc.

There is another automatic platen press feeder, called the “Humana,”
manufactured by The Humana Co., of Newark, N. J.

KINDS OF WORK DONE IN THE PRINTING DEPARTMENT
OF A PAPER BOX FACTORY

For those not familiar with the special class of work produced in the
average printing department of a paper box factory, the following
information should prove interesting and perhaps helpful:

The manufacture of fine set-up paper boxes, such as candy boxes
for example, would use the printing department mainly for printing
customers’ business cards, designs, and pictures on glazed paper
wrappers. Here is a special field in itself, for there are many
different kinds of box wrappers, many of them printed in colors, or
printed, gold-leafed and embossed. Many of the fancy wrappers contain
beautiful pictures, done in four or more colors, while other wrappers
have business cards printed merely in one color.

Loose wrappers for toilet articles, perfumery, and other things of
this variety are often printed in tints and colors. Some are done in
colors and gold, and after being printed, are embossed.

Many of the fine loose wrappers are applied to both set-up boxes and
folding boxes, and not a few of them are works of art. By covering a
rough set-up paper box, or a cheap carton, with a handsomely-printed
loose wrapper, the appearance of the box is wonderfully enhanced.
This goes to show the great utility of the right kind of printed
wrappers.

The manufacturer of set-up boxes would also have considerable demand
for glazed labels, to be applied to the tops of writing paper boxes,
rubber goods boxes, and so forth. In many instances, labels of this
variety are printed in several colors and gold.

Some of the fine set-up boxes are first tight-wrapped with white or
tinted glazed paper, and afterwards fancy printed labels are pasted
to the top of the lids and to the sides of the lids.

The demand for holiday boxes, particularly the kind loose wrapped
with glazed paper containing holly designs, pictures of pretty girls’
heads, etc., is constantly increasing, and all of this variety of
printing would also be needed by the set-up box manufacturer. The
same manufacturer would perhaps require printed partitions, cut out
of box-board, for inserts in neckwear boxes, suspender boxes and
other holiday boxes. These cardboard “set-ins” are often printed with
fancy designs in colors and gold.

In the printing department of a folding box factory the style of
printed matter would be different from the fine wrappers and labels
which have been referred to. Here the major portion of printing would
be done on cartons, although plain labels would frequently be needed
for cartons.

Large-size cartons for cereals, tea, dried fruits, spices, butter,
cake, rice, powders, and medicine bottles are often printed in
several colors, no labels or wrapper being needed. Other cartons have
printed labels applied to their fronts, while others still call for
printed wrappers of the “loose” style.

There is always a tremendous amount of printed matter required by
both set-up box-makers and folding-box manufacturers, and therefore
the average box-maker’s print shop is seldom idle.

In the next chapter the writer will take up the subject of practical
printing as done in the box-maker’s plant.

CHAPTER XI

THE PRINTING DEPARTMENT (Continued)

One of the larger paper box manufacturing concerns of Philadelphia is
operating a printing department in connection with its plant which
is equipped and managed in a highly efficient manner. This printing
department includes a complete composing room, cylinder and platen
presses of various models and sizes, bronzing machines and paper
cutters. Many kinds of printed matter are being produced, but the
principal specialty consists of wrappers for fine candy boxes. The
business cards of candy manufacturers are printed on these wrappers.
Some of the printing is done in straight colors like black, blue,
red, green, etc.; some is done in gold printing ink. Other wrappers
are printed in gold size and afterwards finished in gold bronze,
others still are printed in gold size and afterwards finished with
gold leaf. Moreover, many of the fancy wrappers are printed in
beautiful designs in several different colors.

Usually, the wrappers containing business cards, or designs, done in
gold ink, bronze, or gold leaf, are embossed after the gold had been
applied. Some of the business cards, or designs, printed in colors
are also embossed after the printing has been done.

Among the time-saving features in this plant are two platen presses
which produce bronzed wrappers in connection with two bronzing
machines. Running between each platen press and each bronzing machine
is an endless conveyor which carries the freshly-inked sheets from
the press to the bronzing machine. In other words, the feeder of the
press lays the damp sheets on the conveyor as the sheets are taken
from the press, and the conveyor automatically “feeds” the sheets
into the bronzing machine.

The old way of applying bronze powder to freshly-inked sheets was
in first printing the design in gold size, and then sprinkling the
bronze powder over the design with the aid of a piece of raw cotton.
This is the old method of hand bronzing, and is still being done in
some printing offices which do not possess bronzing machines. The
hand process of bronzing is slow and very unpleasant to the workers
who apply the bronze powder, the worker’s hands, face and clothing
soon becoming covered with the bronze which also flies all over the
work-rooms.

HAND BRONZING

With hand bronzing, a table is moved near the press where the gold
size is being applied to the sheets. At one end of the table is a box
containing the bronze powder. The workers who do the bronzing sit
on either side of the table. As the feeder of the press removes the
printed sheets he lays them on the table where the bronzing is done.
After the sheets are thoroughly dry, all loose particles of the
bronze powder are wiped off by means of rubbing with raw cotton.

[Illustration: Fuchs & Lang Manufacturing Co. Bronzing Machine.]

A first class bronzing machine is a necessity for the printing
department of a paper box plant where bronzing is done to a
considerable extent. The machine dusts the sheets in addition to
applying the bronze, and no hand work is necessary other than feeding
the sheets into the bronzing machine. The time-saving method of
transferring the sheets from the press to the bronzer, mentioned in
the foregoing paragraphs, makes it possible to operate the bronzing
machine without a feeder. The conveyor system is a comparatively new
idea, however, and the concern referred to had the device built on
special order. There is no reason why any box-maker could not have
the same kind of device built for his purpose.

There are several good bronzing machines on the market, and one of
the most popular machines of this kind is made by the Fuchs & Lang
Manufacturing Company, of New York City. This concern also supplies
all kinds of bronze powders in all shades, bronze sizes, and all
colors of regular printing inks.

Practically all of the printing ink manufacturers will supply bronze
powders and bronze sizes in any quantity desired.

PRINTING IN GOLD SIZE FOR BRONZING ON BOX WRAPPERS

The printing plate, or form of type, is locked up in a chase in
the same way as any other form for printing. Gold size--a special
printing ink having a “tacky” body, and usually light brown in
color--is put on the press. If the run is to be a long one, say 5,000
impressions or more, the size should be applied by means of an ink
fountain which will insure an even flow of color.

Making ready for a form of this class is not difficult. The tympan
may consist of half a dozen sheets of news or book paper, a sheet of
fuller board (or binders’ board), and one top-sheet of heavy manila
paper. The fuller board should be placed directly under the Manila
top-sheet, and the sheets of news or book paper should be placed
underneath the fuller board. This is called a “hard” tympan, and it
will give better results in the printing than a “soft” tympan. Start
the make-ready with a weak impression, and then add sheets of news
or book paper, underneath the fuller board, until the subject prints
sharply and distinctly on the stock used for the wrappers.

Highly glazed paper is generally used for box-wrappers which are to
be bronzed, and the heavy size will often “lift” or “pick” the glazed
surface of the stock in printing. To overcome this trouble, add a
few drops of boiled linseed oil to the size, or a few drops of 00
reducing varnish. Any of the printing ink manufacturers can supply
a reducing preparation for this purpose. Only a few drops of the
reducer should be added to a quantity of the size as the size will
not hold the bronze powder when made too thin.

As the sheets are printed with the size, the bronze powder should
be applied immediately. No more than a dozen or so sheets should be
printed ahead of the bronzing. Carry merely enough size on the press
to cause the type-form or plate to print clearly. An extra-heavy flow
of color will retard drying and will cause a wastage of the bronze
powder.

Bronzing may be done in rich-gold, pale gold, silver, green, red,
etc. Rich-gold bronze powder is the most used for box wrappers.
Fancy labels for perfume bottles, face powder boxes, etc., are often
bronzed in green or red in addition to gold and silver.

Special bronze size, of the one color, will do for all colors of
bronze.

BURNISHING

When it is desirable to have a brilliant polish on bronzed subjects
of box wrappers, burnishing is done as follows:

After the wrappers have been sized and bronzed, and after the
printing is thoroughly dry, the rollers and disc (or cylinder) of
the press are washed clean of the size. We refer to the same press
which has handled the form for the bronzing in question. The rollers
are then removed. About four extra sheets of news or book paper are
placed in the tympan, again underneath the fuller board, so as to
make a stronger impression. The same plate or form of type which
has been used for the size remains on the press. The bronzed sheets
are then run through the press for the second time, feeding them to
close register. This second “inkless” printing causes the plate or
type-form to polish the bronzed subject on the sheets.

PRINTING IN GOLD INK

Several of the leading printing ink manufacturers are now making a
special gold ink which gives a close imitation of gold bronzing.
The Sleight Metallic Ink Company, of Philadelphia, is supplying an
excellent gold ink which is particularly adapted to glazed paper.
This ink is furnished in the form of a liquid and a bronze powder,
and the printer mixes a fresh quantity of the gold ink for each job.

Printing in gold ink is done in the same way as other printing, with
the exception of having rather a light impression, and the inking
apparatus must be absolutely clean before the gold ink is put on.
Rollers containing traces of regular printing ink, oil or grease,
will seriously affect the quality of the gold ink. Heavy impression
will cause the subject to press deeply into the paper, and this in
turn will cause the gold ink to present a “ragged” appearance at the
edges of type characters, rules, borders, etc. A light impression
allows just the right amount of gold ink to transfer to the surface
of the paper.

When printing a long run of paper with gold ink, the rollers and
other inking parts of the press should be washed about every two
hours. Fresh color is then put on, and this helps in keeping a bright
color.

GOLD LEAFING FOR BOX WRAPPERS

Gold leafing for printed designs on box wrappers may be done with the
aid of a platen press as follows:

First, a special size, made especially for gold leafing, is required,
and this size can be obtained from any of the leading printing-ink
manufacturers. This size is used on the press in the same way as size
for bronzing.

The gold leaf layers, as they are called in the trade, work on a
table arranged near the press on which the printing is being done. As
the printed sheets are laid on the table, single sheets of the gold
leaf are “shaken” from the books containing the gold leaf, and the
leaf is laid over the printed detail so accurately that all parts of
the printed design are minutely covered. When one sheet of gold leaf
is not large enough to cover all of the detail, another sheet is used
to complete the work.

After the gold leaf has been applied to the wrappers, some workers
employ a common clothes wringer in making the gold leaf adhere firmly
to the printed detail. The wrappers are simply run through the
rollers of the clothes wringer under heavy pressure.

Loose portions of the gold leaf are not rubbed off the wrapper until
after the printing is thoroughly dry.

Another method of making the gold leaf hold firmly to the size is in
running the wrappers through the printing press after the leaf has
been laid. In this case, a quantity of blank sheets of news or book
paper are essential. The wrapper containing gold leaf is again placed
in the press, close to the feeding guides, and over the detail,
or gold-leafed design, a sheet of the blank paper is spread. An
impression of the form is then taken on the blank sheet, causing the
gold leaf to press firmly to the size. This is said to be the best
process for gold leafing with the aid of a platen press.

After running the gold-leafed sheets through the rollers of a clothes
wringer, or for the second time through a printing press, in the
manner described, loose portions of the gold leaf are rubbed off the
sheets with a piece of raw cotton.

In gold leafing of this class, the wrappers are usually embossed
after the gold leafing has been done, producing a beautiful effect
with the detail of the subject standing up in bold relief.

EMBOSSING ON PLATEN PRESSES

Both hot and cold embossing can be done successfully on regular
platen presses of the Hartford and John Thomson type, although there
are special embossing presses made especially for the work.

[Illustration: Hartford Electric Embossing Plate Heater.]

The National Machine Company, of Hartford, Conn., are making the
“Hartford Electric Embossing Plate Heater,” which may be used on
all styles of platen presses for hot embossing. As indicated by its
name, the Hartford Electric Heater, while on the press, is heated
by electric current supplied from the regular wiring system in the
plant. The female die, or several female dies, are attached to the
surface plate of the Hartford Electric Heater by means of Bunter-Post
Registering Screws. By moving these screws, the die or number of dies
may be placed in any position desired.

Hot (electric) embossing will produce more perfect effects than
ordinary cold embossing, although cold embossing is good enough for
the purpose of box wrappers in many instances.

It should be understood that the Hartford Electric Heater will do for
both hot and cold embossing, as it is an excellent device for holding
and registering embossing plates.

Cold embossing means simply that no heat is applied to the embossing
plates.

The embossing plate, or female die, is usually made of brass, and it
contains an intaglio reproduction of the printed subject which is to
be embossed. When the embossing plate is to be used on a platen press
in the same way as a form of type, the plate is made type-high and is
locked up in a chase with furniture and quoins in the usual manner.
When the embossing plate is to be attached to a patented base, like
the Hartford Electric Heater, the plate is not made type-high, but
just high enough to allow for the thickness of the patented base.

MAKING THE MALE DIE, OR COUNTER DIE, FOR EITHER
HOT OR COLD EMBOSSING

The male die, or counter die, for either hot or cold embossing, is
made in the same way, as follows:

First, the inking rollers are removed from the press. A regular
embossing press, of course, has no inking rollers.

Second, the chase (or patented base) containing the female die is
placed on the press. If an electric heater is used, the electric
current is turned on immediately so that the embossing plate will
become heated while the counter die is being made.

Third, all tympan sheets are removed from the platen of the press,
and in place of these a sheet of straw-board or news-board, about one
inch larger on all four edges than the sheet that is to be embossed,
is glued to the surface of the platen with LePage glue.

Both platen printing presses and regular embossing presses of the
Hartford or John Thomson type have removable steel platen plates
which are used for either cutting and creasing work, or embossing
work. The counter die is made ready on the platen plate instead of
being made ready directly on the platen of the press. When printing
is done on a Hartford or John Thomson press--a printing press--the
steel platen plate (held by counter-sunk screws) is removed.

On all other platen printing presses there is no removable steel
platen plate, and when cutting and creasing, or embossing, is to be
done, the counter die is made directly on the platen.

In all cases of cutting and creasing, or embossing, a sheet of
straw-board or news-board is glued to either the platen of the press,
or to the steel platen plate, as the case may be. The counter die is
then constructed on this sheet of straw-board or news-board.

Fourth, the next step in making a counter-die for embossing is inking
the face of the female die with black printing ink, applying the ink
with a hand roller, and then printing an impression of the female die
on the sheet of straw-board or newsboard. This impression will show
where the embossing composition is to be placed.

EMBOSSING COMPOUND

There are several good, “home-made” embossing compounds in use which
will give first class results.

One compound is made of _sodium silicate_, Alabastine, and a small
quantity of LePage glue, all mixed together to form a body like soft
putty.

Another compound is made of _sodium silicate_, carbonated magnesia,
and a small portion of LePage Glue, mixed to the consistency of soft
putty.

An ordinary compound for a small counter die and a short run of
embossing can be made of LePage glue, a small portion of _sodium
silicate_, and plaster of Paris.

The first-mentioned compound is the best for heavy counter dies and
long runs.

Fifth, after the compound has been mixed with the aid of a printers’
pallet knife, a thick layer of the composition is spread over the
printed subject on the straw-board or news-board. Roughly, this layer
of composition should be about one-eighth of an inch thick. Over
this lay a sheet of French folio paper. Work rapidly so that the
composition will not harden before an impression of the female die is
taken on it.

Sixth, take a second sheet of French folio--a full size sheet--and
lay this over the first sheet, holding an end of the second sheet
of French folio in the right hand as an impression is taken. Now
run the press slowly and pull half-a-dozen more impressions on the
large, loose sheet of French folio, moving the sheet slightly as each
impression is taken. The raised detail of the counter die should by
this time stand up sharply.

Seventh, with a sharp make-ready knife cut away all parts of the
embossing composition which have nothing to do with the detail of the
subject. In other words, scrape away all composition which forms the
blank edges of the counter die, working close to the raised detail of
the subject.

Near the raised, detail of the subject, cut away the composition _on
a bevel_.

Eighth, run the press at regular speed for about five minutes,
allowing all of the fine lines in the female die to work up as
perfectly as possible. After the detail has been “pounded up” sharply
in this way, stop the press and with make-ready knife clear away any
additional composition which may have “squeezed out” from the detail
into the flat edges of the counter die.

Ninth, take still another sheet of French folio, large enough in size
to cover the entire counter die, including blank edges. Cover one
side of this sheet with a thin film of LePage glue, and then glue
this sheet over the surface of the counter die. Take a number of
impressions on this final sheet so that all detail will again work up
sharply.

Tenth, the counter die is now complete. Allow it to stand and harden
for a couple of hours before going ahead with the regular embossing.

REGULATING IMPRESSION

On either platen printing presses or regular embossing presses of
the Hartford or John Thomson type the impression can be regulated
by means of the adjustable slides and nuts which hold the throw-off
bar in place. These slides are held with bolts in notches, and by
loosening the bolts, the slides can be moved upward or downward
in their notches, thereby increasing or lessening the amount of
impression for each job. Before making a counter die on either a
Hartford or John Thomson press, first put on the steel platen plate;
glue on the sheet of straw-board, and then regulate the impression
by means of the slides holding the throw-off bar. By inking and
re-inking the female die, and by taking impressions of the die, on a
sheet of news-board, the right amount of impression can be obtained
(moving the slides accordingly), before applying the embossing
composition.

On other styles of printing presses like the C. & P., for example,
the impression screws should not be moved, but with a Golding press
the impression can be adjusted with the screws which are at the
right-hand side of the platen.

In a case of embossing where it is not advisable to move the
impression screws, it may be necessary to glue two or more sheets
of straw-board or news-board to the platen to obtain sufficient
impression before applying the embossing composition.

The feeding guides for close-register embossing can be made of
three-em 12-point quads. Attach the quads with LePage glue to the
foundation board, following the same positions held by the feeding
guides which had been used when the sheets were printed. This helps
in making perfect register of the embossing with the printed subject.
When printing the sheets, mark the positions of the feeding guides
on one of the printed sheets. Use this marked sheet, and follow the
marks, when placing the feeding guides for embossing.

Rub the quads over a sheet of fine sand-paper before applying glue.
This roughens the surface of the quads and helps the glue to hold
them firmly to the foundation board.

The embossing process described in the foregoing is used for
embossing all kinds of printed and lithographed matter on either
paper or cardboard. When box wrappers containing holly designs
printed in colors, or lettering done in gold ink, gold leaf or gold
bronze, are embossed after being printed, the effect is exceedingly
beautiful. In the cases of gold ink, gold leaf, or gold bronze, the
embossing not only raises the design in sharp relief but also serves
in polishing the gold in the same way as burnishing.

SPECIAL PROCESS FOR PRINTING GLAZED WRAPPERS

When printing plates or type forms on highly glazed paper, for box
wrappers, labels, etc., a beautiful imitation of lithography may be
had by following this process:

Add to either black or blue ink a small quantity of German blue
powder--the kind that is carried by a first class drug store but not
the kind that is furnished by the average paint dealer. The genuine
German blue powder will prevent black or blue printing ink from
“picking” or “lifting” the surface of glazed paper in the printing,
no matter how bold the face of the plate or type may be. The German
blue powder also produces a soft, dull-finish effect in the printing
which makes the work appear like lithography.

Add to any shade of red ink a small quantity of Vermilion powder for
the same purposes mentioned. Vermilion powder will also do for any
shade of brown printing ink.

Add to any shade of green ink a small quantity of Paris green powder.

When adding any of the powders mentioned to the printing ink, use a
printers’ pallet knife for mixing the powder into the ink. The mixing
should be done on a small sheet of glass or on a stone.

If the printing ink is too heavy in body after the powder has been
added, a small quantity of reducer will be needed. Paste dryer, or a
few drops of kerosene will do.

Use a “hard” tympan for the make-ready, and do not allow the press
to stand idle for a long time, as this kind of printing ink dries
rapidly on the press as well as on the stock.

IMITATION STEEL DIE STAMPING

Many wrappers for candy boxes, jewelry boxes, etc. have the business
card die-stamped upon them, the stamping being done from steel dies
on power plate printing and die stamping presses. During the last few
years, however, a special process has been perfected for producing
imitation steel die stamping and embossing on regular platen printing
presses from type forms or line engravings.

This new process calls for special printing inks and powders, and
also for a patented machine on which the freshly printed sheets are
“powdered” and heated, causing the printed subject to stand up in
relief in the same way as steel die stamping or embossing. Numerous
box-makers are now using this process in connection with the work of
printing box wrappers of the better grade.

With this process the sheets are first printed in the same manner as
ordinary printing, in black, color, gold or silver, using the special
compound instead of ordinary printing ink or size. As the sheets are
printed they are fed one at a time into the powdering hopper of the
patented embossing machine. In the hopper is a granulated resinous
compound which adheres to the printed detail. As the sheets are taken
from the hopper they are placed on a conveyor which carries them
through a heating oven, fusing the powder with the ink, and causing
the printing to raise like embossed or die-stamped work. The entire
operation is very simple and the results are satisfactory.

There are several patented “imitation” embossing processes now in
use and one of the most efficient is that supplied by A. Stokes &
Co., of Cleveland, Ohio. This machine is called the “Stokes’ Process
Embossing Machine, Model C,” and it will handle sheets up to 17
inches wide. The Stokes Co. furnish complete instructions and all
inks, powders, etc., necessary for this process.

One of the best printing ink reducers on the market is called
“Reducol,” made by the Indiana Chemical and Manufacturing Co., of
Indianapolis, Ind. Reducol is particularly adapted to all kinds of
printing inks used on glazed paper.

PATENTED PRINTING PLATE BASE FOR CYLINDER PRESSES

Large-size cartons for cereals, coffee, tea, medicine bottles, etc.,
are printed from electrotype plates on cylinder presses, and many
of such cartons are printed in several different colors. As many as
a dozen or more different plates are printed from at one time, the
stock being cut into smaller sizes after having been printed, cut and
creased. Cutting and creasing for large sheets of this kind are done
on other cylinder presses like the Walter Scott cylinder press, for
example.

Usually, the printing plates for work of this class are attached to
patented base, instead of being locked up in forms in the ordinary
manner. The patented base allows for rapid adjustment of the printing
plates for close register color printing.

The Uprightgrain Printing Bases, made by J. W. Pitt, Inc., of Bath,
N. Y., are useful and economical for all classes of folding box
printing, and this base is now being used in a large number of
box-making plants.

The Wesel Printing Base system, made by F. Wesel Manufacturing Co.,
of Brooklyn, N. Y., is another good base that is adapted to the
highest grade of register color printing.

When imposing large forms of half tones or electrotype plates on
patented base, no regular printers’ furniture is required, and the
plates are placed in the necessary positions in very short time.

CHAPTER XII

CORRUGATED PAPER PRODUCTS AND PAPER CANS

Another important branch of the paper box manufacturing industry
is that which is devoted to corrugated paper products. This is a
very large branch of the industry and it is constantly growing and
expanding. With the perfection of paper cans and big shipping boxes
made of paper, new fields of tremendous proportions have been opened
to the manufacturers, and the future for this business is glowing
with possibilities. The day may come when ordinary wooden shipping
boxes and tin cans will be “ghosts of the past.”

Today we see hundreds of different kinds of merchandise packed in
large-size corrugated paper boxes--the same kinds of merchandise
which in other times had been packed in wooden boxes. Today we see
many different kinds of food, powders, liquids, etc., packed in paper
cans--the same variety of goods which formerly had been packed in tin
cans. Every day brings new uses for corrugated paper boxes, and also
for paper cans. During the last year or two orders for these products
have been increasing so rapidly that some of the manufacturers have
been unable to keep up with the demand.

Corrugated paper boxes are now being used in place of wooden boxes
for such a great variety of merchandise that it would be impossible
to enumerate all the uses. For example, the standard slotted carton
is made in different sizes up to a size where the gross weight of the
box and contents amount to 90 pounds, and where the dimensions of the
box, with length, width and depth added, are 70 inches. A corrugated
box of this size will be accepted for freight shipment. Some of the
articles which a slotted carton may be used for are: books, boots
and shoes, butter, canned goods in glass or tin, cereals, cigars
and cigarettes, coffee and tea, collars and cuffs, confections, dry
goods and clothing, electric lamps, glassware, hardware, mattresses,
patent medicines, small furniture, shirts, toys, soap, etc. For
certain articles, like mattresses, for example, the dimensions of a
corrugated box may be as great as 100 inches for acceptable freight
shipment.

Some of the advantages of these large corrugated shipping containers
over ordinary wooden boxes are: light weight, the prevention of
breakage to contents, water and air-tight, easier to close and open
and easier to handle by all concerned. On account of the corrugated
container being firmly sealed with tape, the box is practically
safe from freight robbers who find it an easy matter to “lift” the
cover-boards of a wooden, nailed box. This is one of the many reasons
why corrugated containers are now being used extensively for export
shipments.

Paper cans are now being used in place of tin cans for cereals, tea
and coffee, spices, baking powder, cleansing powder, tobacco, snuff,
salt, gas mantles, drugs, etc. Paper cans are more economical than
tin cans; are more sanitary, lighter in weight, and are easier to
open by the consumer.

[Illustration: Paper Cans and Cores made on Langston equipment.]

THE MAKING OF PAPER CANS

The mechanical equipment necessary for a medium-size plant for making
all kinds of paper cans, mailing tubes, cores for toilet paper, etc.,
is as follows: One slitter and rewinder, one spiral tube winder,
one tube cutter, one moistener, one double-acting punch press with
automatic feeder.

For the manufacture of paper cans with tin tops and bottoms, the
following additional equipment would be essential: One single-acting
press, one crimping machine.

All of these machines, and also accessories, tools, and extra parts,
are manufactured by the Samuel M. Langston Company, of Camden, N.
J., and other well-known concerns who make a specialty of paper can
machinery. The Westchester Machine Sales Co., of New York City, is
manufacturing a paper can seamer, used for attaching tin tops or
bottoms to spiral or straight wound paper cans. The Max Ams Machine
Company, of Bridgeport, Conn., is specializing in machines used for
attaching ends to round, oval or oblong fibre containers.

THE SLITTER AND REWINDER

(Note: Every different diameter of a paper can requires a different
diameter mandrel for both the tube winder and the tube cutter, also a
different size die for the cover and bottom.)

The large paper manufacturers--those who specialize in coarse
papers--supply various kinds of paper in large rolls which is
suitable for the making of paper cans. The Langston slitter and
rewinder will handle a roll of paper any width up to 48 inches
(according to the width of the machine) and will cut this paper and
rewind it into small rolls from one and one-half inches to six inches
wide. These small rolls are then ready for the tube winder.

[Illustration: Langston Type “B” Slitter and Rewinder.]

THE SPIRAL TUBE WINDER

The Langston spiral tube winder will take two, three or more small
rolls of paper, from one and one-half inches to six inches wide
each, and will continuously wind and glue the rolls of paper into
long tubes, of any diameter (according to the mandrel used), from
three-fourths of an inch to six inches in diameter. This machine also
cuts the long tubes into any desired lengths from 11 to 40 inches.

[Illustration: Langston Spiral Tube Winding Machine.]

[Illustration: Langston Tube Cutter.]

THE TUBE CUTTER

The long tubes made on the tube winder, up to 39 inches long, are
placed on the tube cutter which cuts the tubes with a clean edge to
any lengths wanted.

THE MOISTENER

The paper which is to be used for tops and bottoms of paper cans,
must be moistened before going to the punch press. The Langston
moistener takes a roll of paper, cuts it to the proper width, treats
it with a solution of soap and water, and rewinds the paper ready for
the punch press.

[Illustration: Langston Double-Acting Punch Press.]

THE DOUBLE-ACTING PUNCH PRESS

Moistened rolls of paper are placed on the double-acting punch press
(Langston) and the machine automatically dies out and draws up the
paper in the form of lids and bottoms for the paper cans.

THE CRIMPING OR SEAMING MACHINE

This device is used for attaching tin bottoms, or sifter-tops, to
paper cans such as are made for holding scouring powders, etc. This
same machine may be used for bending over or shaping paper tops and
bottoms.

THE SINGLE-ACTING PUNCH PRESS

This is a simple construction machine made by the Langston Company,
and is used for making tin tops and bottoms of all kinds for paper
cans.

The operation of any of the machines mentioned here in connection
with the making of paper cans is very easy.

The spirally-wound tube, which forms the body of a paper can, may
also be used for mailing tubes, cores for toilet paper and cores for
ribbon and thread.

WATER-TIGHT PAPER CANS

To make an all-paper can water-tight, submerge it in molten
paraffine, or pour hot paraffine in and out of the can. Paper,
paraffined on one side, may be run on the inside or on the outside of
the can, or both, to produce a moisture-proof container which will
hold semi-liquids for an indefinite time.

Some paper cans have slip-on covers and bottoms, others have the
top and bottom crimped on; others still have a neck for the lid.
Expensive types of paper cans have spun-on ends, and many are made
with screw-on tin tops.

When printed or lithographed wrappers are carefully applied to the
paper cans, they cannot be told from regular tin cans. Many wrappers
for paper cans are done in beautiful colors.

HOW CORRUGATED PAPER BOXES ARE MADE

There are three different kinds of corrugated paper in general use,
and many of the larger manufacturers of corrugated paper boxes have
their own machines for making the three kinds of corrugated board
referred to.

Unlined corrugated paper is usually made of strawboard and is used
for lining, covering and padding. This paper is exceedingly useful
in packing glass, bottles, and other breakable goods, being used as
lining and padding in the shipping cases.

Single-face corrugated paper is made by gluing a liner, or sheet of
strong texture paper to one side of the corrugations. The corrugated
stock is made of strawboard, newsboard or chipboard, and the liner
may be of heavy manila, news or chip stock, or of other kinds of
coarse paper which are strong in texture. The standard length of
rolls is 250 feet, and the standard width is 36 inches, although this
paper is made as wide as 48 inches. Single-face corrugated paper is
used for making tubes for holding glass articles, partitions for
shipping containers, lining for barrels and wood boxes, etc.

[Illustration: Langston Corrugating Machine]

Double-faced corrugated paper consists of the corrugated stock
and two flat liners, one attached to each side of the stock. The
double-face board is stronger than any other board of the same
weight, and it also serves as a cushion whenever anything comes in
contact with it. This board is made of various kinds of stock,
including strawboard, news and chip, and the facing is also of
various kinds of strong paper. From double-face corrugated paper
a great variety of paper boxes, shipping containers, etc., are
constructed. It is also used for partitions, liners, padding, picture
backing, and as protecting boards for mailing printed matter,
photographs, etc.

The Samuel M. Langston Co., of Camden, N. J., is a large manufacturer
of all kinds of machinery for making the corrugated board and
its products. The Langston corrugating machine for single-faced
corrugated paper is designed to make the single-faced paper,
complete, in big rolls of 250 feet each. The corrugation is formed on
this machine under pressure. Adhesive sodium silicate is applied to
the tops of the corrugated paper while it is in the corrugating roll,
and the lining sheet, tempered over a steam-heated roll, is stuck to
the corrugated sheet under pressure. The machine is equipped with
a steam roll for moistening and heating the straw sheet before it
enters the corrugating roll.

The Langston combined corrugator and double-facing machine
takes three rolls of paper and produces in continuous operation
double-faced corrugated board, cut into sheets, trimmed, and scored
one way, if desired. It is equipped with a “Duplex” cutter, making it
possible to run two separate orders, each of a different width and
length, side by side.

Adhesive sodium silicate, such as that used in the construction of
corrugated paper, taping, etc., is supplied by the Central Commercial
Co., of Chicago, or the Grasselli Chemical Co., of Cleveland, O.

[Illustration: S. & S. Corrugated Paper Box Machine Co. 4-Bar Rotary
Creaser and Scorer.]

ROTARY CUTTING AND SCORING MACHINES

These machines are used for cutting and creasing corrugated board to
any size needed for the construction of corrugated boxes and shipping
containers, and the machines are made in various sizes, one large
enough to handle a sheet 122 inches wide. The Rotary cutting and
creasing machine is made by the Samuel M. Langston Co., of Camden,
N. J., and machines of the same style are also made by the Paper
Products Machinery Co., Inc., of Brooklyn, N. Y., and the S. & S.
Corrugated Paper Machinery Co., Inc., of Brooklyn, N. Y. The concerns
named also make all kinds of machinery for corrugated paper box
plants.

[Illustration: Langston Type “B” Cutter and Scorer.]

The operation of the rotary cutting and scoring machine is
comparatively simple, and the cutting wheels and scoring wheels are
easily adjusted to any position wanted.

THE LANGSTON CHOPPER

This machine, built by the Samuel M. Langston Co., of Camden, N. J.,
is a combined slitter, scorer, chopper and rewinder, and is designed
to handle single-faced corrugated paper from the roll.

THE LANGSTON CARTON MACHINE

This device produces round, square, or octagon shaped shells from
single-faced corrugated paper, such as are used as slip-ons over
bottles. Round shells, with the corrugation running lengthwise, are
made by feeding into the machine strips of corrugated single-faced
paper, which are folded and taped only, being cut to length
afterwards. Another style of Langston carton machine is used for
the production of square, rectangular or octagon shells, which are
folded, taped and cut to length automatically.

THE SLITTER AND RE-WINDING MACHINE

Many of the larger plants devoted to the manufacture of corrugated
paper boxes are equipped with a slitter and rewinding machine which
is used for transforming the large rolls of corrugated paper into
smaller rolls of required sizes. The Langston surface or drum
rewinder and slitter is one of the best machines of this class on the
market.

[Illustration: Regular Slotted Carton.]

REGULAR SLOTTED CARTONS

The regular slotted carton, made of double-face corrugated board, is
designed with two inner flaps which do not meet at the center when
folded, and also with two outer flaps which do meet at the center
when folded. This is one of the most popular cartons in general use.
For shipment, the regular slotted carton is sealed either by gluing
down the flaps, or by covering all outer joints, openings or seams
with paper sealing tape.

All kinds of staying material and paper sealing tape, as used for
sealing corrugated shipping containers, are supplied by the larger
manufacturers of paper box machinery. Many of the paper houses also
carry this line.

[Illustration: Center Special Slotted Carton.]

CENTER SPECIAL SLOTTED CARTON

This carton is much the same as the regular slotted carton, only the
two inner flaps and the two outer flaps all meet at the center when
folded, forming a more solid box, top and bottom, than the regular
slotted carton. The side special slotted carton is made on this same
plan, the flaps meeting at the side of the box.

[Illustration: Overflap Slotted Carton.]

OVERFLAP SLOTTED CARTONS

This container is made of double-face corrugated board, and has four
flaps at the top and bottom, the inner flaps not quite meeting at
the center and the outer flaps overlapping about two inches.

The special overlap slotted carton is practically the same design
with the exception of the inner flaps which meet at the center.

FULL FLAP SLOTTED CARTONS

To provide additional strength at the top and bottom, the full flap
slotted carton has two full-size flaps at the top and bottom which
cover over one another. The inner flaps do not altogether meet at the
center.

[Illustration: Full Flap Slotted Carton.]

The special full flap slotted carton is of this same plan, only the
inner flaps meet at the center, giving three thicknesses of board at
the top and bottom of the box.

HALF SLOTTED CARTON WITH SEPARATE COVER

Instead of having four flaps at the top and bottom, the half slotted
carton has only four flaps at the bottom, being covered by a separate
lid in the same manner as a set-up paper box. The cover is made of
the same kind of double-face corrugated board as the container, and
the corners of the cover are stayed. The flaps at the bottom are
sealed with sodium silicate, or the joints are sealed with tape. For
express shipment, the cover may be tied on. For freight shipment, the
cover should be glued on, and completely sealed at the edges with
tape.

[Illustration: Half Slotted Carton with Cover Attached.]

DOUBLE-WALL CARTON

When an extra-strong carton is needed, the double-wall box is
recommended, especially for articles in glass of the half-gallon
sizes. This box is of the same style as the regular slotted carton
with the exception that the sides and flaps are double thickness,
made of one sheet of double-face corrugated stock and one sheet of
single-face corrugated board, glued together. In addition to being
used for glass articles, the double-wall box is also used for large
and heavy goods like mattresses, canned goods, etc.

[Illustration: Double-Wall Carton.]

DOUBLE COVER BOX

[Illustration: Double Cover Box.]

The main advantage of the double cover box is that it may easily be
cut down to the level of the contents. The part of the body which has
been cut off may be used as a box for other goods. Separate covers
are bought by the user and applied as needed. The body of this type
of box is made of a single piece of double-face corrugated board,
stayed at one corner. The covers overlap, and are made the same as a
lid for a set-up paper box. The same kind of cover is used for both
the top and the bottom of the box, and after the goods have been
packed, the two covers are glued to the body of the box and tape is
wrapped around the edges of the covers. Or, the covers may be tied on
in addition to being sealed at the sides. The corners of the covers
are stayed on the outside with heavy cloth tape.

This style of box is popular for the shipment of millinery,
artificial flowers, men’s hats, etc.

TELESCOPE BOX

The telescope box is made in various heights, and consists merely of
two sections on the plan of box covers, one fitting down over the
other. The corners of the covers are stayed with cloth tape. Flat
telescope boxes of this class are often used for shipments of books,
pictures, lithographed paper cut-outs and similar articles.

[Illustration: Telescope Box.]

[Illustration: Double Lined Slide Box.]

DOUBLE LINED SLIDE BOX

This container was formerly known as the “Three-Piece Lambert Box,”
and is composed of three separate pieces. When put together, the
three pieces of this box provide a double wall of corrugated board
on every side. The inner slide is like one box fitting within the
other. This box is usually made in small sizes and is adapted to the
shipment of drugs, dolls, toys, novelties, etc.

SINGLE LINED SLIDE BOX

The single lined slide box is made of two pieces of corrugated board,
and it does not contain an inner slide. The folding cover extends
down over one side of the box. Used for drugs, toys, dolls, etc.

DOUBLE SLIDE BOX

This style of box is made much like the small slide box used by
druggists for pills, powders, etc. When put together the double slide
box has two thicknesses of board on only two sides.

[Illustration: Double Slide Box.]

ONE-PIECE FOLDER

The one-piece folder is made from a single piece of double-face
corrugated board, cut and creased in such a manner that when folded
up it forms a complete, flat “box,” of any size arranged for. These
folders are delivered in flat form to the customer who, after
packing the goods, glues and seals each folder according to freight
requirements.

TWO-PIECE FOLDER

The two-piece folder is made in many different sizes, and consists
of two straight-cut sheets of corrugated board which, when folded
together, form a closed box having four flaps at the top. The flat
pieces, which are scored, are sent to the customer who folds and
assembles them as needed.

[Illustration: Two-Piece Folder.]

CORRUGATED PAPER TUBES

Corrugated paper tubes are very simple in construction and are used
for holding bottles, glass jars, etc., protecting them from breakage
during shipment in cases. There are several different styles of tubes
as follows:

The single-face scored sheet is merely a square or oblong piece of
single-face corrugated board, scored in three places in such a way
that when folded and sealed at one corner a plain tube is formed.

The double-face scored sheet is made of double-face corrugated board,
scored and folded in the same manner as a single-face scored sheet.

The single-face tube is the same as a single-face scored sheet, with
the exception of being folded and stayed at one corner ready for the
customer’s use.

The double-face tube is a double-face scored sheet, usually made with
chipboard or strawboard liners; scored, folded and joined together,
ready for the customer’s use.

[Illustration: Double-Face Tube.]

Round tubes, and those of odd shape, are made in the same way, of
either single-face or double-face corrugated board. The round tubes
require no scoring.

All scored sheets and complete tubes are delivered flat to the
customer.

PARTITIONS

Partitions for re-shipping cases, and other kinds of corrugated boxes
used for holding medicine bottles, etc., are made of both single-face
and double-face corrugated board. A special “gang saw,” for slotting
containers, or for sawing slots for partitions, is made by Samuel M.
Langston Co., of Camden, N. J. The gang saws are also furnished by
other manufacturers of paper box machinery.

[Illustration: Re-Shipping Case.]

Cuts of corrugated boxes shown herewith were kindly furnished by the
National Association of Corrugated Fibre Box Manufacturers, Chicago.

PRINTING CARTONS

Printing fibre and corrugated paper boxes is a special branch of
the paper box industry, and there are several printing presses of
different makes designed particularly for this class of work. Many
large buyers of fibre and corrugated paper boxes have advertising
matter printed on the outside of the boxes, and in numerous
instances, the printing is done in two or more different colors.
The advantages of having advertising matter printed on the shipping
containers are recognized by large manufacturers. For example, many
of the corrugated containers used for holding tins and glass jars of
smoking tobacco have attractive advertising matter printed on all
four sides.

[Illustration: Langston Multi-color Printing Press for Shipping
Containers.]

Among the most efficient printing presses which are now in general
service for printing fibre and corrugated shipping containers are
the F. X. Hooper fibre printing press, made by the F. X. Hooper
Co., Inc., of Glenarm, Md., and the Langston multi-color printing
press, made by Samuel M. Langston Co., of Camden, N. J. Both of
these machines are rotary presses and are capable of producing
great quantities of work at high speed. The printing is done from
electrotype plates which are attached to the printing cylinder of the
press.

Any of the paper box machinery concerns mentioned in this series of
articles will send catalogues and detailed information covering their
machines upon request.

* * * * * *

Transcriber’s note:

The cover image was created by transcriber and placed in the public
domain.

Inconsistencies in spelling and hyphenation such as
“box-maker”/“box maker” and “strawboard”/“straw-board” have been
maintained.

Minor punctuation and spelling errors have been silently corrected
and, except for those changes noted below, all misspellings in the
text, and inconsistent or archaic usage, have been retained.

Page 25: “Attached to the machine is a receptable” changed to
“Attached to the machine is a receptacle”.

Page 27: “The bettter class of set-up boxes” changed to “The better
class of set-up boxes”.

Page 41: “The stock used for the partititions” changed to “The
stock used for the partitions”.

Page 94: “the ends of the ribon” changed to “the ends of the
ribbon”.

Page 118: “and you’re just bound to succeeed” changed to “and
you’re just bound to succeed”.

Page 159: “keeping their plants in first class phyical” changed to
“keeping their plants in first class physical”.

Page 165: “It would be impossible to specifiy” changed to “It would
be impossible to specify”.

Page 169: “in additon to doing printing” changed to “in addition to
doing printing”.

Page 195: “resinous compound which adhers” changed to “resinous
compound which adheres”.

Page 201: “equipment necessary for a memium-size” changed to
“equipment necessary for a medium-size”.

*** End of this LibraryBlog Digital Book "How Paper Boxes Are Made" ***

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