The Koenig & Bauer Printing Press
As part of Explore Your Archives 2017, today is #archivescience day — where we look at science and technology based records whether they are great inventions, research or ground-breaking discoveries. We found the following material telling the story of a technological milestone in newspaper printing.
On November 29, 1814 John Walter II announced in The Times “Our Journal of this day presents to the public the practical result of the greatest improvement connected with printing, since the discovery of the art itself.”
Thus it was announced that a newspaper had, for the first time in the world, been printed using a steam powered press. The Koenig & Bauer press, developed specifically for The Times, was also the first cylinder printing press to be developed.
They were capable of printing 1,100 sheets per hour. The Stanhope hand presses which they replaced could only print 250 sheets per hour. These presses also did away with the need for duplicate setting of the formes resulting in a considerable saving in the cost of labour and time.
Friedrich Koenig and Thomas Bensley originally approached Walter in 1809, but were turned down following a demonstration. Andreas Bauer subsequently became Koenig’s manager and chief mechanic. In early 1813 the machine was again demonstrated to Walter, who could now see the invention’s importance.
The machines were installed at Printing House Square in secret as Walter feared sabotage by print workers fearful of losing their jobs or Luddites. They were gradually built and developed on the site from 1813. On the first night, November 28, 1814, that the machines were to print The Times, Walter instructed the print workers to stand by as he was expecting important news to arrive from the Continent. Shortly before six o’clock the next morning he went into the press room and announced to his astonished workforce that the paper had already been printed — by steam. However, he did promise a continuance of wages to every printer until suitable employment could be found.
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