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Missale Romanum Media Page

MISSALE ROMANUM page>

PRODUCTION UPDATES

Updated:  March 8, 2008

   

The sections in brown are processes that have already been completed, those shaded in green are currently ongoing and those in gray still need to be reached. The reprinting process consists of:

scanning original pages into pdf signatures (16 pages per signature, 8 per side) gilding book block edges
proofing / correcting signatures constructing hard cases (covers) and slip jackets
ribbon manufacturing
(12,000 ribbons!)
inserting manufactured ribbons into spine
printing signatures case-binding book blocks
folding signatures manufacturing and applying tabs (which can only be done manually)
binding signatures into a book block books being shipped

IMAGES

Click on a thumbnail to see a production image:

 
Benziger Missale Romanum Reprint

Pre-press proofing
The reprint manager (on right) and pre-press technician (on left) examine one of 80 signatures that the former has already proofed for proper color-separation (red and black texts).  Any original color errors (e.g., black for red) made by Benziger (which were not corrected due to the labor-intensive method of resetting 2-color linotype plates) were amended, while scanning and original printing deficiencies (marks, spots, light ink coverage or bleed-throughs) were fixed digitally via the computer to ensure a pristine copy.

Benziger Missale Romanum Reprint Printing of first batch of signatures
An historic moment:  at 9:00 am CST on January 11, 2008, for the first time since its original printing by Benziger in 1963, the 1962 Missale Romanum reprint begins to come off the press!
Benziger Missale Romanum Reprint First batch of signatures completed!
The proud project manager stands next to the first stack of signatures printed (just the first side); total running time:  20 minutes.
Benziger Missale Romanum Reprint Finished signatures awaiting to be folded
Shown here are skids of completely printed signatures (both sides) awaiting to be folded.  80 of these skids will make up the whole project.
Benziger Missale Romanum Reprint Folding in progress
The batch of the first missal signature (the first 16 pages) are folded.  The lady furthest away feeds the folding machine, while the lady in the front removes the folded signatures and places them in a box for shipment to the bindery.  Meanwhile, the folding machine manager periodically checks folded signatures to ensure their accuracy.
Benziger Missale Romanum Reprint Folded signatures boxed
A shot into the box (skid) holding the folded signatures (also referred to as "forms" as seen by the note).
Benziger Missale Romanum Reprint Finished skids ready for the bindery
A shot showing some of the 80 skids of folded signatures before being sent to the bindery to be sewn into book blocks.
Benziger Missale Romanum Reprint Sewing the collated signatures
At the bindery, all of the folded signatures were laid out on tables and then collated into a complete book block.  Then each signature is fed into the stitching machine and sewn together to form the completed 80-signature book block, which will then be sent to the gilder's to have the edges sanded and leaf-gilded.
stitching_endsheets450x600.jpg (196913 bytes) Tipping endsheets onto front and rear signatures
Part of the process described above, includes the tipping of the precut endsheets to either the immediate front or final rear set of signatures.  Stitched to the book block and heavily glued to the insides of the cover boards, these endsheets bridge the book block to the inside of the cover and are an essential component to any high-quality binding project.  Constructed of durable, thick paper-cover stock, the endsheets' color will match the missal's cover, so here we see a batch of endsheets intended for the red-covered missals.

VIDEOS

Click on a link to watch a silent video of a reprinting process in action [requires
QuickTime to view]:

Panoramic of press in action
A view of the massive 2-color Heidelberg offset high-speed press shown printing one of the first signature batches [8.2 mb]

Verifying signatures during run
Here we see the press man remove a ream of signatures (performed periodically during each press run) while the press runs to determine if everything is printing and aligning correctly [9.3 mb]

Folding completed signatures
Watch a batch of signatures that have had both sides printed being folded.
[11.5 mb]

View of skids of completed signatures
While folding continues, a walk-past is made through the shop to show the impressive array of skids (containing  awaiting their trip to the bindery.
[9.9 mb]

To be continued...

PDFS OF ACTUAL SCANNED PAGES

Click on the pdf images to view samples of scanned pages, which include Benziger's famous litho-engravings used for the page headers of major feasts:

 

Annuntiatione BVM [1 mb]
Click to open pdf

Tempus Passionis [1.1 mb]
Click to open pdf

Tempus Nativitate [1.3 mb]
Click to open pdf

Hebdomada Passionis [1.3 mb]
Click to open pdf

S. Joseph Sponsi BVM [1 mb]
Click to open pdf

Feria Sexta [1.1 mb]
Click to open pdf

(NB:  There are some items that appear slightly skewed in the images; this is how they appeared in the original, a common occurrence with the old linotype process)
 
 
 

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