Our Printing Techniques Over the Past 135 years

Our Printing Techniques Over the Past 135 Years

Thomas Strahan started as a hand block printer in 1885, but then as automated wallpaper printing advanced he added surface printing presses, the oldest of which was a Waldron Press manufactured in England in 1880, (These presses would have originally been powered by a series of large belts with a power take off from a large overhead rotating axle running the length of the plant that would have been connected to/ powered by a large steam engine located outside- pre electrification.) During World War II, block printing was discontinued (due to labor shortages, as it is a very labor intensive process). When the surface printing technique ( the closest technique to the look of a block printed paper) fell out of favor and the original manufactory, built in 1903 and then torn down in 2003, many of the designs were then converted to either hand silk screen and/ or high quality digital.

Block Printing at the Thomas Strahan manufactory, this was discontinued during World War II as there were labor shortages as this process is very labor intensive

A Wood Printing Block From the Thomas Strahan Manufactory, Blocks of wood have the design built "up onto them," i.e. the bed of the block is cut away. The design is then "stamped" onto the ground.

Adelphi Paper Hangings click on Image for Link to their Block Printing Video

Adelphi still prints the traditional way with "modern" wood blocks, that is they are laser cut instead of hand carved

Hand Blocking & Flocking at Atelier D' Offard, click on the image for the video. US rep is Belfry Hist. http://www.belfryhistoric.com/ATELIER.htm. Loved-they use a laser line to main. registration

117 Years of Our Surface Printing Technology. From Carved Wood Rollers, to Inserting Brass Strips into the Wood Cylinder, Cork Covered Rollers, Rubber Covered Wood, Metal, & Laser Etched Plastic

A Maple Roller Design TS 721 Kelmscott. The Maple Cylinders Were Aged 12 Years Before Carving

Paul Spannier at his work bench hand carving/ adding brass strips to maple wood cylinders for surface printing. This photograph is from 1961

Note Leather "take off" belts from overhead rotating power axle (Photo Not From The Thomas Strahan Manufactory)

The Thomas Strahan factory had these large leather "take off" belts that could be engaged and disengaged from the large overhead rotating axles to power the machinery/presses. (Photo for Info Only)

Interior of the "new" factory in 1903

The companies oldest surface print machine was a 1880 Waldron printer manufactured in England that was used until 2003.

Tom Courtney, photo from the 1940s, his apprentice agreement with the company was dated 1897

Roland Clifford, whose father was a 50 year employee operating one of the 8 color cylinder surface printing presses photo form the 1960s

At peak production in the 1980s , the 7 wallpaper surface printing presses were working 24/7 and producing 32,000 rolls of wallpaper a day

Richard Nylander (right) one of the worlds leading experts on historic wallpaper, and Pat Troville of Strahan inspecting a custom run of Codman House Damask for Historic New England in the 1990s

Using a Silk Screen to create a Irise Effect From a Project We Did a number of Years Ago

Hand/ Silk Screen Printing

Block Printing in 1915 at the Birge Manufactory

The mechanics of surface printing

Cutting edge wallpaper production in 1886

Antsey, the Venerable English Wallpaper Firm has put together this guide

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