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Superman #1 Cover Printers Plate Info

Started by haikutoo-migration,

27 posts in this topic

haikutoo-migration

haikutoo-migration

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The image is on the reverse as well...it is a legitimate plate, that's not what I was asking.

This is a Rubber Plate-but there is term for this type of printing process.

What is is called?

 

I have several and they were found in an old printing press in Vermont (now closed), owned by Qebecor who I believe acquired National Periodicals in the 90's.

We are just trying to connect the dots...In the meantime, I don't know what this type of plate is called.

Thanks

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Bronty

Bronty

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I wish I could help, I have no clue - but can you tell us more about exactly what we are looking at? I am confused as to why there is a page 64 on the bottom left... it almost seems like this is a plate for a book that reproduced the supes 1 cover?

 

How did you obtain? Are you saying you have the printer's plates as well?

 

I don't mean to grill you I am just confused and intrigued at the same time :)

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haikutoo-migration

haikutoo-migration

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Believe me, I am grateful for any help or grilling possible.

The page 64 is actually on slip cover holding the plate.

 

Okay, these are actual printing plates. From what I understand, there was only one printing press in the country who was using this type of offset/other printing. It was a super high tech, innovative new type of printing process in the 30s.

 

Now I think it's obsolete.

 

 

 

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haikutoo-migration

haikutoo-migration

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These plates were in 100's of boxes that were being thrown out. My good friend pulled several boxes out and gave me some to go through....this was like 10-12 years ago.

There were 8 of these gel plates and 100's of copper plates.

 

I took them to a friend who deals in very rare collectibles. I think Seigal is her cousin-anyway, still waiting to hear about whether they are authentic or not.

I am trying to connect Quebecor and National Periodicals Publishing, the time line and how in the world did these plates end up at a closed antique printing press in southern Vermont. I believe that Quebecor purchased Quad Graphics which owned National Periodicals...sometime in the 90's.

 

All I know is that they are now being stored in a temp controlled vault.

 

 

 

 

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DiceX

DiceX

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That is a flexograph or rubber letterpress plate.

You're talking 1930's for Supes #1.

Rubber and photopolymer (which that is) was pretty crude until later in the century. I don't think they had the technology back then to hold screen values and the detail it would take to print a comic book. Rubber plates were pretty much a one color print job back then and I don't think they could have printed four color jobs with much precision at all.

 

My guess is it was used to make some type of print of the cover. Perhaps an even more accurate guess would be that whatever printing company this came from got a new (at the time) photopolymer plate system in and made the plate with the original film for that comic book.

 

Do you have any other plates? Perhaps other plate colors like the Cyan, Magenta and Yellow plates? I need more info and photos to make a more educated guess.

 

As for linking the printing companies, Quebecor was the largest printer based in Canada, World Color Press was the second largest printer in the US. In 1999 Quebecor merged with (bought) World Color Press and the combined companies formed "Quebecor World."

This was an effort to create the largest printing company to surpass the juggernaut R.R. Donnelley.

 

In 2008 Quebecor World filed bankruptcy. Donnelley tried to buy them but their offer was rejected. In 2010 the company was purchased by Quad Graphics, who basically bought the company to take the clients, then closed all but a few of those facilities.

 

 

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Bronty

Bronty

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That is a flexograph or rubber letterpress plate.

 

My guess is it was used to make some type of print of the cover.

 

 

Great info, Dice!

 

Your point that I am quoting above just brings me back to that slipcover. It has a page 64, and the copyright and copyright date. That seems way too much of a coincidence.

 

In light of your comments, my initial belief that this was a plate made to print page 64 of some book showcasing the Supes 1 cover is just reinforced.

 

 

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Weird Paper

Weird Paper

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I'm with Dice. That plate doesn't represent part of the four-color process. The image is the graytone equivalent of the composite cover. That raises questions about what is was used for. One thing is clear: it is not part of the printing process on the original Superman 1.

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DiceX

DiceX

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I'm with Dice. That plate doesn't represent part of the four-color process. The image is the graytone equivalent of the composite cover. That raises questions about what is was used for. One thing is clear: it is not part of the printing process on the original Superman 1.

 

Yeah. The dead giveaway is the "64 pages of action," "All in full color," and the word "Superman" at the bottom. This text would be present on the Magenta and Yellow plates. It would not be on the Black plate.

 

It's not a plate that printed the book. Neat, yes. But probably made by the shop a few generations removed from the actual printing of the book. They were playing around with the new photopolymer plate machine that the company just bought.

 

That's my guess anyway.

 

 

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markseifert

markseifert

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World Color very briefly printed the very earliest (pre - Donenfeld/Liebowitz) DC Comics out of their St Louis location, but that would have been before the time of Supes #1. Donenfeld owned his own printing and distribution during the Golden Age, which is part of what made DC so strong.

 

Of course, World Color more famously printed DC (and many others) from Sparta IL during the Silver Age -- but that's well after Supes #1. So, they would not have had any involvement during the printing of the Superman #1, that I am aware of. Of course, that might account for any connection with this item and a reprint or proof of some sort (and as others have mentioned, perhaps simply a reprint of the cover on an interior page of a book).

 

haikutoo, another place to inquire about this would be the Comics Publishing, Distribution, Circulation google group:

 

https://groups.google.com/forum/?fromgroups#!forum/comics-pub

 

There are people there who are very good at tracking the minutia of the comics printing business historically, where the various printing plants were, etc.

 

One avenue of investigation might be to track down the location or locations, and what became of Donenfeld's "Donny Press" printing company (though as I say, I'd suspect there are people in the google group listed above who could come up with any Vermont connections off the top of their heads -- a couple of knowledgeable guys to ask over there would be Bob Hughes and Mike Feldman).

 

I'm curious enough to dig into it a bit as well, though I've got some comic print deadlines looming myself over the next couple days. lol Interesting little mystery, please keep us up to date if you learn anything.

 

 

As for linking the printing companies, Quebecor was the largest printer based in Canada, World Color Press was the second largest printer in the US. In 1999 Quebecor merged with (bought) World Color Press and the combined companies formed "Quebecor World."

This was an effort to create the largest printing company to surpass the juggernaut R.R. Donnelley.

 

In 2008 Quebecor World filed bankruptcy. Donnelley tried to buy them but their offer was rejected. In 2010 the company was purchased by Quad Graphics, who basically bought the company to take the clients, then closed all but a few of those facilities.

 

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DiceX

DiceX

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Yeah. Those are "half tone" images on the plates. Meaning it is basically a black and white photograph on a single plate. There is no color separation.

 

Some of the plates are pretty obviously camera shots from actual printed comics. You can see the characteristics of a photograph of an actual book.

 

Very cool. No idea what they might have been used for. Given the labeling on them I'd say they were used for something.

 

Are they actual size to a comic or are they smaller?

 

 

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haikutoo-migration

haikutoo-migration

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What was the actual size of the Superman comics? I thi nk they are color plates because each of the Superman plates have a singular color residue. One has a yellow tone, the other has a blue.

 

Honestly, I am as stumped as anyone. The only think that I can tell you is that they are definitely old.

 

I can get the measurements tomorrow.

 

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