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Westman & Baker Platen Printing Press

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Open 9 a.m. to 5 p.m., Tuesday to Sunday
Address
1867 St Laurent Blvd, Ottawa, ON
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Westman & Baker Platen Printing Press

Westman & Baker Platen Printing Press

Current location:

Collection Storage Facility

Provenance:

Westman & Baker were engineers and machinists in Toronto, Ontario, from 1874 until 1922, the year the company was purchased by Manton Brothers. Westman & Baker’s most popular products were printing presses and paper cutters. This printing press was donated to the Museum in 1973. It has been repainted in its original colour and the gold-coloured pinstriping has been restored.

Technical history:

American George Phineas Gordon invented this type of printing press around 1858. He named it the Franklin, claiming that Benjamin Franklin came to him in a dream and showed him its design. Gordon’s press was treadle-powered and featured automatic inking. It allowed a single operator to produce up to 2,000 impressions per hour, up from the 250 impressions that two workers could manage on the typical iron hand press of the time.

History:

Gordon-style presses, which became known as platen or job presses, were hugely popular for small print jobs such as cards, handbills, and leaflets. After Gordon’s patent expired in the 1870s, foundries all over the world, including Westman & Baker, copied his ingenious design. The fine craftsmanship of Westman & Baker presses made them prize-winning pieces of machinery in Canada. Platen presses made by various manufacturers were common in Canadian print shops until the 1970s, and some remain in use for embossing work and art printing.

CSTMC/SMSTC L44470

CSTMC/SMSTC 1973.0219

US Patent No. 32,130

SCITECH
Canada Science and Technology Museum
Artifact No.
1973.0219
Manufacturer
Westman & Baker
Manufacturer Location
Toronto, Ontario
Manufacture Date
1874-1822
Acquisition Date
1973
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The Canada Science and Technology Museum tells Canada's innovation story in an immersive, educational, and fun way.
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Canada Science and Technology Museum
1867 St Laurent Blvd
Ottawa ON K1G 5A3
Canada

613-991-3044
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  • Plan Your Visit
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    • Birthday Parties
    • Summer Camps
    • Venue Rentals
    • Travelling Exhibitions
    • Virtual Field Trips
    • Group Visits
  • Educational Programs
    • School Programs
    • Virtual Field Trips
    • Program Location
      • At the Museum
      • At Your School
      • Online
      • Browse all Educational Programs
    • Popular Links
      • 3D Educational Resources
      • Digital Learning Kits
      • Games and Apps
      • Online Resources for Science at Home
      • Tell Me About
      • Try This Out
  • Collection and Research
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