When the letter book was pressed, some of the ink transferred from the letters to the moist tissues in the book.

Because the ink penetrated the tissues, copies could be read from the front sides of the tissues.

In addition to such stationary presses, James Watt & Co. Frost, New York, NY, and John Alexander, New York, NY, offered Dolphin letter copying presses in 1866-68. 92) Screw model letter copying presses were still marketed in 1950, and Proudfoot reports that an organization in London, England, was still using press books in the late 1950s. “This is essential to a screw copy press; for unless one pull will serve to raise or to depress the plate, much time is lost.” In addition to the press, offices needed to buy copying books that contained up to a thousand pages of tough tissue paper, copying ink, copying paper dampers, oiled paper, and blotting paper.

and competitors produced portable devices contained in wood boxes similar in size and appearance to the late 19 century Edison Mimeographs shown below in Plates 22 and 23. Prices at that time were .50 for 9"x12" to 5 for 10.5"x16". President whose official correspondence was copied on a copying press was Calvin Coolidge (1923-29). Sharp explained that before using the new press, the office had to decide how to organize its letters.

A copying clerk would begin by counting the number of letters to be written during the next few hours and by preparing the copying book.

Suppose the clerk wanted to copy 20 one-page letters.

In that case, he (copying clerks were men) would insert a sheet of oiled paper into the copying book in front of the first tissue on which he wanted to make a copy of a letter.

Typically they need a copy of outgoing correspondence for their records.

Sharp advised that “Success in copying letters depends almost entirely upon the damping of the paper.

The paper should be saturated and damp, not wet.” To dampen the tissue paper, the clerk used a brush or copying paper damper.

Alternatively, the office could organize its correspondence by client, which avoided indexing but made it necessary to use numerous copying books on a given day.

Although copies could be made up to twenty-four hours after a letter was written, copies made within a few hours were best.