The Wonder Book of Knowledge: The Marvels of Modern Industry and Invention, the Interesting Stories of Common Things, the Mysterious Processes of Nature Simply Explained
History
The Wonder Book of Knowledge: The Marvels of Modern Industry and Invention, the Interesting Stories of Common Things, the Mysterious Processes of Nature Simply Explained
Industrial arts -- History
Not only was it necessary to meet the demand for card index
conveniences, but it was also important to equip the Model “A”
Addressograph with an electric motor for increasing its speed of
operation and insuring a greater output. As was to be expected, the card
index and electrically operated features caused thousands of concerns,
large and small, to adopt the addressograph. Large mercantile houses,
addressing thousands of names--who had formerly held aloof from the
addressograph because of its limited advantages for making changes and
additions--now placed their orders with instructions to rush delivery.
With business houses all over the country rapidly changing from bound
books to loose-leaf card index records, the demand for chain
addressograph models diminished and more and more orders were received
for the rubber card index addressographs. Business men, generally, were
now taking a real interest in mechanical addressing and the saving which
the addressograph made possible in their offices. This interest was
increased materially with the growth of mail-order businesses and the
constantly increasing use of direct-by-mail advertising by business
concerns, large and small. Firms having mailing lists were increasing
them. Those firms which had not previously used direct-by-mail
advertising were now coming to realize the many advantages of that
modern selling short-cut and were compiling large lists of names. The
rubber card index addressograph had by now proved itself a wonderful
time and labor saver in addressing and maintaining lists of names of
average size. But, with the advent of large lists, the high cost of
rubber type presented a serious objection to many firms regarding the
installation of the addressograph. Furthermore, large lists of names
were subject to many changes and additions--and in this connection,
setting up the address plates in rubber type proved quite slow and
expensive. So, to bring the addressograph abreast of modern conditions,
Mr. Duncan combined the card index filing idea with the embossed metal
plate which he had previously worked out for use with the chain
addressograph. With the coming of the metal card index addressograph and
the modern graphotype for making the metal address plates, the
addressing machine business was “revolutionized,” as Mr. Duncan put it.
With the graphotype, address plates for changes and additions could be
made at almost typewriter speed. The card index address plate required
less filing space than was true of the rubber card index address plate,
printed cleaner impressions and from every standpoint was superior to
the rubber type system. In order that customers could make their changes
and additions right in their office, the graphotype was further
developed and furnished in two models, one operated by motor, the other
by hand.
[Illustration: ELECTRIC GRAPHOTYPE WHICH EMBOSSES TYPEWRITER STYLE
CHARACTERS ON METAL ADDRESS PLATES]
Public-domain text, read in full here on John Shaqi.
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