Media in TW2000

[WallShadow]

The most difficult component of a mimeo/spirit duplicator machine to find or manufacture would be the mimeo master blanks, which are sheets of paper that are coated in a thin coating of (usually colored) wax that a typewriter key makes an impression on. These would be the achilles heel of the system.

[aspqrz]

Originally Posted by WallShadow

The most difficult component of a mimeo/spirit duplicator machine to find or manufacture would be the mimeo master blanks, which are sheets of paper that are coated in a thin coating of (usually colored) wax that a typewriter key makes an impression on. These would be the achilles heel of the system.

ISTR that in the 1632verse this proves to not be much of a problem. Of course, that's fiction, but the tech side of things is always (afaict) well researched.

ISTR that the problem they had was getting the wax coating thin and flexible enough ... they may even have created a flatbed rather than rotary machine to use the stencils, it was evidently simply enough to be assembled and run by locals with hand tools and not much else.

Where there's a will there's a way!

Phil

[Silent Hunter UK]

Printing presses have been around since the 15th century, BTW.

[aspqrz]

Well, in Western Europe.

Printing Presses have been around for much much much longer in China. About 1300 years longer ... and the method they used was much simpler than the initial Gutenberg style presses and successfully competed with Western style presses in China until all woodblock printing was suppressed by government fiat after the 1911 revolution for reasons of 'modernity' (hell, knowing how inherently corrupt the KMT were, they probably received kickbacks from owners of the newstyle presses to suppress the competition, as like as not).

They also used moveable type from about 1000 AD or so in China and at least the late 14th century in Korea, though neither methods were widespread because of the cost of the thousands of ceramic (or metal) ideograms necessary.

Phil

[Jason Weiser]

Folks...something germane to the discussion?

https://drive.google.com/file/d/0B1i...g&pref=2&pli=1https://drive.google.com/file/d/0B1i...g&pref=2&pli=1