Harris E1 envelope press

This fast rotary envelope press, model E1 was made by the Harris Automatic Press Company of Niles, Ohio in 1896. The press has a height of 51 inches a length of 59 inches and a width of 37 inches.

The Harris Automatic Press Company was founded in 1895 by two brothers. Charles Harris was the inventor, Alfred the business genius. Their company was built on the brothers’ invention of a fast automatic feeding mechanism devised for the local newspaper, the "Niles Independent."

In 1896 a new press was built to match the feeder. The E1, the first successful and fast automatic press in America, handled 250 sheets a minute. This example is an early model, designed for single-color printing of cards and envelopes. Later the feeding mechanism was improved to handle sheets for multicolor work, and the circular wooden tray that received the printed work was replaced with a straight-line rack. Curved stereotype plates were mounted on the type cylinder, or ordinary printer’s type was locked onto it by means of special beveled furniture. The press could print up to 15,000 sheets per hour.

The Harris brothers also made rotary lithographic presses, using stone cylinders. In 1906 they produced their most famous rotary press, the Harris offset press, an example of which is described separately.

Donated by the Harris Corporation, 1976.

Citation: Elizabeth Harris, "Printing Presses in the Graphic Arts Collection," 1996.

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