Paul Moxon

Paul Moxon is the author of Vandercook Presses: Maintenance, History and Resources, moderates vandercookpress.info, is website editor for the American Printing History Association and prints limited edition books and broadsides under the imprint Fameorshame Press.

Paul Moxon has been a major contributor to the following articles:

Vandercook No. 099

The No. 099, is the smallest model in the office press series. It is a simple galley press with a rubberized impression cylinder not geared to a rack. Cylinder bearers roll on the bed bearers and are supported only by bearings riding the under rail. There are no form rollers … Continue reading

Vandercook No. 03

The No. 03 belongs to the office press series. It is a simple galley press with a rubberized impression cylinder not geared to a rack. Cylinder bearers roll on the bed bearers and are supported only by bearings riding the under rail. There are no form rollers but paper grippers … Continue reading

Vandercook No. 01

The No. 01 belongs to the office press series. It is a simple galley press with a rubberized impression cylinder not geared to a rack. Cylinder bearers roll on the bed bearers and are supported only by bearings riding the under rail. There are no form rollers but paper grippers … Continue reading

Vandercook 325G

The 325G was available with a hand-cranked or a power carriage. The 325G is identical to the 325A except that it has a pedal to open the gripper. Optional automatic sheet delivery and ink fountain were originally available. Maximum form: 24 × 24½”; maximum sheet: 25 × 30″. There are … Continue reading

Vandercook 325A

The 325A was available with a hand-cranked carriage. and was the company’s first power carriage model. It has automatic grippers only, no pedal (like the No. 3), which requires the operator to roll the carriage forward to raise the grippers, then roll carriage back to meet the paper. The 325A … Continue reading

Vandercook SP25

The SP25 was specifically designed to print full newspaper page proofs and also large repro proofs, from metal type forms on specially formulated paper, which were then used to make photo-litho plates for offset printing. Unlike earlier Vandercook models, the impression cylinder is automatically in print mode when at the … Continue reading

Vandercook Universal III

The Universal III is member of the Universal series, which introduced the “quick change” form roller assembly where each one is independently set into brackets inside the carriage with height adjustment knobs on the ends of the core. This frameless design eliminated the need to adjust the front and back … Continue reading

Vandercook Composing Room Cylinder

Composing Room Cylinders were the first series to be issued serial numbers (stamped directly on the bed), and thus can be accurately dated. This model employs several improvements: automatic cylinder trip; carriage-mounted ink rollers; and an angled feed board with a “sheet hopper” which guides paper to automatic under-cylinder grippers. … Continue reading

Vandercook 219 Proving Machine

The 219 Proving Machine, now referred to as the 219 Old Style, was replaced by the 219 New Style in 1948. It features power driven ink distribution, pedal cylinder trip, pedal activated grippers and two swing-out paper shelves under the feed board. Optional equipment included an automatic frisket tower assembly. … Continue reading

Vandercook No. 0

The No. 0 belongs to the office press series. It is a simple galley press with a rubberized impression cylinder not geared to a rack. Cylinder bearers roll on the bed bearers and are supported only by bearings riding the under rail. There are no form rollers but paper grippers … Continue reading

Vandercook 320G

Designed for proofing newspaper pages, the hand-cranked 320G features an ink slab and form rollers behind the cylinder, which come to rest under the feed board. Optional automatic sheet delivery and ink fountain were originally available. Maximum sheet: 20 × 30″; maximum form: 19 × 24½”. There are two dozen … Continue reading

Vandercook No. 3

The No. 3 looks similar to the No. 4, but with the very important difference and it has non-motorized handwheel ink distribution and automatic grippers. The latter “feature” means that it lacks a gripper pedal, and requires the operator to roll the carriage forward to raise the grippers, then roll … Continue reading

Vandercook 15-21

The 15-21 was the last model to feature the old-style removable top frame oscillator and bottom frame form rollers and the first to include a automatic wash up unit, a doctor blade that squeegees solvent-diluted ink from the ink drum. Standard equipment included an adjustable bed and adjustable travel cylinder … Continue reading

Vandercook Universal I

The Universal I is member of the Universal series, which introduced the “quick change” form roller assembly where each one is independently set into brackets inside the carriage with height adjustment knobs on the ends of the core. This frameless design eliminated the need to adjust the front and back … Continue reading

Vandercook SP20

The SP20, a larger version of the SP15, was specifically designed to print repro proofs from metal type forms on specially formulated paper, which were then used to make photo-litho plates for offset printing. Unlike earlier Vandercook models, the impression cylinder is automatically in print mode when at the feed … Continue reading

Vandercook Roller Series

Roller Series presses feature an inking carriage separate from the impression cylinder. The rollers are replenished with ink from a plate at each end of the bed. These presses lack paper grippers. Models include: the No. 14 (old style) and the No. 20. There are less than two dozen Roller … Continue reading

Asbern Proof Press

Made in Ausburg, West Germany in the 1960s and 70s, Asbern presses have a fixed bed and rolling carriage. They feature a dial for incremental height cylinder adjustment to change the impression and a lever for manual cylinder trip mid print stroke. Three models were imported into the U.S. by … Continue reading

Vandercook SP15

The SP15, notable for its lightweight design, is a member of the “Simple Precision” series. It was specifically designed to print repro proofs from metal type forms on specially formulated paper, which were then used to make photo-litho plates for offset printing. It was also used for laboratory testing of … Continue reading

Vandercook No. 4

The No. 4 features a complex spring-loaded gear and clutch mechanism on the ends of both roller cores. With only minor modifications (models before 1938 did not have pedal activated grippers), the No. 4 was in production for 25 years. The 4T is differentiated by the addition of a transparency … Continue reading

Troubleshooting Vandercook and Similar Cylinder Presses

This article provides solutions to common presswork problems encountered on a Vandercook and similar brands of flatbed cylinder proof presses. Experience adjusting a Vandercook press is assumed. Most makeready can be eliminated by standardizing materials. One element out of specification may lead to problems that cannot otherwise be corrected. Maintenance … Continue reading

Vandercook and Similar Cylinder Presses Instruction

More than 30,000 Vandercook presses (some ninety different models in all) were manufactured in Chicago between 1909 and 1976. Today, more than 1,800 presses representing forty models have been identified in an on-going, worldwide census compiled by Paul Moxon at Vandercookpress.info. This article provides basic information for the operation of … Continue reading