Traditionally, display signs ("show cards") for retail stores were hand-lettered by show card writers - a now-forgotten profession. The Line-O-Scribe was a brand of small printing presses marketed to store owners which allowed them to use in-house labor to replace professional show card writers and their lettering with store-made typeset printed signage. (Lettering is not type.)
This was not a new idea. From the late 19th century, various companies had sold presses into a combined market of amateur printers and small shop owners. See for example the various catalogues collected in The Stephen O. Saxe Archive of Amateur Press Catalogues. But the Line-O-Scribe's exclusive emphasis on printing for retail signage sets it apart from the late 19th century amateur presses such as the Golding, Sigwalt, and Kelsey. The novelty of this focus is apparent in the earliest Line-O-Scribe literature reprinted here (which may be as early as 1927). It begins by introducing basic notions of type to the merchant (and it does so more accurately than any book on type written in our present century - see for example its definition of a "font").
Despite a superficial similarity to cylinder proof presses such as those made by Vandercook or Challenge, the Line-O-Scribe was not indended as, or sold as, a proof press.
The history of this machine is not well documented. There has been at least one claim online that there were two separate companies making "Line-O-Scribe" branded presses: one which originated in Adrian, Michigan and was later purchased by Globe Industries of Chicago, and another, the Morgan Sign Machine Company in Chicago. (See the BriarPress thread at: http://www.briarpress.org/39883.) But I believe that this is false. There is evidence that there was a single succession of companies, and that the Morgan Sign Machine Company (Chicago) was a successor to Line-O-Scribe, Inc. of Adrian, Michigan.
The patent record shows that a group of people centered around Herbert W. Lamb (of Adrian, Michigan) had been working on ideas for printing machinery since at least 1926. Not all of these ideas made it into production.
The earliest company making a "Line-O-Scribe" branded machine seems to have been Line-O-Scribe, Inc. of Adrian, Michigan. This company first used the name "Line-O-Scribe" in commerce in on June 15, 1927 (according to the trademark records; see below).
A snippet from Printers' Ink shown in Google Books indicates that Globe Corp. (Chicago) bought the Adrian, Michigan Line-O-Scribe, Inc. in 1938:
"Buys Line-O-Scribe, Inc. The Globe Corp., Chicago, has bought Line-O-Scribe, Inc., Adrian, Mich., placard and tag printing machines." ( Printers' Ink, Vol. 184, [unknown number] (1938): 39.)
We also have a citation from The Economist in the same year (the Chicago journal, not the London one):
Chicagoans Buy Card Writing Equipment Firm: The Globe Corporation of Chicago, owned by the George F. Getz estate, has purchased from H. W. Lamb the business known as Line-O-Scribe, Inc., of Adrian, Mich., manufacturer of show card ..." ( The Economist, Vol. 100 (1938): 159.)
(The relationship of Globe Corp. of Chicago to Globe Industries and/or several other companies named "Globe" is not yet clear to me.)
Images exist online of the maker's plates for Line-O-Scribe branded presses from the "Line-O-Scribe Division of Globe Corp." See for example the BriarPress thread cited earlier, http://www.briarpress.org/39883.
There seems to have been some confusion in the late 1940s as to the identity of "Line-O-Scribe." Turning again to snippets from Google Books searches, the District and County Reports: Containing Reports of All Cases Decided in All the Jurisdictions of Pennsylvania, Volume 37 (1948), we find:
"Defendant contends that the statement should be stricken off because it does not appear that "Line-O-Scribe, Division of Globe Corporation," the plaintiff which filed the statement, is the same as "Line-O-Scribe," the plaintiff in the judgment..."
I can find no reference to "Line-O-Scribe" as a division of the Globe Corp. after the 1940s.
There is evidence that in 1948 "The Morgan Co." of Chicago was selling the Line-O-Scribe sign machine. A Google Books snippet from Apparel Arts in that year says:
"'LINE-O-SCRIBE' sign machine, prints signs on any thickness of cardboard in multi-color, has controlled spacing and layout, is made of durable metals, stores easily. Morgan Co., Chicago." ( Apparel Arts, Vol. 18, [unknown number] (1948): 95.)
Ray F. Morgan filed for copyright on three publications in 1949: a book, Sales Promotion through Contact Advertising, and two revisions of a sheet, "Sign Requisition, with Copy Control." (The copyright on this sheet (only) was renewed in 1976.) (See the Catalog of Copyright Entries. Third Series (1949), p. 203.) All of these 1949 registrations were by Ray F. Morgan d.b.a The Morgan Co.; the 1976 renewal of "Sign Requisition" was by Ray F. Morgan d.b.a. The Morgan Sign Machine Co. This indicates that the company was a sole proprietorship, not a corporation.
The earliest reference I have yet been able to find (in Google's digitized literature) to the Morgan Sign Machine Company dates to 1950. It's from the Graphic Arts Production Yearbook, Volume 9 (1950), p. 556. The Google Books snippet reads rather cryptically, and suggests that a new product was involved: "Line-O-Scribe, developed by the Morgan Company of Chicago, Illinois, while differing radically from the ... Line-O-Scribe Machines were designed to be used where any short-run printing was needed, such as counter display..." However, this also sounds rather like a part of a press release emphasizing new features over old.
The move of The Morgan Sign Machine Company to their location on Ravenswood Avenue in Chicago appears to have taken place some time after October 1956. The Chicago Tribune for 1956-10-21 (part 3, page 7) carried a brief notice of a zoning variation: "Ray F. Morgan will ask the board's permission to assemble printing machinery at 4510-22 Ravenswood av."
Despite these complexities, there is solid evidence of the connection between the Adrian, Michigan based Line-O-Scribe, Inc. and the Chicago based Morgan Sign Machine Company. This evidence is in the trademark record.
The trademark for "Line-O-Scribe," in distinctive lettering, was first used in commerce, and filed, in 1927 by Line-O-Scribe, Inc., Adrian, Michigan (registration date Jan 28, 1928).
The 1948 Official Gazette of the United States Patent Office, Vol. 606, p. 242 confirmes the registration date of "LINE-O-SCRIBE" as January 17, 1928 (to Line-O-Scribe, Inc. of Adrian, MI) and goes on to note that this same trademark (not an identical or similar mark, but the exact same legal record) was:
"Renewed Jan. 17 1948 to Ray F. Morgan, doing business as The Morgan Company, Chicago, Ill."
Finally, when we consult the current online database of the USPTO, we find that after a total of three renewals, the last listed owner of this 1928 trademark was the Morgan Sign Machine Co., of Chicago. It was last renewed in 1988, and cancelled in 2009. Here is the USPTO record for trademark serial number 71254757, "Line-O-Scribe":
Catalog of Type Faces and Supplies
Catalog of Type Faces and Supplies. (Adrian, MI: Lino-O-Scribe Incorporated, [n.d., between 1927 and 1938])
The icon at left links to a presentation of this document at The Internet Archive, where it may be read online or downloaded. Here is a local copy of the PDF (303 Megabytes): line-o-scribe-adrian-type-faces-and-supplies-0600rgbjpg.pdf
The image below is the title page of this catalog, as a separate item. It shows a style of Line-O-Scribe press quite different from the cylinder presses they were better known for at a later date.
Clicking on the image above should bring up a PDF encapsulating a full-resolution JPEG version of this image. It's 7.2 Megabytes, should scale relatively well in a viewer, and is probably sufficient for ordinary viewing. For the sake of archival obsessiveness, here is the original scan (49 Megabytes): line-o-scribe-adrian-titlepage-0600rgb.png
Line-O-Scribe Catalog No. M-656
Line-O-Scribe Sign Machines Catalog No. M-656. (Chicago, IL: The Morgan Sign Machine Company, n.d. [uses city zone codes, so after 1943, but not ZIP codes, so probably before 1963.]) This document as reprinted here also includes two inserts: an order blank, and a Price List dated 9-6-74. (Both of these later inserts use ZIP codes.) The price list, which shows up in orange as scanned, is actually on much more yellow/goldenrod paper.
This catalog is also a good example of how digital imagery never quite captures the analog original. The original includes physical samples of color-coated and veneered cardboard sign materials.
The icon here links to a presentation of this document at The Internet Archive, where it may be read online or downloaded. Here is a local copy of the PDF ( Megabytes): morgan-line-o-scribe-catalog-M-656-0600rgbjpg.pdf
Model M Instructions
Line-O-Scribe Operating Instructions for M Models. (Chicago, IL: The Morgan Sign Machine Co., n.d. [ZIP codes; probably late 1960s.]) 4 pages.
The icon at left links to a presentation of this document at The Internet Archive, where it may be read online or downloaded. Here is a local copy of the PDF (53 Megabytes): morgan-line-o-scribe-model-m-instructions-0600rgbjpg.pdf
This survey includes all of the US utility patents (that I'm aware of) assigned to the companies producing the Line-O-Scribe. It also includes other printing-related patents by the same inventors, even if not so assigned (and possibly not controlled by Line-O-Scribe or its successors). It is by no means certain that all of these patents actually relate to products implemented.) It excludes design patents, which are covered later.
(Note: Douglas H. Hurlbut was also issued US patent 2,366,907 (for re-inking typewriter ribbons) in 1945. I haven't included it here as it doesn't seem relevant.)
US Patent 1,704,749 (1927/1929)
US patent 1,704,749, "Printing Machine." Filed 1927-04-02 as application serial number 180,393. Issued 1929-03-12 to Herbert W. Lamb and Frank S. Ougheltree, of Adrian, Michigan. Not assigned.
The 1926 patent application s/n 149,335 mentioned in this specification was abandoned, then refiled, and ultimately issued (with an additional patentee) as US Patent 1,770,140 (q.v.)
US Patent 1,769,583 (1927/1930)
US patent 1,769,583, "Combined Type and Holder for Printing Machines." Filed 1927-04-02 as application serial number 180,394. Issued 1930-07-01 to Herbert W. Lamb and Frank S. Ougheltree, of Adrian, Michigan. Assigned to Line-O-Scribe, Inc., of Adrian, Michigan.
The 1926 patent application s/n 149,335 mentioned in this specification was abandoned, then refiled, and ultimately issued (with an additional patentee) as US Patent 1,770,140 (q.v.)
US Patent 1,770,410 (1926/1930)
US patent 1,770,140, "Printing Machine." This was originally application serial number 149,335, filed 1926-11-19 (referenced in US patent 1,704,749 and US Patent 1,769,583). The original application was abandoned, and then refiled as new application serial number 269,790 on 1928-04-13. Issued as US patent 1,770,140 on 1930-07-08 to Herbert W. Lamb and Frank S. Ougheltree, both of Adrian, Michigan, and Charles M. Lamb, of Pasadena, California. Assigned to Line-O-Scribe, Inc. of Adrian, Michigan.
US Patent 1,852,315 (1931/1932)
US patent 1,852,315, "Display Card Holder." Filed 1931-05-05 as application serial number 535,215. Issued 1932-04-06 to Herbert W. Lamb, of Adrian, Michigan. Assigned to Line-O-Scribe, Inc., of Adrian, Michigan.
It is a show card press, after all.
US Patent 1,910,111 (1932/1933)
US patent 1,910,111, "Bed Plate Structure for Printing Machine." Filed 1932-05-04 as application serial number 609,185. Issued 1933-05-23 to Charles M. Lamb, of Pasadena, California. Not assigned.
The 1930 patent application s/n 439,794 mentioned in this specification was issued in 1933 as US patent 1,926,983 (q.v.).
US Patent 1,926,983 (1930/1933)
US patent 1,926,983, "Printing Machine." Filed 1930-03-28 as application serial number 439,794. Issued 1933-09-12 to Charles M. Lamb, of Pasadena, California. Assigned to Line-O-Scribe, Inc., of Adrian, Michigan.
Cited in Charles M. Lamb's 1933 US patent 1,910,111, "Bed Plate Structure for Printing Machines.
US Patent 1,927,290
US patent 1,927,290, "Method of Preparing Show Cards." Filed 1932-04-13 as application serial number 604,975. Issued 1933-09-19 to Herbert W. Lamb of Adrian, Michigan. Not assigned.
A method for making ink quick-drying.
This patent by Herbert W. Lamb, of Adrian, Michigan, cites the patent application s/n 439,794 which was issued in 1933 to Charles M. Lamb of Pasadena, California as US patent 1,926,983 (q.v.).
US Patent 1,958,628 (1930/1934)
US patent 1,958,628, "Printing Machine." Filed 1930-11-08 as application serial number 494,210. Issued 1934-05-15 to Herbert W. Lamb, Jack C. Nixon, and Douglas H. Hurlbut, of Adrian, Michigan. Assigned to Line-O-Scribe, Inc., Adrian, Michigan.
There are many differences between the machine described in this patent and the various Line-O-Scribe presses actually produced.
US Patent 1,980,402 (1932/1934)
US patent 1,980,402, "Ink Roller." Filed 1932-04-13 as application serial number 604,981. Issued 1934-11-13 to Joseph E. Hagstrom of Adrian, Michigan. Assigend to Line-O-Scribe, Inc., of Adrian, Michigan.
US Patent 1,989,054 (1934/1935)
US patent 1,989,054, "Typesetting Bar." Filed 1934-09-10 as application serial number 743,428. Issued 1935-01-22 to Douglas H. Hurlbut of Adrian, Michigan. Not assigned.
A composing stick adapted for use with flatbed cylinder presses where type is often composed directly on the press.
US Patent 1,991,020
US patent 1,991,020, "Printing Machine." Filed 1932-06-20 as application serial number 618,169. Issued 1935-02-12 to Charles M. Lamb of Pasadena, California. Not assigned.
US Patent 2,019,072 (1931/1935)
US patent 2,018,072, "Printing Machine." Filed 1931-12-03 as application serial number 578,748. Issued 1935-10-22 to Charles M. Lamb of Pasadena, California and Herbert W. Lamb of Adrian, Michigan. Not assigned.
US Patent 2,034,584 (1934/1936)
US patent 2,034,584, "Show Card Machine." Filed 1934-06-07 as application serial number 729,355. Issued 1936-03-17 to Herbert W. Lamb, of Adrian, Michigan. Not assigned.
US Patent 2,902,930 (1957/1959)
US patent 2,902,930, "Method and Apparatus for Aligning and Retaining Type and the Like for Printing." Filed 1957-02-14 as application serial number 640,250. Issued 1959-09-08 to Douglas H. Hurlbut of Adrian, Michigan. Not assigned.
Note that while this patent is by Douglas H. Hurlbut in Adrian, MI (named in Line-O-Scribe patents of the 1930s), this patent from the late 1950s comes long after the acquisition of the product line by the Morgan Sign Machine Co.
A method for retaining slotted type, and composing it on curves.
US Patent 3,124,067
US patent 3,124,067, "Layout Chase." Filed 1962-12-06 as application serial number 242,772. Issued 1964-03-10 to Ray F. Morgan, of Northfield, Illinois. Assigned to The Morgan Sign Machine Company, of Chicago, Illinois.
US Design Patent 186,741 (1959) - Fashionaire
US design patent 186,741, "Font of Printing Type." Filed 1959-05-15 as application serial number 55,928. Issued 1959-11-24 to Ray F. Morgan of Northfield, Illinois. Assigned to the Morgan Sign Machine Company of Chicago, Illinois.
This is the face marketed by the Morgan Sign Machine Company as "Fashionaire." It is not shown in McGrew's American Metal Typefaces of the Twentieth Century. (It would appear from the size of it that it must have been issued in wood.) The trademark for "Fashionaire" for printing type was filed 1959-06-18 by the Morgan Sign Machine Co. of Chicago. It is Registration Number 0693711. First used 1959-02-13. Registration date 1960-03-01. Renewed 1980-03-01. Not renewed thereafter, and cancelled 2001-04-28.
Below are two pages from the Line-O-Scribe Sign Machines Catalog No. M-656 showing it:
US Design Patent 192,058 (1962) - Fashion Art
US design patent 192,058, "Font of Printing Type." Filed 1961-07-20 as application serial number 65,996. Issued 1962-01-09 to Ray F. Morgan of Northfield, Illinois. Assigned to the Morgan Sign Machine Company of Chicago, Illinois.
This is the face marketed by the Morgan Sign Machine Company as "Fashion Art." It is not shown in McGrew (and, like Fashionaire, seems to have been supplied only in sizes appropriate for wood type).
Below are two pages from the Line-O-Scribe Sign Machines Catalog No. M-656 showing it:
The Line-O-Scribe documents reprinted here were published in the United States without copyright notice at a time when such notice was required to secure copyright. They therefore entered the public domain upon initial publication. These digital reprints remain in the public domain.
US patent specifications are in the public domain by law.
All portions of this document not noted otherwise are Copyright © 2013, 2015 by David M. MacMillan and Rollande Krandall.
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