世界上第一台获得专利的复印机 出自James Watt 1780年

World's First Patented Copying Press by "James
Watt", 1780  
The very 1st model with the damping bath inside the
apparatus in contrast to the later damping box drawer!
– On February 14th, 1780, in England, some 230 years
(!) ago, James Watt, the famous inventor of the steam
engine, was granted a patent for his first duplicating
machine under patent no. 1244. The machine was sold
by "James Watt & Company, Soho/Birmingham, Eng-
land". His invention was a result of his own business as
he had permanent correspondence with his partner
Matthew Boulton while traveling – mostly to his steam
engine projects in Cornwall. James Watt was too often
very frustrated when he received a letter after several
weeks with answers by M. Boulton to his written ques-
tions because he had no copies of his own letters, of
course! –  So he started developing the world's first
portable copying press! And by the end of 1780 150
machines had already been sold, and 630 presses by the
end of the first full business year! – It is reported that in
the early 1780s Benjamin Franklin, George Washington
and Thomas Jefferson used the James Watt copying
machine! In 1785 Jefferson was using both the station-
ary and the portable presses by James Watt & Co. – The
portable case opened up on hinges, and its upper sec-
tion contained a collapsible writing pad for preparing
the documents. The typewriter had not yet been in-
vented, and copies could be made only of handwritten
letters, diagrams and drawings which were made with a
special copying ink! Underneath the writing pad were
compartments for pencils, pens, rulers and paper, as
well as a special compartment: The "damping box"
which was used for treating the copying paper. After 12
hours, the sheets were thoroughly moist, and thus treat-
ed and ready to be used for copying. The number of
sheets required for immediate use could be removed,
and the remainder could be left in the box for up to two
weeks, ready to be used at any time. – The actual copy-
ing apparatus, consisting of two brass platens which
were turned via the side handle, which was also located
in the bottom section of the case. The original document
was placed in the copying plate in between the felt-
covered, swing-up cover plate; the moist copying paper
was placed on top of it, and was then covered by oil-
paper. The pressure induced by slowly turning the plate
between the two platens caused the special copying ink
of the original to be taken over, and thus transferred,
onto the moist sheet (mirror inverted). The copy was
ready for use after 24 hours in a drying book of absor-
bent paper (as used for postage stamps). Because the
ink was passed through in this manner, the printing on
the copy could, of course, be read only on what was
actually the reverse side of the page. The base for good
copies was the special copying ink in which the original
was written. A great deal of practice was also necessary
to prepare sheets for use as copying paper, as they had
to be uniformly moistened. The bottom part of the case
also contained inkwells as well as containers of dry ink
powder for making ink when traveling.