From the 1830s this press became the usual printing machine in Canada. Thousands of them were made by foundries in New York and Cincinnati, and some were probably manufactured in Canada. It was a very heavy press requiring a strong pull, as you can see by the length of the curved bar, which gave the pressman a mechanical advantage. The bed and platen are very large compared to those of the wooden press, enabling the printers of the New World to produce quite large weekly newspapers. Despite its weight and difficulty of operation, both caused by the large printing surface the press allowed, it had recommendations as a versatile press, one that could handle job and book printing, newspaper printing, and the large posters with wooden type that were so fashionable during the age.
