I get a number of questions about my copies. This section will try to address those questions. If you want to know more please let me know.

All items are scanned with color flat bed scanners. This gives the best resolution and keeps distortion at a minimum, and the size as close to original as possible. The scans are saved in a manner that allows for manipulation to get the best quality in the finished images. I always use one of the latest versions of Adobe Photoshop when working on the images. It is one of the best image processing software programs available. For those that are curious my software is used in a Windows environment and the products are all legally purchased and registered.  For anyone interested in this type of image processing I cannot recommend it enough. Here are a couple of examples of what can be done when you have enough time.

Click on the images to see full size images.

Waterman Cover	Wahl Repair Card

Most items are the same size as the original. In some cases and item is resized or reformatted slightly to better fit the printable area on the page. This is done to preserve the content of the original material or to make it more useful. 

Original catalogs are printed on paper that is a wood pulp paper with a thin coat of a clay material that gives a nice smooth finish. The originals do not have a glossy finish like a photo but have a smooth slightly glossy finish like a modern magazine. The paper is also thicker than your average copy paper. The best modern product that I have found is an archival quality paper with a dull finish. This is 32# weight paper that has the look and feel of most of the original products. In a few cases on later items the original paper is a standard weight copy paper. When this paper is used it is noted in the item description.

All items are printed by laser printer. This has the advantage that the quality and clarity is very good.  The pigment is fused into the paper and does not wash off or transfer like an inkjet printer. The colors are long lasting and do not tend to migrate through the layers of the paper.  

Binding on original catalogs varies with the period that they were used. Early material prior to 1910 tend to have the pages sewn together with string. These are occasionally bound like a hard back book. Others have 2-3 holes and are held together with screw type post. Later catalogs use staples, plastic binding or metal binding strips. Some simply use loose pages in a binder. To be uniform I use twin loop wire binding on all larger catalogs. Twin loop wire binding has several advantages. They are secure and it allows the booklets to lay flat or to fold back on themselves and still lay flat. Smaller booklets originally came stitched at the spine. To be uniform I usually staple these items. They are mainly the repair manuals and smaller format items. Books and booklets can be supplied unbound if desired.

One last note. The catalogs that I make copies of are intended to offer information for the researcher and collector to better enjoy the hobby. They are not meant to be presented as original catalogs or offered in that manner. With the prices that original items are being sold for please be careful and make sure that you are getting a original item if you are paying for one. If in doubt please feel free to Email me and ask.

If you do have original items that you may be interested in allowing me to copy let me know. I am looking for all types of pen and ink related items.