George Clymer (1754?–1834) from

Philadelphia, Pennsylvania Philadelphia, often called Philly, is the largest city in the Commonwealth of Pennsylvania, the sixth-largest city in the U.S., the second-largest city in both the Northeast megalopolis and Mid-Atlantic regions after New York City. Sinc ...

was an American engineer and inventor (he is sometimes called "George E. Clymer", but this middle initial is probably an error based on a misreading of an early census record; no evidence for a middle name, if he had one, has so far been found). Around 1813 he invented the

Columbian Printing Press The Columbian press is a type of hand-operated printing press invented in the United States by George Clymer (inventor), George Clymer, around 1813. Made from cast iron, it was a very successful design and many thousands were made by him and by ot ...

. This was a cast-iron, lever-operated replacement for the wooden screw presses which had been in use in Europe since the fifteenth century and in North America since the seventeenth. Clymer appears to have begun making wooden presses of the traditional type before 1800, and may have introduced refinements to the design. A rare early press, currently located at

Historic Richmond Town Historic Richmond Town is an authentic town and farm museum complex in the neighborhood of Richmondtown, Staten Island, in New York City. It is located near the geographical center of the island, at the junction of Richmond Road and Arthur Kill ...

, has been tentatively attributed as the only surviving example made by Clymer prior to his 1813 design for the Columbian Press. His Columbian Press was inspired in part by the earlier English

Stanhope press A printing press is a mechanical device for applying pressure to an inked surface resting upon a print medium (such as paper or cloth), thereby transferring the ink. It marked a dramatic improvement on earlier printing methods in which the c ...

. Clymer found a limited market for his press in the United States, so in 1817 he moved to England to compete in the European market with the Stanhope Press, and later with the

Albion press The Albion press is a model of early iron hand printing press, originally designed and manufactured in London by Richard Whittaker Cope (d. 1828?) around 1820. History The Albion press worked by a simple toggle action, unlike the complex lever ...

. Clymer made a success of his press-manufacturing business, and spent the rest of his life in England. He died in London in 1834 at the age of eighty. After his death the Columbian Press continued to be sold by the firm he had established, and was also made by other manufacturers in the United Kingdom and elsewhere in Europe.

Examples

Surviving examples of the Columbian Press can be found in many museums: *

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, England *

William Clowes Ltd. William Clowes Ltd. is a British printing company founded in London in 1803 by William Clowes. It grew from a small, one press firm to one of the world's largest printing companies in the mid-19th century. The company merged with Caxton Press, oper ...

Printing Museum,

Beccles Beccles ( ) is a market town and civil parish in the English county of Suffolk.OS Explorer Map OL40: The Broads: (1:25 000) : . The town is shown on the milestone as from London via the A145 and A12 roads, north-east of London as the crow fli ...

Suffolk Suffolk () is a ceremonial county of England in East Anglia. It borders Norfolk to the north, Cambridgeshire to the west and Essex to the south; the North Sea lies to the east. The county town is Ipswich; other important towns include Lowes ...

, England *Werkstattmuseum für Druckkunst (Workshop Museum for the Art of Printing),

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, Germany *

Milton Keynes Milton Keynes ( ) is a city and the largest settlement in Buckinghamshire, England, about north-west of London. At the 2021 Census, the population of its urban area was over . The River Great Ouse forms its northern boundary; a tributary ...

Museum Printshop, England * Amberley Working Museum,

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, England *Cambridge Museum of Technology,

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, England *

National Print Museum of Ireland The National Print Museum in Beggar's Bush, Dublin, Ireland, collects, and exhibits a representative selection of printing equipment, and samples of print, and fosters associated skills of the printing craft in Ireland. It was opened in 1996. M ...

*Foyer of ''

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'',

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Australia Australia, officially the Commonwealth of Australia, is a Sovereign state, sovereign country comprising the mainland of the Australia (continent), Australian continent, the island of Tasmania, and numerous List of islands of Australia, sma ...

*The Eagle Press at Crich Tramway Village, Crich, Matlock, Derbyshire, England *

Ulster Folk and Transport Museum The Ulster Folk Museum and the Ulster Transport Museum are situated in Cultra, Northern Ireland, about east of the city of Belfast. The Folk Museum endeavours to illustrate the way of life and traditions of the people in Northern Ireland, past ...

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* BIP Printing Workshop, Brighton, UK * Ziegenbalg Museum, Tharangambadi, India * Budapest History Museum - Kiscell Museum, Budapest, Hungary * Budapest History Museum - Castle Museum, Budapest, Hungary

References

* {{DEFAULTSORT:Clymer, George W. 1754 births 1834 deaths 19th-century American inventors Printing press manufacturers