Show J Ja a Sti Straws aws By Jack Wall Walh After over a year of planning we are finally within two weeks weeks weeks' of changing the whole process of producing your newspaper For 81 years the Express has been produced by what is called the letterpress method of printing This is setting met metal l type and printing directly from it If It all goes well and everything works the the September 13 issue win wilt be the first issue tobe to to be printed by the offset method This is an entirely different method of producing the printed t d word and means that all aU o our r. r hard hardworking working dependable equipment will be retired and replaced by modern modem c computer gage try almost unbelievable unbelievable unbelievable un un- believable in its operation It is Is' Is hard to realize we willbe will be kicking out our our ur faithful linotypes lead casters metal saws saws saws' and cabinet after cabinet of moveable type after so so many i years of faithful service But that is the way it itis is is With the new photographic process we will n no no longer have to stand on on our heads and read type upside down and backwards no more dirty ink In the makeup process no nomore more hot lead no nomore nomore no nomore more r melting and replacing materials for reuse after they have been printed A few strips of of film fihn with single alphabets al al- on will replace all our rows and androws androws androws rows of cabinets full of foundry type and our many magazines filled with th brass linotype matrices Gone will be the smell of melting metal the casting of mats the lifting of heavy lead forms of type type- and the anxieties of dropping and spilling a complete page form of type before It is printed Our pro process ess starting September 13 13 willbe will willbe willbe be one of pasting pieces of photographically cally tally produced type and art together on on a master sheet the size of a page and then photographing this to tot make a negative and then exposing an n offset plate through this negative which plate is then fastened to the offset press and printed at the rate of newspapers per hour 5 Offset printing is really not new new we have been doing commercial printing by offset f for r oyer oyer over 20 years B But t the computer and centralized printing plants have caused a a revolution nin in the weekly and newspapers throughout w t. t the US U.S. Nearly three-fourths three of ot all an the U. U S S. S newspapers are are arenow now produced by offset and arid most of them have changed in inthe the last 10 years We never dreamed it would happen so fast We regret we are one of the last pa pa papers pers in the state to to finally make th the switch but our remoteness from a central central cen cen- printing plant and the good condi coma tion of our equipment caused us to delay our our ur conversion until now At a later date we plan to Hold old an open house s so those interested can an acte act act- us ally see how our offset equipment Op op crates It is hard to explain and even hard to belive unless unless' you actually see it We are not sure it itis is going to work even after all our planning and only another week to start the new electronic typesetting typesetting wonders I I have hav been fretting all week over the problem of what is going to happen at Merkley Park It It looks to me like an impossible situation has been reach reached f. f It will will be almost impossible to live within the requirements of the interpretations inter of the lease to keep the park up in a high class manner Also if it reverts back to the how can it be maintained to serve the public as asit asit asit it it has during the past 30 years without charging a fee It is sad to let lct go of such a scenic park I feel both sides are ible for the present situation The county and Lions Clu Club have neglected the area and they are p partially justified be because ause of the problems they have experienced experienced ex with vandals and demands from the lease holder The future of Merkley Parkas Park a county county coun ty operated park is in the balance A correction should be made that whereas it was stated last week that the would charge a fee for USe of oft t the e park if the tho lease is terminated Mr Merkley claims he will maintain the park himself elf and not charge for its use but will require reservations to tobe tobe tobe be made through him before anyone can use th the facilities Monday is Labor Day the last general weekend nd this hollday a des holiday of at the Vernal Chamber Chambe r of Commerce retail merchants Almost everything will close Monday even the schools to pay tribute to the wonderful blessing of work Sometimes it U makes you think it would be a better tribute for Labor Day pay to do a real honest days day's work instead of ta taking off and not working work work- ing What does Labor Day really m mean an anyway |