Digital Collection – service/instruction manuals

Looking for a printed guide to using mimeograph machines? Fundamentals of Mimeographing teaches the basics of stencil-making and duplicator use in an easy-to-use lesson format. First published in 1957, this guide has old-school appeal with its original color illustrations and vintage how-to with its focus on traditional wax stencils. Available in the Print Shop. The downloadable digital edition is available below.

Entries are listed alphabetically by manufacturer/brand and organized by date added to the library. To quickly find a particular brand I recommend a search (CTRL-F or CMD-F), though browsing is kind of fun too. See the image below for the master list of everything offered here (updated 10/17/24):

A. B. Dick

07/03/2023

A partial copy of Techniques of Mimeographing, 1963, from Kevin B. Pages 11-14 are missing. If you happen to have a copy of this publication and can scan those pages, let me know so I can complete this volume.

11/13/2021

The Charles Deering McCormick Special Collections and Archives of the Northwestern University Libraries generously provided clean scans of the following documents from their Russell N. Cansler papers. Cansler (co)author of the two books on mimeographing taught at Northwestern for many years.

First is the 1957 edition of A. B. Dick’s Fundamentals of Mimeographing:

The second book is The Modern Mimeographing Handbook for Stencil Typists, Stencil Artists, and Mimeograph Operators.

05/20/2021

The A. B. Dick Standard Service Book of Instruction, 80 pages (including end pages and flyleaf), unknown date of publication (though there is an endorsement from 1919 just after the title page) is available as a PDF.

Abel

10/17/24

Abel D-30 parts and instructions auf Deutsch, from Kevin B.

Armor

Basic instructions in French; scan provided by Atelier Riso Mano.

Banda

08/26/2022

Banda Model 10 and 10D spirit duplicator instructions, courtesy of Kevin B.

Copy-Rite

05/24/2021

This set of documents includes the dealer guide, operating instructions, maintenance guide, parts list, and schematics for the Silver Streak and Golden Streak fluid (spirit) duplicators (ca. 1959). Generously provided by Theodore Munk.

Edison

10/17/24

Edison Electrical Pen and Duplicating Press, instructions from 1876.

Gestefax

12/03/23

Gestefax stencil instructions

Gestetner

10/17/24

Gestetner feed-finger recapping instructions.

12/03/23

The first three files, in English, provided by Kevin B. The beautifully illustrated and duplicated French Gestetner manual was provided by Atelier Riso Mano

Gestetner 105

Gestetner 320

Gestetner 420

Le Manuel Gestetner (French)

07/03/2023

Gestetner 145 (French) operating manual.

2022

Operating instructions for the Gestetner 260.

10/22/22

Gestetner 460 operating instructions provided by Kevin B.

Operating instructions for the Gestetner 1120, an electronic stencil imager

Heyer

02/14/23

Thanks to Kevin B., I’m happy to host the Heyer Spirit Duplicator Master Service Manual. Kevin says, “this is an invaluable set of documents, and many of the parts were common to the stencil duplicators like the 1770 as well” – so perhaps it will be of use to the mimeograph operators who need to work “under the hood.”

Kevin has also provided the instruction manual for the Lettergraph Model E. Kevin adds: “[actually contains instructions for the Model C and D as well; the unique aspects of the Model E are covered in the supplemental pages at the very end of the document].”

10/26/22

Thanks to Kevin B. for scanning and sharing the following documents. First is the instruction manual for the Heyer Lettergraph Model 24:

And instructions for the Heyer Conqueror Models 1770, 1776, and 1777.

The following two parts manuals are for Heyer’s paper folders, the EF1 and EF2 – included here since they frequently accompanied the stencil or spirit duplicators of the same line.

05/06/2021
Instructions accompanying a Heyer Model 60 Postcard Printer (I guess once you attach the stencil it’s assumed that the rest is self-evident):

Imprimex

12/03/23

Instructions in French, provided by Atelier Riso Mano.

Limograph

12/03/23

Instructions in French for working with the basic frame-style stencil duplicator (here, branded Limograph).

Miscellaneous

10/18/24

Apparate zur Vervielfältigung von Schrift und Zeichnung (A machine for duplicating writing and drawing). German text in Fraktur typeface, instructions for making some kind of duplicating device (my German is beginning-level at best, and Fraktur is really hard for me to read, so I can’t tell you much more than this).

Rex-O-Graph

05/24/2021

The following documents were generously provided by Theodore Munk.

Rex-O-Graph’s parts catalog and price list (no date).

Fluid duplicator instructions (no date).

Rex-Rotary

10/17/24

Rex-Rotary R-5 Spirit Duplicator operating instructions – probably from Kevin B. 🙂

9/18/2023

Jayson Elliot liberated the operating instructions for the M4 from the Beinecke Rare Book and Manuscript Library at Yale University.

Roneo

07/05/2022

A multilingual (English, French, Dutch) user’s manual for the Roneo 350. Courtesy of Mimeograph Revival reader, Kevin.

Speed-O-Print

9/18/23

I could’ve sworn I posted this back in July, when I updated the master list, but I’ve not found it. Mea culpa!

Here’s a very nice scan of Speed-O-Print’s Manual: Stencil Duplicating Process, courtesy of Kevin B.

06/11/2021

The following documents were generously provided by Theodore Munk.

Four different parts-list publications:

1. Speed-O-Print dealer’s parts list and service manual.

2. Speed-O-Print parts list no. 14 (1962)

3. Parts list for duplicators, “speed-o-scopes” and cabinets.

4. Speed-O-Print photo copier parts list

A two-page parts price list.

Speed-O-Print Liberator 200 instruction book.

Speed-O-Print Model L instruction book.

Instructions for removing and replacing Speed-O-Print rubber roll assembly.

Standard

07/05/2022

Operating manual for the Standard Rocket Spirit Duplicator. Courtesy of Mimeograph Revival reader, Kevin.