制版效率与近代上海印刷业铅石之争

The Efficiency of Plate Making and Competition between Letterpress and Stone-based Lithography in Modern Shanghai

铅印与石印是上海近代印刷业中最主要的印刷工艺,两者的相互消长构成了整个行业发展的主流。以往的印刷史家多从社会审美趣味的变迁来看待二者的竞争,忽视了技术作为推动行业发展的强大内在动力。铅印与石印的竞争可分为三个阶段,这三个阶段又与两者在制版效率上的技术发展相对应。第一阶段是手工作坊背景下的铅印优势阶段,技术与习惯共同决定了工艺的选择;第二、三阶段则以企业再生产为背景,石印与照相技术的联姻取得了第二阶段的优势,而铸字、检字、字模数量、复制版等技术的发展让铅印在第三阶段实现逆转。

Letterpress and stone-based lithography are two primary print technics in modern Shanghai,whose interrelationship by ebb and flow consititute the mainstream of the industry development.Previous historians of printing always study their competition from the sight of aesthetic interest,ignoring the technics as a powerful inner motivity.Competition between letterpress and stone-based lithography could be devided into 3 stages,like the development of the efficiency of plate making.On the 1st stage,Letterpress predominate against a backgroud of handcraft workshops,the technic and habit decided the choice of craft.On the 2nd and 3rd stages,base on the reproduction of corporations,stone-based photolithography takes advantage on the 2nd stage,while the development of type casting,type setting,the number of matrices,duplicate plates drive the Letterpress reverse the situation on the 3rd stage.