In shops where a great deal of lettering and ornamenting has to be done, a lettering press (Fig. 110) is used. The lettering or ornament is attached to the platen of the press, which is heated by gas, and is brought down forcibly by working the handle, somewhat after the manner of a hand printing press.

The sides of whole-bound calf books may either be left plain and polished or grained with a gold roll run around the sides of the boards, the edges, and the inside of the squares. These places can be specially reglaired. The rolls are used on the side in the same manner as described for the fillet.

In what is termed "antique" work the calf is not glaired all over, but is left dull. The lettering piece is glaired, and also the bands if the latter are to receive any gilding. The centre ornament, generally a leaf, acorn, or Maltese cross, is worked blind, the place glaired with a camel hair pencil, and the hot, tool worked on it again, the superfluous gold being rubbed off.

Sizing may be omitted for morocco and goatskin, glaire being applied only to those portions that are to be gilded. Roan may be glaired all over the back, and one coating should be sufficient. For inlaid Grolier patterns or the sides of calf or morocco books, the various line tools, gouges, etc., may be worked blind, the impressions then glaired with the camel-hair pencil, slightly oiled, the gold leaf laid on, and the hot tools carefully worked again. Care should be taken to keep the pressure used as nearly equal everywhere as possible, as nothing looks worse in a design than very deep impressions at some places and very slight ones at others. In no case must the tool be heated too much, or it will burn the leather and perhaps cut right through. Sometimes although not often, the sides of calf or morocco bound volumes are decorated with large and special designs, stamped on by the arming press.

The ornamentation of book covers by gold blocking them with fancy designs and ornaments will now be treated in detail. The iron blocking presses (Fig. 110) necessary for gold blocking are generally on one principle, and the chief parts of each are a heater box, a blocking plate, and a bed. Hand presses are set in motion by a lever and in steam presses by a pulley driven by belt.

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