Quote:
Originally Posted by dieseljeep
Is the machine pictured known as a Mezzomax?
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That is an interesting question. "Mezzomax" seems obviously to be a trademark, but searching on line shows "mezzo" only as part of an old, old term, "mezzo tint," for hand-made art prints, not photographic reproductions. Furthermore, Wikipedia states that mezzo print plates were degraded slightly by each impression until they were discarded because the prints became too poor, after maybe a couple of hundred impressions.
More from searching: Mezzo tint involves a faster process than line engraving to make the ink-holding areas, by roughing the plate with a large area "rocker" tool or some kind of shavings instead of engraving one line at a time with a sharp pointed tool. The first impressions from a mezzo tint plate have deep blacks and excellent shading, but the rough plate areas that hold the ink in a mezzo tint are not as deep or durable as line engravings and get smoothed eventually by the successive high-pressure impressions.
Perhaps "Mezzomax" is a brand name for a plate making machine, intending to convey the quality of mezzo tint images (?)