Here is a home-style movie of the basic operation of the Washington style handpress, the R.Hoe & Company platen press, the Press at Deerbrook.
I know the lighting is terrible, but here is another view of the inking to proof a test run of a cut from the operators side. Showing here the basic operation of the printing press much as it was done for centuries on this type of press or the common press of colonial times since the development of movable type by Gutenberg. The steps are here done by one person, what normally would have been done by two, one person inking and one pulling, the basics are the same and by experienced workers in colonial times could yield up to 200 impressions an hour.
Of course inking methods were different before the development of rollers in the nineteenth century. The inking was done with "balls", leather covered padding attached to wood handles. A pair of these round hand-held pads were rolled in a twisting motion on the ink stone and then over the form of type. It required skill and sensitivity of a similar nature as using the roller.
This is the basic principle of "relief" printing or "letterpress". A form is "locked up" on the bed of the press, the "tympan and frisket" carries the paper while the entire form is moved under the platen and the bar is pulled lowering the platen, pressing the paper onto the form. Usually the paper used in this operation was a dampened handmade paper. Most incunabula of rare libraries and fine press books were printed in this manner.
The common press as shown in Joseph Moxon's Mechanick Exercises on the Whole Art of Printing a Dover reprint of the 1684 edition. Note the inking "balls" or brayers hanging on the left side of the press with their mull or pestle shaped handles.
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