A press is a hand-operated or mechanical machine designed to compress documents or leave an imprint on them.
The copying press, also known as a notary's press, consists of a vertical screw with a square thread,
the upper end of which carries a horizontal bar ending in two metal weights.
The rotation of the screw, driven by the momentum of the two arms, lowers a cast iron plate, thus applying strong pressure.
Before the invention of carbon paper or photocopying,
this type of press was used by anyone whose profession required the reproduction of documents;
notaries among others, and all merchants who had to provide the government with a copy of their accounting records.
Writing was done on ordinary paper.
The communicating ink used was an ordinary ink,
mixed with gum and sugar, which, by applying pressure (overnight), produced copies on uncoated paper.
This press is now used by bookbinders to compress works at various stages of their work.