kick

In platen and cylinder printing presses, to kick means to depress a foot treadle that mechanically engages the impression mechanism. The operator's downward leg motion transfers through a linkage system, compressing the platen against the type form or raising the cylinder into contact with the inked bed. The treadle then returns to rest position by spring pressure or counterweight, disengaging the impression and allowing the operator to feed the next sheet. This cycle repeats at whatever cadence the pressman maintains.

Kicking is the standard operating method for hand-fed small and medium platen presses, proof presses, and some jobbing cylinders. The physical effort required is modest, typically 8 to 15 pounds of downward force, but repetitive kicking for eight hours produces fatigue in the leg, knee, and lower back. Rhythm matters: experienced operators develop a steady kick cadence that coordinates with hand feeding, often achieving 40 to 80 impressions per minute depending on sheet size and setup.

Some presses use a dual treadle arrangement where one foot kicks impression while the other controls paper feed or ink rollers. Larger presses may substitute a hand lever for the treadle, but the mechanics remain similar: human input triggers mechanical impression. Electric semi-automatic presses retain a kick treadle as a safety backup or for manual override, though the motor normally powers the cycle.

The term originates simply from the action itself. In pressmen's vocabulary, you kick the press into impression, kick off before removing the sheet, and kick for another cycle. The word carries no mechanical implication beyond the direct bodily motion. Fatigue and repetitive strain injury led to widespread electrification of platen presses by the mid-20th century, yet hand-kick presses remain in use for small runs, proofing, and situations where operator control and minimal capital investment matter more than speed.