I’ve used the term ‘small presses’ to cover anything that’s operated by hand. These presses were often marketed to the amateur, but many professional jobbing printers used them for smaller work — like tickets and letter headings. Small presses have a number of advantages: they’re portable; they need no power to work; they’re easy to clean and use.
The Ajax Engineering Company was a competitor to Adana and took a more ‘engineered’ approach to presses than Adana.
The firm seemed to emphasise their flatbed press, although they did make an ‘Ajax Master’ which had a unique parallel-platen approach. While it was similar to an Adana 8 x 5, the platen moved on a ‘piston’ rather than a toggle.
Their flatbed press took a slightly different approach to Adana — they used a single, large roller (like early Adana machines), and controlled the depth of impression through two nuts at the head of the platen. In literature the firm claimed that their presses had unique features — ‘accurately machined Type-bed and platen’, ‘Twin Paper Gripper Fingers’ — and these features put the Ajax in a ‘class of their own’.
Like many other small-press makers, Ajax sold complete kits for the hobbyist including mallet and planer, and black and red inks. They were dwarfed by Adana and went out of business before Adana. Far less is known of Ajax than Adana.
Simon Trewin has this video of his Ajax Major.
