Dr. James A. Black developed the high-speed cylinder press at General Research in the late 1940s. He patented his unique vacuum cylinder screen printing press in June 1948. As a screenprinter, Black recognized the need for faster, more accurate production of decals and designed the original General Cylinder Press to meet these demands. Over the next 20 years, General Research manufactured over seventy different models and sizes of cylinder presses, from 11″ x 12″ to 60″ x 120″.

In 1970 General Research reached an agreement with Sakurai Machine Co. Japan and Sericol Group Ltd. England to distribute each other’s products. Under a licensing agreement, Sakurai began building the General Cylinder Press and marketing it to the Orient. Sakurai paid General Research a royalty of any General Cylinder presses it manufactured and sold. General provided all designs and technical assistance to Sakurai to produce these Japanese Generals.

During this 10-year agreement, General Research continued to develop new models. The 11C Pony Express was introduced, as well as the 44Cs. General continued its development into web presses, and the legendary TLD Web Press went into total production. General expanded its factory and started redesigning a new generation of cylinder presses. At this time, General and Sakurai decided to terminate their agreement and pursue the market independently.

In 1983 General Research was sold to Advance Process Supply Co. In March 1985, Advance shut down the Michigan Factory and merged the General Cylinder and Web press lines into its Chicago plants.

After the closure of the Michigan Facility, several ex-General employees joined forces to provide quality parts and service to General Press owners with their company BecMar. With over 75 years of combined experience, BecMar became known as the primary service center for older General Presses.

While developing its improved cylinder press, BecMar n

egotiated a deal with Advance to purchase all the rights, designs, and patents to the General Press and the GENERAL name. In 1992 the deal was completed, and BecMar introduced its own “Classic General Cylinder” Press at the Screen Printing Association International (S.P.A.I) Expo (which became the SGIA expo and is now the Print United Expo) in Indianapolis.

General’s product line includes the venerable General Pony Express and Ranger 25, favorites of profit-conscious printers who demand high-speed production, close-tolerance registration, and fast set-ups. The line is now in its fourth generation, with presses ideal for spot printing, clear coating, heat transfers, decals, pressure-sensitive labels, greeting cards, and P.O.P. displays. It also offers the best method of applying adhesive for flocks and glitter.

General’s latest line, the Classic Cylinder Press, introduced in 1992, is built to provide years of consistent, trouble-free performance at the highest production rates. The Classic Press prints heavy solid areas of color, fine line work, high-resolution reverse copy, and halftones at speeds up to 3,250 impressions per hour.

Over the years, General has developed more than 70 models and sizes of cylinder presses capable of printing areas ranging from 11 inches by 12 inches (27.94 cm by 30.48 cm) to 60 inches by 120 inches (152.4 cm by ca. 305 cm). General also manufactures stackers and feeders with applications for many industries in addition to printing.

Dr. Black was a 1973 inductee into the Academy of Screen and Digital Print Technologies (ASDPT).