About

Cronite the world leader in intaglio equipment, inks and supplies

Cronite History

The Cronite story over the years is intertwined with the growth and progress of the engraved stationery industry.  In fact, the new methods, new machines, and new ideas developed for the industry by Cronite account for most of its industry’s progress and modernization.  Parallel with the development of the engraved stationery industry has naturally been the growth of Cronite.  Its impact on engraving has been worldwide, not just confined to the United States or North America.

The business, which is now Cronite, was founded in 1886 by a jewelry engraver named E.J. Munch.  Located in tiny quarters on the third floor of a rickety walk-up building at 42 John Street, New York, Munch was a craftsman who engraved the dies and hubs from which ring, pin, and broach mountings were stamped.  The dies and hubs were engraved on high carbon tool steel, yet before use, it was necessary to harden them.  The workroom was heated by means of a “pot-bellied” stove in which Munch burned charcoal.  It was in this stove that Munch hardened his steel dies. The stationery engravers in New York came to know Munch, and they brought their steel dies to him for hardening and annealing.

Frank N. Steffens, a young man who was skilled at jewelry engraving, took up employment with Munch.  About 1904, Frank N. Steffens bought the business when Munch retired, and continued it under his own name.  He also continued to harden or anneal engraved stationery dies for the local engravers as a side line.  In addition, they also brought him their dies to “erase” or prepare for alternation of an address, etc.…

The business prospered, and about 1912, Steffens moved to larger quarters two flights up at 67 Fulton Street, NY.  There, he had as many as 7 or 8 highly paid jewelry engravers working in his business making dies, piercing cutter sets, and the die sets from which the jewelry was made.  At the same time, Frank Steffens had a separate “die treatment department” for the engraved stationers.  He installed a modern gas fired hardening furnace and other improved facilities.

During the 1920’s, inexpensive costumer jewelry became the rage which caused a severe decline in the sale of fine jewelry, and Mr. Steffens’ jewelry engraving business deteriorated completely during the depression years.

Meanwhile, in 1926, Professor Colin B. Fink of Columbia University received patents on the process of plating with chromium.  When the Pratt interests and the Chemical Treatment Corp. explained their process and their prices – which amounted to only a few cents for chrome plating a “steel die”, Mr. Steffens expected to be out of business in short order, after all, hardening and annealing of dies would no longer be required, they said.  But a short time later, it was the Chemical Treatment Corp. which went out of business.  The great flood of engraved stationery dies they had expected just wasn’t there.  Mr. Steffens attended the auction sale of the assets.  He bought a little experimental motor generator with which most of the chrome plating of engraved stationery dies in the East were plated for years by one workman.  But at the time, the patents were still in force, for it was not until some years later that the patents were invalidated.  So, to protect his liability, Mr. Steffens decided to incorporate.   With his son, Robert N. Steffens, who was then in college, he finally chose the name “Cronite,” and called the process “Cronite facing.”  The Cronite Co., Inc. was incorporated in New York on March 15, 1929, to limit Mr. Steffens’ liability.

In March 1932, during the darkest part of the great depression, Robert N. Steffens joined his father in the firm.  He set to work to expand the business at once.  Engraving was then so depressed that more sales were needed for the little company just to survive.  At first, they purchased old steel dies and “resurfaced” them for reuse.  A few years later in 1934, Edmund A. Gillis joined the firm, and they purchased the steel polishing equipment from Engravers & Printers Machinery Co. in Sag Harbor, New York.

During the depression years, Cronite had also been active in the used die stamping press market.  The Modern Die & Plate Press Co. had gone into receivership in 1930, so when the bank offered the patterns, jigs, and drawings for the Modern a few years later, Cronite purchased these – and put them into storage.  They were not put to use until after World War II.

Salesmen traveled the United States and Canada for Cronite trying during those difficult times to create sales – and to make a living.  Finally, by 1939, brighter days came and it was then that Cronite opened its California branch office.

By that time, Cronite has been building engraving machines, and making masterplates and was also deeply involved in trying to introduce the Drier to the industry.

When World War II came, Cronite did everything possible to become involved in the war effort.  It built specialized machines – Roto Cut-Off Machines, where the metal was rotated while an abrasive wheel made the cut.  Machines of this kind were built for accurately cutting cylinders and other operations, including a machine for cutting to size twenty-four” steel tubing from 30’ lengths for demolition bombs.

Cronite represented the engraving industry at the War Production Board in Washington and was able to obtain (poor) priorities for engravers steel.  With these, Cronite was able to keep the industry in steel for making dies and plates.

During these war years, the company was located on 3-1/2 floors at 67 Fulton Street, New York.  But as the war was ending, Cronite took a building at 35 Park Place, New York, where it had a total of some 38,000 square feet available.  In 1945, Cronite dusted off the patterns and jigs on the old Modern Press – and started to put the 3 X 8 Die Stamping Press into production, which has evolved into the 3 X 8-3/4 Hi-Speed Press of today.

The engraved stationery industry had never had any textbook or instruction book, so over a period of several years, Robert N. Steffens wrote, and in 1950, Cronite published the first edition of the “ENGRAVED STATIONERY HANDBOOK”.  A second and “up to date” edition was published in 1970.

In 1951, the plant at North Bergen, New Jersey was purchased (enlarged and modernized in 1966).  An office and stockroom were left in New York to serve the New York trade.  The Chicago office and stockroom were opened in 1947.

The year 1953 was the beginning of the present modernization of the engraving industry.  Cronite contracted long-term agreements for the sale of the automatic feeder.  As soon as the first few machines were sold and put into operation, Cronite set up a 3 X 8 Modern Press in its plant and installed an Autofeed at it.  Today, these machines are in operation in practically every plant in American and many abroad.

With automation in the industry and ever faster press operation, Mr. Steffens felt that faster drying inks were an absolute “must.”  Varnish inks required too much heat, and in many cases, prevented high speed operation of the press unit.

In 1966, Cronite bought the engraving ink department of the Kennedy Ink Company of Cincinnati, Ohio, and the Empire Ink Company of New York.   It enlarged its facilities and then moved the ink operation to a 10,000 square feet location.

It was only then, after all these preparations, that Robert N. Steffens developed a new revolutionary fast drying water-based KB Ink.

Ed Gillis, a highly skilled and dedicated engineer who had overviewed or designed all the mechanical systems to date, conceived and developed the Hi-Speed 5 X 9 Press in 1968.

Robert S. Steffens joined the Cronite Company in 1970 and is now the current President.  He has been recognized for having designed the Telestacker Drier, hot stamping foil unit, redesigning the Autofeeds to run business cards and envelopes, and for having redesigned the 5 X 9 Press, which had a top speed of 3600 impressions per hour to a current speed of 7000 per hour.

In 1986, the Cronite Company celebrated 100 years in the engraved stationery business.

In July 1988, a 60,000 square foot building was purchased in Parsippany, New Jersey.  In February of 1989, the renovations of the building were completed and Cronite is now located in Parsippany.

Many new designs of equipment have been made over the years by Robert S. Steffens.  The Super Etch Machine for perfectly making etched copper plates which are now the standard in the industry.  A new 7 x 11 high Speed Press operating in conjunction with a High-Speed Automatic Feeder and many other small systems make Cronite the hub of the engraved stationery industry.

Intaglio Machinery and Inks

Cronite  has developed and improved much of the machinery used today in flat stamping intaglio production.

That includes:

• Designing and improving the 5 x 9 and 3 x 8 ¾ Hi Speed presses to maximize their speed and image printing size to accommodate today’s needs.
• Development of the 7 x 11 press to increase the image printing size of the presses.
• Increasing the versatility of the presses by designing attachments to do both hot foil stamping and registered holograms
• Designing and producing the industry leading sheet feeder and continuous feeder
• Developing environmentally friendly water based acrylic inks
• Designing and building the user friendly and economical Super Etch etching machine

We at Cronite remain committed to the advancement of the industry and continue to strive to develop and improve our products to meet the needs of our customer base.