Page "Duplicating machines" Paragraph 25

Mimeograph had a largely unwarranted reputation for being messier than spirit duplication.

In truth, they weren't significantly messier ; and if spilled mimeo ink was hard to get out of the operator's clothing, ditto's aniline purple dye was well-nigh impossible to remove.

The perception may have been a side effect of their engineering.

Mimeography, with its loose tolerances, relative absence of noxious solvents, and consequent open architecture ( which put its inky pads and rollers on display ), may simply have looked messier, and hence seemed more daunting.

Spirit duplicators, whose demanding tolerances and constant fog of solvent fumes necessitated precisely machined metal parts and closed architecture, tended to have a deceptively clean and simple look.