Donkin, Bryan (1768–1855)

English engineer. He made several innovations in papermaking and printing and invented the forerunner of the rotary press. He also contributed to food preservation by taking the bottling process introduced by Nicolas Appert and modifying it to use metal cans instead of glass bottles.

In printing, Donkin tackled the problem of increasing the speed of presses. The original flat-bed press, with its back-and-forth movement, was too slow. Donkin arranged four (flat) formes of type around a spindle – a rudimentary rotary press. He introduced a composition of glue and treacle for the inking rollers, an innovation which was still widely used long after his press had been superseded.

Donkin was born in Northumberland and apprenticed to a papermaker in Dartford, Kent. In 1803 he perfected a new type of papermaking machine, invented in France, and set up a factory in South London where he manufactured nearly 200 machines. This success led him to investigate another recent invention from France, the preservation of food by bottling. He established his own company, but later returned to the printing and paper trade. By 1815 he had turned to civil engineering.