Flong

/flɔŋ/ noun

Definition

A papier-mâché mold used in printing to make duplicate printing plates from an original.

Etymology

Origin uncertain, possibly from German 'Flong' or French 'flong'; used in printing since the 19th century as a technical term for this specific manufacturing process.

Kelly Says

Before digital printing, newspapers used flongs to mass-produce identical pages—it's basically the 1800s answer to the copy machine, made from chewed-up paper instead of electricity.

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