Richard M. Hoe

Richard March Hoe (September 12 1812-June 71886) was an American inventor who designed an improved printing press.

His father owned a steam-powered manufactory of printing presses, which Richard joined at fifteen. On his father's death, he became head of the Robert Hoe & Company corporation.

In 1843, Richard invented the rotary printing press, a design much faster than the old flat-bed printing press. Because many type cylinders could be placed around the main cylinder, which could move much faster since it only travelled in one direction, some versions of the press were able to create up to 20,000 impressions per hour. The design was patented in 1846 (U.S. Patent #5199), and first commercially installed in 1847. In its early days, it was also called the "Hoe web perfecting press," the "Hoe lightning press," and the "Hoes's Cylindrical-Bed Press."

Richard M. Hoe was a Freemason.

His nephew, Robert Hoe (1839-1909), wrote a notalbe Short History of the Printing Press in 1902 and made further improvements in printing.