Life — March 18, 1920 — page 37: what you’re looking at

What you’re looking at

This is an advertisement for Warren's Standard Printing Papers, not a political cartoon. The page uses a clever visual metaphor: it shows a cat with its footprints trailing across a surface, comparing the clarity and distinctness of cat paw prints to the quality of printed reproduction on paper. The ad's rhetorical strategy asks readers to consider that just as a cat's footprints are "clearer, more distinct on smooth linen than on a deep-napped rug," so too will printing quality depend on the paper used. The message promotes Warren's papers as superior for producing sharp, clean printing results—particularly for catalogs and professional printing work. The "better paper = better printing" tagline reinforces that paper quality directly affects print output.