A printshop in the Center of the Cosmos - Lewes, England

At the top of the High Street in the bustling market town of Lewes, East Sussex, sits the Tom Paine Printing Press.

Click on images to embiggen
Printer Peter Chasseaud set up his letterpress shop just five years ago after a career in fine art and graphic design.


Now he does short run printing for other artists as well as specialty work for commercial printers.


Rather than carving the images into wooden plates as was originally done for letterpress printing, Peter etches his designs into modern photopolymer plates.

The Tom Paine Printing Press is actually a not-for-profit educational organization. It is based around a working 18th-century-style wooden ‘common press’, as used to print Thomas Paine’s pamphlets and books. Together with the trappings of an 18th century print room, type cases, cabinets, frames and the compositor’s ‘stone’, the shop is an excellent educational resource and tourist attraction. Local writers and artists use the press for the production of their own books, pamphlets, broadsheets and prints. As well, the press is used to instruct students of all ages in the complexities of letterpress technology and the crucial importance of the printed word in disseminating ideas.

If you ever find yourself in the Center of the Cosmos - the town of Lewes, England - take the time to visit Peter at the Tom Paine Printing Press and discover the living craft of printing. The shop's web site can be found by clicking HERE

The Wayback View

A modern newspaper press from the 1940 Green Hornet TV series. For more print in movies videos check out this LINK

The Wayback View - Printing: Dead or Alive

I just love how printing is portrayed in the media. Here are two scenes from 1958's TV show Wanted Dead or Alive starring Steve McQueen. Despite the equipment shown (which is still used today for specialty work) the characterization of printers and their customers is not too far off what still happens today.

The press in the TV episode is similar to this one:

Movie by Thomas & Erik Desmyter
A Liberty platen press invented and patented in 1859 by Frederick Otto Degener in New York.

BTW, "Josh" mentioned Horace Greeley (February 3, 1811 – November 29, 1872). He was an American newspaper editor and a founder of the Liberal Republican Party. The New York Tribune (which he founded and edited) was America's most influential newspaper from the 1840s to the 1870s and "established Greeley's reputation as the greatest editor of his day."

Crusading against the corruption of Ulysses S. Grant's Republican administration, he was the new Liberal Republican Party's candidate in the 1872 U.S. presidential election. Despite having the additional support of the Democratic Party, he lost in a landslide. He is the only presidential candidate to have died prior to the counting of electoral votes.

Click HERE for more examples of printing in the movies.

The Wayback View - Printing the London Telephone Directory - 1937

"The Telephone - A Sound Investment" promotional postage stamp canceling mark.
In the 1930s, telephones were still not in general use, so in 1937 the British GPO (General Post Office) Film Unit produced a short film on the production, and value, of the London Telephone Directory. The film "Book Bargain" was directed by Oscar winning Canadian film director and animator Norman McLaren.

The Wayback View - At the print shop

The lyrical update to Walt Disney's well known song says it best: "I owe, I owe, it's off to work I go." And with that little ditty in mind we'll take a look at the trade workers inside the print shops of yesteryear.

Click on images to enlarge.
The art room and print area of Walling Press - a silkscreen printer.
The offices of the Government Printing Office, Washington, DC in November 1912.
Louis Gitney, a young type compositor earns $7.00 a week in a Sixth Ave. New York printing office 1917
Press room at Richmond & Backus Co. Detroit circa 1901.
The typesetting department - 1910.A poster on the wall in the above photograph reminds employees "Do Not Spit on the Floor".
Horace Lindfors is a 14-year-old helper at Riverside Press, 1st Ave. New York in February 1917.
Management pretending to check a press sheet at the Government Printing Office, Washington, DC in 1937.
Printing postcards. As in the previous photograph, note the lack of safety enclosures on the press. Watch your fingers!
Keep those presses running!
The "Old Castle Print Shop" has its name prominently displayed on the shop floor wall. Perhaps to remind employees about where they work?
Upon closer examination, some old shop photos reveal bits of interesting information. For example, in this print shop interior dated January, 1922, there are two small posters on the back wall.The smaller poster proclaims this to be a union shop.The first successful strike in the U.S.A. was organized by printers in Philadelphia in 1786. It won the workers pay raises.

The other bit of interest in this photograph is the poster on the right hand side: The words read:
'Help the private soldiers and sailors legion establish a Soldiers' Club here.
For the Unemployed and Hungry Ex-Service Men.
"We are as buddies"
Help us to help them.'
The U.S. entered World War 1 in April, 1917. The war ended in November 1918. But as this poster indicates, four years later help was still needed for the soldiers who fought in that conflict.

Inspecting unemployment forms at the Government Printing Office in 1937.The Great Depression originated in the U.S., starting with a fall in stock prices that began around September 4, 1929 and became worldwide news with the stock market crash of October 29, 1929. From there, it quickly spread to almost every country in the world.

Automated bindery, 1910. Looking not that different from what you would see today.
Manual bindery (1912), also similar to what you'd see today.
An in-house print shop in Vanier College c.a. 1940. Even nuns enjoyed a turn at the press.

The Wayback View - Print Ephemera - Printer's Invoices

Old printer's invoices, if you can find them, can provide a fascinating glimpse into how business was conducted "back in the day."

Click on the images to enlarge

Printers often diversify their operations to attract new business. However this 1924 invoice from Buxton and Skinner shows a diversification that is a bit extreme. I wonder what "radiation," "meter rental," and "condensation" actually refer to?
In 1916 you could get 1,000 envelopes for $2.50 (and apparently pay no tax).
This Amsterdam New York invoice from 1944 includes an interesting note to the effect that income tax was withheld on wages. I wonder why they noted this on the invoice?
Perhaps this invoice from 1897 inspired a famous Vulcan with it's motto: "Print and Prosper."
A 1944 job estimate from G. Claridge & Co. of Bombay (Mumbai) appears to be a form letter with the text in red being preprinted while the text in black being customized for each project.
The total of this 1918 invoice for presswork came to $18.25. Translated into 2011 dollars that $18.25 is equivalent to $291.97.
Advertising rates in The Journal published by John W Eedy in 1897 were very reasonable and its presswork "Neatly executed. [with] Prices Moderate."
Selma Printers in 1870 also prided themselves on "Printing Neatly Executed."
M.J. Sullivan differentiated himself from his competition by being a "Practical Printer" (I assume that he considered other printers as impractical). However, it appears that the order for 100 name cards placed August 24, 1922, was a bit slow in being fulfilled since the invoice shows a billing date of December 1, 1923 - over one year later.
Companies are always trying to reduce their printing spend. Here, Rand McNally has saved a bit of money by using an invoice from 1890 and with a simple crossing out of the "8" and adding a "0" has transformed it into a 1900 invoice. Another interesting thing about this invoice is the purchaser's title: a certain George M. Beadle, Mining Expert, "etc." I suppose that Mr. Beadle had other expertise that the accountant at Rand McNally just couldn't remember.

The Wayback View - German printshop advertising - circa 1926

German culture is noted (outside of Germany) for its engineering excellence and its lack of humor. These examples of printshop advertising posters fall into another category - graphic design excellence.

(My very rough translations)

Good print advertising and offset book printing.

Rough poster prints
The offset printing chosen by professionals. Offset papers and cartons.
Imitated but not equalled.

If your advertising needs are putting on the squeeze - we can help.

The Wayback View – When I grow up I want to be a printer

I wonder how many of today's print shop owners began their careers as the result of presents discovered under the Christmas Tree or given as a reward for achieving yet another birthday.

Yes it's true...Popeye was not just a sailor but a printer as well!
Each kit came with rubber stamps and an ink pad.
The rubber stamps could be used to print in the appropriate cartoon image in the Popeye strip.

Even Pinocchio got into the printer's game.
A Colorforms toy from 1962.

If you were a very lucky boy - the ghost of Benjamin Franklin would be there in spirit as you printed out scores of cards and tickets.
Ben Franklin printer no. 24x, manufactured by Fulton Specialty Co., Elizabeth, New Jersey, USA.
As a printer you could expect the loving gaze of scores of womenfolk admiring your prowess on the press.

But as a printer
Even though you had all the pieces
Every job was a challenge of filling out the blanks.

Ahhh...the promise of fortunes made in printing: