Category: Location

Thanks to Don Hauser for allowing me to use this extract from his book “Printers of the Streets and Lanes of Melbourne” which he designed and typeset at his Nondescript Press. Unfortunately for us, but fortunately for Don, the original limited edition print run of 1,000 copies entirely sold out and the book is no longer for sale.

The Government Printing Office was formed by Superintendent LaTrobe in January, 1851. Prior to this various firms undertook the work of Government as self-proclaimed Government printers.

Melbourne’s summer heat played havoc with the letterpress printing process which, at this time, had not greatly improved since the incunabular work produced prior to 1500.

The composition inking rollers melted so frequently that a well had to be sunk into the pressroom floor in order to stabilise the gelatinous rollers.

Government Printer John Ferres reported that “the immense clouds of dust which so frequently envelope the city are also found a great impediment.”

The dust and grit wore down the lead alloy type metal and woodcuts so quickly that frequent replacements were neccessary.

Sheets of paper were dampened prior to printing, flattened again under a powerful hydraulic press, then dried on racks in the folding and drying room.

These labour intensive methods produced work of surprising high quality difficult to duplicate today.

Neil Gay began his five year apprenticeship to “the Gov” as a compositor in 1958.

He recalls the 30 to 40 Wharfedale or Miehle letterpress printing machines all in line and many of them hand fed; the leather room that stored the binding leathers used to bind beautiful hand crafted, fully bound books and journals with gold lettering, leather corners and spines; the hydraulic water powered lifts that stopped mid floor when the water pressure was low and the gap between the floor and lift which sometimes allowed a chase locked up with 16 page sections of monotype to drop to the basement into a million pieces.

The type and storage area was known as the “dungeon” and was a haven for many a card game for malingering apprentices.

The dungeon also stored old formes of letterpress posters and displays. During a clean up day, no one thought twice about throwing out Ned Kelly’s reward poster composed of wooden type and blocks. Imagine its value today.

Thanks to Don Hauser for allowing me to use this extract from his book “Printers of the Streets and Lanes of Melbourne” which he designed and typeset at his Nondescript Press. Unfortunately for us, but fortunately for Don, the original limited edition print run of 1,000 copies entirely sold out and the book is no longer for sale.

The first “Melbourne Directory” was published by Sands & McDougall in 1856 and continued production until 1974. A 1975 issue had been planned but the cancellation of 600-800 copies by the Victoria Police, left the next largest order for 30 copies. Production of the directory was unsustainable.

The sale of many tonnes of letterpress standing type metal returned a generous liquid asset to the company.

The legacy of “Sands & McDougall’s Directories of Melbourne and Suburbs” today remains a huge resource to amateur and professional historians.

A printing press powered by a water-driven turbine was set up in 1867, a huge improvement on the existing 22 hand operated presses.

By raising 72,500 pounds in debentures, a huge building costing 45,750 pounds was erected at 357 Sepncer Street and completed in 1889. This edifice, which still stands today, was in its early years jokingly referred to as “James MacDougall’s White Elephant of the West.”

The printing of tram tickets became an important contract for Sands & McDougall for many years. As late as 1923, a large rotary press for printing tram tickets and a quad crown two-colour offset machine were installed.

Around the turn of the Twentieth Century the company was the largest printing establishement in the Southern Hemesphire and the “Invicta” logotype could be seen on a vast range of printed products including account books, exercise books and many items used for the Australian Federation Celebrations in 1901.

Since its early days, the company printed banknotes for the trading banks in a special note printing department. In 1910, the Federal Treasury took control of note issues. The Commonwealth Note Printing Branch was established in 1913.

Today, Sands & McDougall Printing continues in partnership with the Henry Thacker Print Group and a number of associated companies who are part of the Sands Print Group headquartered in Geelong.