Graham Rains, Druckman Press, 1984

Graham Rains operating a Model G Intertype at Druckman Press, Piccotts End Mill, Hemel Hempstead, Hertfordshire, UK in 1984
Graham Rains operating a Model G Intertype at Druckman Press, Piccotts End Mill, Hemel Hempstead, Hertfordshire, UK in 1984.

Many thanks to Graham Rains for digging out this very atmospheric photograph of him operating a Model G Intertype at Druckman Press, Hemel Hemstead, Hertfordshire, UK in 1984.

Intertype fan? Don’t miss the Intertype Chat section of the Metal Type Forum. Read the Full Article . . .

Urban Cottage Industries

This unrestored linecaster and
This unrestored linecaster and “operator” greet visitors at the entrance to Urban Cottage Industries.

Some of you may remember an article that appeared on Metal Type last year called David Evans, A New Era, 2011. It took a look at David Evans’ move from Halifax, West Yorkshire, UK to new premises in Mytholmroyd, four miles up the road.

David, and new partner Stanley Wilson, have even managed to add to their collection of letterpress equipment since the move. I visited the new premises again in June 2012. Read the Full Article . . .

Brussels Print Shop

Intertype machine and operator
Intertype machine and operator.

Many thanks to Flickr user Robert Clerebaut for allowing these photographs of his father’s print shop in Brussels, Belgium, to be used on Metal Type

Robert said: “My father started as a typesetter in 1928. He opened his print shop in Brussels in 1937. I studied at the School Amsterdamse Grafische (1956-1960) and worked in the family print shop in Brussels. In addition, I gave over 13 years at the National School of Visual Arts of La Cambre (1993-2005). Since 1980 member of the Rencontres Internationales de Lure, and I met Francois Boltana. Read the Full Article . . .

David Evans, A New Era, 2011

Ready to move, the old Halifax premises
Ready to move, the old Halifax premises.

David Evans recently got in touch with me. You may remember he was featured on Metal Type way back in 2002.

His business in Halifax ran six Intertypes producing personalised gifts. To cut a long story short, David’s business has now been taken over and has moved to Mytholmroyd, 4 miles up the road. Read the Full Article . . .

Edgecombe Printer, 1971

Edgecombe Printers

Many thanks to Dan Williams for sending in this article taken from a 1971 edition of the American publication “Graphical Arts Monthly.” It explores how viable a small letterpress print shop was in the early 1970s.

IS LETTERPRESS dead for the small printer? Edgecombe Printer in Kalamazoo, Mich, is a good example of a shop that is making a profit with letterpress in competition with offset. Read the Full Article . . .

Railway Press Car, 1913

Railroad press car
Linotype operator photographed on a Great Northern Railway press car in July 1913, published by Bain News Service.

The photographs on this page were taken from the collection held by the United States Library of Congress.

Various other bits of equipment can be seen on the picture – presumably there’s a press in there somewhere – some type-cases to the left of the picture. Read the Full Article . . .

Jaggers Chiles Stovall, 1970

Jaggers Chiles Stovall
Outside view of the 30,000 sq. ft. plant

Thanks to Dan Williams for sending in these scans of an article from the September 1970 edition of “Graphic Southwest” describing long-established trade-typesetter Jaggers Chiles Stovall’s move to new premises.

According to Dan, John F Kennedy’s assassin, Lee Harvey Oswald, worked at the company for a while. They produced some typesetting work for the US Government, giving conspiracy theorists a little fuel. Read the Full Article . . .