printing daily

PRINTING DAILY
Ian F. Editor
Issue no. one
June 1753
Things and the Order they are in
PRINTING
The Process
How was this paper made? Find
out here.
Continued on Page 2
Who’s Who
Learn more about famous
printers!
Continued on Page 3
What We Print
Everything printed and sold by us.
Continued on Page 4
Odds and Ends
News, apprentice ads, and sayings.
Continued on Page 5
a Pennsylvania newspaper
Printing Daily,1475 Main Street, Williamsburg
PRINTING DAILY!
PAGE
2
Left: compositor
Right: beater
Far Right: type
piece
Bottom: composing
stick
How This Very Page Was Made
Before we type our first word, we need some type, ink, and a printing press. (bottom right)
Most type must be imported overseas. Type is lots of metal pieces for each letter of the alphabet.
The compositor reads a section and without looking down, chooses by memory the correct
piece of type to place in the composing stick. A composing stick is wooden stick with a slot to slide
in type. All print is set backwards so that when transfered to paper, it appears correctly.
After several lines are finished, the composing sticks are placed in wood cases called galleys.
The galley is inked by the beater and then stretched wet paper is pressed on the inked type for 15
seconds.
Typesetting is extremely boring, but not too hard. A
printing team can print 180-240 sheets per hour. A
normal work day can last up to 14 hours. 2,940 pages
could be printed in one days work. A beater’s job is the
hardest because of the physically exhausting job of beating
ink onto type.
A colonial printing press
Printing Daily,1475 Main Street, Williamsburg
PRINTING DAILY!
PAGE
Left: Benjamin Franklin
Below: Clementina Rind
Right: William Parks
Who’s Who
WILLIAM PARKS
Parks was the best known printer in
Williamsburg. He was responsible for
reproducing the acts of the General
Assembly. He also printed a lot for different
businesses. In his post office, that served as
his printing shop as well, Parks sold the first
Virginia Gazette that he printed as well as
writing paper, books, maps, almanacks,
newspapers (some from London), even sealing
wax! Benjamin Franklin helped Parks set up
a paper mill. It was Virginia’s first newspaper.
BENJAMIN FRANKLIN
Benjamin Franklin worked for his
brother’s print shop while he learned to print.
He and his brother had many arguments,
leading to Franklin running away to
Philadelphia. There he gets a trip to England
to learn how to print.
In England, he joins a printing business.
He teaches his best friend many things
including how to swim. With him Franklin
realized he didn’t want to be a printer.
Coming back to America, Franklin got
married. A few years later he started writing
under fake names.
The newspapers that he wrote for made
him change his mind and he started printing
again. Under the name Richard Sanders he
printed Poor Richard’s Almanack with news
on the moon’s phases, weather predictions,
sayings, jokes, authors motives, death
predictions, and new shop openings. He got
rich off Poor Richard’s Almanack.
CLEMENTINA RIND
Rind was the first female newspaper
editor. She took over her husband’s business
after he passed away including the newspaper.
She was a printer for the House of Burgesses.
Printing Daily,1475 Main Street, Williamsburg
3
PAGE 4
PRINTING DAILY!
What We Print
NEWSPAPER
Colonial newspapers were one of the most
common things for us to print. Many of our
newspapers were used to spread rumors before
the War of Independence. We could hide
important information that could tell others
where the next secret meeting would be.
Other colonists could tell us arguments they
had against Great Britain. The whole colony
would hear this argument.
LAWS AND BOOKS
Also, the government had us print laws
and proclamations.
Different kinds of
currency was printed by specialized printers.
We printed books for churches and the public.
Books took 2-3 days to make. The cover,
complete with carved marble and brilliant
color, could take a complete week to make!
OTHERS
Other things we printed were pamphlets,
almanacs, broadsides, business forms, record
books and tickets. Very often would you find a
printer with something besides newspapers to
sell. They might offer mail service, or sell
paper, ink, books, and sealing wax!
A Colonial Bookbinder
A Colonial Book
Printing Daily,1475 Main Street, Williamsburg
PRINTING DAILY!
PAGE
Odds And Ends
Apprentice Ads
Compositor
Pressman
- sets type in
composing stick
- sorted type back
to correct spot in
the case
- must be more
educated than
pressman
- works at the press
- requires strength
and little practice
- doesn’t have to be
well educated
All apprentices will
learn to space letters
and lines so the so the
words are easy to read.
If the beater adds to
much ink, the words
will smear. Gradually,
all apprentices will
discover printing is part
science and part art.
Printing Sayings
UPPER CASE & LOWER CASE
These sayings are named after the cases the
type was kept in. All big letters were in the
“upper case”. The small letters were kept in the
“lower case”.
CUT TO THE CHASE
In printing, the chase is a wooden frame that
couldn’t be placed on the type until the end. It
actually means to hurry up, or get to the point.
MIND YOUR P’s & Q’s
The letters p and q were easily confused with
each other. The literal meaning is to be careful.
ATTENTION TO ALL PRINTERS!
Almost all of us use Caslon print. Because of
this many people will not buy printed items
unless printed in Caslon print!
It is not
considered the “real thing” unless printed with
Caslon!
ATTENTION TO ALL PRINTERS!
The master printer has to buy everything for the shop. Paper,
ink, a press, and type is extremely expensive. In order to get this
money, they need to be in a location with lots of people that need
the news. Their shops can only get them so much money. If a
master printer near you is in danger of going out of business,
please help them so they can continue “rolling at the presses.”
Bibliography:
historical.ha.com
replacements.com
history.org
Dec. 15
americaslibrary.gov
history.org
Dec.16
history.org
Dec.17
excelsiorpress.org
Jan. 5
Printing Daily,1475 Main Street, Williamsburg
amazon.com
Jan. 18
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