Re: PrintSpeak, 6th January 2010, Karen Charlesworth – from the editor.
Karen’s story sounds so familiar to my own and is one that will resonate amongst many in the printing industry.
When I first entered the industry in 1986 as an apprentice litho printer with Raithby Lawrence & Co Ltd. of Leicester and London, I was entering a world of huge heritage. Although the majority of the presses were litho, they still had the racks of type set underneath compositors tables, of which there were maybe 16-20, and a couple of Heidelberg cylinders which still went on to offer me the occasional Saturday morning overtime bonus.
Of course by 1990 this antiquated machinery had disappeared along with the Kords, Sordz, Millars and Crabtrees that I trained on, being replaced by state of the art Komori Lithrones with revolutionary plate scanners and magnetic duct setting cards.
By 1993 it was the turn of the retouchers – a studio brimming with Apple Mackintosh computers and filmsetters had arrived. Planner platemakers and the traditional film exposed contract proof were to follow the same demise in the years following.
Sadly for my cousin, apprenticed as a ‘Slade trained’ traditional film retoucher at the same turn as I, had a very short career within a trade that offered a lifetime of employment security – only 8 years until his role disappeared in 1994 – the irony that it was down to a man named ‘Jobs’.
Fortunately, my father should just about see out his working life as a litho printer, having been one of the very first litho apprentices with William Caple & Co Ltd. at the time of the introduction of the first litho press into a traditional letterpress printing business.
To the present, Mulberry Square are in the business of providing print solutions as part of their marketing services proposition and as such remain vigilant to the changes taking place in print, being aware that these changes can be a risk but also realising that they are an opportunity.
Inkjet technology is an area that has already served us well – we have been utilising it for the past 12 years as part of our philosophy of taking control of the  proofing process, which still has its place as a colour management and assurance tool. As Karen states, it is only a matter of time until the consumables cost drops to a point where, in combination with the already available speed, inkjet replaces what we know as traditional litho printing. Not meaning to wish time away, but 2010 will I believe be a time when we look back once again to an era of change.