Time to celebrate printing - Letter from the Publisher

Let’s be clear at the beginning, the exhibition Handwritten: Ten Centuries of Manuscript Treasures currently at the National Library in Canberra is not about printing. As the title states, the documents are Handwritten.

On loan from Germany’s largest library, the Staatsbibliothek zu Berlin, there are 100 manuscripts illustrating the creative, historical and scientific achievements of the past millennium. Among them are a handwritten epistle from Michelangelo, a letter from Napoleon written in the midst of battle, the copyist’s original notation of Mozart’s opera Marriage of Figaro, and written calculations by Albert Einstein. These are obviously unique; as I said, this is not printing, which is about making reproductions from an original. But they are documents that have stood the test of time, that have survived wars, revolutions and natural catastrophes.

In this they amply demonstrate one of the main strengths of the process of committing information to paper. Documents, hand-written or printed, are permanent, they are what they are, unalterable, a record of thoughts, imaginings and transactions. This permanency is the defining characteristic of printing, and one that is becoming ever more important in the internet age.

I’m reminded that in the 20th century, when film defined the global consciousness and became not only the most significant art form but also an invaluable record of history in the making, much of the original material is lost forever. Canisters of decayed nitrate film are often found, their contents crumbled and unusable. A frantic dash by cinema enthusiasts has saved a lot of Hollywood’s production but so much is gone forever. I would suggest we have a more complete record of 19th century novels than of 20th century films, both the primary art forms of their day.

Who among us has not lost masses of digital files from computers? Photographs and emails, personal and business letters all gone due to a glitch, a crashed hard drive, a mishap in storage. Lots of it does not matter and we are better off without it but if you want to make sure of the family photos, better to print them out than leave them on your computer. When people dash back into fire-threatened homes they are not running to save the hard drive; they are after the irreplaceable prints.

Not only but also

There are many advantages of the printed form other than security and the defiance of time passing. Not least are the potential aesthetic qualities that can be an integral part of any document. I draw your attention back to the cover of this ∗issue∗ of Print21 where the addition of foil and embossing transforms the production. Add to that the unique quality of the amazingly fine RendezVous paper and it is not difficult to see how printed volumes become collectors’ items as much for their appearance as for their content.

Printing has the ability to embody a wide range of production values from bog-standard commonplace to enhanced and entrancing embellishments. In this issue, Alison Stieven-Taylor (see pp 46) explores the role of wedding stationery. This is almost ceremonial communication, the invitation itself embodying the hopes, aspirations and, yes, status of the couple and their families.

In recent times I received a wedding invitation that was a positive work of art; glossed, embossed, filigreed, with lace and diamantine attached, the whole boxed and tied with ribbon. It was an amazing artefact, reminding me that, some years ago, I was invited to judge HP’s digital print awards in Singapore. The Indian wedding albums in the competition were quite the most amazing volumes I’ve ever seen, miniature Taj Mahals with leather and brass bindings, created to outlast eternity.

So it is with this end of year issue of Print21 we have consciously made the decision to celebrate printing with its many unique and remarkable virtues. We report of the PICA Awards around the country, the state-based printing competitions that are such an integral underpinning of the industry’s sense of self. Browsing the many photographs of the winners and sponsors makes it obvious that the industry is in good hands and in good shape.

In these hard times it is essential to recognise and celebrate the strengths of our industry. The shallow triumphalism of some in the electronic media that would consign printing to the dustbin of history must be refuted. Apart from the fact that history is likely only to be known if there are still books of record, printing’s utility and value will not only ensure its survival but its place as an essential communication medium.

On behalf of the Print21 team I wish you all the joys of the season. I hope you take time out, celebrate with the family, lie on a beach, climb a mountain, travel a desert and return in 2012 a better, fitter and happier person, ready for the fray.

See you then.

Patrick Howard

Publisher

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