I worked for the st.Petersburg times for 38 years. 1973 to 2012. I was 19 when I started. It was a great job for a high school kid to move into the middle class, much like auto workers in their prime years! Then there was Craigslist. But technology wins. Thanks for uploading these!!! Paul
That process is so much more fascinating than I expected, despite it being a literal everyday process. I don't know what I expected, but not that they remold the plates everyday with lead.
Good historical look at the transitional time in shift from hot metal through photocomposition on the way to cold-type digital composition. Paper "dummy" sheet for design. Pneumatic tubes still carried copy between floors of the building; perforated tape was the interface to typecasting machines. Shows copy camera with halftone screen; photomechanical process of photoengraving images... zinc and acid, gloves and fumes... vocabulary: literally "locking-up" a page; origin of "stereotype" etc.
It's amazing how complex it seems to be, yet they must have done this with ease and amazing speed, considering many newspapers put out 2 issues per day!!!!
So many processes and special machines to get ink on paper, to get information before eyes. I still remember the sound of the newspaper landing at our front door in the morning. I live in San Diego, and today the grand edifice that once housed our local newspaper (San Diego Union/Tribune) is now being repurposed for other activities. The paper still exists, but is owned by NantCapital, the same group that owns the LA Times.
With due respect - 13:31 - someone employed to touch the top of each newspaper stack lol. in sunglasses. Doesn't seem to be efficient but the whole process is amazing whatsoever
its too bad this died. in high school, i took 3 years of print. I loved working the small press we had. It was just big enough to do school newspapers( and also big enough to take your arm off) We used to do newspapers, pamphlets, and all kinds of other things like ads and such..We used the newest(at the time) LaserJet sheet velums as plates that could be printed off the laserjet in a sheet and attached to the rollers. so no steel plates needed for most projects and new plates could be made in minutes. We also had a screen-printing press to we also did t-shirts. I was really good at it and even won an award for it. But by the time i graduated, most newspapers were going out of business or going online. Its really too bad, i would have loved a career as a press operator. There is still screen printing but thats so easy and there isnt as much money in it and its definitely less dangerous and complicated. Operating a printing press is an art really.
How would the process be different in the 1950s? Perhaps some of the automation was a later development but would the same printing press have been in use?
From (at least) the 10:00 mark, on....virtually _NOTHING_ has changed....from the production, reel, & mailroom ends of things...over the last _FIFTY-PLUS YEARS_ !! With...perhaps, the exception of the fact that the manpower has been whittled by about (literally!!) 80-90%! I'm a pressman at the newspaper that *Tony Soprano* used to have delivered. In the mid-80's, there were 120+ men on the markup. Today,...we have _less than_ 25, and they're looking to cut the number down by 3 more.... _BEFORE THE END OF APRIL_ ! I'll be lookin' @ "early retirement", soon,...and I'm _NOWHERE_ near [realistic] retirement age....lol.
Caught a 3 second shot of my dad at 14:39.... he's been gone for over 5 years so this was a precious moment.
That is awesome. I am so glad you got to experience that.
The one with his back turned?
Wow - I’m sure he enjoyed his job, we all did 👍
OH Wow! that is awesome!! My Dad worked in the composing room up until about 1980. when the Paper shut down.
💙🙏🏿🙏🏿🙏🏿
I worked for the st.Petersburg times for 38 years. 1973 to 2012. I was 19 when I started. It was a great job for a high school kid to move into the middle class, much like auto workers in their prime years! Then there was Craigslist. But technology wins. Thanks for uploading these!!! Paul
Nice
There was Craigslist in the 1970s paper?
This is insane. I didn't expect it to be that complex. And that considering they were already using some computers
It is wild. But it's the 1970s of course they had computers.
You must be young.
That process is so much more fascinating than I expected, despite it being a literal everyday process. I don't know what I expected, but not that they remold the plates everyday with lead.
Good historical look at the transitional time in shift from hot metal through photocomposition on the way to cold-type digital composition. Paper "dummy" sheet for design. Pneumatic tubes still carried copy between floors of the building; perforated tape was the interface to typecasting machines. Shows copy camera with halftone screen; photomechanical process of photoengraving images... zinc and acid, gloves and fumes... vocabulary: literally "locking-up" a page; origin of "stereotype" etc.
It's amazing how complex it seems to be, yet they must have done this with ease and amazing speed, considering many newspapers put out 2 issues per day!!!!
So interesting to see how it used to be done and how many trades could be learnt.
I grew up in the production end of The Jackson (TN) Sun. Very familiar scenes. Thank you!
So many processes and special machines to get ink on paper, to get information before eyes. I still remember the sound of the newspaper landing at our front door in the morning. I live in San Diego, and today the grand edifice that once housed our local newspaper (San Diego Union/Tribune) is now being repurposed for other activities. The paper still exists, but is owned by NantCapital, the same group that owns the LA Times.
I started working as a pressman 1972 retired 2020
Lovely. Worked at Danish national newspaper Berlingske Tidende from 1985. They left hot metal the year before.
Its amazing to see how the printing technology evolved
With due respect - 13:31 - someone employed to touch the top of each newspaper stack lol. in sunglasses. Doesn't seem to be efficient but the whole process is amazing whatsoever
its too bad this died. in high school, i took 3 years of print. I loved working the small press we had. It was just big enough to do school newspapers( and also big enough to take your arm off) We used to do newspapers, pamphlets, and all kinds of other things like ads and such..We used the newest(at the time) LaserJet sheet velums as plates that could be printed off the laserjet in a sheet and attached to the rollers. so no steel plates needed for most projects and new plates could be made in minutes. We also had a screen-printing press to we also did t-shirts. I was really good at it and even won an award for it. But by the time i graduated, most newspapers were going out of business or going online. Its really too bad, i would have loved a career as a press operator.
There is still screen printing but thats so easy and there isnt as much money in it and its definitely less dangerous and complicated. Operating a printing press is an art really.
I used to be a van boy on the London evening news
Rodney Dangerfield... " What a nightmare..." everything had to be rewritten in the composing room.
We used a Gestetner printer. Perforated paper stencil, wet ink.
Hand crank to start, flip a switch to run a batch.
Try to keep your hands clean!
Amazing goss newsliner machine
The process isis complicated
How would the process be different in the 1950s? Perhaps some of the automation was a later development but would the same printing press have been in use?
The text would've been typed directly with the keyboard of the hot metal typecasting machine, without going through the tape step.
El sistema tipografico nunca lo conocí, solo oí acerca de el.
From (at least) the 10:00 mark, on....virtually _NOTHING_ has changed....from the production, reel, & mailroom ends of things...over the last _FIFTY-PLUS YEARS_ !! With...perhaps, the exception of the fact that the manpower has been whittled by about (literally!!) 80-90%! I'm a pressman at the newspaper that *Tony Soprano* used to have delivered. In the mid-80's, there were 120+ men on the markup. Today,...we have _less than_ 25, and they're looking to cut the number down by 3 more.... _BEFORE THE END OF APRIL_ ! I'll be lookin' @ "early retirement", soon,...and I'm _NOWHERE_ near [realistic] retirement age....lol.
Very nice
I worked lithograhy
Best wishes ❤
Was that The San Jise Mercury News headquarters at the opening sequence?
The old way of making toilet paper
Now the youngsters will know why the Press is called the press. LOL
I was only 2 years old in 1970.
I just turned 19 in 1973 when I started at the st.Pete times…good luck to you!!!
I was negative 14.
So much lead....!
I never worked for the Newspaper
just use a computer
All that work just to print a newspaper. Wow.