Printing Industry Skills

Press, Volume XCVII, Issue 28481, 10 January 1958, Page 14

Printing Industry Skills

A printer can be one of many things—an artist, craftsman, machinist, engineer or businessman. He is a man who is assured of interesting employment in a business which tends to be less affected by declines in business than manufacturing as a whole and for which the long-term trend is upward. In fact, in the more difficult and competitive periods in New Zealand the demand for printed matter seems to increase. Printing is one of New Zealand’s largest secondary industries and employs more than 80,000 persons, yet it is still a growing industry and needs about double the number of aprentices now in

training to replace the men who are near retiring. It is hard to imagine a world without printing, without books, newspapers, business forms, illustrations, printed packages and labels and countless articles which axe printed in hundreds, thousands and hundreds of thousands every day. Yet it is surprising how little is known outside the industry of its interesting techniques and processes and the variety of skilled and well paid jobs it offers. It not only ranks among the most remunerative

careers, but is creative employment which cannot be replaced by the growth of other means of communication and recording. Apprentices may be indentured

to one of these sections of the printing industry: Hand composition and display advertising. Machine composition. Linotype operating. Stereotyping. Electrotyping. Letterpress printing. Paper ruling. Guillotine paper cutting. Bookbinding. Lithographic platemaking and printing.

Process engraving. The technical college courses supply practical and theoretical training which will provide students with the efficiency demanded by modern industry.