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Typefounders and Trade Journals.

One of the standing problems in the printing trade is the singular attitude taken by the English Associated Foundries towards trade journalism. It is without a parallel in any other country. For many years past the organs of the printing trade have been subjected to what may be called a « boycot » of the strictest kind by the leading typefounders. Those who are behind the scenes may know the reason—we cannot divine it. Every kindred trade and manufacture—machine-making, paper-making, engraving, printers' joinery, ink-making, with many another—is liberally advertised; but the name of an English typefounder rarely figures in a printers' organ.

The oldest trade organ, the Printers' Register, dates from 1863. Before that time a London foundry (outside of the Association) was publishing an organ called the Typographic Advertiser. It was a good paper, full of practical « wrinkles, » but chiefly devoted to pushing the products of its proprietors. The late Mr J. M. Powell, who was well known and esteemed in the trade, and held various agencies, sent an advertisement, which was declined, on the ground that the proprietors would not advertise the productions of rival houses. This killed the Advertiser, and in a few years the firm broke up, and its stock went to the hammer. A week after the advertisement was refused, Mr Powell published the first number of the Register, which stands to-day at the head of English printers' trade journals.

Following the example of the continental trade papers, Mr Powell instituted a « Typefounders' Sheet, » in which, from month to month, appeared the latest specimens of the leading foundries. These sheets were executed by the best printers in London, they were sometimes enriched with gold and colors, and the foundries engaged in an honorable emulation as to which should exhibit its novelties in the most attractive guise. We have many of these old sheets still—one, in particular, worked by Alfred Gadsby, exhibiting Figgins's « Victoria » border—is a charming specimen of color-printing.

But this suddenly came to an end. Continental and American trade papers are still largely occupied with specimen pages of type novelties; German papers sometimes come out with a bundle of finely-printed supplements exceeding in bulk all the remainder of the number; German sheets often appear in the English trade papers— an English one never.

Some time ago, to ascertain the addresses of the English founders, we searched our files of trade journals for about sixteen years back before we could discover them! And two of these addresses, by the way, we afterwards found were out of date.

One house (Caslon) has published since 1875 an excellent typefounders' organ; but the other houses ignore it as completely as they do the periodicals issued in the interest of the printing trade. For a printer in these colonies it is simply impossible to obtain regular information of the progress made by English foundries.

The attitude taken up by these manufacturers towards trade journalism is illustrated by the following extract from a letter (accompanying a specimen-book) lately received by us from a leading English foundry:

We received some copies of your trade paper Typo, for which we are obliged. The trade papers are all very much « discredited » here, and you will not find the names of any of the leading typefounders in any of these publications. We consider a copy of our specimen-book in the hands of a practical printer is worth more in the way of orders than all the advertisements that can be inserted, and we never spend money in that way; and therefore are not much in favor with the editors or proprietors of any of the numerous and worthless papers that are issued in London. We prefer the good opinion of our customers throughout the world, and advertising does not secure that.

Printers will smile at the epithet « worthless » applied indiscriminately to the English trade organs, and will wonder what is the real cause of this ill-advised hostility on the part of the founders. It will be seen that our correspondent writes as representing the views of the associated foundries generally; and such really appears to be the case, as a recent incident will shew. An agent of one of the London houses receives occasional parcels of sheets of novelties, which he distributes, chiefly through the post, to printers in this colony. Recognizing that this purpose could be more cheaply and efficiently served by issuing the sheets as supplements to Typo, he made arrangements to do so, and sent to the manufacturer for a sufficient quantity, himself undertaking the cost of distribution. To his great surprise, he received a reply stating that the firm would not circulate specimens through the medium of any trade journal.

It is possible that the original ground of offence may have consisted in the proprietors of some of the trade papers accepting agencies for American and German houses. But on the other hand, the principal authorized agents of the English typefounders in the Australian houses have accepted similar foreign agencies, and in late years have introduced large quantities of ornamental types, brass-rules, borders, and ornaments from America and Germany.

Meanwhile, the English founders are playing directly into the hands of their foreign rivals. A traveller from an Australian agency fifteen hundred miles away, paying his annual flying-visit with a pile of soiled specimen-books, and a score of other agencies to push, is a poor representative of a great manufacturer. To send a specimen-book worth a guinea, with four or five shillings postage added, to each of the hundred-and-sixty printing-offices would be an expensive advertisement. Most printers already have old books, and need only to have the novelties brought prominently before them as they appear. And one result of thus ignoring the only effective means of publicity is, that American and continental houses are rapidly occupying the field. Twelve years ago, all the type in the colony was of English manufacture. The first American type reached New Zealand in 1876; the first German type in 1877; and now every printer in the colony has American job-letter, and most of the offices have German type also. Year by year the proportion of English type grows less.

There are several reasons for this. The foreign houses are less conservative, and are ready to introduce improvements when required. The recent reform in American type-bodies—one of the greatest and most costly improvements ever introduced in any industry—is a case in point. The English foundries (with one half-hearted exception) positively refuse to make a similar change, though the trade loudly demands it. But the chief reason is, that the foreign manufacturers are guided by common sense in advertising. They recognize the value and importance of distant markets. They are careful to bring their novelties before the trade while still fresh—by fly-sheets forwarded direct, and by advertisements and specimens in trade-papers. They do not as a rule intrust important foreign markets to distant agents whose ignorance of type is extensive, and who have half-a-dozen rival concerns in hand. And they do not « boycot » the only effective medium by which they can make themselves known to « customers throughout the world. »