that seem to be making a come back,
I will not get into the debate as to whether vinyl or digital sounds better, my ears are not good enough! but I do miss the large covers that the LP records came in, and since there has been a resurgence of the old-fashioned vinyl
record album in the last few years the Stoughton Printing Company is ready to print new album covers, just as
they have since 1964, founded by Jack Stoughton, Sr. the company carries on in
the 21st century under the direction of Clay Stoughton and his brother Jack
Stoughton, Jr.,
Jack Stoughton, Jr. stands next to his company’s first
Heidelberg, I have not seen one of these Original Heidelberg platen presses
working since I was 'banged out' after a 5 year apprenticeship at the printing
company I was indentured to, leaving it in 1971, but back to the covers, on
October 1, 2016, the International Printing Museum in Carson, California, will
open an exhibition called “The Music of the Presses: The Stoughton PrintingCompany Vinyl Jacket Collection” as a part of its annual Los Angeles Printers
Fair, the show will feature about 50 Stoughton record jackets, from the 1960s
to the present, and will remain on view at the museum for several months,
if you want to read more of The Stoughton Printing Company and its history have a look here, as an aside I just had to post this video of an Heidelberg platen in action, the company where I was indentured had 4 of these,
plus 4 Heidelberg cylinder presses, and this is one at work,
the central drum you see revolving weighs just on 1 ton in weight, also in the
print shop there were others machines,
like this Wharfedale, kept despite their age because of the large sizes of paper they could print, and Shaws double sided disc ruling and perforating machines to name just 2, the noise when all were working flat out was deafening! it seems strange that the machines I was so familiar with and in some cases knew how to operate in the late 1960s are now only to be seen in museums and rare print shops, as lithography in the 1970s became a more popular or efficient form of printing than letterpress.
2 comments:
Stanley -- Thanks for your kind words. We try to combine the most modern of printing equipment (still Heidelberg) with the old world craftsmanship and pride in your work to produce world class record jackets whose quality exceeds that of the originals. We are very glad you like them.
The press shown is actually an "Ultra", not an "Original" as you stated. The "Originals" were introduced in 1950 - and this is a 1946 Windmill - manufactured in the U.S. Zone of Germany. Some of us old guys get that.
Cheers --
Jack Stoughton
Dear Jack, many thanks for your correction, here is a strange thing in the time I was apprenticed I had never herd of them called windmills although the reference is so obvious, I guess a USA/UK difference, but how amazing that companies such as yours can continue the craft, I or I should say we were brought up in, but sadly is unknown to so many today, wishing you and your company all of the best for a long a fruitful future, Stanley and Diana.
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