Holmes (Burton) Films, Inc.Printing (1947)

Printing occupations, opportunities and technologies before electronics and computers changed the world.

This item is part of the collection: Prelinger Archives

Producer: Holmes (Burton) Films, Inc.
Audio/Visual: Sd, B&W
Keywords: Occupations: Printing; Communication: Printing

Creative Commons license: Public Domain

Write a review Reviews

Downloaded 6,378 times Average Rating:

Reviewer: Spuzz - - March 17, 2004
Subject: Women! Do nothing but proofread!

Pretty nice overview, if not 100 % obsolete of how a printing press was run in the olden days. Men (yes men) could look forward to employment oppurtunities such as craftsMEN, makeup MEN, stoneMEN, and the pressMAN. You women! Go do proofreading work! This is hard demanding work! Nice shots of printing presses, and setting type (no thumbing methods are shown though (or did you not see "Learning To Set Type?"

Reviewer: dynayellow - - September 9, 2003
Subject: It's all been replaced by two Macs and a Docutech.

Working in a small print/copy shop, it's hard to believe how much has changed since the days when this film was made.

It details the vocational possiblities available in setting and operating type machines. And while in some cases devices like these are used (especially in the presses), most of it has been replaced by desktop publishing software and digital printing. I recently visited a print shop that has high quality/high volume digital presses, that go right from the computer to the finished work.

As a printing hobbiest, it's fascinating to see these old machines. Great stuff.

Shotlist

ILLUSTRATES THE OPPORTUNITIES & TRAINING AVAILABLE IN THE FIELD OF PRINTING. SHOWS HAND TYPESETTING, LINOTYPE, MONOTYPE, DISPLAY, MAKE-UP & LAYOUT.

Vocational film about careers in the printing industry.




Stock shots:
giant newspaper presses letterpress: composition; presswork; bindery work; linotype operators; monotype machines;
cylinder presses; handpresses; offset presses; high speed rotary presses

Voiceovers:
"Hand composition offers the opportunity for individual expression."
"Large plants employ people, usually women who do nothing but proofread."
markup man, composition man, pressmen

Zero = first title

00:00 Newspapers on printing presses
00:31 Shelves of books
00:32 Hands holding open Bible
00:35 Hands examine business documents
00:42 Printing presses; montage of printers and presses
01:29 Typesetting and composition
02:56 Linotype machines
03:40 Monotype machines
04:38 Document being proofread; women proofreaders
05:28 Various printing presses in operation
07:28 Vocational students studying for printing apprenticeships
07:54 Students in classroom
08:00 Teenagers at printing presses and Linotype machines

PRINTING GRAPHIC ARTS COMMUNICATION INFORMATION HAND TYPESETTING LINOTYPE MONOTYPE LAYOUT DESIGN MACHINES INDUSTRY WORKERS LABOR VOCATIONAL GUIDANCE EDUCATION