H IH m H I tii i ' Class JZJ&Ml Book. R (^rigM°_ COPXRIGHT DKPOSm ■^&nA& PRINTING for PROFIT By CHARLES FRANCIS WRITTEN AFTER COMPLETING FIFTY TEARS OF PRINTING EXPERIENCE ON THREE CONTINENTS PUBLISHERS THE BOBBS-MERRILL COMPANY NEW YORK AND INDIANAPOLIS THE CHARLES FRANCIS PRESS PRINTING CRAFTS BUILDING, NEW YORK Copyright 1917 By Charles Francis JAN -2 1918 4$ ©CI.A479816 CONTENTS PAGE By Way of Preface t 5 Early Training and Experience 15 Fifty Years of Printing 27 Sketch of the Charles Francis Press 59 Making a Profit 70 Thoughts from Successful Printers 86 The Printer as a Business Man ........ 99 Profitable Financing 113 Development of Periodicals in America 127 The Making of a Magazine 139 Evolution of the Trade Catalog 152 Problems in Salesmanship 164 Taking Orders and Holding Customers 182 Advertising the Printing Office 194 The Small, the Medium and the Large Plant . . . 206 Office Management and Keeping Accounts .... 222 Managing a Composing Room 235 Securing Profit in Presswork 247 Printing Ink Problems 260 Problems in Purchasing 273 Relations with Employees 286 Growth of Trade Associations 303 The Printers' League of America 315 Estimating and Price-Making 325 Service, Efficiency and Specialization 339 Reciprocity 353 Ethical Problems of the Printer 362 Customs of the Trade 373 Leakages, Pitfalls and Mistakes 386 Index 399 LIST OF ILLUSTRATIONS Portrait Frontispiece^ The Army Press page 11 The Columbian Hand Press .page 17 A Page of the Otago "Punch" .... facing page 18^ A "Hoe" of the Crop of 1860 page 26 The Job of Twelve Curves page 32 Filigree Type Composition . . .* . . . . page 33 Specimens of "Fancy Printing" . . . facing page 35 K A Sample of Rule Twisting .... facing page 35^ Some Old Timers facing page 46^ Nearly Forgotten Processes .... facing page 58 Form of Acceptance Blank facing page 186' Specimens of Charles Francis Press Advertising, facing page 196"" A Print Shop of Antwerp 250 Years Ago . facing page 240 x Part of a Modern Comfosing Room . facing page 240" A Blind Printer's Composition .... facing page 246 ' Three Interesting Union Cards . . . facing page 314 v ' By Way of Preface OF the making of books there is no end, and as it is almost a proverb that there is no profit or money to be made in the printing business, and as a very unique experience has fallen to my lot, I venture to contribute for those who wish for informa- tion the experiences of one who has risen from the ranks without monetary assistance from relatives or friends, except in a business way. Many of those who have made printing their life work have found few pleasures for themselves in this precarious occupation, yet I have found a peculiar joy in the business from the moment I entered as clerk in a stationery store at the Antipodes. There is and always has been an innate desire to excel as a workman and as an employer, and to keep a strict watch upon the customer's requirements; to advise with him if his campaign seemed wrong; not to force upon him the work which would be most profitable for the printer, but to find that happy medium which would best suit his particular business. There is a wonderful satisfaction in doing good printing. The general customer and the public appreciate the printer who does his work promptly in the manner desired, and many are willing to pay for such printing "done right and on time." So that by following out these lines it is made fairly profitable and worth the effort and ambition of any follower of Gutenberg. 5 PRINTING FOR PROFIT It has also come as a matter of experience that an unexpected number of friends are to be made in print- ing — friends among employees, friends among custom- ers, friends among supply people, friends among com- petitors. And these are prized more than the material reward of having been able to develop one of the largest and busiest printeries in the great metropolis of New York, in which city it is estimated that one- twelfth of the world's printing is produced. Because so many of my fellow craftsmen express themselves vigorously in denunciation of printing as a business involving much overwork, small thanks and less profit, I have titled this book "Printing for Profit," believing that it will be this view that will attract most readers, though for my own part, working for a money profit was never my preeminent idea. I believed it a duty to see that a profit was secured from every piece of printing, because of a realization that if there was no profit, it would sooner or later be a case for the sheriff. It is incomprehensible why printers should work at cost, much less below cost, and the arguments for neglecting overhead charges are wholly inconsis- tent. So I have always seen to it that a profit was charged on every bit of printing that went through my estab- lishment, even if it was not always collected. But the thing of most personal interest was making an effect- ive appeal to my prospective clientele, doing good printing and giving it good service. Every job of printing is meant to be read, and is issued in the hope and desire that it may produce certain results. The printer should ever feel a vivid interest in 6 BY WAY OF PREFACE doing his best to get, for the customer who pays for printing, the thing he seeks for through that printing. I have tried to put myself in the customer's place, and. consider what he wanted, and what he was trying to do, and sought to serve that end, as well as to do a fine job of printing. In these days this would be called the psychological side of printing, but to me it was simply plain common sense. Good paper, clear type, neat arrangement, sharp impression and full count are only details lead- ing to an end, and if that end is lost sight of the most beautiful specimen of art printing may be a failure. The printed program for a concert is obviously wasted if delivered when the concert is half over, and while the manufacturer's need for a catalog may be less specifically tied to a day and hour, yet he may be a much greater loser by delay ; hence it is apparent that delivery on time is quite as important as delivery of good quality of workmanship. It is not expected that the mere reading of these pages will enable a printer to turn a loss into a profit ; the work is not published with any promise of serving as an infallible guide to success. The purpose is sim- ply to record some of the principles and experiences which enabled the writer to build up a large business from the smallest sort of beginning. It is time that printing received its proper rec- ognition as one of the greatest of world industries, the thing that makes civilization possible, the art that permits cooperation among mankind. No edu- cation worthy of the name, no industrial progress, no general dissemination of knowledge, no devel- 7 PRINTING FOR PROFIT opment of the mechanic arts, nor of chemistry and science, would be possible without the art of printing as a basis. Printing is not only the third largest industry of the United States, but quite as important as the iron and steel trade, the lumber and timber business, or the banking and brokerage profession. It is true that the United States census has for some years classed print- ing as the sixth manufacturing industry, but this is through an unintentional juggling of figures that mis- represent conditions. The census tables themselves contain the information that printing ranks third, though that is not the classification employed by the U. S. Census Bureau in its Bulletins and most of its tables. The census classifications, made for general publica- tion, are arbitrary, made to suit the convenience of the compilers. In the case of meat packing and slaughtering, of foundries and machine shops, of lum- ber and timber, etc., the tabulators have included the value of the raw materials as a part of the industry's totals, while in the case of printing and publishing the Census Bureau has separated the chief raw materials (paper and pulp) and made them a different classifica- tion. By this system meat-packing is credited with the value of the animals slaughtered, which properly belong to the farm, and it is rated as the first indus- try, whereas it should be the thirteenth. In an oppo- site manner, printing and publishing, by exclusion of paper and pulp, sinks to the level of the sixth indus- try, when it should rate as the third manufacturing industry, all raw materials unconsidered. 8 BY WAY OF PREFACE One aim of the present work is to make clear the modern conditions surrounding printing as a manu- facturing industry; to demonstrate that, while it is an art, it has developed to such commercial proportions as to present broad manufacturing problems, very dif- ferent from those which confronted printers of the last century, and requiring recognition for the future progress of the industry. Like other manufacturing, it tends to specialization, and the money makers in print- ing today are those who have most successfully de- veloped some special line of work, doing it either bet- ter, faster or cheaper than before, and in many cases making progress in all three of these fundamentals of success. Nearly all printing is advertising or carries adver- tising, and the successful printer now must know something of publicity and methods of conducting advertising campaigns. Editions of printed matter have increased enormously, with the growth of this great country, and as our relations with the world broaden they will still further increase. The American printer of today supplies reading and advertising mainly for American consumption, but the printer of tomorrow must be prepared for the pro- duction of literature destined to reach the entire habi- table globe. Our industry, from its very nature, must continue to lead other industries, and upon the quality of our printing product will the America of the future be judged in the markets of the world. Let us rise to the occasion, and be prepared to supply a war-weary world not only with mental food, but the practical assistance which will come from the replacement of 9 PRINTING FOR PROFIT guns and munitions with implements of peace and in- dustry. Let us recognize that the printing craft here is the mouthpiece of all American industry, and that we are the advance agents of liberty and prosperity, destined to carry messages of practical utility to our brothers in other lands. Let us never forget that there is a higher profit than mere money; that the doing of good work, the spread- ing of constructive printed literature, often has a value immeasurable in dollars. Let us put that spirit into our work which makes for those larger benefits to mankind which cannot come except through right thoughts widely disseminated, and honest work done for the love of honest work. These opening explanations are made to guard against the possible first impression of the reader that it is only the money profit that has spurred me on to giving this book to my fellow craftsmen. If I write about myself a good deal, please remember that it is because I know best that which has most nearly con- cerned me, and not from a desire to exploit my person- ality, realizing that if my contribution is to be of any added value to the literature of printing, it must be through the record of facts and experiences rather than the promulgation of theories and impressions. This is primarily a business book, but I have tried to present everything from a standpoint higher than the mere coining of dollars. While recognizing the necessity of measuring much of the progress of our industry by the popular commercial standard of money, yet I feel that we make real progress only as we make our surroundings harmonious, and that 10 BY WAY OF PREFACE this always entails a development in that brotherhood which is willing to live and let live, which desires only a fair profit, and is unselfishly glad to see others also reaping a fair return. I have sought a profit not only in dollars, but in character, and the esteem of my fellows in the world of ink and types. If I have won the latter I am indeed rich; if only the former then am I poor. Therefore in urging "Printing for Profit" on the craft, I desire to be understood as urging profit in the broad sense of "Any accession or increase of good from labor and exertion, ,, this being the excellent definition found in the Standard Dictionary. THE ARMY PRESS, POPULAR IN 1863 (From an old print.) 11 PRINTING FOR PROFIT Early Training and Experience MORE than fifty years ago a long-limbed youth in Tasmania was invited to learn the printing business, and offered a salary of 2s. 6d. a week (62 cents) as an inducement. He took the matter home for consideration and digestion, talked it over with his mother, decided that he liked it better than compound- ing cathartics for a country druggist, and within a few days he was bound by the apprentice papers then cus- tomary. I was that lad, and can truly say after all these years, that I am glad I made the choice, for I like printing, always have liked it, and believe that is one reason why a certain degree of success has crowned my efforts. Tasmania is one of the Polynesian islands, south of Australia, and used to be called Van Diemen's Land. It is a British possession, and a lovely spot in the ocean, but hardly large enough for business progress, and it was but natural that I should move on to New Zealand, to London, and to the United States, where printing has attained its highest development. Fortunately they had a way in those days of trans- ferring apprenticeship papers, and this made it easy when one had learned all he could in one shop to move to another. In New Zealand I landed in a printing of- fice at Invercargill, continuing my apprenticeship work in the daytime for eight hours, as the shorter work- day was in vogue there a generation before it devel- oped in America. Having surplus ambition, I shortly took up also with a night job of feeding a cylinder 15 PRINTING FOR PROFIT press for a local morning paper. Thus I was on duty sixteen hours a day, for which I was paid the munificent sum of sixteen shillings a week. The night job of feed- ing involved lapses, however, during which I curled up on the feed-board and went to sleep. I believe this con- tinuous work was good for me, as it gave me no spare time to get into mischief, and while there was no great White Way to tempt the youth of Invercargill and empty his pockets, yet it tended to develop right habits at the formative period of my career. Cylinder press-feeding never was an intellectual em- ployment, and while it was not necessary to push down the sheets as rapidly in 1865 as is now required, it was still hard and monotonous work, and I was responsible for the product in a way that modern feeders are not. The experience has caused me ever to cherish a fellow feeling for the press-feeder, and to sympathize with the dreary character of his employment. Those early days were not all toil, and the office rou- tine was enlivened at times by the same sort of appren- tice-boy pranks that we see played today, and in which I often figured as the chief actor. We had holidays too, in fact New Zealand is the best country for holidays on the globe, and I verily believe that if conditions there were better understood in America we would pattern our civilization in many ways after the Antipodes. We have much to learn from them in the way of working out the principles of human equality. A healthy young fellow in his teens who loves print- ing can do a lot of work without wearing out, but after some months I had a full dose of sixteen hours per diem, and secured a transfer of my apprentice papers to Dun- 16 EARLY TRAINING AND EXPERIENCE edin, the capital of Otago Province, and a lively little city. During the happy years spent in Dunedin two printing offices claimed me, and I joined the printers' union and became a full-fledged journeyman on the strength of five years' (assumed) experience. A lot of night work must have figured as two days in one to THE COLUMBIAN HAND PRESS (From an old print.) make it full five years, but anyway I knew the trade, so far as it was known in those parts, and could set type with the best of them, while I held the local record for production on the Columbian hand press. Ferguson & Mitchell, of Otago, maintained a large office for that date, and actually had fifty hand presses. There are few printers either of that day or this who ever saw fifty hand presses in one shop. There are 17 PRINTING FOR PROFIT plenty of machines today with a larger output than these whole fifty would deliver ; still it was a large office for the time and place. The firm was enterprising, for in 1865 came the first job cylinder Wharf edale press imported into New Zealand. Nobody appeared to know how to set it up, for the makers were 16,000 miles away, so a volunteer was called for. Here my experience in feeding the cylinder at Invercargill was useful ; having studied the machine in my care, and observed its mech- anism closely. So I volunteered, and was able to get the machine together, and make it run satisfactorily, which was quite a feather in my cap, and I was promptly raised ten shillings a week. After a time the Otago Punch, a weekly illustrated newspaper, was looking for a printer to undertake its mechanical production, and the foreman I had worked with in Invercargill invited me to join him, and take over a small plant to handle the job. Some $1,500 in money was required as my share of capital, and this I was able to supply partly from my savings, but mainly because my exercise and fad had been sculling, in which I was proficient as an amateur, and had accumulated over $1,000 in cash prizes. My success at the oar was so pronounced that I was invited to become a profes- sional, and I sometimes wonder that I resisted the call to my favorite sport, which at that time was much more profitable than printing. However, the money made in sculling races went into the little printing office, and I took my first lesson in business, besides doing nearly all the work on the paper with my own hands, even to delivering copies to subscribers, and when we got through was $400 in 18 DUXKJUX. SATI l;l)AV. JAXL AKY Driver. M'Lean . & Co., B. BAGLEY, PlUCIS 6D. ' atUl $Of ^ fit , SPECIALTIES I 13© UKS ST., CHICA60, / ^OMA^ALTHR p^-;5 THE JOB OF TWELVE CURVES the form. About 1875 the curved line craze was at its height; the sample here shown was produced in the Inter-Ocean office in Chicago in that year. It was con- sidered remarkable that this card was composed in only five hours, including lock-up, and sent to press without plaster of paris. In this instance the customer set the style, for the work was produced in imitation of his drawing. In connection with the filigree faces of type, there came into fashion numerous series of very complex com- bination borders, many of which were individually 32 FIFTY YEARS OF PRINTING beautiful, as the famous ribbon border, remembered by all printers whose memories go back into the seven- #P^P^II ■.•-.-.• iTAD^isura ioia. ~^ DAILY ».WE EKLY.^D K *;>%} TKS OHIY DEMOCRATIC PAPER PUBLISHED AT TSS CAPITAL SPECIMEN C,OPIES SENT FREE. W'daniS £. Sfoc/wt; S'lop'i, little eock; a^k. FILIGREE TYPE COMPOSITION — SHOWING FACES POPULAR IN THE "70's" ties. The tendency was to employ them much too freely. Portions of these borders could be grouped as tints, and this opened the way for innumerable ornate and colored combinations of rules, borders, tints and types. 33 PRINTING FOR PROFIT The Arkansas Gazette job, illustrated herewith, was produced in Little Rock in 1878, as an insert for the local directory, and it fairly represents the colored bor- der effects sought in that period. The average job compositor of those days was much like he is now in his desire to produce something new and novel, something to surpass other productions, and the curve-line idea having once got a start, spread far and wide. It was taken up by the type founders, who manufactured what were called curved quads, being made in pairs, with a curved surface on one side and rectangular notches on the other side, so that lines set between the curved opposite surfaces could be locked up solid, metal to metal, in the form. The art of the curve artist survived only a few years. In modern practice, when curves are wanted, the pen and ink artist, cooperating with the zinc etcher, supplies a vastly more artistic result at less cost. All art is an evolution, and the progress of printing art can be traced by taking the files of the older trade papers or the specimen sheets of the typefounders for a period of years. In the library of the American Type Founders' Co. in Jersey City the curious printer will find a most interesting record of progress from the crude ideas of early American typos, through the fili- gree period, the curve period, the border and tint pe- riod, and all the other fads that led up to the modern dignified and substantially beautiful productions. These "crazes" or "fads" are now remembered only by the older printers, who lived through them, but the younger generation can study them only by looking over collec- tions. 34 A SAMPLE OF RULE-TWISTING (The original was in three colors.) T ^ D ^S & BLOCH^ Pn/rlltui Arkaasti Suiiii. BLANK BOOK MANUFACTURERS. LITTLE ROCK, ^.mC^ft-IsrS^^S. £ar$e6t «* Jforf £omj>(ete Jot fyfict « Sindeiy in the Southmit. GAZETTE. COMBINATION BORDERS AND FILAGREE TYPE, 1878. SPECIMENS OF "FANCY" PRINTING FIFTY YEARS OF PRINTING From the funeral pyre of the curve craze there arose phoenix-like the still more abnormal rule-twisting craze. Some ingenious compositor discovered that with thin brass rule he could form curlicues and wiggles, and mix them in with the types, and he got credit for doing artis- tic work. He soon had many imitators, and then the supply houses, scenting an opportunity to sell more brass rule and rule-cutters, boomed the twisting craze, and even went to selling special nippers and curving machines with which to twist and curl the rules. Rule-twisting is now of principal interest only as a step in the development of artistic typography. It ran its course and was dropped at the dawn of the photo- engraving era, because it was overdone, and the gain in effect by no means compensated for the extravagant waste of time and material. So it was gradually frozen out, to the great regret of many a budding type artist. The sample of rule-twisting here shown was produced originally in colors in Louisville, Ky., in 1882, when this art of destroying material and wasting time was at its height. I had to cut the tints as well as the rules my- self. Every job compositor then had a set of engraving tools. The incoming of zinc etching showed the printer a far better and cheaper way of securing artistic re- sults only approached by the rule-twister. THE PHOTO-ENGRAVING PERIOD The cheap mechanical production of pictures by the photo-gelatine process and the ruled glass screen re- sulted in the modern half-tone plate. This process, to- gether with the photographing of drawings direct on a 35 PRINTING FOR PROFIT zinc plate, and etching and routing them for mounting and direct printing, was the basis of the photo-engrav- ing business, and this art marks the point of departure from the old ideas of printing to the modern truly taste- ful product. Up to 1885 the woodcut was supreme in the field of illustration, and its high cost — about $5 an inch for the best work — was prohibitive for general commercial printing. The photo-engraver carved the way to a new era, which opened up along several different but harmonious lines of development. The advent of the half-tone picture called for dry, hard-surfaced paper, and this meant a hard printing surface instead of the rubber blanket on the cylinder. So came about the era of hard packing and a deal of fancy overlaying and underlaying of cuts to bring them to perfection. This in turn called for heavier presses, and the multiplicity of half-tones demanded better ink distribution. The result was the discarding of the old drum cylinder press, and also dispensing with the Adams book press. These were outclassed first by the stop-cylinder, and later by the two-revolution, which has been so highly developed. Thus the printing business experienced within a few years a radical change in engravings, an entirely new line of papers, as well as new presses, so that the com- bination almost revolutionized the mechanical opera- tions of the trade. About this time the point system of type bodies was adopted, doing away with the irregular sizes previously in vogue. Right upon the heels of these radical changes came composing machinery, completely overturning methods of type composition. 36 FIFTY YEARS OF PRINTING MACHINE TYPESETTING A SUCCESS About 1882 the Thorne typesetting machines got a foothold in New York, and various good offices used them with reduced costs. The Empire and MacMillan typesetting machines also came into some use in Amer- ica, while the Fraser in England and the Kastenbein in Germany each served a part in demonstrating that the machine could win out against the hand compositor. It was at this time, 1886 to 1888, that the slug machine came to the front, and the printing world was exer- cised for a time over the possibilities of the Rogers and the Mergenthaler machines. The trade papers of the period were filled with announcements of the accomplishments of the linotype and the typograph. Out of this chaos of invention, and after many lawsuits, the linotype came into the limelight sponsored and owned very largely by a circle of newspaper proprietors who were the first to recognize its merits. As we all know, the Mergenthaler linotype machine won out under the guidance and with the business and mechanical acumen of Philip T. Dodge, first capturing the field of the large daily newspapers, which were sat- isfied with the crude work of the earlier machines be- cause of greatly reduced costs; and, through steady improvement in the quality of the output, gradually working into the book and job printing offices, and final- ly coming to be accepted as all that was desirable both in fine work and low cost. The linotypes have now at- tained a general utility undreamed of in the earlier years of machine composition. As the half-tone plate revolutionized the pressroom, the linotype has revolutionized the composing room, 37 PRINTING FOR PROFIT substituting the line instead of the individual type as the unit. One operator sets as much type as five or six men can do by hand, and takes up less floor space, while the solid slugs make easier handling on the stone, and permit a much larger quantity of type to be kept stand- ing for the customer's convenience. One machine, run by one man, now handles half a dozen faces at once, and changes of measure, face, and body are made with ease. In the old days books were printed by setting up 32 to 64 pages, sending proofs of these to the author for cor- rection, then printing two to four forms as the case might be, returning the type to the cases, and setting up another section. In few offices was it possible to set up more than 64 pages at a time, because of the value of the type tied up in a book. Since the linotype came to be generally used for book composition it has been possible to set up a large book complete in a few days, and the entire work can be put through the printery in the same time that was formerly occupied in handling a 64-page sec- tion of a book. The magazines have found the linotype quite as valuable as the book publishers. Through their use monthly magazines are now manufactured much after the manner of a daily newspaper. A magazine printery, such as the Charles Francis Press, which is- sues some magazine every business day, moves with the accuracy of clockwork. The editors send in batches of copy, with orders that the proofs be returned within five or six hours, and day and night shifts of linotypes and proofreaders are necessary to meet their demand for haste. 38 FIFTY YEARS OF PRINTING The advertising forms are closed by a time clock almost as positively as with a great daily paper. Thus the linotype has made it possible for magazines of large circulation to use up-to-date articles in their reading pages and keep open for advertising until within a day or two of the date of issue. The late models have so many improvements and conveniences, providing for rapid changes of all sorts, for handling corrections eco- nomically, etc., that on moving into the Printing Crafts Building the management of the Charles Francis printery deemed it good policy to throw out its old linotype machines and install an entirely new plant of the latest construction, resulting in an improved ef- ficiency of 20 per cent, and in some classes of work 30 per cent. Along the closing years of the nineteenth century an- other move for assisting mechanical composition was made. For certain classes of composition there exists and apparently always will exist a demand for individ- ual movable types. Into this field came the monotype, casting and setting single type in lines, and spacing them evenly and accurately. Like the linotype it pro- duces a new face of type at every operation, and dis- tribution is accomplished by throwing the used type back into the melting pot. It is claimed by the Mono- type Company that their letters are more clear cut than others, and that tabular and difficult matter can be more easily produced by their machines. There is the disad- vantage, however, of having to employ two machines for the complete operation. One machine, much like a typewriter, perforates a strip of paper, and this paper strip being rolled and carried to the typecaster, and 39 PRINTING FOR PROFIT inserted tail end first, makes and sets up the type back- wards. The perforated paper strip can be used several times over to repeat the composition, if desired. This can also be done with the linotype, by duplicating the cast- ing and afterward separating the lines. The monotype has been for some years in universal use alongside the linotype, and both have their individual points of ex- cellence. One of the later developments of monotype activities is the bringing of the typecaster direct into the printing office, making the large printer his own founder. The monotype demonstrated the advantage of having an in- exhaustible supply of type sorts convenient to the com- posing room, and this company put out a casting ma- chine, which also produces quads, rules, and slugs. An- other typecaster which has attained considerable promi- nence, and which is at least the equal of the monotype caster, is the Thompson typecaster, used in many large printing offices to keep the cases full of display type. Still other casters are on the market, and it appears that the larger printeries are now established as mak- ing a large proportion of their own type. THE COMPOSING OR IMPOSING ROOM The detail of the composing room has undergone a change scarcely less radical than the substitution of the machine for the type-case. The hand-man has be- come largely a maker-up or assembler, and his depart- ment might more properly be styled an imposing room. He has to set from cases little but headings, large dis- play and odd things not well adapted to the machine. He 40 FIFTY YEARS OF PRINTING works with labor-saving material of all sorts. The es- tablishment of the point system of bodies made possible a development of uniform sizes of slugs and rules, adapted to fit in perfectly with the type. The slug and rule caster makes it easy to produce these in quantities at low cost. With both wood and metal furniture of known sizes, time is no longer wasted on the stone. We still use the term stone, though the iron or steel imposing table has taken its place, just as the steel stick replaced the wooden stick. LABOR-SAVING STEEL EQUIPMENT The Hempel quoin, now over 40 years old, was the forerunner of steel conveniences for the form; then came steel furniture for filling in blanks in either form or press-bed. Latterly the "cut cost" steel equipment is driving out wooden stands, cabinets and sort boxes, and making a miniature composing room of every alley, as the spaces between the stands are called. Another val- uable metal adjunct is the steel block with adjustable catches for fastening all sizes and shapes of electros, so that they may be readily and certainly positioned for register or color work. Imposition, which is the proper arrangement of pages on the stone, has also undergone many changes. Fifty years ago, a 32-page form was almost the conceivable limit, and the folding by hand required only one style of arrangement for a 32, one for a 24, another for a 16, a 12, an 8 and a 4. All these could be learned in a couple of hours, so that any compositor could be a make-up man. But the introduction of large forms and folding machines of numerous styles has resulted in an 41 PRINTING FOR PROFIT almost infinite variety of make-ups, requiring a mathe- matical artist who specializes in the placing of pages to know how to lay them out. Large cylinder presses and correspondingly large size sheets have made the printing of 64 pages at a time a common matter, and as such a sheet is too bulky for folding it is commonly made up so as to be sliced into 16s, which may be accomplished in several different ways, according to the folders used, and involving a special make-up in each instance. When one remem- bers that there are also 128s, 48s, 40s, 24s, 20s, 12s, besides long 16s, long 32s, and an almost endless choice of combination among these, it is apparent that imposi- tion has become a specialty. IN THE PRESSROOM In 1866 a very large proportion of job printing was done on Washington hand presses and small job presses, as the sentiment of that time was that it was impossible to do a fine piece of presswork at such an incredible speed as 800 an hour. There were a few cylinder presses in use and double cylinders and three-revolutions, most- ly for newspaper printing or posters, and some of them were run by steam power, but more of them were run by hand power, a fly-wheel and crank being supplied for operation by some poor "husky." My, but it was tough work, and it used up the laborers who could be induced to tackle it, so that often young printers in an office had to take turns at the wheel. There were also a lot of odd machines, of which the Army press (see p. 11) is typical. These presses were altogether different from the beautifully finished and 42 FIFTY YEARS OF PRINTING accurately designed cylinder machines of today, and would look very crude to a modern printer. They were built light, with a railway track underneath the bed, and a tumbling pinion that reciprocated the bed, giving it a sharp reversal. Usually there were no springs, and if speeded up, as was sometimes the case in newspaper offices, they went to pieces rapidly. Two form rollers were considered quite sufficient, and register was ques- tionable until Andrew Campbell gave the trade the big wheel press with bed and cylinder so locked together that register was positive. The first fine color work I know of produced by cylinders was done on Campbell presses in the old McLoughlin Brothers shop, in Brook- lyn, where school books were produced. The Campbell country press was the first low-priced cylinder machine in this country, and in its day was sold to about two- thirds of the country printers of the United States. The Campbell complete press and book and job press were worthy successors. FROM HAND PRESS TO WEB PERFECTER The book work of the forties and fifties came largely from the Washington hand press. The first really fine book work was done on the Adams presses, built by Hoe. These gave register, fair distribution, and per- mitted make-ready, and were so efficient that some of them survived into the present century in the great printing plants of Harpers and DeVinne, and at this writing there are a few in use in Boston. They were more than twice as speedy as the hand press, readily running 500 to 600 an hour for the large sizes. Besides the Hoes, the manufacturers of drum cylin- 43 PRINTING FOR PROFIT der presses in the United States about fifty years ago were A. B. Taylor, Cottrell & Babcock, Andrew Camp- bell, and C. Potter, Jr., most of the product being for country newspapers, though a sale was beginning for city job offices. The Wharfedale printing press, man- ufactured in England, supplied a similar field there, and was exported to Australia and New Zealand. The first cylinder press brought into New Zealand for other than newspaper work was a Wharfedale, which I set up there in 1865 or 1866. At the same period Germany was turning out cylinder presses from the factory of Koenig & Bauer, who are to the printing fraternity of the Fatherland what Hoe is to America. With two exceptions these drum cylinders of fifty years ago were largely based on the principles made successful by D. Napier, of England, who took out pat- ents in 1825 to 1830, and introduced the well-known railroad bed movement. The exceptions were Koenig & Bauer, who mounted their beds on a four-wheeled truck for reciprocation, and Andrew Campbell, who was al- ways original in his inventions and manufactured a nearly "fool-proof " machine well suited to the times and conditions. OTHER FAMOUS PRESS-BUILDERS Walter Scott began building printing presses in Plainfield,N. J., over 40 years ago, and developed a long line of improved machinery, from country cylinders to complex web perfecters and lithographic presses. He was a man of most striking appearance, weighing 250 pounds and having a handsome beard that came to his waistband. He is credited with taking out more pat- ents than any other designer of printing machinery. 44 FIFTY YEARS OF PRINTING The Acme and Fairhaven presses attained some sale in New England after the Civil War period. About 40 years ago the Whitlock press appeared, at Birmingham, Conn., as a very light machine employing the Henry bed movement, a vastly different thing from the Premier press that they are introducing so widely today. The Taylors built cylinders, three-revolutions and double cylinders, mostly following the Hoe designs, but lacking originality, dropped out. Cottrell & Bab- cock separated, and we have now the fine line of maga- zine presses and the rotary color press developed by the second generation of Cottrells, while the name of Bab- cock survives in the well-known Optimus machine. As a better quality of work was demanded, the stop cylinder appeared, which was heralded as the perfect registering press because the cylinder stopped to take the sheet. But hustling American printers could not long be satisfied with a press that stopped at every im- pression, and gradually the more rapid two-revolution began to take its place. The demand for still better and stronger cylinder machines, with improved ink distribu- tion, caused a still further development, and in the early nineties the Huber and the Miehle Companies brought out two-revolution machines that largely outclassed their rivals, and set new high marks for press-builders. Miehle deserves credit for bringing about the perfec- tion of bed movements, driving the bed with an even motion and reversing it with a pure crank motion, and it was this ideal construction, together with minor all- around improved detail, that gave this press such a pronounced lead in the press market. In recent years the two-color machine has brought them increased prestige. 45 PRINTING FOR PROFIT R. Hoe & Co. of New York and Marinoni of Paris built hand-fed type-revolvers and stereo machines 50 or 60 years ago. Hoe & Co. practically abandoned the two- revolution press field 25 years ago, being engrossed in the manufacture of web newspaper presses, in which they were followed by Scott, Goss, and more recently by the Duplex Company of Battle Creek. C. B. Cottrell & Sons Co. were among the first to recognize the need for a web perfecting press which would do a higher grade of printing than the then-existing newspaper web machine. Hoe also built slow-running magazine web presses, and Scott and Goss provided many ingenious mechanisms that have come into use. For numerous improvements in this field the trade is indebted to Mr. Seymour of the Goss Printing Press Co. The original Hoe perfecter of 1873 was equipped for fly delivery, which limited its speed. Walter Scott & Co. have built an all-size rotary since 1881, and their sheet-fed rotary also fills a useful place. A recent addition to rotary printing is the United Print- ing Machinery Co.'s two-sheet rotary press. This unique machine utilizes two feeding devices, and will print two different large forms at the same time from curved plates, having double delivery. One or both sheets may be slit on the press, and the half sheets satisfactorily jogged. The tripping of impression of one form of cyl- inder does not interfere with the printing of the other form. High grade work is produced at a speed of 5,000 per hour. A variety of other rotary machines have been mar- keted, too many to catalog here, but one of these re- quires mention. The Cottrells have lately perfected 46 MARINON1S 6-SHEE1 STEREO PRKSS, 1860-1 SOME OLD TIMERS FIFTY YEARS OF PRINTING a multicolor rotary press that prints four colors at one operation from the web, delivering a very excellent product in absolute register. PLATEN AND JOB PRESSES The Gordon and the Degener (Liberty) platen presses held the world's market fifty years ago, having replaced several cruder machines, as the Ruggles. Their great merit was simplicity, and the Gordon which has sur- vived has done so because it is the simplest of the many designs of the talented George P. Gordon, the father of the Chandler & Price press, which has the distinction of enjoying the largest output of any press ever built for printing. The cylinder type of distribution for Job presses was first conspicuous in the Globe press, which gave way before the Gaily Universal machine, this in turn grad- ually relinquishing the field to the Thompson press, made by the Colt's Armory people, which appears to be the acme of strength, and combines all the fine printing qualities of the larger cylinder machines. The rotating disk presses have been innumerable, and two of these which are highly developed deserve note here, the Gold- ing and the Prouty. Within recent years there have come into use such a variety of rapid platen and job cylinder machines that it is impossible to even enumerate them, much less to expatiate upon their respective merits. Some are built entirely for speed, others for quality, or for embossing, and still others for labor-saving. Most of these are self- feeders or automatic or semi-automatic machines. Among them may be mentioned the Standard press of 47 PRINTING FOR PROFIT Wood & Nathan, the Autopress, Kelly, Osterlind, New- Era, Stokes & Smith, etc. The Harris presses are in a class by themselves. They came into favor twenty years ago, supplying the gap between the rapid large web press and the slower single sheet jobbers. By mounting curved electros on a cyl- inder, and using an automatic feed, they attained a high speed, and the chief difficulty of the first users of these machines was to find enough work to keep them busy. Encouraged by their first success with a small machine chiefly useful for envelope work, the Harris people set to work building larger and more complicated machines, extending their field of usefulness, and finally estab- lished their present full series of small cylinder auto- matic rotaries. The latest important development in machinery for fine printing is unquestionably the Offset press. This machine naturally belongs to the lithographer, but as in the days gone by, and even now in Europe, the litho and letterpress-printer combine the two methods of production in certain high-class work, it seems likely that we may again close the gap, and work more in uni- son, lithographic and typographic effects being obtained in the same establishment. The Offset press not only produces a very attractive grade of printing, but per- mits illustrated effects of great beauty on paper of low cost, that is, thin non-surfaced paper, and is therefore adapted to the printing of illustrated catalogs that are issued in great numbers. It offers special conveni- ence for combining text and illustrations, and is gener- ally regarded as destined to a much-extended field of usefulness. 48 FIFTY YEARS OF PRINTING LACK OF SKILLED ARTISTIC PRESSMEN I cannot dismiss this all too brief resume of the growth of the printing press in the half century, with- out referring to the scarcity of proper instruction in the better classes of presswork. There are now so many complex and ingenious special printing machines that it is hard enough to find men who understand more than two or three different kinds of presses, let alone finding those that are naturally artists in presswork. Such wonderful effects are now being produced by the com- bination of real art with the best presswork, that it is highly regrettable there exists so little opportunity for making more art pressmen. Practically the only school for pressmen exists in Rogersville, Tenn., and is run by the International Printing Pressmen and Assistants' Union. It would be a step forward if the employers' as- sociations and this union could agree on a method of providing such instruction in New York and perhaps other large cities. THE ART OF THE PLATEMAKER Although electrotyping was known fifty years ago, it was not practised, and in 1866 the book printers of Lon- don and New York stereotyped their pages to preserve them for the printing of further editions. Probably the volume of book printing was then less than five per cent, of what it is now, and the demands for really long runs did not exist. While stereotyping has proved the solution of the rapid newspaper press problem, it is too coarse and crude for fine printing, and the art of elec- trotyping which had its beginnings in the copper-facing of type and cuts, came to be a recognized industry about 49 PRINTING FOR PROFIT 1870. Since that date it has advanced rapidly, and is now the accepted method of duplicating indefinitely for innumerable printings at different times and places. If a million copies of a circular are to be printed from the one original type form, as many electros as desired may be produced, to start any desired number of presses on the job, or to permit several to be printed up at one impression on large sheets. The highest grade of en- gravings can be so exactly duplicated that only experts can discover the difference of printing from these and from the originals, and, since nickel and steel facing came in, it is possible to make electros so durable as to exceed all demand for long runs. The convenient curved electrotype has made possible the magazine web presses and Harris machines, and without this art the beautifully illustrated magazine of large circulation would be impossible. IMPROVEMENTS IN FOLDING, FEEDING AND BINDING Up to 1880 nearly everything in the pamphlet bind- ing line was done entirely by hand, as stitching, gather- ing and covering. While a small proportion of these operations are performed in the same way today, great editions are turned out entirely by machinery, which has come about through the quantities of work called for by the consumer. In these days the curved electro- plates of a magazine are placed upon a web printing press, and the roll of paper is printed, cut off, brought together, folded and ends cut in front, before leaving the press. The product is then taken over to the bind- ing machine, which at one operation gathers signatures, wire-stitches and covers the magazine, and counts them 50 FIFTY YEARS OF PRINTING out in fives at the rate of 2,500 or 3,000 per hour, mak- ing only two operations from the time the work leaves the platemaker. All this has been made possible by the perfection of folding and gathering machinery. The paper-folding machine was born late in the sixties, though folders were not common until about 1880. They were devel- oped as separate machines, and at first their work was regarded as irregular and inferior to hand folding; but gradually the principles of handling paper became better understood and it was found practicable to print larger and larger forms of both magazines and books, depending upon the folders to bring the pages together. The invention of the rotary folder was one of the things which made possible the fast web perfecting presses. The perfection of the paper-feeding machine has re- duced labor, saved time, saved paper, and developed a uniform product. The folder has undergone a transformation, largely through the inventive genius of Talbot C. Dexter, be- ginning with the simple little machines, that were hand- fed, and which passed a sheet by doubling between roll- ers two or three times, and culminating with the large machines combined with wire-stitchers, so that both the body and cover of a publication can be automatically fed into the same machine and delivered complete and counted. Jobbing folders have come to be built to meet a variety of demands, so that now the Dexter Com- pany, with offices in all the large cities of the United States, provides a folder for every class of printing. The small shop can use a circular folder, such as the Cleveland, to advantage, just as well as the big shop can 51 PRINTING FOR PROFIT run a battery of large folders on a large edition, and turn it out in a few days' time. Cloth binding has made advances as great as paper binding. The cloth book bindery is now a large institu- tion, often with from $30,000 to $100,000 worth of machinery. Where the workers used to laboriously fold the sheets by hand with a ruler, they are fed automati- cally to the folding machines, and a large edition may be folded in a day. The hand gatherer's job is gone, and with it his inaccuracies, for one no longer finds sections of a book or magazine transposed or omitted. The gath- ering machine does not blunder, but brings together the sections of a book with unerring accuracy. Where the workman with a shears and glue-pot used to form his cover by hand, the casing machine, from a roll of cloth and a pile of paper boards, now automatically turns out some 2,500 copies per hour. Ornate designs in several colors of ink or foil are stamped at surprisingly low cost, with gorgeous effects. Good cloth-bound books have been made for seven cents each that formerly cost for binding four to five times that figure, the gain being mainly in the substitution of machinery for hand labor. In leather binding the ma- chine work has also made it possible to retail the hand- somest books in sets at $1 a copy, that used to bring $2 and $3. In both magazines and books the editions have grown wonderfully in fifty years. Editions of 1866 were from 1000 to 5000, the latter being a large order. Now circu- lations of 10,000 to 100,000 are common, every-day mat- ters, and sometimes a million or more copies of a maga- zine are called for, demanded with the regularity of 52 FIFTY YEARS OF PRINTING clockwork on a regular date. There are probably a hun- dred magazines in the United States alone that publish above 100,000 copies per issue, and some of them are weeklies; there are some eight or ten magazines that run regularly into the millions, and their advertising is figured in millions of dollars. PROGRESS OF ART IN PRINTING In 1866 there simply was no artistic side to printing. Even as late as 1890 much of the printing done was crude, as various specimens demonstrate. There were no artists in the trade, either of the sort that drew pic- tures and arranged colors, or the more humble sort that laid out a job with good taste. The few real artists who used oils and water colors would no more have thought of going into a printery for an order than into a coal mine or a tannery. Yet in this short fifty years the printing press has become the chief center around which picture artists dispose of their wares, and every high-grade printing shop has a man who understands artistic reproduction, and whose taste and judgment are equal to that of the best knights of the brush and palette. Half a century ago the steel engraving and the cop- perplate picture, each produced by slow and costly means, were the only really artistic features connected with printing. Such pictures were occasionally tipped into the books and magazines. When it was actually necessary to illustrate printed matter, the wood-cut was employed, and while the cuts in the old issues of Har- per's and Leslie's and the London Illustrated News had much of merit to commend them, we know today that 53 PRINTING FOR PROFIT this was not art. The cheapest circulars and folders now often display better pictures than those magazines furnished in the sixties. It must be admitted that the lithographer led the typographic printer in the pursuit of the beautiful and truly artistic in printing. The chromo was the first evi- dence of real beauty, and it was just dawning on the horizon in 1866. It attained its height in 1876, when, at the Centennial Exposition, a leading lithographer ex- hibited together three pictures, superficially just alike, and mounted in similar gorgeous gilt frames. One was a high-priced oil painting by a noted artist, one an oil copy by a student valued at $50, and one a lithoed chro- mo copy worth 50 cents, and the public was invited to guess which was which of the three. Some of these chromos involved twenty to thirty lith- ographic printings before all the color effects were re- produced, and this was expensive. Every printer will recognize the difficulty in passing a sheet twenty or more times through a press with exact register in each instance ; it is hard enough to make three and four col- ors register. To avoid the expense of so many print- ings, cheap chromos were produced with only five to eight printings, and some of these were very far from works of art, and tended to bring the entire chromo business into disrepute. MARVELS OF TRICOLOR PRINTING Thanks to Ives and other inventive geniuses among photographers and engravers, the three-color process came along, and made it possible for the typographic printer to reproduce all that is bright and beauteous to 54 FIFTY YEARS OF PRINTING the human vision. The first pictures were naturally somewhat coarse and gaudy, but gradually the details were worked out, and about the opening of the present century it became possible to reproduce paintings and photographs in natural colors with great fidelity to Na- ture, in either three or four printings, and at so low a cost that they were promptly adopted by magazines and periodicals, and used in manufacturers' catalogs. The half-tone had educated the trade to highly coated, smooth papers, and the typefounder had designed har- monious type-faces, manufacturing them in series of sizes, well adapted to go with both black and colored pictures, while the ink manufacturers had met the de- mands and given us inks of all shades adapted to the new conditions — brilliant and quick drying. When it became apparent that color-printing had come to stay, and would be demanded in larger and larger quantities, the press-builder also fell into line, and gave us two-color machines and recently a four- color machine, saving handling and reducing costs. There were also found printers and pressmen who had both the taste and the mechanical ability to handle the new processes and machines, and get the very best out of them. It does not take long to summarize all this on paper, but its accomplishment in hundreds — yes, thousands — of printing offices all over the world has been a gigantic task. The detail of this development of high-grade color-printing would fill volumes. It became possible only by the intelligent cooperation of the picture artist, with brush, pen and oil; of the photographer with ruled glass screens or filters, electric light, etc. ; of the 55 PRINTING FOR PROFIT plate-maker with patient watchfulness overcoming tri- fling mechanical defects ; of the inkmaker, finding exact shades not chemically antagonistic to the paper ; of the typefounder, supplying harmonious faces and new con- veniences in the composing room; of the steel block- maker, in supplying bases on which color plates could be simply and surely shifted for register ; of the roller- maker, in furnishing composition that would work well with new inks ; of the lay-out man responsible for the finished output, and required to see that all details worked out successfully; of the pressman, who had to match difficult color proofs and look out for register, paper shrinkage, offset, and perfect execution; and finally of the binder, who had to complete the product with an elegance suited to its high character. SATISFYING COMMERCIAL RESULTS Little does the purchaser of a 15-cent magazine, with a front cover that would put a Rubens to the blush, reflect that a small army of skilled workmen are essen- tial to the production of these by the million, in order that he may get his one copy for a few pennies on the nearest newsstand. Other truly artistic work has been developed along- side the three- and four-color printing. The Ben Day process has permitted the production of agreeable pic- tures in flat tones, in one color with all sorts of gray effects, and in two or more colors, with infinite gradua- tions of tone or tint of each color, obtained by the den- sity or openness of the shading. This has made it prac- ticable to print entire sections of magazines, and some- times of advertising pages, in two colors, with effect of 56 FIFTY YEARS OF PRINTING four or more tints ; also booklets galore ai;e turned out with the aid of the half-tone, the brush artist and the platemaker. Under modern methods many illustrated catalogs have become works of art, outvying the magazine and picture books in their lavish use of the best effects of photography and retouching, combined with the broad resources of the up-to-date color-printer. This com- mercial art enables the wholesaler who cannot well send samples of his goods to every prospective buyer, to por- tray them in exact and lifelike pictures, showing them to the very best advantage, in their natural surround- ings and coloring, and commanding respect for the house by the very elegance of the printing. GROWTH OF A GREAT MANUFACTURING INDUSTRY Fifty years ago printing and publishing was an in- fant industry in America, the total production in the United States, measured in dollars, being but $40,000,- 000. During the years its volume has increased twenty times, so that now printing and publishing ranks as the third greatest manufacturing industry of the country- It keeps busy one-twentieth of the people engaged in manufacturing, and pays one-thirteenth of the manu- facturing wages. The printers and publishers of America now produce a round billion dollars' worth of printed matter an- nually. Of this vast industry the metropolitan district of New York constitutes one-fourth, while Chicago, Philadelphia, and Boston together supply another fourth, the remaining half being distributed through the country. 57 PRINTING FOR PROFIT The United States printing and publishing industry is about one-third of the world's total, so that we actu- ally have in New York City one-twelfth of the world's printing. The newspaper branch of the industry con- stitutes the smaller half, being slightly exceeded in vol- ume by the production of the magazine, book and job branch. The "American Dictionary of Printing" says: "The lofty office of printing, as furnishing a permanent em- bodiment of thought, and not only preserving but multi- plying its form of expression, has frequently become the chosen theme of the poets. Cowper vigorously and plainly described its power, both for good and evil, in his apostrophe: "How shall I speak thee, or thy power address, Thou god of our idolatry — the Press! By thee Religion, Liberty and Laws Exert their influence, and advance their cause; By thee, worse plagues than Pharaoh's land befell, Diffused, made earth the vestibule of hell; Thou fountain, at which drink the good and wise; Thou ever-bubbling spring of endless lies!" 58 <§*£ •>, t,* £,& &£. && $0mp%m '3BN/ji..^i ■&T'*rgl\?£i 1^ IffdUyUMij j ft I \ l-l ( \^I IM. AMI 1 IM' XF.ARLV EORCOTTEX PROCESSES Sketch of the Charles Francis Press BY SPENCER LATHROP IN 1894 the house of Molleson Brothers, paper job- bers of New York City, found itself the unwilling principal owner of a run-down printing office, to which it had been induced to extend a credit that proved to be mistaken and unwarranted. This printing office, known as the Stuyvesant Press, was taken charge of by the sheriff, for a small claim, and put up for sale. Mol- leson Brothers were the largest creditors, for $3,300, and they decided that the best way to get back their money was to bid in the printing plant, and place it in the hands of a competent printer, who could perhaps put it on a paying basis, thus making a business for himself, and also clearing up the debt. By good fortune they connected with Charles Francis, who was then looking for an opening. They learned that he had a record for saving run-down printing plants and were glad to make any reasonable deal with him and thus save themselves. Mr. Francis looked over the plant, decided that it was worth $8,300, and offered if they would bid it in to take it off their hands at that figure on easy terms, but on the condition that Molleson Brothers, and not he, furnish working capital. He thought if he furnished the experience and ability, that it was the part of the house of Molleson to supply the money. To this we consented. I say "we" because I was an active partner in Molleson Brothers, which has since become Lasher 59 PRINTING FOR PROFIT & Lathrop, Inc. We could not afford to go into the printing business, and concluded that the best way to secure our investment was to put in more, which we did later to the amount of $2,000, giving Mr. Francis a free hand to make a business for himself while get- ting back our money. So one fine morning in June, 1894, the sign of Charles Francis, Printer, succeeded that of the Stuyvesant Press, nobody dreaming of what it was to develop into. There were five cripples of cylinders in the shop, probably all purchased second-hand, but the type and furnishings were in good condition. I remember Mr. Francis telling of proposing to start up one of the cyl- inders to see what the press was, and the old foreman calling out, "Don't pull that lever! If you start that press I won't be responsible for what will happen." To which Mr. Francis responded, "If it's as bad as that I want to know it now, and throw it out. Let her go !" In subsequent years this outfit was referred to as "a lot of old junk," but much of it was usable, with some repairs and patching, and it was soon put in workable shape, and began to turn out printing. How he ever tided through those early weeks with only $2,000 cash I never could figure out; but he did. One of his first good jobs was The Critic, which, I am told, came to him in this way : Mr. Francis had so- licited the job for his former employer, and had taken the order for the other house. When Mr. Gilder, pub- lisher of The Critic, learned that Mr. Francis had quit and set up for himself, he sent for him, and said: "I want you to take the printing of The Critic." 60 SKETCH OF THE CHARLES FRANCIS PRESS "I can't," said Mr. Francis. "I solicited it while on the payroll of the Company, and you signed the order, so I can't step in and take it away from them." "Well, things have changed since you left," said Mr. Gilder. "The Company have already done things I don't like, including stiffening the price. I went with them because I liked your way of doing business. The Company is not going to have The Critic any longer. If you won't take it, it will have to go somewhere else." The upshot of it was that The Critic came to Charles Francis without any hard feeling from the Company, and it helped carry the payroll for many weeks until other work came along. Every month we had a statement from Mr. Francis, and every six months a complete balance of accounts, and these made clear to a five cent piece the financial status. They had to take what work they could get, and turn it out the best way they could with somewhat rickety machines and not too modern type. Mr. Francis was surely a glutton for hard work ; in fact I do not re- call another man who could do so much, and always keep his health and strength; I guess the secret of it was that he never worried. He was at the plant early and late, and all the time ; he went out and got the work and then put it through the plant. At first he had only two or three reliable men to help him ; but he swiftly built up a little force of competent workmen on whom he could rely, and they all "sawed wood." One of the early employees was a $6-a-week errand boy, Gus Oakes we still call him, now superin- 61 PRINTING FOR PROFIT tendent of the place, and a stockholder and vice-presi- dent of the company. Mr. Oakes has grown up with the plant and got next to Mr. Francis by pure ability. The original location of the shop was in West 27th Street, and it soon proved inadequate in many ways. By May, 1895, when some new machinery was being put in, a move was deemed advisable, and quarters were shifted to a one-half floor of the building 30 and 32 West 13th Street, which was to be the home of the plant for twenty-one years. While the volume of business grew, it was a terribly hard job to make ends meet, pay interest and make pay- ments on new machinery and material, the more diffi- cult because the times were bad. The panic of 1893, so called, did not exhaust itself for several years, and during 1895 and 1896 it was uphill work week in and week out, and a continued struggle to meet the pay- roll and pay the bills for supplies, which were heavy, because the plant was inadequate, and had to be con- tinually fed with new material. At the end of 1895, the year's business totaled up $33,000, showing that the place was moving, but the debt hung on. I remember that about this time Mr. Francis asked us if we were tired and wanted to quit. But our faith in him was unchanged, and we said: "Go right on; we know that you can't do the impossible. With better times you will show results." And so he did. After the two-year period of trial the monthly statements began to get a wee bit better, and little by little a healthy growth was apparent. It speaks volumes for Molleson Brothers' confidence in Mr. Francis that they once carried $20,000 of indebt- 62 SKETCH OF THE CHARLES FRANCIS PRESS edness for the printing office; but so safely was the structure built up that this was never regarded as a risk, but simply a wise means of saving the original stake of $8,300. Within a few years the annual receipts of the plant passed the $100,000 mark, and year by year they climbed steadily, each annual statement being bet- ter than the previous one. These figures are eloquent. They record the results that came from Mr. Francis's patient plodding application of right rules for success in business. Though we always had faith in Mr. Fran- cis, I don't think that in the early days we any of us appreciated fully how well he did things, and with what enduring force he held himself down to the course marked out. Other men in business recognize the rules for success, and violate them when they feel like it ; so far as I know, Mr. Francis never did. He was a stickler for old-fashioned straightforward methods. He never had anything to conceal or cover up. When he did business with another man he laid all his cards on the table face up. By which I mean that he never kept back what the other man had a right to know. If a blunder was made in printing — and we all know that it can't be done perfectly all the time — his plan was not to try and cover it up, but to take it straight to the customer, show him the worst, and inquire, "What can we do to make it right and square ourselves with you?" He would tell more things about his own business than any man I ever knew. Where others would be shocked at the idea of letting a competitor know just what he was doing, he never hesitated. He would tell 63 PRINTING FOR PROFIT anybody who asked in a proper spirit almost anything about his trade and his methods. He never could see why he should distrust people generally because there are a few crooked people trying to take advantage of others. He was as taciturn as possible about the busi- ness of his customers, but he cared not who knew what he was doing. And withal he was as quick to recognize a scalawag as anybody, and if he had to do business with him would do it in a way that involved taking no chances. I used to wonder at his openness, and really I was not sure but that it was a weakness, and that some time a competitor would take advantage of his frankness to do him an injury; but I have concluded that Mr. Fran- cis knew very well what he was about, and that his policy of serving his customers so well that they be- came his friends safeguarded his business so as to ren- der it impregnable. Anyway, in view of the remarkable growth and suc- cess of the Charles Francis Press, all admit now that his methods were wise, and that he measures up larger to us as the years roll on. I don't know whether he will want to print all this in his book, but it's going down the way it comes to me, and he is so frank that I have a notion he will not edit out anything good or bad that I say of him. And while discussing personality, I want to put in here that Mr. Francis never seemed disturbed when- ever anybody criticised or spoke slightingly of him, as we all get it at times. I remember an instance — I wish I could quote names — of another printer who had made some not very complimentary remark about Mr. Fran- 64 SKETCH OF THE CHARLES FRANCIS PRESS cis which was repeated to him. Instead of getting mad and sending it back with interest, he invited the other fellow out to lunch, and when they got their knees under the table said, "Look here, Blank, what have you got against me? Do let it out, all of it, and if I'm wrong I will apologize ; but for the life of me I haven't the least idea what you are sore about." The other man was totally disarmed, and the differ- ence was frankly discussed, having arisen from a tri- fling misapprehension. That man has been ever since a firm friend of Mr. Francis. The policy of making friends was not confined to customers and competitors. His habit of inviting his help to work with him and not for him, of treating them as equals and not inferiors, in my judgment, has been a tremendous force in the upbuilding of the busi- ness. While holding every man to strict performance of his duty, and having no room for idlers and shirkers, and being very frank to point out errors and shortcom- ings to his help, yet he always did these things in a way to stimulate a man to better things rather than to dis- courage or antagonize him. He had a way of letting a man who blundered show his own blunder and admit it, and then of expressing confidence in him that he would never let that occur again, which put the man on his mettle. And he was so uniformly fair, just and kind that his employees all liked him as it seemed the better for his strictness. They respected him because they saw that he lived up to the rules he demanded of them, and that he worked as hard or harder than any. At this writing he is well along in years, and at his desk at eight o'clock 65 PRINTING FOR PROFIT in the morning for five days a week, just like some young chap trying to make a record. One of the prominent reasons for the success of the concern was the ability of Mr. Francis to size up other men, to recognize what was best in them, and what they were fitted for. This was particularly valuable in selecting his help and the heads of his departments as the business grew. For instance, I introduced to him my cousin, Percival Lathrop,and suggested him for a temporary place in the bookkeeping department, to fill in a few months of his time before going West. "I don't want him at all unless he likes the work well enough to stay with me," said Mr. Francis. "But let me have a talk with him." The result was that Percival Lathrop was found to fit in the bookkeeping department, and he liked the work so well that he abandoned the idea of going West, was put in charge of the cash of the Charles Francis Press, and has been there over fifteen years. Every department head in the place fits his work, is proud of his position, proud to be a part of the house, and to work with the others for its success. A more harmonious group of men I never met in business. After the period of doubt had passed, and the in- creasing volume of business produced balances dem- onstrating that a success was being made, there came a positive demand for improved facilities, which had to be met; and this meant enlarged rather than reduced indebtedness. But gradually the notes were all wiped out, and by 1904 the last of the Molleson obligation was paid, and the Charles Francis Press was independent. 66 SKETCH OF THE CHARLES FRANCIS PRESS In 1900 the business was incorporated for $50,000 common stock. Not long afterward the bindery was incorporated as a separate company at $10,000. Later $75,000 of 7 per cent, preferred stock of the Charles Francis Press was issued, a considerable portion of which has been taken by employees. Though guar- anteed at 7, this preferred stock, I understand, always has paid 8 per cent. ♦ ♦ * * (The remainder of this chapter has been supplied by Mr. John A. Wilkens, whose more intimate knowledge of the later growth of the plant, enables him to speak with authority.) When I came with the Charles Francis Press I found it growing, the business demanding more space, and loft after loft was taken in the 13th Street building until the entire structure was leased. As the old cylinders were dumped, two new ones usually came in, and in a few years the original outfit of "junk" had entirely dis- appeared, and a row of Century presses took the place of the discarded cylinders. After the Campbell Com- pany stopped building Centuries, there was a gradual substitution of Miehles, of which there are now nineteen in the plant, including the four two-color machines. It was a great day for the Charles Francis Press when the first perfecting press was installed in 1900. Soon this machine was loaded up with publications. Then came two Cottrell webs, producing 96-page maga- zine sections at 4,000 an hour. These were bought for cash. Linotypes came in gradually, as a matter of course. It seems as if it was a perpetual adding of new outfit to meet the demands of customers. The aver- 67 PRINTING FOR PROFIT age annual outgo for new machinery was fully $25,000, or $500 a week, and I have sometimes marvelled that in all the years it was possible to meet every note and obli- gation, taking care of old business and preparing for the new. Yet for a long time the house has been free of mortgage, paying cash for all its machinery and taking the discounts. The Charles Francis Press certainly attracted suc- cessful customers ; for a series of well-known publica- tions are issued from its presses year after year, and as these publications have grown in circulation, as well as in thickness, the printing office had to grow to supply their wants. Finally the time came when the 13th Street building became too cramped, and it was evident that some sort of move must be made to secure larger quarters. A suggestion for a Printing Crafts Building was made by Mr. Francis to Mr. Eugene Goode, active in real estate development. The idea was taken up and developed, proving acceptable to many, and after three years of hard work Brett & Goode began to receive tenants in the magnificent Printing Crafts Building, 34th street and Eighth avenue, New York. The largest space of any one firm in the $3,500,000 structure is the Charles Francis Press, which located there in June, 1916. Incidental to the change came the purchase of an entirely new linotype plant, a $20,000 Hoe web maga- zine press, a two-sheet United Printing Machinery Co. press, a Cleveland folding machine, and a lot of other up-to-date machinery and conveniences, to the total of about $120,000. As the Company has for years main- tained a large surplus, this expenditure was not severely 68 SKETCH OF THE CHARLES FRANCIS PRESS felt, although it came at the same time as a moving bill of $20,000. In its new home the Charles Francis Press occupies 60,000 square feet of floor space, or fifteen times the original area, and here it is doing a business at this writing of $50,000 a month ; or if the value of the paper stock be figured as part of the business, the monthly production is $80,000. There is but one painful memory to cast a shadow over the otherwise bright history of the Charles Francis Press. Reginald W. Francis, the gifted son of Charles Francis, loved by all who were privileged to know him, who was trained to the printing business, and was to have been the successor to this splendid equipment, has gone before, stepping out at the ripe age of 28, just as he was ready to carry the load of this magnificent print- ing house. This brief cablegram, which I find on the letter-file, tells the story: "April 11, 1912. Liverpool 5. Chasfran, N. Y. Reginald died today." When this telegram was received the entire plant ceased operation for five minutes, and a silent prayer of love and sympathy ascended for the bereaved ones. Then the power was thrown on again, and who among us is wise enough to say that Reginald did not look down with pleasure at the busy scene, where the great presses almost ceaselessly whirr and the steady click of the lino- types tells the stories of the magazines ! The Spirit of Peace rests with the place, and the untiring energy of the man who built so well towers over the edifice. All is as Reginald would have it. 69 Making a Profit PROFIT in printing is obtained largely by the ability of the man who is "it" in the establish- ment. We have all noted how the great print- eries tend to fall to decay when the light goes out that led them to success. Ability can find a way through many difficulties ; without ability the finest collection of printing machinery will not return the cost of opera- tion. A few start small, virtually as amateurs, and build up. One of the most noted of these was A. E. Chasmar, who developed such exceptional taste in fine printing that his work was known clear across the continent, and commanded very high prices. But usually the man who can make money and build up a plant has to be found. It takes a strong man at the helm to pilot the printorial craft into the harbor of steady profits, and continual good judgment to maintain such position when gained. The personal touch always seems to rise superior to conditions and to rules. So far as I have observed, the large establishments are always built up by men who know thoroughly their trade, being well grounded in the details of their call- ing and familiar with the allied arts. Two sorts of ability are necessary — the sort that goes to produce good printing, and the sort that can handle the finances successfully. The aesthetic taste of men like Chasmar, or DeVinne, or Stillson, simply will not allow them to do an inferior piece of printing. But because Mr. De Vinne thought a well-made book superior to a many- 70 MAKING A PROFIT colored booklet, we find that he developed as a maker of fine books, while Chasmar and Stillson are typical as exemplifiers of the modern artistic color printing. These men had exceptional ability as craftsmen, and we can all point to many other conspicuous examples. When it comes to financial skill, we find ourselves thinking of Hallenbeck, Conkey, Morgan, Cushing Joseph Gantz, etc. These men are more notable for their sound business sense and industrial enterprise than typical of printing as an art. I have ventured on this use of names well known in printing to emphasize the point that the good business man is of prime importance in printing for profit. All of these men made money, all had an eye on profit, but it was their keen business judgment, and general abil- ity to take advantage of the conditions around them, that made their financial successes, rather than their ability as good printers. Large capital will make a printing plant go, if the capital can find the right managerial ability; but it is scarce. A printing office investment is a dangerous one for large capital, because of this necessity for brains of a certain type to secure profitable results. But large capital without the right ability will not win out, though it may keep a large printery going for a long time, thus having a greater chance to find the right man to run it profitably. The greatest number of failures in the printing busi- ness are where one would naturally expect the fewest — among the class of men who are good workmen, and have saved a few thousand dollars, and set up their own shops. They know printing, but they do not know 71 PRINTING FOR PROFIT business management, and the greater number of them are sold out within a few years by their creditors. The best of these failures in business become foremen and department heads in large shops, where their abilities are valued, and where they earn more than most pro- prietors of small and medium-sized shops. Printing plants in the great cities are getting so large that they require large capital, and it is a question whether they must not soon follow the development of other large industrial establishments, operated by capi- tal, engaging high-priced expert men to run them. How- ever, the good printeries of today are mainly one-man propositions. Occasionally there is a combination of a good salesman and a good mechanical manager who work well together, but whatever the personnel, the brains and ability must be there as the first essential toward profit-making. The second essential is an up-to-date equipment. A good printer may maintain an existence with a lot of old machinery and type, but the money is made with the newest and best presses, composing machines, feed- ers, folders, stitchers and supplies. When you see a machine that will produce ten per cent, more than the one you have, it pays to make the change and drop the old servant. Printing is a ten per cent, business, and with machinery that is ten per cent, behind the times you are just at 0. Not only is it needful to have the best machinery, but a good balance of equipment must be maintained, according to the class of work handled. The shop that is busy one month in the composing room, the next month in the pressroom, and the next in the bindery, 72 MAKING A PROFIT may easily be losing money by stagnation in the de- partments that are not rushed. The thing to aim at is uniformity of product. As soon as a new printing office is moving well, the proprietor should begin to solicit the class of work that will fit in best where he needs it. This does not mean cutting prices to get fillers. The only filler worth having is one that pays its ten per cent, profit. The manager who once gets an office to paying a moderate profit, and builds up on the prin- ciple of keeping it balanced, is on the road to success. One other fundamental is absolutely necessary to making a profit — the employment of trained workmen, in sympathy with the management. Slipshod, half- trained men will not yield a profit to any employer ; he must either find good men or make new ones competent by training. In all but the smallest shops the workmen are now specialists. The all-around printer, who can do anything in a printing office, is almost extinct. The good manager develops his force as he builds up his plant, putting square pegs in square holes and round pegs in round holes, and not vice versa. He also secures the good will of his men, training them to work with him not for him; making them his friends, not his slaves. Men must be trained to do work right, but it is quite as important that they learn to produce substantially, and to rush when the rush work comes. We have all heard of pressrooms where the feeders put their heads together and restricted the output, on the principle that if one did a big day's work they would all have to. A young feeder trained in such a shop once got into a printery that was in the habit of making records in 73 PRINTING FOR PROFIT the pressroom, and where all were loyal to the pro- prietors, knowing" that they were well used, and that he paid them all he could. This feeder, after a few hours' work, noticed that the young fellow on the next press had done considerably more than himself, so he threw off the power and went over there, remarking-, "Say, mister, what's your awful rush? Ease up a lit- tle; it don't do to get out so much as you're doing." Fifteen minutes later the foreman came to this youthful restricter of output, with a yellow envelope containing half a day's pay. "Stop where you are, young fellow. Put on your coat. We don't want your kind around this place any longer than we can help." And to the sidewalk he went. It is apparent that the older feeder would not have resented the tip to go slow, and notified the foreman, if he had not been heart and soul loyal to the shop, and had been taught that the shop relied on him and trusted him, and learned that the way to good wages and pleas- ant surroundings lay in helping the boss to make money, not in hindering him. Men who are well treated will rarely fail to respond to a demand to rush work through; they are disposed to give the employer the best there is in them. The training of good men has been sadly neglected, but a start has been made, and there is one good appren- tice school for compositors in New York, and a good school for pressmen in Rogersville, Tenn. The School of Printers' Apprentices, now occupying quarters with the Hudson Guild in New York, is the largest in point of membership, approaching 400 at this writing. The instructor, A. L. Blue, has perfected a most satisfac- 74 MAKING A PROFIT tory course, the cost of which is only $17 per pupil per annum. Part of this is borne by the Guild, part by employers, and part by the Typographical Union. The U. T. & F. C. A. school is at Indianapolis, and has a $100,000 equipment. The Carnegie Institute of Tech- nology maintains a Technical School of Printing, Harvard University has another, and the Wentworth Institute of Boston maintains a School of Printing and the Graphic Arts. There ought to be such schools in every large city, and there will be if employers and employees get together cordially. Given a man of the right ability, a fairly modern printing plant, and a bank balance sufficient for the needs of the concern, what course must the manager pursue to make a fair profit? First, he must know his costs ; second, he must know how to estimate correctly ; and third, he must see to it that the work is executed in accordance with the esti- mate — that is with a fair profit added. Any printer can get cost sheets from the nearest Ben Franklin Club or his local Typothetse ; but these are not usually satisfactory for individual guidance, especially for the small shop. They simply serve as a basis to show what it has been found necessary to charge in large, well-equipped, modern printing offices. We know that those who go in for specialties can often secure lower costs, but that is seldom a good reason for their going away below the fair market price of the general shop. To get the elusive profit, a man must know not only his own costs in his own shop, but must know what his market will bear, this being determined largely by what 75 PRINTING FOR PROFIT his neighbors are charging. And he will not, if he is wise, always assume that when the customer says, "Why, you are away above So-and-so's figure/' that it is certainly true. Rather, it is well to verify it by ask- ing Mr. So-and-so over the phone. It may appear that the competitor figured on a much lower quality job, or that the customer was putting up a bluff. By keeping on pleasant terms with competitors, the printer may protect himself against this unfair method of beating down his prices. No printer can expect to get prices above the general market, unless he can give exceptional quality or extra service, both of which add to costs. The beginner in business almost invariably much underestimates his costs. Often he thinks that if he makes his prices 50 per cent, above the wages he pays out, he is sure to make a little. Better-informed print- ers will double the hour price paid to the workman, and expect to thus cover the overhead charges and leave a handsome profit. This method used to work out about right some twenty or twenty-five years ago, but with higher-priced machinery, steeper rents, and greater selling expense, the overhead has mounted until now it is necessary to charge the customer $2.50 to $3.00 for every dollar paid in wages, if the printer is to see a real profit. Machines are larger and more costly every year, and we no longer wear them out, but expect to replace them with faster machines within a decade; there are slack seasons to overcome, and there are seemingly endless new minor costs, such as steel blocks and furniture, swell office fixtures, ice water, sanitary paper cups, ven- tilating fans, delivery trucks, dues to trade associa- 76 MAKING A PROFIT tions, etc., all of which have to be met. Holidays increase and accident liability insurance must be paid, while night charges grow. Thus it costs about $10,000 a month to keep open the doors of a large printing office, holding its machinery ready to serve the public. In the best managed shops there is always some spoiled work tending to increase cost. I recollect a customer order- ing calendars for the new year — "same as the last." After printing and delivery they were returned, having been accidentally printed from a plate two years old which did not include the words "Real Estate and." The small shop has its proportion of similar expenses, and if the proper allowance is not made by charging them to live work there will be a failure somewhere. The miscellaneous character of these overhead charges is very deceiving, and only a man with a clear head and a natural aptitude for figures can see through the maze and realize his full costs. It is inability to ap- preciate these that accounts for the great majority of failures in the printing business. Knowing all these minor costs, and appreciating that they are a part of his hour costs, that he has got to pay for as positively as the paper bill, the printer will not fail to make the right hour charge in estimating. He then arrives at a basis where, if he can calculate the hours correctly, he can make accurate estimates, which should yield a profit. In figuring the number of hours, nothing seems to quite fill the place of personal experience in the vari- ous departments of the printing office. The man who has set type knows what he ought to accomplish in an hour, and the pressman knows how many sheets he ought to be able to run through in a week. But because 77 PRINTING FOR PROFIT what a man ought to do and what he does do are gen- erally different things, it is a matter of experience that workmen and foremen when asked to make an advance estimate of the time requisite for a given job will usually place it about 25 to 33 per cent, below the aver- age performance. Forty years ago Theodore L. DeVinne called atten- tion to the fact that while it was a common belief that a good compositor set 1,000 ems an hour, and no type- setter ever admitted he had less speed, yet the records of his establishment showed that the average perform- ance of the best crew he could hire was 550 ems an hour. Human nature has not changed, and the printer who estimates for a profit has to add at least 25 per cent, to an experienced foreman's estimate of probable time, or he will find that so few jobs go through in the time estimated that an assignment will be necessary un- less he can get more money out of his customers. See chapter on "Estimating and Price-Making." The best of foremen are workmen, and it is their business to try to put work through their departments quickly. They are apt to be quick workers themselves, and they figure they could do such composition, lock- up, or the like in so many hours if all went smoothly, and so they could in nine cases out of ten. With the exception of long runs, such as publications, it appears that nine jobs out of ten do fail to run smoothly. One week there is extra help called on that is not familiar with the office, and perhaps not as competent as the regular help ; another week there is a holiday ; another week there is considerable nightwork, and the men get tired, and the hour product is reduced; another week 78 MAKING A PROFIT some bad blunder is passed, and something has to be reprinted, and so on, until it is apparent that the weeks of good production are the exception rather than the rule. Pressroom results are quite as apt to be below par as in the composing room. Records in my own shop show that the average production of cylinder presses, many of them capable of 1,700 an hour, is in fact under 700 an hour, counting only the hours when they are manned for work and should be producing. In all classes of estimating there must be a large margin left for delays and uncertainties. To make a profit in a print shop it is necessary to guard against over-equipment. No temporary work should delude a printer into buying more machinery than he can keep busy. The modern plan of segregating print shops, that is bringing several of them under the same roof, tends to check the evil of buying too much machinery. It is so easy to run into the next office and borrow the use of a press, that the printer is not tempted to buy unless he actually has to have them. Interchange of work is to be commended as tending to maintain more uniform prices, as well as bringing printers to- gether so that they come to really know each other and exchange courtesies instead of regarding each other as natural enemies. A good manager will seek to know his competitors, and to maintain friendly terms with them, rather than to keep aloof, thus allowing the cus- tomers to use the printers against each other, when they are so minded. There is often some money to be made by keeping in with one's competitors ; there is ab- solutely none in inviting their ill will by objectionable methods. 79 PRINTING FOR PROFIT It is good policy to refuse to figure on work for which your office is ill adapted, and to recommend the possible customer to some printer in your neighborhood, who is equipped for the class of work in question. Usually this results in the favored printer's returning the com- pliment by recommending you for your own specialty. Thus are all parties benefited. In keeping his plant up to date and figuring for profits the manager frequently has machinery problems. He will discover a machine occupying floor space and usually standing idle. He has to decide whether it is best to throw it out, or whether it is likely to come into vlauable use at a later date. If it is determined to keep a rather ancient machine, the problem arises how it shall figure in the annual balance sheet. What is the right way to figure its depreciation ? I find that all rules for calculating depreciation fail in practice. Twenty per cent, on type and ten per cent, in the pressroom is a common rule for depreciation. Yet a steel cabinet ought to last fifty years, and be worth just as much next July as it was last September. Since it became so easy to cast type we value it less, and for less cause throw it away ; much of it may fairly be charged as current expense when it is bought; if carried in an inventory it may well depreciate fifty per cent. Job presses often last twenty years, showing five per cent, depreciation ; this is probably also the right figure for a linotype. But very many presses are replaced in ten years, calling for ten per cent, depreciation. This sug- gests that all rules fail in particular cases, and that each case is usually particular. In the Charles Francis Press we have found that the best way is to make a 80 MAKING A PROFIT semi-annual appraisal, letting the same man do the work, and use his judgment, varying his figures of depreciation with the changes in conditions. The marketing of a better article may well cause owners to write off fifty per cent, in depreciation in a single year in a thing far from worn out ; when a press manufacturer goes out of business the machines he made are easily depreciated twenty-five per cent.; in other instances it is impossible to see why a thing has depreciated at all. What the manager needs is to get at the facts so as not to mislead himself or his house as to actual profits. Under "Office Management and Keeping Accounts" will be found much fuller data, having a direct bearing upon profit-making, because the method of figuring profits is gone into. One valuable feature may be re- ferred to here. In order that there may be no bungling of finances, and no falling down on payments, a daily tickler is desirable, showing the cash available for that day, with indications of payments to be met. In a large business, conducted on a close basis, it is dangerous to lose touch with your exact financial status, as this affects your policies. For a rough approximation of running profits, the sum a proprietor draws out of his business is a better test than what he figures as book profit. What he takes out he has ; what is on the books may never get out of the business. By adding together the monthly wages, the invoices, and the general expense, which latter should include salaries for all the office help from the proprietor to the errand boy, and by subtracting from these the sales of the month, a close approximation to the profit can be 81 PRINTING FOR PROFIT figured — at least it is accurate enough for the printer to run on until he gets his annual or semi-annual bal- ance sheet. Another thing requisite to profit-making is to con- fine one's attention to one's own business, and pay less attention than most men do to the policies and acts of others. If you know your costs and have figured a job rightly, why should you allow yourself to be biased by the price of Jones or Smith, who have gone ten per cent, below you ? Run your own shop right, and don't bother much about other people; if you handle your respon- sibility without serious error, you are sure to come through triumphantly. If you blunder badly, you will fall and perhaps fail, regardless of what the printer across the street may or may not do. You simply must get prices that leave a margin of profit, and you must give reasonable satisfaction to the customers you work for, or you will not pull through and make a success. It is important to make your customers your friends, and the way to get friends is to deserve them. What- ever the ethics of your customers, they are bound to appreciate a printer who is prompt, reliable, and who shows evidence that he is mindful of their interests, trying to give them exactly what they want when they want it. Sometimes printers are exercised over the morality or ethical quality of the things they print. It is not always easy to draw the line between that which is simply bad or vulgar taste and the wholly immoral. Opinions differ so, and what one man thinks is immoral or objectionable may be highly pleasing to some other taste. For these things the responsibility lies prima- rily with the customer, who supplies the copy, as the 82 MAKING A PROFIT printer must naturally confine his energies mainly to watching for errors and mistakes, without editing copy or looking for other fellows' "motes." It is good prac- tice, however, to instruct the proofroom to refer any- thing questionable to the business office. A leakage in many printeries grows out of the con- stant handling of paper, engravings, electros, etc., be- longing to customers, at cost, to meet competition, or handled absolutely without charge. This is a mistake. If customers object to direct charges for such things, they should be counterbalanced in some reasonable way. Take electrotype plates for instance. Their handling, storage, and keeping in condition perhaps for years en- tails considerable expense, which may be provided for by the simple expedient of placing in your contracts that when customers' electros are killed, the metal shall belong to the printer. This is already a trade custom, but it is better to have it in the contract. Some printers make contracts to take over odds and ends of paper left from runs, to pay for paper handling, and many print- ers do this without contracts — which is not an above- board transaction. However, the point is that the good manager, to realize profit, must see that storage and handling costs are paid in some way by the customers, else they deprive the office of legitimate earnings. See chapter titled "Leakages, Pitfalls and Mistakes." There should be a trade custom providing for the printer's receiving a small percentage on all the paper that goes through his plant, for he has to pay rent for the space it occupies, and he is responsible for its condi- tion even if he does not insure it. Further, in many cases he acts as a salesman for the paper-maker, be- 83 PRINTING FOR PROFIT cause he develops new work requiring more paper. He is also selling engraving, and various things produced by the allied trades, and it would be the proper thing for the printing trade to get together and insist that a small percentage be remitted to the printer by the paper-maker, engraver, envelope house, etc., as a legiti- mate return for the sales they make. In figuring profit many forget that there is no profit until after the interest on the plant, depreciation, and the proprietor's fair salary are figured off. The man who can make in the business only enough to pay his interest, and say $2,000 a year, is better off to put his money in the bank and work at some $2,000 job as fore- man or salesman. The question is often raised as to what salary a proprietor of a printery is entitled to. As a minimum, the highest figure in the local scale of the unions, say $30 weekly in New York or Chicago. As his business grows he is entitled to draw more, and on a business of $100,000 a year, he should have at least four per cent, salary or $4,000 annually. As the busi- ness gets larger, probably three and a half per cent, would be right; with over $50,000 annual business, which would naturally involve competent assistant managers, the president and manager would probably be satisfied with three per cent, on the increase of busi- ness. Of course these percentages are liable to change with conditions. If a man has developed a profitable specialty for his concern, he may be entitled to consid- erably more salary. This matter of salary is often important as affecting the rights of smaller stockholders, who may be deprived of much of their legitimate profits if the manager's 84 MAKING A PROFIT salary is too high. However, profits in the printing busi- ness are not often large enough to afford disputes of this character. It is regarded by many as a cutthroat business, hampered by too much competition and unat- tractive to men of ability. I entered the trade because I loved it, and though it has its difficulties I am convinced that it will yield fair profits to good intelligence and honest effort, and that is all that any business ought to do. Speculative businesses, that sometimes yield enor- mous fortunes, do so at the expense of some unfortu- nates, and no real man wants to make money that way. Printing is a manufacturing business, and should yield ten per cent, profit, and the man who makes a million in it must do it by extending the volume of his business, not by boosting prices. 85 Thoughts from Successful Printers THE written word from the men that do things, the utterances of those who have actually achieved the things of which they speak, the rec- ords of the men who know always surpass in inter- est any accumulations of theory. For this reason it has been deemed well to place here quotations from eminent fellow printers, who have demonstrated in their own histories the principles they voice. First let us quote from dear dead DeVinne, the man who set so high a mark, and who blazed the way for the rest of us who have tried to elevate printing from a trade to an art and industry. It is evident that many of us learned correct price-making from him. THEODORE LOW DE VINNE Accident and circumstance have much to do with suc- cess or failure in the printing business, but there are personal qualities which seem to me necessary to suc- cess. First of all, in my belief, is an understanding of the printing business. It is not enough to know how to set type or work a press. The good compositor or press- man cannot be fairly qualified to manage a business on his own account unless he has a knowledge of all the expenses of a printing house, which are always greater than is supposed. A love for printing is equally important. The man who frets over the drudgery of details, who turns over to his employees work which he should do personally, who does not like to handle types or presses, or even 86 THOUGHTS FROM SUCCESSFUL PRINTERS to study their peculiarities, who wants to be an em- ployer in a lordly and magnificent way, is sure to find later that the faulty estimates of his employees have as- sumed alarming proportions. . . . The drudgery is endurable to one who loves his trade. The printer who has his heart in his trade will take more pleasure in the ownership of a well-equipped printing house than he would in the possession of fine horses or houses. The man who loves work for the work's sake may not always succeed, but he deserves success, and will get it if not prevented by misfortune or want of prudence. GEORGE H. ELLIS Your request for a few words on "Printing for Profit" brings vividly to mind my early days in the business, which I entered in a small way without any counting-room experience. On the advice of a friend, I bought a copy of DeVinne's "Printers' Price List," and this, with such modifications as were made neces- sary by changing conditions, such as price of paper, etc., was my "guide, philosopher and friend," and con- tributed largely to such success as came to me in those early days. It took the place for me then which the cost-finding system takes with the printer of to-day, the underlying principle of which is absolutely essential to success, i. e., a fair price and a fair profit on every job going through the office. Second to this principle adopted then, always ad- hered to since, and always contributing to our success, was: "Never fail to keep a promise." In those days, particularly, printers' promises were made largely to be broken. 87 PRINTING FOR PROFIT That we now have on our books many of the cus- tomers who came to us between forty and fifty years ago is due to a considerable extent to this. These two factors, combined with good work, with- out which few printers can, and none should, succeed, have been our mainstays in "Printing for Profit." JOSEPH A. BORDEN Just as soon as employing printers come to realize that they are engaged in a real business and look less toward mere mechanical processes, they will more nearly make a success of their enterprises. Speaking from an experience of twenty-seven years in conduct- ing a printing business, there have been a few essential elements that have been constantly applied and have resulted in a fair degree of success. The first essential has been a definite knowledge of the cost of every individual job, and each job has been sold on the basis of this cost plus a reasonable profit. The square deal has always been uppermost in thought in dealing with customers, and no advantage ever taken through lack of knowledge on the part of any patron. The effort has always been maintained to secure the confidence of every patron, and all transac- tions have been on a basis to merit the permanence of such confidence. WILSON H. LEE I really don't think I could add anything to what you would say in regard to what a printer should do to make a success of his business. It means a good cost system, courage to charge a price for your work that 88 THOUGHTS FROM SUCCESSFUL PRINTERS will give you a fair profit, to maintain a well-equipped plant with an efficient working force, the ability to turn out a good quality of work promptly, and to conduct your business in a way that you will have the confidence and respect, not only of the community in which you live, but of your competitors and your patrons. SAMUEL REES On the first day of May, 1880, I resigned my position as manager of the job room of the Omaha Republican and purchased the printing office and bindery of a con- cern which had failed. At that time the point system of casting type had just been introduced by Marder, Luse & Company, of Chicago, and I immediately or- dered about five hundred dollars' worth of new type on the point system. I had barely started when the representative of the Commercial Agencies called on me and inquired as to my financial responsibility. My reply was that I was not entitled to any credit, but that I believed I would be able to pay for everything which I might purchase — that they could report to the paper houses that I would pay for every sheet I used, but if I did not make a success of the business they would be out the freight on their shipments. I made up my mind that I would fix the prices on all work done in the shop, and that the prices made by other printers would not affect my actions; that I would endeavor to be fair to my customers and myself and to my competitors. I never fell for the filler idea. Perhaps my actions on these lines were largely in- fluenced by a book published by the late Theodore L. 89 PRINTING FOR PROFIT DeVinne, wherein he gave prices for various kinds of printing. The book taught me much as to costs, but more than all it taught me to think and to figure care- fully on all estimates. The shop which I bought was a small one — the only machinery being two Gordon presses, a ruling machine, and an old paper cutter. It now contains eight Gor- dons, seven cylinder presses, two stone and one offset litho presses, two ruling machines, two folding ma- chines, and four paper cutters, a Monotype outfit and a large stock of paper — all paid for. Almost from the start I have had time tickets, which showed the amount of time on each operation of every job, so that I always knew just what the costs were, and could prove to any customer who questioned a bill that the charge was correct. Such success as has come to me has been wholly due to the determination to make every job pay its proportion of the expense, and to yield a fair profit. There has been nothing during my experience in the business — and this experience has now lasted sixty years, since I first went to work in my father's office — which has been of so great benefit as the "Cost Find- ing System," which has been worked out and is being introduced by the United Typothetse and Franklin Clubs of America. Most young printers who start in business have never had any business experience, and many of them having been members of the Union, are naturally led to think that unless there is some kind of combination back of them to keep prices up, the only way they can get busi- ness is by cutting prices so that they will be lower than 90 THOUGHTS FROM SUCCESSFUL PRINTERS competitors. This may seem to be a small matter, but when we realize that the two-Gordon shop affects the four-Gordon shop, the four-Gordon the next larger, and so on clear up the line to the largest establishments, we realize how this lowers prices all along the line. My advice to every one in business is to study costs. Learn what the overhead expense is, and the produc- tion per hour of every operation, and then have enough nerve to make a price sufficiently high to afford a legiti- mate profit. And do not overstock your plant with ma- chinery, but be sure and keep it up to date in efficiency. In my younger days, all straight composition in job offices was done by the piece, and the office charged double the piece price. For instance, if the printer was paid thirty cents per 1,000 ems, which included dis- tributing, the selling price would be sixty cents. On presswork, which at that time was nearly all done on Washington hand presses, my recollection is that the prevailing price paid the pressman was forty cents per token, and the selling price was one dollar per token. On the average press, eight tokens a day was con- sidered a day's work, so that the return was eight dol- lars a day when the press was running. Before the introduction of the cost-finding system, I have seen a cylinder press costing $3,000 which did not produce more profit in dollars and cents than did the old Wash- ington of our fathers. I have seen composition sold for fifty cents per 1000 ems when the piece price was twenty-five cents, and often done by the week by job hands who were so slow that their wages were more than the price received by the office, saying nothing of the cost of distribution, 91 PRINTING FOR PROFIT proofreading and the overhead. But even in the old times I do not remember seeing many printers who could be called successful business men. Most of them were making a living, and most of them could have done that without having to bother with the cares, risks and responsibility of running and managing a business. The prices then prevailing were comparatively bet- ter than those charged by most printers before the propaganda of cost-finding set printers to thinking and studying overhead and other charges. In those old days there was very little overhead charge except rent. A hand press cost but a few hundred dollars and would outlast several pressmen. No wages were paid when the men were not working, and all straight matter was set by the piece and the price paid included distribu- tion. There was no soliciting for work and no expense in obtaining it. EDWARD STERN Profit-making in the printing business is an elusive quantity. It is not subject to simple rules or formulae. This is probably the case because the printing business is one in which the personal equation plays a major part. And that major part is not confined to the use of personality for the purpose of laying down binding rules of conduct which will govern practically any case which may present itself. Instead, the personality must constantly be in evidence to exercise judgment on prac- tically every individual operation that comes into the printing office. A few simple rules, such as the securing of enough business to keep the plant occupied at least 75 per cent. 92 THOUGHTS FROM SUCCESSFUL PRINTERS of its maximum efficiency, the keeping of the cost of production down to the lowest practical limit, and a thorough and complete knowledge of this cost, are the sine qua non of success in profit-making. But these rules are not automatic. Personal super- vision is necessary to see that work is not taken at less than it is worth. Personal supervision must provide that materials purchased are suitable for the work. Personal supervision must see that the work is done right in the first instance, so that additional labor will not be necessary for correcting errors of judgment. Personal supervision must ensure that the work will be done within the time allowed for it. Personal super- vision must provide that the job fits into the schedule arranged for it, so that overtime and other additional expenses may be avoided. Practically every job that enters the printing office has a complete individuality of its own. It is not a product like nails, cotton cloth, or anything else that is made to be held in stock and sold. The making of any circular is a piece of work as distinct from all of its fellows as the construction of a dwelling house. And nothing may be taken for granted in its make-up with- out danger — danger on one hand of increased cost and on the other of failure to satisfy the purchaser. Besides these instances of the employment of individ- uality in the production of each job, there are, of course, the general necessities of order, cleanliness, care of machinery, type and appliances. Failure to preserve a high standard in these respects means increased cost and a decreased opportunity for profit, because the printing business, being highly competitive, offers little 93 PRINTING FOR PROFIT opportunity for the avoidance of the penalty for care- lessness. So it all comes back to the quality of the individual who owns the business and his ability to master his problems, and to extend his personality by the use of competent assistants. ROBERT L. STILLSON There is only one distinct thought in my mind of great value to the printing business, and it is a mighty good one, but I am afraid the average New York printer is not big enough to see it. The printing business needs a big "Boss" to get men together and keep them in line. His salary should be about $50,000 per year, and he should be worth it. The California Orange Growers' Association pays $40,000 to a big man for part of his time. An efficient, forceful, high-priced man is the cheap- est. Such a man should increase the earnings in your shop and mine enough to pay his salary. The salary would amount to nothing as compared to the increased earnings. EDWARD L. STONE If I should lay more stress on any one of several thoughts to be passed along, it would be — Install a Standard Cost-finding System and study the informa- tion it imparts and the result it shows, and be gov- erned accordingly. I believe there is more money to be made by remem- bering this end of the business than there is in filling one's plant with machinery and type, or selling good printing, or a large volume. 94 THOUGHTS FROM SUCCESSFUL PRINTERS I might write three hundred words or three thou- sand words and say a great deal less than is in the above sentences. C. FRANK CRAWFORD "Printing for Profit" is a subject which opens up a field of thought that is almost limitless. In the first place, many printers are ignorant of what is "Profit" ; some think that the contents of their weekly pay en- velope is profit; others think that if they buy time at fifty cents an hour and sell it for seventy-five cents, that the difference is profit, and that if they buy a ream of paper for four dollars and sell it for four dollars and fifty cents, that the fifty cents is profit. These printers do not realize that until every item of cost has been charged to a job, and until they have the money in hand in payment for the job, and the amount received is greater than the amount paid out, there is no actual profit. There can be no profit in a printing, or any other, business until it is first perfectly understood what is "Profit," and there can be no profit without close co- operation between each of the departments of a busi- ness. The mechanical department must work in har- mony with the commercial department, and vice versa ; the commercial must know that when type is set up it must be distributed, proofs must be read, corrections must be made, that men are not busy all the time, type wears out and must be replaced and must be kept in- sured, workmen must have space in which to work, and light and heat to enable them to work, a foreman's time and a proofreader's time and a boy's time cannot 95 PRINTING FOR PROFIT be charged to any one job, but must be paid for never- theless; that the same conditions exist in the press- room, and that shipping departments are a neces- sary adjunct, the time of which cannot be charged to separate orders. On the other hand, the mechanical de- partment must know that rent must be paid for of- fices, wages must be paid to clerks, bookkeepers, stenog- raphers, managers, and office boy, as well as to sales- men; that telephones, telegrams and postage cost money, and bad debts and spoiled work are losses; in other words, that the difference between what the job is sold for and what is paid to the workmen who pro- duce it, plus a charge for stock, is not by any means all profit. The result of such an understanding between depart- ments is that each is made to realize how expenses can be reduced and profits increased. Goods will not be sold except at an advance over cost. A man in the me- chanical department will think twice before going into business for himself, and having decided to do so, will be an intelligent, and, consequently, a fair competitor, and on the whole there will be a greater chance of "Printing for Profit." THE HANDLING OF PAPER STOCK Mr. R. T. Deacon, president and treasurer of the Lambert-Deacon-Hull Printing Co., of Saint Louis, kindly contributes the following valuable sugges- tions : The paper stock department in a printing establish- ment is one that is given too little attention in many of the printing establishments throughout the country. 96 THOUGHTS FROM SUCCESSFUL PRINTERS Paper stock represents dollars and thought put into the buying, care in the handling and in seeing that all stock is well covered while in the stock department, so that none of it becomes soiled, and a complete inven- tory which is perpetual in character will assist that department in making a showing on the right side of the ledger. A memorandum of all stock received should be en- tered in a day book, showing the date received, quan- tity, price and extension, and a complete card-indexed system should be kept of all stock on hand. An entry should be made of all stock issued on memorandum slips in duplicate, the original of which goes into the work ticket and the duplicate of which is kept by the stock clerk, and he in turn at his leisure posts same on the card-indexed card. This should be done every day, and by having a card for each kind of stock carried, properly filed, the clerk can ascertain the quantity of any particular stock on hand at any moment, or a complete total of the stock on hand can be made in a few minutes' time. Too few printers pay attention to the waste stock. If a job is to be turned out on a sheet which will allow of some waste on the side or end, the total cost of the whole sheet is chargeable to this particular job, and the waste or unused portion should be sent down to the stock room again from the cutting room, and be marked "waste." This should be carefully wrapped up in a sealed package and piled in its proper place as- sorted, and when a small job comes in for which this stock can be used, it is nice and clean and it is not difficult at all for the stock clerk to make his selection 97 PRINTING FOR PROFIT from the waste, odds and ends, in all cases where such stock can be used. The cost of this waste stock having been charged to the original job, raises the question as to how much should be charged for it the second time, or when it is actually used. In our office we usually discount it, but there is no reason why it should not be charged for at about 75 per cent, of its original cost. This spells profit to the printer and oftentimes will assist him in landing some work that he could not obtain if he had to buy new stock for it. In case of a fire loss, this card-index system being kept in the vault, and being kept up every day, is a complete check for an absolute adjustment and leaves no room for doubt. Of course this cannot all be done without the services of a man who is interested in his work and who is willing and anxious to keep his records and his department up at all times. To do the work one day and not do it the next, or try to catch up after two or three weeks' time, will not answer the purpose. It is just as important that these entries should be made every day, as it is that the daily cash transactions should be entered daily, and it is my hope that by saying just these few words, some few printers may read them and profit by doing so. If any are inter- ested, and do not thoroughly understand the system as described, the writer will be very glad to give such further information as is possible. 98 The Printer as a Business Man GOOD printers are not too frequently found ; good business men are much less common ; and the combination of a good printer and a good busi- ness man is very rare indeed. This is the more deplor- able because most of the clever fellows who graduate from a foremanship and start a printing business are unconscious of their lack of business training. If they knew where they were weak, they would be in a position to remedy this lack of knowledge and experience. But, failing to recognize their need of business experience, the great majority of those who either start a printing office or buy one, repeat the old, old blunders of their predecessors, who figured that they could take work for 80 cents that their former boss sold for $1, and still make more money out of it. THE SAD TALE OF AN AVERAGE OFFICE The general history of the average new printing office is this : A workman has accumulated $1,000. He is familiar only with the wage cost of what he produces, and observing the prices which certain work commands, and feeling assured that he can get certain printing by cutting the price ten per cent., he decides to take a chance. He buys $5,000 worth of printing material, mostly second-hand, and gives $4,200 in notes, keeping $200 for cash expenses. The $200 is gone by the time his first job is on the press — mostly for unforeseen costs of getting started. When his first note falls due he is 99 PRINTING FOR PROFIT already short, and gets the cash by throwing off $10 to a customer to "help him out with the pay-roll." Having to meet each month $150 of notes, with grow- ing interest, he soon feels that he has simply got to have $1,000 worth of work each 30 days. In order to get it, he rushes around, making estimates on any- thing and everything, regardless of whether his plant is or is not well fitted for such work. He goes below the market price on most of it, and whenever he does not get a job calculates it must be because he did not go low enough, and shaves his figures more than ever. Thus he tends to lower the prices on ten times the amount of work he executes, for most customers simply use his figures to hammer down the charge of their reg- ular printer. This unfortunate man ceases to expect to draw a regular salary, and puts all his energies into meeting these notes, believing that in three years, when he gets this debt paid off, he will have things easy and delight- ful. Losing all sense of overhead and indirect expenses, he does not discover that he is doing work for less than cost until one day, when he is, say, six or eight months behind on his notes, his largest creditors get together and demand an assignment. There is a sale, and the stuff brings a little less than the debts; but he is cal- loused by this time, and beyond grief. In fact there may be a feeling of relief, for his wife and children will probably shout with joy, saying, "Now, pa, you'll take a good job, won't you, and we can have new clothes and go to the movies again !" This poor printer doesn't know how it all happened for a year or two, until he has time to get a broader 100 THE PRINTER AS A BUSINESS MAN view of things. But when he does thoroughly wake up he knows that he has attempted the impossible; that he should have studied business methods before he tried to be a business man ; that he needed much more cash than he had ; that he took work too cheap ; that he tied himself up so that he was constantly doing things his better judgment condemned. It is a sorry fact that the above summarizes the history of about five out of every six printing offices that are started. The sixth fellow either has a little more money, or a little more ability and experience, or takes in a partner who has one of these things, and so pulls through and establishes a permanent business. It has been stated that a second-hand printing plant, com- posed of what most good printers would characterize as "old junk," has been sold in succession to eight or ten different parties in and around New York, before it landed with one who was able to complete his pay- ments on it. The original plant of the Francis Press was sold five or six times before it fell into my hands. An employee once came to me with his resignation, saying he was going into business. This gave the op- portunity, after congratulating him on his enterprise, of impressing upon him that he should be sure to make a success of it, and show what there was in a graduate of the Charles Francis Press. His attention was called in particular to the Typothetse cost lists, which he was invited to study, and urged to observe that most print- ers failed through charging too little, being deceived as to the indirect costs. Until he was known as a good printer, giving a good service, he would probably have to work at very close prices, yet shaving too close was 101 PRINTING FOR PROFIT the error to be avoided as fatal. He took the advice kindly, acted on it, and is in business today, having weathered the storms of placing a new business on a firm foundation. A PRESCRIPTION FOR SUCCESS So much for things to be avoided. Now let me give the "Prescription for Success," which I delivered to the Middle Atlantic Cost Congress a few years ago. The popular ingredients that go to make up success in the printing business are as follows: 1. Strict honesty with your customer, competitor, banker, those who assist you — meaning labor, and in fact all things, especially with yourself. 2. A thorough knowledge of your business, both me- chanically and commercially. 3. An efficient equipment and an efficient force to handle the equipment. 4. A knowledge of your costs sufficient at least to know whether you are making a fair profit on all your product. 5. Careful study of your overhead to see that you do not overload your productive capacity by complicated bookkeeping or methods of obtaining work. 6. Make your every customer a salesman for your business. That he is always willing to become if you treat him right and give him good service. It is easier to keep business than to get new business. Strain every effort in reason to please the customer. 7. Have satisfied, competent help, and see that they are supplied with an abundance of material ; it is cheap- er than labor. 102 THE PRINTER AS A BUSINESS MAN 8. Be careful that every step or movement is short- ened to the uttermost, and that the hygiene of the work- rooms is as good as it is possible to make it. Then, if the returns show that it can be done, let the producers share with you in the results. In fact, the whole es- tablishment should be run on the family basis — "One for all and all for one." With these I might add that constant watchfulness and thought with unity of action must bring success. We all know men in business who, while strictly honest with their customers, think it all right to pad a statement to the bank, or play a trick on a competitor, or to squeeze their employees. These errors all bring their retribution. The banker sizes you up and shaves your rating; the competitor gets sore and sends the work he can't do to some one else than you, and the workmen who are crowded would not be human if they remained loyal. The straightforward policy that is fair with everybody is the policy that wins in the long run. It is not enough that a man be a good printer, know- ing how to turn out excellent work mechanically; he must be able to handle it commercially, to recognize the general business needs of his customers in order that he may retain them. THE UNFORGIVABLE SIN Underestimating is the most serious error of the average printer. It is a sin that brings its own pun- ishment. Direct costs he can easily figure, but the mat- ter of overhead charges puzzles and deceives. It is quite as great an error to charge too much as too little ; 103 PRINTING FOR PROFIT the desirable thing is to find the fair price, at which you can afford to give the customer not only the grade of printing but the service that he wants. The Ben Franklin clubs and Typothetse and Cost Congresses have done much to scatter knowledge as to estimating, and the trade papers have aided nobly in spreading the information as to scientific methods of figuring costs. Every printer can secure such guidance by asking for it in the right quarter. The trouble with many printers is that they think they know better than the managers of the older and larger houses. They suspect the suc- cessful printers of trying to "put one over" on them, by overstating costs, and insist on having their own dear experience. There are two kinds of capital essential to success in business — one is brain capital and the other money capi- tal. The first is the most necessary asset. If a man has no money he cannot lose any, and he must work his brain the harder. Having brains, he stands a good chance of getting the necessary backing. In my time I have run a number of businesses, as outlined in the chapter on my earlier experiences, and with the excep- tion of the first experiment, in which I dropped $1,500, I never put money capital into a printing office, not even the Charles Francis Press. I found others to back my capital of experience and knowledge with their dol- lars, and I made the business pay them and me. After over fifty years of experience I am happy to be able to say that nobody ever lost any money by backing me, and that I was able to pull through even some very unpromising printing concerns, and make them show profits. 104 THE PRINTER AS A BUSINESS MAN CAPITAL IS ALWAYS WAITING FOR BRAINS When a man really knows how to run a good printing business right, he will find the capital waiting. There is too much disposition to help aspiring young printers into business ; too much willingness to give them credit before they have earned their spurs. It would be better for everybody if the machinery people and supply houses demanded larger initial cash payments, and were stiffer as to credits. It would be still better if all old machinery, turned in in exchange, went to tlie junk- man, instead of being "rebuilt" and put to work again to depreciate prices. I see to it that my old machinery is broken up. I don't want it set up in the next block, to make a busi- ness for another such unfortunate as described in the opening of this chapter. I regret to say that a press manufacturer tells me that I am the only printer he knows who does break up his old machines ; others agree that it is a good thing — and then sell them for what they will bring. I had rather lose $100 or $200 on an old machine and know that I am not contributing to the ruinous condition. There is a machine in the Charles Francis Press that cost $25,000 to install; probably it will be thrown out within fifteen years to make way for something better. The sinking fund charge against that machine to re- place its cost with interest is therefore $12 a day. Other charges run the cost of operation up to $60 a day, and as it has to be there ready for business at all times, with the men ready to run it, the cost is at least $45 a day when it is not running. As it must sometimes be idle, it is obviously necessary to charge $75 a day for its use, 105 PRINTING FOR PROFIT to be sure of a profit in the long run. This brings the costs up so that the work can be done about as cheaply on smaller, old-fashioned machines. However, this rapid machine turns out the work, and it is in the mails often a week before it could get there if produced by the old methods. So we look to the gain in service rather than reduction of cost in purchasing such a machine. This machine always has some idle hours, and as it stands there eating up $45 a day, and costs only $15 more if kept going on live work, there is a temptation to take in some job at say $35 a day to fill in idle time. The poor business man would be very apt to yield to such temptation, and grab such a job as a filler. The more far-sighted recognize that the printery that starts to taking fillers on which the overhead charge is not included, usually keeps on until all the work of the place is fillers taken below cost. Then it is too late to save things, and an assignment follows. IT IS BEST TO SPECIALIZE A very common mistake of the printer as a business man is to go into the market to do every kind of print- ing. It is far better to specialize, and get your men and machines and equipment fitted to doing a certain class of work. Druggist's labels, fruit-can labels, railway tickets, were long ago taken out of the category of general printing because specialists did them so much better and cheaper that the printer learned to leave them alone. See chapter on "Service, Efficiency and Specialization." But there are thousands of printing shops today, with equipment for stationer's work only, which will not hesitate to give a price on printing a 106 THE PRINTER AS A BUSINESS MAN magazine, because it will be so handy to have it to fall back on when stationery is dull. And there are other offices doing fairly well with a few publications that will take any job of letter-heads or blank-books offered them. It is best for book offices to stick to books, for catalog houses to stick to catalogs, for magazine houses to stick to magazines, and so on down the line. Many concerns can work two kinds of printing to- gether satisfactorily, as large editions of catalogs and high-grade publications, or booklets and advertising specialties, or loose-leaf propositions and blank books ; but the handling of any considerable variety of work is against economy, and therefore not good business. The Charles Francis Press sends all work not in its line to other printers in the vicinity, and the result is that these others learn to recommend the Francis Press for the work they know that they themselves are not equipped for, and which is in our line. This is not intended as a criticism of the so-called merchant printer or stationer, who takes orders for anything he can get in the printing line and farms them out. He is really a jobber in printing, and has a right to thrive in his line ; but observe that he always knows enough to give out his work to the houses having the right equipment, or who are doing certain work for less than they should, because they have not yet fully appreciated its cost. The good business printer will discover that it is an essential to maintain a close spirit of accord in all branches of his shop, between those in authority and those under authority, producing unity of action, and developing a feeling that every one in the place, from 107 PRINTING FOR PROFIT the office boy up, should believe that his cooperation is needed as much as that of the general manager. The organization should be a unit working together, in the same manner as every piece of mechanism in the ma- chinery of the plant, and all trying to do their part with the same precision, added to which should be the brain thought, leading to an advancement of the general partners, for so they all are. WHAT OTHERS THINK OF THE PRINTER This chapter may well be closed with brief quotations from letters received from successful manufacturers and dealers in the allied trades, in other words of the men who sell to printers, and judge of them from an outside viewpoint. A roller-maker says : "I do not believe that there is any manufacturing line — and the printing business is a manufacturing business — in which there is so great a lack of knowledge of one's own business as is displayed in the printing and publishing lines. It is remarkable that so few printers have any idea as to their own costs, and that when they have found them, they have lacked the nerve to stand by them, but would take an order at a figure of supposed cost, rather than stand the chance of losing an order. There is one serious error that the printer usually makes — that if there has been a mistake made on a job, or if it has been poorly executed, he attempts to offer too many excuses as to why it hap- pened. It does not make his patron any happier listen- ing to the arguments or offers to see that it does not happen again on the next job, and the glaring insult of saying that the printer cannot afford to make good the 108 THE PRINTER AS A BUSINESS MAN loss on the job does more to reduce the respect that the consumer has for the printing industry than many- other causes. As a business man he should accept his loss, and do the job properly, organizing his plant and men in such a manner that the job would be delivered to the customer a little bit better than expected. A busi- ness man would not think of offering to a customer ten thousand excuses as to why his delivery was not perfect/ ' A cost-system man says : "There is no question that the printer can become a good business man if the fallacies of his present belief can be shown him, and the principle of good business methods taught him, to a point where he shall have confidence in them. The curse of the printing industry today is the feeling of each proprietor that he is the only one in the trade who is on the level, and that all of his competitors are crooked. The invariable reply to an approach on the subject of cost-system installation is that he knows his own cost, but that his competitor needs the knowledge that a cost system would give him, while the man up the tree can see that the individual himself is no better informed nor a better business man than the average." A press manufacturer writes : "I have noticed that the printers who are successful as business men are usually good merchants, whether or not they personally are good printers. They display attractive merchan- dise, know what it costs, give adequate service to the buyer, and get what it is worth." A supply man says : "The printing business of the past was made up of small plants, some of which grew to large proportions. Nearly all these printers were 109 PRINTING FOR PROFIT graduated from the composing room or the pressroom — very few from the counting room. The consequence was that they had very vague notions of cost, and were disposed to think that everything above wages was profit. As a result it was only natural that the printer did not shine as a successful business man. In the last few years, however, there has been a decided awakening ; the printing business throughout the whole country has made wonderful progress, and there are numerous printing establishments everywhere which are conducted on the soundest principles, and general conditions are improving in a most satisfactory man- ner. The successful printer of today is quite as good a business man as is the successful manufacturer in other lines. "It was no unusual thing, in days gone by, to see plants that had been in use for a whole lifetime ; today the progressive printer does not hesitate to relegate a machine to the scrap-heap if it can be demonstrated to him that a machine of higher earning capacity is to be had. He realizes that if his business earns a profit of ten per cent, on the gross output, he will double his profits if he can increase his efficiency ten per cent., without increasing his expenses." A short comment by a prominent electrotyper : "My forty years' experience in doing business with printers, in and out of the city, has taught me that there are more failures in the printing business than in many other lines ; the cause has not been for the lack of business, but in doing the work in many cases below cost, and the ultimate result was a failure. I hope that by the general introduction of cost systems this evil will no THE PRINTER AS A BUSINESS MAN be overcome, and the business brought up to a more profitable basis." A paper dealer says : "I have been more successful as a paper jobber than as a printer, and lay it prin- cipally to the fact that certain mental characteristics that would make a successful printer, I lacked. Of all the lines that I have been in, the printing business necessitates a more varied general knowledge and ability than any other business. Of course the same principles apply to every business for success, but in the printing business a man has to work more with his head than any other business I know of." An ink man has this to say: "There are printers who are most excellent business men and printers who are very poor business men, exactly the same as in any other line. A good business man depends quite as much upon observation as he does on any earlier educa- tion, and my experience has been that the self-made man who is observant and tactful, succeeds better as a business man than does one who lacks those qualifica- tions and has merely an earlier education to base his business career upon. In an experience of over 38 years we have averaged a yearly loss on our sales of only a trifle over one-half of one per cent., and dealing only with printers. This is the best testimonial I can give that printers as business men are at least careful of their obligations." PRINTERS LEARN FROM EACH OTHER On reading over this chapter, I find that it contains so much advice and comment on lack of success, as to suggest that the writer thinks he is one of a very few ill PRINTING FOR PROFIT successful ones, who thoroughly understands the busi- ness end of printing. It is proper to disclaim any such thought. What I have learned, I have gleaned quite as much from my fellows in the trade, as from observa- tion of outsiders. In more recent years it is a pleasure to note the improved character of business methods among printing houses. We are learning, even if we have been slow. In the employers' associations, there has come to be a very frequent exchange of views and experiences, mutually helpful. I do not desire to pose as a teacher to those who know as much or more than I ; but I do want to point out the pitfalls to my fellow-printers who come after, that fewer of them may tumble into the holes that have tripped me and others. Frankly, I admit that most of the errors cited in this chapter have been mine at one time or another; but in later years I have had the courage of my convictions, and refused to be tempted for temporary expediency to do things that in the long run injured the trade. I have tried in my business to live up to the best that I knew, and that is all any of us can do. 112 Profitable Financing CASH capital is essential to the conduct of modern business. Unless the printer has available money at all times he finds himself seriously handicapped. The ordinary proprietor of a printing of- fice does not keep close enough to the banker. Having once asked for a loan and been refused, he concludes that the machinery man, the paper dealer, or the sup- ply people are the only ones who will trust printers, and proceeds to lean on them. This is a mistaken policy. Every honest and capable printer, doing a growing business, can secure banking facilities and bank credit if he goes about it in the right way. The first essential is to know a banker and let him know you. It does not do to have any financial secrets from your banker ; if you hide things from him, he very rightly considers you unsafe. But if he finds you can be depended upon to tell the exact truth, he is usually glad to lend you money when the proposition is safe. If you have a healthy business and average deposits of $1,000, you should be able to borrow $5,000 on notes, which is enough to enable the buying of con- siderable machinery and supplies, and taking advantage of the cash discounts. Practically all manufacturers and supply houses give discounts up to five per cent, for cash in thirty days. Suppose you are buying a $10,000 press ; if you get five per cent, cash discount you have to pay only $9,500 for the machine. If you buy it from the manufacturer you pay $10,000 plus six per cent, per year, paying, say, 113 PRINTING FOR PROFIT about $3,000 cash and the balance in two years; then your interest on $7,000 will amount to $840, so that you pay $10,840 for the machine. But if you take $3,000 from your business (as you probably would in either case) and borrow $7,000 from your bank, the following comparative result is obtained: You pay $9,500 cash for the machine, and your interest for two years at the bank will be $650, so that your total amount paid is $10,150, or a saving of $690. Question: How much printing would earn $690? Allowing ten per cent, for profit you would have to do $6,900 worth of printing — which effort is saved in this instance by a half hour's work with your banker, and if your credit is good you have also saved the placing of a mortgage or sale contract on record against your plant. Such a saving is possible only to the printer who has placed himself in a favorable light with his banker. The printer who pads his statements to the commercial agencies and banks, and is shy of going frankly into details, has only himself to blame when the banker is also shy of loaning to him. Dissimulation begets dis- trust. It is really surprising how accommodating banks will be when they have confidence in you. Once I was unfortunate enough to be manager for some time of a concern with $500 of assets and $30,000 of debts. I went to the nearest bank with a $400 accommodation note endorsed by one of the backers who wanted to keep the bankrupt concern afloat. I stated the case to the bank president, and when I told him we had debts sixty times in excess of our assets, he remarked, "Young man, I like your nerve. 114 PROFITABLE FINANCING This is the hottest proposition ever put up to me. The one thing that interests me is that I know you are telling me the truth." He questioned me fully as to details, made inquiry about the endorser, who was none too strong, and finally agreed to handle our accommo- dation notes, not to exceed $5,000 a month. Nothing but the fact that he was convinced of our entire honesty, and that he sincerely wanted to help us all he could, determined the loan. When the endorser subsequently assigned, and the concern I was managing was thus also forced to assign, the bank did not lose a dollar by us, and as I had succeeded in materially reducing the debts during the time I handled the business, I was made assignee to wind up its affairs. And when I left that city and came East, I carried with me two of the finest letters of introduction a man could wish for to two of the largest New York banks. I have cited this case to emphasize the point that the banker, who is entrusted with other people's money to loan, finds that character and ability are the best guar- antees ; and that if you want bank credit you must get the banker's confidence. Most employers have started from the employee stage and come into business life unfitted and unprepared for monetary transactions. Good printers — foolish printers also — and many of the medium sort — have had sad experiences with their finances. The secret of having money available is to get acquainted with your banker, and not seek to cover up any conditions. Bankers can help you in many ways besides direct loans. It is their business to handle money and to loan money, and so long as you are solvent and conducting your affairs in a sensible way, 115 PRINTING FOR PROFIT they can show you how to handle your finances. It should be no occasion for anger if they refuse a loan, for they are handling money not their own, and have to live up to rules that they have learned are safe. If instead of getting piqued at a banker who refuses a loan, the printer would enquire just what condition is lacking to make his loan desirable to the bank, he will find out how to shape his course to secure accommoda- tion in the future. The one thing the banker has to sell is money, and he will let it on better terms than the machinery or supply man who is not in the business of selling money, but simply wants to sell his machinery and supplies and who gives your purchase money notes to his banker for discount, so that you are really borrowing money sec- ond-hand. If the struggling printer will bear these things in mind, he will soon find it possible to get into the class that discount their bills regularly, and pay cash for their machinery. It is an error to try to get along without cash. When the cash is not in the business it should be borrowed. If it cannot be borrowed legitimately, it is because there is no sufficient basis for credit, and the concern is best closed up. It is true that there are many who advise the beginner in business not to borrow, and urge the terrors of having debt hanging over one like a sword of Damocles; but modern business has developed so that very much of it is of necessity conducted on bor- rowing. Some of the largest and healthiest businesses borrow systematically according to the conditions of trade. It appears to have become a commercial neces- sity, and the conditions being much more scientifically 116 PROFITABLE FINANCING understood than formerly, the practice is robbed of most of its dangers. If the printer waited until he had the cash saved from profits to buy new and improved machinery, there would be very few large printeries today. The plan is to first get a good contract in sight, then to put in the press and let the work it does pay for it. And it is a legitimate and healthy way to build up a large trade and a large plant. When I took hold of the Charles Francis Press the first thing I did was to borrow $2,000 cash to have money to run on until I could make the plant earn it. At various times I have been a considerable borrower; but always in the way of increasing and developing business and profits ; and always a business loan, never a social, friendly loan have I made. I never hesitated to throw out an unprofitable machine because of the apparent book loss of the money I had paid for it. I never hesitated to borrow if necessary to secure in the place of an antiquated machine one that would do ten to twenty per cent, more work. This I found to be the way to make money, while keeping out of debt and hanging on to an old back-number of a machine was as poor policy as hiring a half-trained workman when I could get one who knew his trade and was a hustler. If I purchased a new $5,000 machine, I would fre- quently pay the first thousand out of current funds, and borrow $3,750 out of the bank, thus saving the cash discount of $250, and often I had to pay but five per cent, for the $3,750 borrowed, which I could reduce at my convenience at 90 day periods. In the meantime, 117 PRINTING FOR PROFIT I had the advantage of having the plant clear of mortgage, while its value and earning capacity were increased. Such a practice frees the printer from the curse of having several series of notes to meet on fixed dates, for the manufacturer is entitled to and expects his money as agreed, and can take the machine out if the contract is not lived up to. This is the condition that pushes printers to taking work at cost to carry out their contracts. Had they borrowed from the banks instead, they would find the banker would much prefer to renew their notes to having them undertake the suicidal policy of cutting prices to keep things going, thus taking long chances of ultimate ruin. In order to have credit with the banker one must be careful to whom and under what conditions one gives credit. It is not wise to worry prospective customers about the possible pay until an order ,is landed. But the instant a good-sized order is closed, if the house is not well known to you or well rated, it is the safe and sensible thing to go to the man who gave the order, and say something like this : "You realize that we have got to begin to pay out cash on your work at once, and will not get it back until 30 days after delivery, say 60 days ; we want your business, but observe that you are not rated, and so must ask you for references, or something that will give us a basis for the required credit." If the prospective customer gets angry at this, you have probably saved a loss. Such a statement can be made wholly without offense, and if it appears that the customer cannot back up the order sufficiently, the 118 PROFITABLE FINANCING credit may sometimes be made safe in other ways. Suppose it is a book, and that the customer has orders, or thinks he has orders, to a total of twice the printing costs. It is then the part of wisdom to tell him to have the orders made payable to the printing house to guar- antee the job; if on inspection the orders are satisfac- tory a credit may be given. Even with a fifty per cent, leeway, however, the orders might not be a sufficient guarantee. It is necessary to test the character of the subscribers and the method in which they were taken. Having got your information as to credit, it is import- ant also to acknowledge and thank the customer for the order, and state to whom checks should be made payable. There was an instance a few years ago in New York, where two-thirds of the subscribers to a large encyclo- pedia "flunked" when it came to paying the money. The proportion is unusual, and was due to unwise and unethical methods of soliciting the subscriptions. How- ever, most lists of book subscriptions, properly obtained, are worth 75 per cent, or more of their face value. It is a matter of experience that professional people — artists, physicians, clergymen, actors, lawyers, etc. — are not usually as reliable in the payment of bills as are commercial houses. They do not seem to reason in the same way, nor to have the same recognition of the right of the seller to cash on delivery or receipt of the money on a note when due. Therefore, notwithstanding the high social esteem in which such may be held, it is unwise to give them credits without guarantee. A well-known lecturer has been known to order an expensive dinner for a hundred 119 PRINTING FOR PROFIT prominent people, with absolutely no means for making payment. A prominent sculptor made a bust for a famous French actress visiting our shores, had it pre- sented by a leading American actor after a theatre per- formance, and next day sent the bill for it to the recipi- ent. These instances are quoted to show the lack of business understanding of a class of professional people, and the unwisdom of expecting that they will conform to ordinary commercial usages if it happens to be inconvenient. The master printer needs cash when he starts in business, and requires cash ahead every day he remains in business, and if he does not plan carefully in advance to have this, he is very apt soon to find himself in the class of unfortunates who take jobs at cost as fillers to meet notes, and who have to hustle every Saturday to meet the payroll, which is always .liable to contain a less number of dollars for the boss than for many of his men. Printing is done to make money, and the man who finds he has not the money-making capacity and who cannot quickly learn methods of finance is better back on a salary. There are men fitted to make successes of small printing plants who fail in big plants. A man should study himself, and learn his own capacity ; if he overrates himself he is liable to go under. Many printers there have been who are happy and successful with plants of $5,000 to $10,000 value, and whose ambi- tion has misled them to acquire plants worth $20,000 to $100,000, and to tie themselves down with a load of debt beyond their ability to handle. Growing too fast is a serious error for a printer, and all too common. 120 PROFITABLE FINANCING The lure is very inviting. A customer who is friendly offers large work if they will put in say two new cylin- ders to handle it quickly. The printer figures the work will pay for the machines in three years, and "falls for" the lure. But soon he finds that another linotype, an- other paper cutter, and some tons of metal and supplies are also needed for the increased work, which he has not the resources to handle. Being in for it, he gambles, and gives the orders for the additional machinery and supplies, until he is tied up for double the debt he figured on. This at once puts him in the class of "note- meeters," and even if he pulls through and meets all his obligations, by the time his hair is gray he is apt to find himself worn out and with a worn-out plant, all paid for but so antique that he is a back number. And all because he went too deeply into debt, and when cramped tried to pull himself out by taking work at cost. It is not so much the actual debt that weighs down the printer, as the fear that the firm that holds his notes will sell him out. This it is that unnerves him, and causes him to estimate too low to get in more cash, thus undermining his own business and that of his neigh- bors. As a matter of fact, the machinery houses and supply people never close up and sell out a printer if they can help it. They invariably do all they can to keep him afloat and help him out. They do not want their machinery back, and the extension of notes does not hurt them seriously. The average machinery house, on making a sale, banks and discounts at least a portion of the notes in order to have live capital. It borrows money at five and charges the printer six per cent., the one per cent, dif- 121 PRINTING FOR PROFIT f erence paying for the trouble of handling the notes. Extending notes means no loss of either principal or interest to the machinery house, only less live capital. The hardship of carrying the notes is therefore not nearly so great as many printers think, who are un- familiar with banking methods. The best way for a printer to maintain his financial standing, when he finds he is loaded down with more notes than he can meet, is not to cut prices to get cash, but to go frankly to the firms who have his paper, and state his case. Being large creditors they are inter- ested in his success, and they will not crowd him to the wall, but give him every chance to pull through. It is wise for the printer who gives notes to buy as much as possible from one concern, so that his notes are held by the same people. He then receives more attention in the way of repairs, and extension of his notes is easier and simpler. The printer who is closed up and sold out has usually made the unfortunate conditions himself. A case is recalled of a printer who had piled up debt and done work too cheaply, until it appeared that he was worth just about nothing, and that only by hard struggling could he keep going. Instead of stating his case frankly to the people he owed, he concealed details from them, and when asked to show his books flatly refused. This created suspicion, and marked him as an unsafe man. At this time one friend, who knew the inside of his affairs, apprized him that he had an asset in a lot of unbound books that had been left on his hands, which were coming into demand, and could be bound up and marketed. But no, the printer would not bother with 122 PROFITABLE FINANCING them, devoting his energies to getting in more work at or below cost, and trying to land a partner with some capital. He might have obtained the partner, had he been frank, but the man who would have bought into and financed his place was frightened away by his secrecy and evident desire to cover up some things. After a time the mortgagees decided the case was hope- less and sold him out. Other printers there are who go down because they have made the mistake of depending almost wholly on one customer, and when he deserts they cannot fill the vacant place in their shop. If a printer is almost wholly dependent on one customer, there are only two ways of making the print shop safe — one is to make the cus- tomer a partner in the printing office and the other to become a partner of the customer in his publishing business or whatever it is. Such partnership ties the two concerns together, and prevents the chance of the printer being deserted. But there is the added risk that if the partners disagree, unpleasant complications may arise. In either case the failure of the customer's business is apt to carry down the printery that is largely dependent on it for work. Everybody in New York printing circles remembers the case of a large New York printing house which some years ago went to the wall because their principal customer, a large publishing house, decided to equip a printing plant of their own. The printers, with ma- chinery unfit for the sort of work they could pick up, and with a ruinously large overhead, stumbled along a couple of years, and then saw their plant auctioned off at a small fraction of its cost. 123 PRINTING FOR PROFIT In another familiar New York instance, one of the most clear-headed and brainy men in the printing busi- ness found himself confronted with a similar problem. He arranged to be a partner of the publishers, and wrote a contract binding the publishers to stayt with the printing house until every dollar's worth of ma- chinery bought for their work was paid for. Another way of guarding against the one-customer danger is not to allow any one customer to use more than one-fifth or one-sixth of the plant's capacity. There may be other ways, but the thing to be borne in mind is that at some time it is almost sure ruin to produce conditions where the bulk of the work of a printery may be removed on a few months' notice ; and it is folly to buy thousands of dollars' worth of new machinery to produce the work of a large customer who gives a contract for only a year at a time. Our sympathies go out to the "big printer with an old plant," to use a homely but forceful phrase, as we all know he has a well-nigh hopeless proposition. Often such a man hangs on, works hard all his days, and dies with scarce a dollar, respected because he paid his debts, but with a record of never having been able to save for himself or his family. This possibility of being lured out of the safe path may be largely avoided by establishing the habit of saving early in one's career, and taking money earned by printing out of the business, and putting it into real estate, life insurance, building and loan stock, or the like. This is what the average high-class employee does, and the employing printer should be able to do as much. If he cannot do it, he may well question his 124 PROFITABLE FINANCING ability to make a real profit in running a printing business. Correct buying is a large part of profitable financing. The printer who buys only second-hand machinery is all too apt to be a second-hand man all his days. The wise plan is to buy the newest and best in the market. If it costs more, it will the sooner pay for itself. How can a printer with 1,200-an-hour cylinders that have to carry $200 each a year of repairs expect to compete with the printer who runs 1,800-an-hour presses that stand up to their work day and night if necessary? The rapid presses are producing 50 per cent, more, with scarcely any difference in the overhead charge. It is poor financing to buy anything cheap. The best help and the best machines earn the largest profits, and the poorest ones seldom earn any profit. Delusion as to profits is fatal to many a printing office. How often has some such talk as this been heard between master printers : Rush— "I cleared $10,000 last year." Bustle — "That's fine. May I ask how you invested it?" Rush — "Oh, it's in my business — new machinery, you know." The chances are that Rush has no clear idea how much he made, and it is almost a sure thing that a modern accountant would calculate his profits at less than half his offhand figure. The sum he draws in cash weekly is a much closer measure of his prosperity. The fellow who thinks he is making $10,000 a year is apt to overlook that he ought to take off $4,000 for interest and depreciation, and that his right salary of 125 PRINTING FOR PROFIT $4,000 should come off also, leaving actual profits of only $2,000. What should the printer do who realizes that he is now in a slough of debt, with an office full of "fillers," and that he is tied hand and foot? Is there any salva- tion for him ? Yes, he should go to his closest business friends, who are interested in his success, including the people to whom he owes the most money, and state his case fully and plainly, keeping back nothing, and acknowledging the errors of judgment that put him in a hole, and ask for endorsements and extension of credits to relieve him sufficiently to enable him to throw out his non- paying work, and keep things going until he can get in enough of the profitable kind. A few years ago a New York manager took charge of an old plant with $100,000 worth of annual business, and inside of 90 days threw out $70,000 of it because it was not paying overhead charges. Within a year he succeeded in refilling the plant with paying work. About $5,000 cash was utilized in changing the business from an unprofitable to a profitable one. What has been done can be done again. 126 Development of Periodicals in America THE first American publications were very cor- rectly described as news-letters, and soon these grew into newspapers. When the Colonial papers were well established, and all the larger cities of the United States had newspapers and printing offices, the literary magazine made its appearance. The time-hon- ored father of American typos, Benjamin Franklin, ap- pears to be entitled to the credit of the idea. A won- derful man was B. F., and we should be willing to take his word for it that he and not Andrew Bradford origi- nated the magazine. In Philadelphia, in 1741, Benjamin Franklin issued The General Magazine or Historical Chronicle just three days after Andrew Bradford published The American or a Monthly Vieiv. Franklin charged that Bradford heard what he was doing, stole his idea, and rushed out his magazine ahead, and there was much recrimination. But as Bradford's magazine lived through only three issues, and Franklin's through only six, it was conclusively proved that at the time there was no demand for, and no money to be made from a monthly magazine in the American colonies. It may be remarked here that the Saturday Evening Post, of Phil- adelphia, which dates from 1728, was regarded as a newspaper until recent years. Between 1741 and 1800, according to A. Tassin, in his valuable book, "The Magazine in America," forty- five other magazines were started in the country, exist- ing usually for a few months, and occasionally for a few 127 PRINTING FOR PROFIT years. The New England Magazine of 1758 was per- haps the most pretentious, consisting of 60 pages and selling for 6d. The Boston Magazine of 1784 had two engravings and a piece of music in each issue. All these early magazines were, of course, printed on the hand press, and those before 1825 mostly on wooden hand presses, producing only two or four pages at an impression. The typesetters were paid a few shillings a week, but editors and writers were supposed to work for the love of it, and probably the first salaried editor of an Ameri- can magazine was Thomas Paine, who in 1775 was hired by The Pennsylvania Magazine for £25 a year. The most successful of the early magazines was The Columbian, which at its best, in 1792, swelled to 80 pages, and "cost over £100 a month to print." It had to suspend because the post office levied letter rates of postage on its circulation. Thus early did the trou- bles between the post office and the literary magazine begin. The New York Magazine, founded in 1790, was the first to thrive in the big city, and lasted several years. The first magazine to pay real profits was The North American, started in 1815, as The Monthly Anthology, and later becoming the famous North American Re- view. In 1820 The North American announced that it paid its writers $1 a page uniformly, and that no copy of the magazine was thrown in. This was at least twice what the typesetters got. Jared Sparks owned a three-quarter interest in The North American, and sold it in 1830 for $15,000, or $9,100 more than it cost him in 1824. He stated that 128 DEVELOPMENT OF PERIODICALS IN AMERICA he had realized $22,000 from the publication during the six years of his ownership. The Youth's Companion began its career in Boston in 1827, and has progressed quietly but uniformly to this day. After about 1830 the printing of magazines began to be done on Adams presses and Hoe drum cylinders. The cost of production was trifling from the modern viewpoint; as they carried no advertising they had to depend solely upon their subscriptions for support. As few of the magazines before 1840 attained much more than 1,000 circulation, and as they sold usually at 6d, or 12 cents modern money, it is obvious that there was little chance for profit. The Dial, living from 1840 to 1844, set a faster pace for magazine publishers, being the first to publish writ- ings by George William Curtis, and also buying articles from Emerson, Thoreau, Dwight and Dana. Does it not seem incongruous that these leaders of thought, many of whose words will ring on down through the ages, received less pay in many instances, than the average modern hack-writer and news-scribbler? In 1844 Littel's Living Age was founded, and made good its title by existing through all the years, so that now its issue fills several bookshelves. Gleason's (afterwards Ballou's) Pictorial came along about 1848, and was the first light literature magazine, as well as the first to carry many pictures. It hailed from the Hub, and had on its staff a young man named Carter, who, after learning the methods of catering to the taste for popular light reading, came to New York, in 1852, and founded Frank Leslie's Illustrated Newspaper and 129 PRINTING FOR PROFIT twenty odd years later Frank Leslie's Popular Monthly. They became so popular that he was later impelled to change his name to Frank Leslie. He seems to have been the first good business man in the magazine business in New York, and the first to cater to the demand for pictures, undeterred by the high cost of wood engraving. His only real competitor in the field of light magazine literature for many years was the famous Robert Bonner, of The New York Ledger. There were, however, a host of imitators. The talented and erratic Edgar A. Poe appeared as a brilliant star among the magazine writers in 1838, when he edited The Gentleman's Magazine at $10 a week. The pay was not so small as it appears, for Poe would work but a few hours a day, and his fondness for the cheering glass made him very irregular. The second time the magazine was late because of his failure to show up for his duties, he was "fired. " Later he came to New York, and for a time edited The Broad- wuy Journal. The magazine went bankrupt, and Poe bid it in for $50, tendering a note endorsed by Horace Greeley. Of course Greeley had to pay it, and of course the magazine "busted" again. Godey's Magazine started in Philadelphia in 1830, and Graham's Casket was first issued near the same date. These were the first magazines to approximate modern prices paid their writers, and they also directed more attention to excellence of mechanical execution. In 1845 it is said they paid $300 to $500 per issue to contributors, and their printing bill was considerably higher. The newspapers took to stealing their best articles, and once an advance sheet of Godey's got out, 130 DEVELOPMENT OF PERIODICALS IN AMERICA and a newspaper appropriated most of the matter, and circulated it twelve days ahead of Godey's date of publi- cation. After that lesson all the magazines copyrighted their issues. The Atlantic was planned in 1857 by a group of famous New Englanders, including Cabot, Longfellow, Lowell, Holmes, Emerson and Phillips. They engaged Harriet Beecher Stowe and Harriet Prescott to give the magazine the feminine touch. All are dead and gone, but The Atlantic lives on, and has given us Howells, the last of that great coterie of gifted writers. Chicago had thirteen magazines previous to 1860, of which The Gem of the Prairie and Lakeside Monthly were most notable. San Francisco had a magazine in 1854, The Pioneer, which is known to fame as having first published Mark Twain's "Jumping Frog" story. In March, 1850, Harper's Magazine was born. The Harper Brothers were both the leading printers and leading book publishers of New York, and far-sighted business men. They had the best machinery and best equipment of any concern of their time, and they at once set a new high mark in typography, in literary con- tents and in efficiency. They outclassed all their com- petitors, even the gifted Frank Leslie, and were re- warded with 50,000 circulation for their magazine within six months, the figures being then a record. With volume six their total rose to 118,000, and they began electrotyping their forms. It was natural that Harper's Weekly and Harper's Bazar should follow, each being a leader in its special field for more than a generation. The first reliable figures of magazine circulation 131 PRINTING FOR PROFIT that can be found after a thorough search are dated 1832, when the 14 monthlies issued in New York City claimed totals aggregating 401,800 for city circulation and 30,900 outside, demonstrating that at this period the national magazine was non- existent. The growth in the next 18 years was very rapid, and in 1850 there were about 50 magazines and periodicals in New York City, with a claimed circula- tion of a little over 5,000,000 total, of which less than 8 per cent, was outside circulation. The leading maga- zines of 1850 were religious, and their age, circulations, etc., were stated as follows: PERIODICAL AGE CIRCULATION Observer (Congregational) 29 years 18,000 Christian Advocate (Methodist) ... 26 " 29,000 Evangelist (Presbyterian) 22 " 12,000 Recorder (Baptist) 13 " 8,000 Freeman's Journal (Catholic) 12 " 8,000 Independent 4 " 10,000 Christian Intelligencer (D. Kef.) . . 22 " 6,000 Christian Embassador 2 " 6,000 The religious magazines began in the 18th century, The Christian Examiner being the foremost of the early ones. Later The Christian Advocate and The Observer came to the front. Each large religious body had its organ, and the rivalry between them was strong, tend- ing to widen the breach between denominations. The Independent came into the field in 1846, born of the idea of religious unity, being evangelical but non-sec- tarian. Under the editorship of Henry Ward Beecher and later of Theodore Tilton it became most influential. 132 DEVELOPMENT OF PERIODICALS IN AMERICA The religious periodicals were the first to take adver- tising, and they were not over-particular as to what they took. Columns of medical and other questionable advertising were carried, of the sort that have now long been tabooed by respectable journals. The public conscience was not then awakened to the harmfulness of inducing people to waste their money. In 1856 there were 69 magazines and periodicals published in New York City, eight being religious, seven medical, five children's, four women's and three youths' magazines, besides two publications devoted to dentistry. The trade paper had not yet been thought practicable. The supemacy of Harper's and Godey's in the maga- zine field was disputed in 1870 when Scribner's Maga- zine entered the field. They made such an excellent publication that it gained rapidly in public favor, and Roswell Smith, seeing the possibility of taking the lead, formed a company and bought the publication of the house of Scribner, changing the name to The Century Magazine. The Century Co. is said to have put $350,000 into improvements in the property. The printing was placed with The De Vinne Press, which Theodore L. De Vinne had located on Lafayette Place, installing what was then the finest printing plant in America. Hard packing printing was just then coming in, and Mr. De Vinne wrote several illustrated articles, showing how the pictures of The Century were so attractively printed, and illustrating the nature of the overlay. This led many to credit the De Vinne Press and The Century Magazine with introducing the new method of printing, something neither ever claimed. Undoubtedly Mr. De 133 PRINTING FOR PROFIT Vinne helped make the reputation of The Century, just as the magnificently printed Century helped make the reputation of Mr. De Vinne, rightly named "the dean of American printers." It may astonish some to know that the high-class magazines did not accept advertising until 1870, and that Harper's Magazine steadily refused to carry adver- tising other than their own until 1882. On one occa- sion the Howe Sewing Machine Company offered Harper's $18,000 for a year's use of the back cover of the magazine, being $1,500 an issue, but this was refused. But when The Century, Leslie's, Godey's and others began to reap large returns from their advertis- ing pages, and to spend part of the money thus received in bettering the magazines, while other magazines at a lower price were entering the field, the Harpers saw that it would be a mistake to continue to turn aside proffered advertising, and entered the race which has ever since been so hotly maintained for a great volume of national advertising. In 1894 the Christmas issue of The Century contained 134 pages of advertising and Harper's 144 pages, and this may be set as the high tide of supremacy of these famous magazines. The Cosmopolitan and Munsey's had entered the field, and taking advantage of the low cost of photo-engraving, had brought out profusely illustrated publications at 15 and 10 cents respectively, and the day of the low-priced magazine of mammoth circulation had begun. Class and trade papers began to appear nearly a hun- dred years ago. The first were medical publications. The American Journal of Medicine was founded in 134 DEVELOPMENT OF PERIODICALS IN AMERICA Philadelphia in 1820, and The American Journal of Pharmacy appeared there five years later; while The Medical and Surgical Journal came out in Boston in 1828. By 1850 there were five medical journals in New York City and one in Chicago. The oldest railway publication is The Railway Mechanical Engineer, founded as The Railroad and Engineering Journal in 1832. The American Banker, first in the financial field, dates from 1836 ; The Legal Intelligencer of Phila- delphia from 1843; while the old reliable Scientific American has been with us since 1845. The Dry Goods Economist made its initial bow in 1846, as did also The Banker's Magazine; The ABC Pathfinder was started in Boston in 1849. The next decade marked the birth of The Law Register of Philadelphia in 1852, The Insur- ance Monitor in 1853, The Iron Age in 1855, and The Druggistfs Circular in 1857. These were followed by The Army and Navy Journal in 1863, The Tobacco Leaf in 1864, Turf, Field and Farm in 1865, and The Engineering and Mining Journal in 1866. In 1869 the country had recovered somewhat from the Civil War depression, and a period of trade paper de- velopment began that has continued ever since. In that year were born The American Grocer, Coal Trade Jour- nal, Jewelers' Circular and Hullinger's Guide, It now became apparent that there was good money in a trade paper for every common industry, trade, business or profession, and during the seventies and eighties such periodicals were started in every large city in the coun- try, the preference being for locations in New York, Chicago, Philadelphia and Boston. The more promi- nent successes founded in New York City in the seven- 135 PRINTING FOR PROFIT ties include The Oil, Paint and Drug Reporter, Elec- trical World, Engineering News, Metal Worker, Paver Trade Journal, American Stationer, American Ex- porter, Carpentry and Building, Bradstreet's and Music Trade Review. During the same period there were established in Chicago The Drover's Journal, Hotel World, Confectioner and Baker, and American Con- tractor. The leading printing trade papers all date from the eighties, The Inland Printer coming out in 1883, The National Printer-Journalist and The Journalist (now The Editor and Publisher) in 1884, The American Bookmaker (now The American Printer) in 1885, and Printers' Ink in 1888. There was similar periodical activity in other indus- tries and lines of human endeavor, and the 1890 edition of Averts Newspaper Annual lists a full thousand of class and trade papers in the United States and Canada, while the 1917 edition contains over 4,000. It was also in the eighties that the great contest of the magazines was begun. Frank Munsey started hi3 Ar- gosy in 1882 and Munsey's in 1889, while The Cosmo- politan was born in 1886. The field soon became crowded, and early in the nineties Munsey made his great bid for popular f aVor by cutting the retail price to ten cents. He won out, and the low-priced magazine became a tremendous factor in advertising. From the printer's viewpoint there is another side to this wonderful story of the rapid growth and pros- perity of magazines, periodicals and trade papers. Nearly every one of them represents a big job of print- ing, and it is more and more apparent that it does not 136 DEVELOPMENT OF PERIODICALS IN AMERICA pay the publishers of weeklies and monthlies to operate their own printing plants. More and more special ma- chinery has been developed for the rapid production of magazines and periodicals of large circulation, and these are so costly that they have to be kept going all the time to yield a profit. A few publishers owning sev- eral publications of very large circulation have suc- ceeded in making their printing plants pay, but it is probable that others regret the investment. In the case of monthly publications it is especially disadvantageous for the publisher to own his own plant. Nearly all the work of mechanical production is now desired within a few days, and the rest of the month the plant remains idle or caters for undesirable jobs as "fillers." One famous and successful publisher of two magazines a few years ago tried the experiment, and established a magnificent printing plant not many miles out of New York. Very soon it developed that the cost was much higher than he had paid magazine print- ers for doing the work ; the reason being that his plant was working smoothly for only about six days a month, running day and night another six, and not half busy the other thirteen working days. To remedy this condition and keep the plant busy, several other magazines were started. This assisted economical production in the plant, but the new maga- zines were put on the stands in competition with those already established, and got sales largely at the expense of the older ones from the same house. Some of the new magazines could not be made to cover expenses, and none of them have been able to publish strictly up- to-date articles. 137 PRINTING FOR PROFIT The successful magazines, class papers and trade papers of today mostly give their printing to some large magazine printery, of which there are a dozen in New York, as many in Chicago and a lesser number in each large city of the country. These large printing plants turn out the periodicals like daily newspapers, as is detailed more fully in the next chapter. They will put $100,000 worth of machinery at work for a single day, and produce a magazine for as little or less than is pos- sible by slower methods, and the publisher has the ad- vantage of keeping both advertising and reading matter forms open until the last minute. 138 The Making of a Magazine THE attractively covered, tightly bound, beauti- fully printed magazine that finds its way regu- larly to your library table is a marvel of modern manufacturing, grown familiar by its frequent pres- ence. Few pause to consider how much valuable infor- mation is gathered from all directions, shaped by a small army of brilliant writers, condensed to the last degree of forceful presentation, profusely illustrated, and then printed with newspaper speed and delivered as a magazine at the trifling charge of 15 to 25 cents per copy. Every issue of a popular magazine represents enough expenditure to support one man comfortably all his life- time, and a few of the most widely circulated cost as much per issue as the living bills of an average Am- erican family from their births to the cemetery. There is enough paper in a large magazine's yearly issue to make a page-wide strip from the earth to the moon and back again. Since magazines now supply so large a share of the public's reading matter, it is worth while to review briefly the methods of making a modern mag- azine. THE EDITORIAL WORKSHOP Every magazine begins in the editorial rooms; here its policy is shaped by a chosen few in consultation, and the plans laid that give it reputation and prestige. The main force of editors carry out the lines of work decided on by the powers above them. A popular maga- zine will employ from ten to twenty editors, and a 139 PRINTING FOR PROFIT number more of valued literary assistants who might be termed "near-editors." Then there are contributing editors who write or are responsible for departments, and always a large circle of regular and occasional writers and contributors, besides the flood of unsolicited manuscripts that come to the tables of the office force. The best magazines long ago ceased to depend upon manuscripts sent in for their leading articles. They decide in conference what will be the most attractive subjects for the near future, and they ask this and that prominent writer if he can supply such and such ma- terial. The leading articles are almost always a de- velopment of several trained minds working in har- mony, though one writer's name usually carries the composition. In a publication like the Review of Reviews this method is considerably modified. Here the magazines and newspapers of the preceding few weeks form the basis out of which the publication grows. The editors, instead of being backed by a corps of paid writers, have to select their material from several thousand news- papers and periodicals printed all over the world. It is their task to discover what is best and most interest- ing in current printed matter, and review and summar- ize it, and bring it into the most concrete form for the perusal of busy people. Every issue must be a combi- nation of striking interest, as the demand is that every number shall be better than the preceding one. This is where the strain comes on the editorial force. Every clever writer and editor can do exceptional work at times, but in magazine making there is a steady pres- sure for exceptional product all the time ! 140 THE MAKING OF A MAGAZINE Take the December, 1916, Review of Reviews, as an instance of efficient work done under pressure. The leading topic in the public mind was of course the elec- tions. The vote was taken Nov. 7 ; it was the 17th be- fore we felt reasonably sure that Wilson was elected. The editors had just one week in which to make an in- telligent and masterly summary of results that would be acceptable to the reading public the first week in December. The work had to be laid out tentatively, with opportunity to shift New Hampshire, Minnesota and California to the other side at the last minute, if necessary. The treatment had to be more comprehen- sive and better visualized than any newspaper report or summary, though the best editors of the country had been presenting the subject for weeks from innum- erable angles. No excuses for mediocrity, much less blunders, could be accepted. Such was the task, and in compiling the maps that showed spectacularly the success or lack of success of each party at a glance, and the States where there was no real contest, and the tremendous spread of the Pro- hibition vote, and the influence of the women vote, and writing around these maps an up-to-the-minute story, with latest figures and expressive cartoons, the editors achieved a marked success. Similar modern methods mark the progress of de- partments of editorial work in all the leading maga- zines, but they must be passed over here. THE BUSINESS OFFICE This department of magazine production has a very different task, which naturally divides into a circula- 141 PRINTING FOR PROFIT tion department, an advertising department, and a de- partment of general oversight of miscellaneous details, such as keeping in touch with printer and engraver, purchasing paper and supplies, handling correspond- ence, etc. The circulation department has the heavy duty of seeing that deliveries are properly and prompt- ly made, that all subscriptions possible are renewed as they expire, that the newsstands everywhere are prop- erly supplied, neither too many nor too few at any point, and that sales are systematically pushed and ex- tended by modern methods of stimulation. The simple maintaining of a circulation in the hundreds of thou- sands is a mammoth job in these days of sharp maga- zine competition. The advertising department has frequently to secure and arrange as many pages as the editorial department. Every advertisement must be made conspicuous, and as far as possible every advertiser must be helped to make money, for if they do not see a profit they will drop out. This work calls for a force of expert, highly paid and intensely active men. Here is where most of the money is earned, but it cannot be secured unless the edi- torial and circulation departments are also doing top- notch work, all pointing harmoniously to one end — a better magazine more widely read every month. Mod- ern advertising is both an art and a business. While it makes fortunes for many, it requires most accurate manipulation to secure results. All large advertising is now a part of some well-developed selling plan in- volving a multitude of detail. Advertised goods are sold mostly through retail stores, and most magazine advertising is done by manufacturers and wholesalers 142 THE MAKING OF A MAGAZINE to assist the retailers by creating a demand for and an interest in the goods. IN THE PRINTING OFFICE The mechanical production is the end of the maga- zine that I know most about. From the foregoing it will be evident that in order to make an acceptable magazine the editors must hold back their copy till late in the month. To meet their requirements, day and night shifts of linotypers have to be ready at all times to take in hand large stacks of copy, and to deliver the proofs to the editors in five or six hours. It is this hold- ing of costly machines and high-priced workmen ready to handle rushes at any hour of the day and night that makes magazine manufacturing parallel daily news- paper production. Every magazine now requires that most of its type composition and all of its printing be done within a very few days. Large magazine plants nowadays employ batteries of linotypes, machines costing several thousand dollars each, standing in a row. Each machine has a key- board, something like a typewriter, but the product may be lines in any one of a hundred sorts of types, in various sizes and widths. The flexibility of these machines has been wonderfully increased in recent years. Some of the latest models carry 720 characters obtainable from one keyboard. The Charles Francis Press does the printing and mailing of a publication every business day in the year, and some days two or three are issued. They follow each other with the same regularity as the editions of a morning or evening newspaper, but pre- 143 PRINTING FOR PROFIT sent a vastly more complicated series of mechanical problems. Every magazine is different from every other, in make-up, number of pages, and style, the number of copies is different, and the printers have to deal with a different customer and a different set of editors and advertising men. One group of magazine editors may have most of their copy in type a week before the day of going to press; another group of editors are obliged to throw the bulk of their copy into the linotype room in the last two days of the month. Every magazine holds open at least one of its advertising forms until the latest pos- sible hour, in order to accommodate all possible adver- tising. So the last day of putting a magazine to press is always the rush day, and it may be necessary to turn the efforts of half the composing room force on the one job to put it to press on the hour. PARTICULAR PROOFREADING When the editorial proofs come flying back to the linotypers, the numerous corrections and changes must be quickly and accurately made, and revised by eagle- eyed proofreaders. Compositors, linotypers, make-up men and editors may make blunders or overlook errors, but the proofreader is supposed to be a perfect model of accuracy. He is hired to catch or stop other people's lapses, and he gets the blame if anything goes wrong. When it is remembered that there are more than a mil- lion separate types or matrices used in a single issue of the Review of Reviews, it is marvellous that so few of them are misplaced, and that serious errors do not oc- cur more frequently. Yet I do not believe that the 144 THE MAKING OF A MAGAZINE Review editors feel obliged to "call down" the printing office readers once a year for a serious lapse. Often the most startling errors are caught on the final reading, for all magazine matter is read at least twice, and often three or four times by the printing office reader, in addition to the readings it has in the editorial and advertising departments. If some of the pictures are completed only at the last instant, it is very easy for two pictures of the same size to be trans- posed. Of course if one picture is a steamship and the other a cartoon the discrepancy with the adjacent read- ing matter is easily noticed" but when it is a case of transposing the portraits of two supposedly prominent men whose faces are unknown to the force, the danger of their being passed is apparent. Nothing but eternal vigilance prevents such blunders in every issue of an illustrated magazine. The system relied on for pre- venting it is that all photographs or line-cuts of people, or the like, shall have the name plainly written on the edge when received by the printer, and this guide is fol- lowed and checked up before the pages go to the electro- typer. Headings and picture titles, being put into type sepa- rately from the reading matter, are also liable to such transposition, and the proofreader responsible for the final foundry proofs bears a heavy load. With long experience, readers become extraordinarily acute, and actually seem to sense errors. I have seen a head reader handed a sheet on which a junior reader had spent two hours, and in five minutes spot two errors — the only errors left in the sheet. They seem to develop a sort of sixth sense, which doubtless comes from habit, rec- 145 PRINTING FOR PROFIT ognizing where errors are most likely to be found in the final reading. ILLUSTRATION FEATURES More and more the magazines tend to become picture books. The publishers of monthly and weekly periodi- cals probably spend more money with artists than do all other publishers combined. The drawings or paint- ings of the artists are reproduced by photo-engraving, of which there are two general classes, and numerous sub-classes. The half-tone is made by photographing directly on a copper plate through a screen of ruled glass which breaks the picture up into fine dots. This plate can be etched, eating out the light parts so that the dark parts print black and show the picture. Half- tones require to be printed on smooth, hard-surfaced paper, hence those sections of a magazine carrying such illustrations are commonly printed on a paper different from the remainder of the publication. Pen-drawings may be reproduced as line-cuts, and printed with type matter on rough-surfaced paper. Hence it is usually necessary to make up a magazine fundamentally with reference to the pictures. This condition is intensified by the growing custom of us- ing pictures in two or more colors, which involves color forms. It becomes necessary to decide in advance on an even number of half-tone pages, as 16, 32, 64, and an even number of color pages, as 4 or 8, and an even number of remaining pages. When the pictures are all laid out, and the drawings and photographs sent to the engraver, with directions as to size and style, the next step is to position them in the pages and arrange the 146 THE MAKING OF A MAGAZINE reading matter around them. The engravings are mounted on blocks type-high, and each must receive its proper title or legend, and be kept close to the reading matter going with it, while at the same time there must be harmonious balancing of the pictures. If one pic- ture is missing or out of place the whole scheme may be thrown out of gear. As the pages of pictures and type are brought to- gether, read and "o.k.ed" they go to the electrotype foundry. If the number of copies to be printed is very large the electrotyper makes a nickel or steel surface to the ordinary copper shell, securing a most faithful and durable duplicate of the most intricate and artistic half-tone pictures. Sometimes four to eight sets of electrotypes are made in order that several covers may be run on one sheet, or several presses run on duplicate forms. IN THE PRESSROOM Those pages having the finest illustrations or art pic- tures naturally are sent to press first, as they require some time for "make-ready," to bring them out artis- tically. This making ready of pictures includes first a careful leveling of each picture, so that a clear, flat print is obtained. By judicious use of thin paper, pasted under the printing surface, or inserted under portions of the cuts, the dark parts of the picture are made to receive more pressure in printing than the light parts, and thus the effects are heightened. Overlays for in- tricate pictures are cut in advance, and pasted on in position when the form is on the press. By this means even a large form, with numerous pictures, represent- ing several days' work in cutting overlays, may be 147 PRINTING FOR PROFIT started up for printing within a few hours after the last plate is clamped on the press. If the printing is to be done on flat-bed presses, the plates of the pages are flat ; if on web, rotary perfecting presses, the plates have to be curved, that they may be fitted to the surface of the printing cylinders, or plate cylinders, as they are technically called. The finer printing and the odd forms have to be run on flat-bed cylinder machines, of which the Miehle press is the best known type. These will handle sheets of large size, and some of them are arranged to print two colors at a single operation. They are practically automa- tic, when fed or supplied with sheets by an automatic feeder. For the most rapid magazine work the rotary web press, that prints from an endless roll or rolls of paper, like the great newspaper presses, is now in vogue. But as the magazine requires a higher grade of printing than the newspaper, special machines have to be em- ployed, running slower than newspaper presses, and arranged to handle smaller pages. A single rotary web magazine press that delivers 96 pages of a magazine continuously, at a speed of about 6,000 an hour, costs $25,000 to install, and $60 to $75 a day to keep it going. GATHERING AND BINDING OPERATIONS There are two general methods of making a maga- zine, involving radical differences of methods and ma- chinery. One involves printing it in separate sheets, usually in 32s, on cylinder presses. This is well adapted to a magazine of say, 20,000 circulation and 160 pages bulk. Electrotyping is not necessary for such a publi- 148 THE MAKING OF A MAGAZINE cation, except to preserve advertising and other pages for future printings. The ten forms of 16 pages each are printed on ten cylinder presses, and can be run off in about 18 hours. The printed sheets are then auto- matically fed to a battery of folding machines, which operate considerably faster than the presses. The automatic feeders pick up deftly the top sheet of a pile, blow air under it, and pass it accurately into the printing press or folding machine, doing both better and faster work than was formerly accomplished by hand feeding. On a 20,000 edition the folded sheets may be gathered by hand, wire-stitched, and the covers glued on by hand. The operators become very expert at gathering and sticking on the covers, so that the work progresses quickly. But magazines of large circulation have to be printed, folded and bound in a more expeditious man- ner. In the Charles Francis Press many of the maga- zines are completed in two operations. The main body of the magazine is printed on a web perfecting press, which is supplied by continuous rolls of paper, and pro- duces 96 pages at each complete rotation of the plate cyl- inders. This same machine, after printing 96 pages back to back, cuts up the sheet and folds it into signa- tures or groups of 16 pages, and delivers in this shape. These signatures of 16 pages are carried to the Juengst gathering and binding machines, which complete the work. The machine is wholly automatic; a number of girls are employed to supply it with piles of the 16- page signatures, with printed covers, and with any in- serts, as of colored pictures. An endless traveling mechanism picks up the signatures and inserts off the 149 PRINTING FOR PROFIT respective piles, brings them together automatically, without error, wire-stitches them, glues on the cover, and delivers the magazines in groups of five copies. The copies are finished except for trimming. They are then piled on the continuous automatic trimmer, which accommodates four piles of about a dozen thick magazines, so that 48 magazines are trimmed or cut open on top, bottom and front at one operation. A magazine of 192 pages, placed on two web presses, run on double shifts, can be printed at the rate of 100,- 000 copies a day. A magazine of 48 pages, placed on four web presses, can be printed at the rate of 400,000 a day. When completed they are tied in bundles and hustled to the delivery wagons ; these are now usually light auto trucks. As an issue of 100,000 magazines may weigh 50,000 pounds or 25 tons, it is apparent that the magazines of large circulation call for many truck- loads to handle a single issue. Not many of the magazines go in bulk to the pub- lisher. The usual process is to have the printer deliver in quantities to the post office, American News Co., ex- press companies, etc. The single copies are sometimes delivered in bulk to a mailing agency, but more often the printer contracts to do the mailing, the publisher supplying the addressed wrappers. There are three common ways of addressing the sin- gle wrapper copies that go to individual subscribers. The oldest way, which is falling into disuse, involves keeping all the addresses set up in linotype slugs, and printing from these in strips, and then passing the strips through what is called a mailing machine, a lit- tle device that cuts off each printed address from the 150 THE MAKING OF A MAGAZINE strip, and sticks it on the magazine wrapper. Another process requires the punching of the letters of the ad- dresses through a card. These perforated cards are fed automatically through a machine, and as each card comes in contact with a magazine wrapper the address is printed right through the perforations on to the wrapper. The third, and now the most common method, is to punch the addresses in soft metal, so that each address appears in raised letters on a small plate. These plates are arranged in series in a special machine de- vised for imprinting them in regular rotation on the magazine wrappers. America leads the world in magazine production, and at least a third of the important magazines of Amer- ica are produced right in New York City, and the prin- cipal center of magazine making in the city is the mam- moth Printing Crafts Building, with its fifteen acres of floor space, permanent telephone communication often being maintained between the business and edi- torial offices and the printery, by means of a direct line which does not go through a telephone exchange. 151 Evolution of the Trade Catalog A S the industries of the United States have devel- /\ oped, the trade catalog has become an impor- JL jL. tant feature in the sale and distribution of goods. Away back in the sixties and seventies, manu- facturers used to issue price-lists of their wares, for circulation among jobbers and retail dealers. At first these were mere leaflets, a single note-sheet or four- page circular sufficing. As factories grew, the price- lists grew also, and eight, sixteen and even thirty-two page lists became common, a few of them being em- bellished with wood cuts, or lithographic pictures, illustrating the articles offered for sale. When the introduction of photo-engraving brought down the price of pictures, they rapidly came into use in the price-lists, and about 1875 we began to use the more dignified term "catalog" in addition to price-list. For a time the productions commonly bore such titles as "Smith & Jones' Catalog and Price-List of Stoves and Heaters." The business of catalog making has grown up so gradually that it is impossible to set dates to mark its evolutionary progress. Probably there were more il- lustrated catalogs issued in 1876, for distribution at the Centennial Exposition, than in any previous year, or for several years thereafter, but even these were a small fraction of the imposing array of illustrated cata- logs seen nowadays at every business show. Some quite extensive manufacturers of 1876 did not know enough to get up bound booklets for their cata- 152 EVOLUTION OF THE TRADE CATALOG logs and price-lists, but had them printed on single large sheets of book paper, perhaps 28x42 in., and offered in that clumsy full-sheet form to those who were interested to have printed descriptions of their machines or goods. One of these that comes to mind consisted primarily of a lot of wood-cuts — the actual cuts on the wood, and not electrotyped duplicates — of perhaps a hundred different styles of machines and tools, with copy for about three lines of reading matter to go under each cut, giving name, sizes and prices. The printer was expected to group these cuts as con- veniently as he could, to make them appear harmoni- ously on both sides of the sheet. The idea of putting this incongruous mass into pages, so that the sheet could be folded up, did not occur to anybody, seemingly because the cuts were of all sizes and shapes, absolutely non-uniform. The most annoying things about this single sheet catalog were making the forms lift, and keeping the quads from rising on the press. The cuts were of all degrees of accuracy and inaccuracy of form. There had been no effort to true their surfaces, and to ac- commodate all their angles and slopes so as to mix with lines of types, as legends (or "captions" as we printers inaccurately call them), was "some job." When a form was got on the bed of the cylinder press some of the warped or not quite flat cuts at once began to rock, and the quad lines worked up with great freedom. The form was opened up and a lot of cardboard and paste inserted to hold the obstreperous lines, but even then it proved necessary to stop the press about every fifty sheets and push down a few quads. 153 PRINTING FOR PROFIT Printers were not slow in suggesting to manufac- turers that the booklet form was far better for cata- logs than these large sheets — "broadsides" they would have been termed in England, though this convenient word never came into general use in America. Sixteen or 32 pages, folded and hand-stitched through the back, soon became common forms for price-lists and cata- logs. After a time the better printers began to get up at- tractive covers, and often they would print them in two colors, and sometimes they would induce the manufac- turer to stand for the expense of a colored rule or border around the pages. In those days many a print- ers only idea of improving a job was to add another color of ink. As the catalogs grew larger, the bound book ap- peared, gotten up in much the same style as other books, but with a tendency to larger pages and more ornate covers. The reason for large pages in catalogs seems always to have been to accommodate large illus- trations. With no attempt at uniformity in the size of pictures, either wood cuts, zinc etchings or half- tones, it usually came to the point of finding out what was the largest cut that had been made for the job, and from this determining the size and shape of the pages. It goes without much argument that this was and is a very poor way of determining the desirable size of catalog pages, yet it has persisted, and continues even now, when the desire to present something on a striking scale induces the publication of large size catalogs, with pages of cumbersome dimensions, that interfere with 154 EVOLUTION OF THE TRADE CATALOG convenient handling, mailing, transportation, and final shelving of the books when in the hands of the users. This large page is easily the least excusable feature of many modern catalogs. An illustrated catalog of steel rails, produced a few years ago, contained many full- size outlines of cross-sections of railway rails. These do not make attractive pictures, and they would show exactly what they are even better in reductions 2x3 ins! Yet because the largest of these rail-sections hap- pened to be 12 ins. high, the entire book was made 14 ins. long, and a third of it supplied with one of these very simple drawings to a full page, the thing shown being of very slight outline, much like a capital I, with- out detail, and with which all purchasers of rails, in fact all railroad men, are so familiar that it seemed as needless to picture them at all as to picture a row of common wire nails. Yet thousands of dollars were spent in making these overgrown half-tones. The re- sult is a great 7-lb. book, that would have looked better if made as a 12mo, 5^x7^4 ins., of 12 ozs. weight, at about one-fifth of the cost. The smaller book would have been more serviceable, and exactly as efficient to advertise the product. The great majority of modern catalogs suffer from this disposition to make a few pictures abnormally large, apparently through a desire to exploit some par- ticular machine, tool or article, losing sight of the best size for the entire volume for the purposes it has to undergo. Few seem to reflect that a single large picture can be placed in a book as a folded insert, and that it is wholly unnecessary to spread all the pages to accom- modate one, two or more such large pictures. This 155 PRINTING FOR PROFIT anomalous situation seems to be brought about by the manufacturer first procuring large photographs, and then the engraver making a large plate, perhaps for some preliminary purpose ahead of catalog making. The engraver, being paid by the square inch, will nat- urally make as large plates as the customer will stand for, and encourages instead of discourages large dimen- sions. By the time a lot of these plates get around to the printer for making a catalog, they come to be ac- cepted without question, and having to be got in, they determine the page-size away beyond convenient book proportions. In the judgment of many, it is none of the printer's business to interpose and show the .customer that this unnatural swelling of pages adds greatly to the cost of production. He is there to make catalogs, and the larger they are the more money he gets for them, so he seldom advises reduction of size. The vast line of ornamental colored cover papers now offered by the paper-makers were developed in the latter part of the nineteenth century mainly for use as catalog and booklet covers, and many styles of ornate binding and tying originated in the same way. The manufacturing concerns that brought out the large catalogs have always had money to spend, and printers were not slow in urging upon them expensive illustra- tions, paper and binding, as being better adapted to help the sale of the goods. In this way the high-priced catalog has evolved, and since about 1890 many im- portant manufacturers have issued annually or bi- ennially very large and beautifully printed books, made with entire disregard of expense, single editions, 156 EVOLUTION OF THE TRADE CATALOG often costing from $25,000 to $100,000, and a few run- ning into even larger figures. The great cost of these modern book catalogs led manufacturers to make use of supplemental booklets, frequently with pages to match those of the large cata- log. These booklets they issued at convenient inter- vals, as they had more goods to show, or as old edi- tions ran out, or prices changed. They were useful in forwarding to prospective customers interested in only a small portion of the articles made by the house. These partial catalog booklets are often numbered, as List 1, 2, 3, etc., or Catalog A, B, C, etc., and prove to be most convenient, now having an established place in many lines of trade. Of course the having two kinds of catalogs is a nuis- ance, and the retailer often has to consult his large book catalog, and then a series of the small booklet cata- logs to find a description of a particular odd thing wanted. To meet this condition the loose-leaf catalog was de- signed. The pages of these are separate and remov- able, and the manufacturer has only to print additions as his goods increase, and mail them to the dealers and buyers in individual pages, and they are supposed to insert these in their own copies of the catalogs. This is admirable in theory, but in practice the great ma- jority of dealers and buyers in possession of loose-leaf catalogs, have clerks who fail to see the necessity of bothering to open up the catalogs and insert the new sheets, the result being that in many instances the ex- tra sheets are simply placed on a shelf alongside the catalog, where they can be referred to if wanted, pro- 157 PRINTING FOR PROFIT vided they do not fall down, get dirty and be swept out before they happen to be wanted. Many of the loose-leaf books also have the disad- vantage of being extremely heavy and clumsy. The pages are made an inch wider than otherwise required, and the fastenings with iron bolts are both heavy and unsightly. Being made with large pages, some of them actually weigh ten pounds, and are as difficult to handle as a dictionary. The decorated booklet proved so popular that it has extended into use for a variety of commercial purposes, much broader than the term catalog indicates. The term booklet includes all those advertising productions between a mere folder or pamphlet and a bound book, and is produced in all sorts of shapes and colors, but most usually with a cover of heavy colored paper or cardboard, bearing a design embossed or printed in colors. The interior is apt to be of coated or hand- made (or imitation hand-made) paper, often with real pictures — works of art — beautifully laid out and printed in colors and tints. There has arisen a sort of competition in the produc- tion of these beautiful creations of the printers' art, leading various manufacturers to try to outdo competi- tors in ornamental catalogs, in the belief that the goods would often be judged by the character of the printing. Probably this is true, especially in a new industry, such as was automobile manufacturing during the first fifteen years of this century. But all sorts of goods tend to become standardized, and there are now fa- miliar classes of town cars, city cars, runabouts, limou- sines, cabs, trucks, etc., known as set types, and the 158 EVOLUTION OF THE TRADE CATALOG necessity for showing them in gorgeous colored print is reduced, the tendency being back toward utilitarian standardized catalogs for describing them. A considerable number of well-known manufacturers and large jobbers no longer make attempts to outclass other catalogs as ornate specimens of printing. Their price-lists are designed for use not for show, just cata- logs of the goods, properly classified, with simple pic- tures, sufficient to identify the articles, or show desired points of excellence. They are condensed to conveni- ent size, being for service not for display. These may, and often do, have an attractive cover, to lend dignity and quality to the publication, but the interior is pro- duced with reference to space-saving and reasonable economy of production. By thus keeping down the cost of individual copies, it is possible to send out a larger number, with a probable increase in the sale of the goods. The "Publishers' Trade List Annual" is a combina- tion catalog of the book publishers, designed to save publishers much cost in circulating, as well as to in- sure their catalogs being kept. Each American book publisher is asked to supply some 1,800 copies of his annual catalog, printed on a special size of uniform paper. These are sent to one binder, and made into a large annual volume, often ten inches thick, and sold at a moderate price to the book jobbers and large book- stores. Combination hardware and jewelry catalogs have been made on a similar principle, showing a lot of goods which retailers do not pretend to carry, but which can be shown by catalog to their customers, and ordered as 159 PRINTING FOR PROFIT wanted. A Western concern used to issue great num- bers of a sash, door and blind catalog, with standard prices, subject to discount. These were sold by the printer with the imprint of any house that cared to buy them, each house adjusting its prices by making dis- counts from the printed figures. When the department store business became popular, the larger concerns found it possible to add to their country sales by issuing printed catalogs of their stand- ard goods, and mailing these to householders in the territory tributary to their home city. This did not prove profitable in all instances, but many of the lead- ing department stores continue to print annual catalogs in order to produce business by mail. During recent years the mail order business has been tremendously developed by Montgomery Ward & Co., Sears, Roebuck & Co., the National Cloak & Suit Co., and others. Each of these concerns prints large cata- logs, very cheaply produced as to pictures, paper and printing, but admirably compact and well adapted to free circulation. These great catalogs go out by the hundreds of thousands — sometimes by the millions — to all enquirers, mostly householders resident at a dis- tance from large stores. An enormous number of people seem to use these in determining their purchases of wearing apparel, household goods and common necessi- ties. These mail order catalogs are of interest to the printer as furnishing excellent examples of ingenuity displayed in crowding a large amount of pictorial and tabular matter into small space. They are splendid examples of standardizing, and making the books serve their purpose as salesmen. 160 EVOLUTION OF THE TRADE CATALOG But the great run of catalogs remain unstandardized. The retail shoe man will have a dozen catalogs all of different sizes, which he cannot conveniently put to- gether for reference; it is the same with the haber- dasher, the clothier, the druggist, the grocer, the hard- ware merchant, and so on down the list of retail busi- nesses. Each trade receives its quota of catalogs of every size, shape and grade conceivable, with no sug- gestion of harmony or system. A few large manufac- turers have recognized this condition, and standardized their own catalogs, so that they now appear as a series of books that can be placed in a row on a shelf, or in a cardboard case, for convenient and ready reference. Other manufacturers, whose trade is large enough to require the regular publication of several catalogs, will issue them in three or four sizes, apparently chosen haphazard, without reason other than the convenience of the moment, to fit some particular picture or tables of figures, or because some printer arbitrarily chose that size. It is apparent the time has come when there should be a general standardizing of trade catalogs, just as there has been of magazines. The retail dealers would be better served if all the catalogs that came to them were of one page-size. This seems too much to hope for in the near future, yet it is quite possible for each trade to come to an understanding, accepting a given page-size, and all using it, so that dealers may conven- iently pile all catalogs together, just as letter-heads are now of uniform size, for convenient filing together. It would be then practicable for dealers to keep binders or paper boxes for preserving the catalogs. Those man- 161 PRINTING FOR PROFIT ufacturers desiring- to differentiate their catalogs from others could accomplish it by using a striking color for their covers. If Jones' catalogs are always carmine, Smith's always blue, and Jenkins always brown, they are readily identified, while the fact that all are one page-size, and that somebody has provided a case or binder for containing them, renders it more likely that all will be preserved, and that the manufacturer will not be called upon so frequently to replace lost or mislaid copies. For some years it has been the custom for most printers to try to sell to manufacturers the most expen- sive grades of catalogs, urging upon them that the more costly the printing the more easily will the goods be sold. This urging to expensive printing seems to have been overdone. The wiser plan appears to be to ask a manufacturer how many thousands he desires to reach, and how much a copy he can afford to spend (postage included) to print and circulate them. This being known, a size and weight is determined, so that the postage cost can be kept within the limit. The item of postage is of increasing importance, as the zone method of charging runs up the stamp bill enormously, so that it often costs more for the mailing than the printing. The postage being settled, the remainder of the appropriation is the sum permissible to spend on the printing, and it is practicable to lay out for the cus- tomer a dummy of the best that can be made within the cost permitted. If it looks too cheap to the customer, it is then for him to consider whether he can increase his appropriation, or reduce the bulk of the book, or the number of copies. 162 EVOLUTION OF THE TRADE CATALOG In this way the printer can most certainly supply the manufacturer the sort of catalog that is best for him as a medium to sell his goods, quality or expense being only one of the several items that are to be considered. It is usually possible to keep up quality, where a hand- some book is desired, by reducing the page-size and thickness of paper to keep down the excessive costs of cuts, paper and mailing. By being careful of the cus- tomer's best interests, rather than anxious to secure a large order for printing, the printer increases his chances of securing the order, and removing other competition from his path. For the average manufac- turer will give his catalog to the printer who best under- stands his problems, and shows a desire to give him what he wants, and to keep down the charges without cheapening the production, enhancing rather than re- ducing its selling qualities. 163 Problems in Salesmanship THERE was no art of salesmanship in the print- ing business fifty years ago. People who wanted printing in those days went to the nearest print- ing office and ordered it. Most of the printing done then would now be classed as newspaper work, and going out and drumming it up was not thought of, be- cause no one knew where to go and look for a possible customer. The commercial printing we have today was non-existent in the fifties and sixties. There was a moderate sale of stationery, posters, tickets, etc., but these did not require any salesmanship ; they were sim- ply priced and taken in over the counter of a stationer's store or newspaper establishment. The most effective argument for securing such orders for printing in the old days was a promise to give a notice free in the col- umns of the newspaper. This condition brought most miscellaneous printing to the newspaper offices, and therefore offices restricted to book and job printing were few. Up to about 1875 most printing was sold over the counter like dry goods and wearing apparel. But as there grew up municipali- ties that required more and more printing, and as a class of publishers developed who did not care to print, and as manufactories grew to requiring perhaps thou- sands of dollars' worth of printing annually, the drum- ming salesman came into existence. These earlier salesmen went out with great scrap books under their arms, containing samples of crack jobs, and their voca- tion was just a trifle higher than that of a peddler. 164 PROBLEMS IN SALESMANSHIP It is a question how well qualified I am to write of salesmanship, for I never considered myself a salesman, rather an inside manager. Yet, in my earlier days, I did what selling was necessary to keep busy a shop consisting of one large man and a small boy, and later on at times I went out and got work, though as a full fledged manager I hired most of the selling. Shortly before starting the Charles Francis Press I was urged to go outside, and one fine morning I sauntered out for a couple of hours and brought in a job that netted the office $7,500 a year. Thereafter it was understood in that house that most of my time was required outside. In discussing salesmanship we are apt to think and talk mainly of the man who goes cut and takes orders, but is it not true that the quality of the printing and the service given constitute the larger part of the sell- ing? Gradually, selling methods have developed, until today they may be divided into four types: (1) The direct salesman or outside solicitor. (2) Indirect sales- manship, accomplished by the high grade of the product and reputation for fair dealing — in short, Service. (3) Advertising, both in publications and direct, that is by calendars, circulars, folders, etc., through the mail. (4) Over-the-counter talk to people who call. Of these four methods, the second one, which we may call "Service' , is far the most efficient. The reputation of a house giving value and satisfying its customers is just as much a means of getting trade as of holding trade. It is not half as hard for the outside man to land work for the house with a reputation for service as it is for a concern with no reputation or a doubtful record. 165 PRINTING FOR PROFIT The best selling- — the salesmanship that counts for the most in the long run — comes by establishing a reputation for honest and straight dealing ; for delivery in good shape and on time ; for satisfactory quality and a willingness to make good any errors or discrepan- cies, which are bound to occur in so complicated a busi- ness as printing. All haggling and disputing should be avoided. Having made a contract, it is the printer's business to see it through and do the work satisfac- torily, even when it entails a loss. Doing this gains reputation and sells more printing. It is also a part of fair dealing to give the customer any advantage in price that can be reasonably afforded when doing business on a falling market. I know a printer who bought most of his paper of one house for forty years because early in his experience he found that they voluntarily gave him reductions as the market fell, without having to be asked, thus saving him the trouble of continually checking up their prices and figuring with other houses. How few are the printers who ever think of endeavor- ing to gain a reputation by such liberal treatment of customers ! This giving a customer what he is entitled to when prices fall establishes a confidence that makes it easy to hold him when prices are rising. And this is a most important point, for probably half the trade that the average printer loses is due to steadily rising prices, which drive the customers to look elsewhere for bids, and afford competitors the opportunity to cut in. But once a customer recognizes that he does not have to haggle with you to get fair prices — that you will do the work right anyway, and be satisfied with a ten per 166 PROBLEMS IN SALESMANSHIP cent, margin, it is very difficult for any one to take him from you. Probably few think of this matter of service as a part of salesmanship. Yet my contention is that it is salesmanship of the very highest sort, and that it gets more trade and keeps more than any other sort of sell- ing. If it costs ten per cent, to get new business — and most of you will agree with the proposition that it does — is it not worth while occasionally to give back five per cent, to the customer to hold him, and insure his staying with you ? And is not the best way to do this by spend- ing effort, and time, and money as needed, to supply him with the very best service you can ? Does not this go a lot farther than a box of cigars at Christmas, or a wine supper ? This is my idea of making the customers the salesmen. It is not only a great deal more agreeable but it is the cheapest way of developing trade. The printer who thoroughly understands his business, and who has attained a reputation for service, already has the time of his plant half sold. A salesman must be backed with performance or he cannot make good. The very best salesman is a satisfied customer ; he not only brings his own work, but brings in new customers. The essential qualifications of a salesman I consider to be — 1. Invariable courtesy under all circumstances and conditions. 2. A full and complete knowledge of what he has to sell. 3. Discretion as to when and how to approach a cus- tomer; tact and diplomacy in saying the right thing at the right time. 167 PRINTING FOR PROFIT 4. Truth-telling at all times and under all circum- stances. The untruthful salesman always gets caught sooner or later. 5. A fair recognition of the interests and rights of the possible customer. 6. The ability to see the customer's problems from the customer's own viewpoint, and to lead him for his own interest to place an order. 7. The courage, when it is apparent that an order would not help the customer, to frankly admit it, wish him well and walk out. 8. Entire absence of the "knock-'em-down-and-cinch- 'em" method of argument. It is a mistake to try and force a man to buy against his inclinations. 9. A wise discretion in choosing customers. It does not pay to run after a poor class of trade, those who are unwilling to pay a fair price. 10. Ability to develop and draw out the customer's appreciation of high-grade work. 11. Willingness to allow the customer to do his share of the talking. 12. Hearty loyalty to the house that employs him. 13. Alertness and energy ; never failing to be on the job at the psychological moment when the customer is ready to talk business. In selling printing, the salesman must know his plant, and what it can accomplish, and he should go after the work that it most requires. It is a too com- mon error to estimate on everything that can be found. I have known a hustling man representing a one-thou- sand-dollar plant to figure on about $200,000 worth of printing in two weeks, seemingly obsessed with the idea 168 PROBLEMS IN SALESMANSHIP that if he could figure on enough work, he must get his share. Obviously it is better to concentrate on a few desirable customers than to dissipate energy on so many prospective jobs as never to get close to a single buyer. The experienced salesman, having decided to go after a good house, will learn all he can about the house and its business before approaching them. If it is an order for printing an encyclopedia that he desires to land, he will go to a public library and look up the last edition, and consider it from every point of view before tackling the publisher. He will determine whether the paper chosen appears the best for the purpose; whether the illustrations are tipped in to advantage; what is the best method of handling composition and corrections; what are the best sized forms for printing and for folding. He will also study competing encyclopedias for ideas. Before spending much time in studying a proposi- tion, he will make sure that the customer is good pay, and able and disposed to keep his contracts; the char- acter of the man who gives out the orders often calls for observation. Having primed himself as to all these things, he should take an hour when he is free from disturbance, and quietly lay out a plan of campaign for approaching the customer to the best advantage. The salesman who works this way is sure to make a good impression ; he will show that he not only under- stands his business, but that he understands encyclo- pedias. This latter point is apt to go a long way toward securing a contract. The buyer of printing is very apt to know that it pays to give the work to a house that 169 PRINTING FOR PROFIT displays evidence of understanding the peculiarities and details of his proposition. The selling of printing is different from almost all other manufactured articles. Concerns that make clothing, furniture, stoves, hardware and the like, are put to no great hardship if goods are refused and re- turned, but a job of printing is of no possible use to any other than the party contracting therefor, and if refused is a complete loss. The greater risks involved should mean a wide margin for profit, but the margins are so small as to afford only a very moderate commis- sion for salesmen. Only on small work is ten per cent, well maintained ; on large work this commission has to be shaved. Large work will bear about eight per cent, profit, four for the salesman and four for the house. This means a close margin for the salesman, but he makes it up in reorders, if he works for a house that satisfies its customers, who thus are apt to become permanent. Salesmanship through advertising may be classed as indirect, since advertising in this line is not expected to bring orders, but inquiries. Considerable care is given to preparing the advertising of the Charles Francis Press, and virtually all advertising is aimed to stimu- late inquiries, to help the outside salesman. See the chapter titled "Advertising the Printing Office." If it were merely a question of selling labor, prob- ably printing could be sold largely by the hour, like plumbing; but as it involves both materials and labor, and every job is different from every other, the custom of estimating on work has become almost universal. This condition makes the salesman largely an estima- 170 * PROBLEMS IN SALESMANSHIP tor. If he can do no more than run out and get copies of things to be reprinted, and bring them to the office for estimate, and then run back with the figures to the possible customer, the salesman degenerates into an errand boy. There are many of this type who earn a doubtful living by running back and forth between the printers who are trying to do work for less than others and get a profit out of it, and customers who are trying to get good printing by giving it to the fellow who will do it for the least money. Such are bound to be always small salesmen. There exists another class of salesmen who get or- ders mainly by treating. They invite prospective cus- tomers out, and if they like liquor and a good time they fill them up. It is doubtful if many buyers realize how much they sell themselves in this way. An instance comes to mind of a salesman of this type, who went to a neighboring city to influence a large job. There were two men who had a voice in the order, and both were convivial. He took them both out every night and kept them loaded. At the end of the week the house got this telegram : "Job landed ; am near dead drunk, and going to sleep it off. A. Tank." Those who want business obtained that way are wel- come to it, but it seems to me very close to the dishonest method of direct bribery. The giving of commissions to buyers is a bad prac- tice that developed many years ago, and reached its height perhaps about 1895. The printing-ink end of the industry was credited with being the victim of this abnormality to a destructive extent. It was finally made a crime by the New York Legislature, and is sup- 171 PRINTING FOR PROFIT posed to be largely stamped out. There are evidences, however, that it still flourishes in some quarters. Direct bribery has a descendant in the splitting of commissions. The salesman will offer to split his com- mission with some one of influence in the house he is selling to, and often to the proprietor himself. This invites the adding of the commission to the price. A New York publisher who has since failed used to give all his engraving to one house because they took off ten per cent, from all bills, and was utterly oblivious to the fact that they charged him a cent an inch more than the common price. The selling of different kinds of goods calls for dif- ferent methods. Take printing ink. There is great indefiniteness as to price and value. One cannot judge accurately of the quality of ink from the looks. The test comes with trying it, and sometimes the value or lack of value is not apparent for months. I recol- lect once buying a "permanent' ' red that faded out in three months' exposure so that nothing was visible on the poster but the impression. That was a good while ago, and since then our German friends have taught the inkmakers a great deal, and when the war condi- tions cut off German dyes and inks, our manufacturers had to learn to produce every grade of color formerly imported. Once a barrel of ink came into my place and the ink man followed it into the basement and handed a $5 bill to — well, the man he thought was the right party. He proved to be right, for he brought me the $5. I wrote a letter and thanked the ink man for the commission, but told him we preferred to receive them in the office. 172 PROBLEMS IN SALESMANSHIP In 1897 I let some one else buy my inks, and they cost four per cent, of our total expense; in 1898 I did my own buying, and spent less money, though the volume of presswork was 60 per cent, greater. It is not fair to infer that extra cost of ink always represents dis- honesty. Sometimes a 15 cent ink will go farther and look better than one at 30 cents, though the latter has 30 cent value in it, and is essential for certain work. Inks require to be properly adapted to the work to be economical. A too heavy ink may be very wasteful. I once ran 50,000 music covers, using up 40 pounds of lead white ink, on repeating the run I used only 10 pounds of magnesia white. (See chapter titled "Printing Ink Problem.") The wise ink salesman will study these things, and sell the printer the best inks for his purposes, and so get a grip on his trade that cannot be taken away. There are ways and ways of selling machinery. Some 30 years ago I took the management of an office which had just bought a cylinder guaranteed to run 1400 an hour. It would stand about 1100. I remon- strated with the representative of the press company, and told them I thought they ought to make it right with the printing company. He demurred. I belted the press up to 1400 an hour, the guaranteed speed which was needed to get out certain regular work, and the repair bill was about $40 a month. I was not care- ful to conceal my experience with the press, and in a few months every printer in the city knew about it. The representative of the press company made regular rounds of the city, but secured no more sales. One day it dawned upon him that they couldn't sell any more 173 PRINTING FOR PROFIT presses in that city until they made it right with our company. I told him frankly what I thought they ought to do for us. He said the press company never would stand for the expense. "Telegraph them and see," I suggested. He did, and we had a new press in the place within a fortnight, that would stand up under 1400 speed. The press company's sales in that city were resumed, and I do not doubt their salesmen got general instructions not to misrepresent the speed of their machines. These instances illustrate the unwisdom of deceiving the customer, and the best houses today strive to teach their salesmen that sales made by lying are not wanted, as they hurt more than they help. To return to the selling of printing: Some men sell printing because they are artists, and make such beau- tiful dummies that they catch the customer three times out of four. These men serve excellently a house doing the very highest grade of booklet and catalog work. Other salesmen are artists in the line of talk they put up, and the clever way in which they take advantage of all conditions to secure an order. Put yourself in your customer's place, as nearly as you can mentally, and consider what he wants. Having sized up what he desires, you are in a position to give him that exact thing for a price. Do not try to get him to accept what he does not want. It is possible to get a horse to take a good stiff drink of vinegar, but he won't do it twice, and he will be ever after shy of the man who fooled him. Why not credit a customer with knowing as much as a horse, and not even try to fool and mislead him? 174 PROBLEMS IN SALESMANSHIP If a customer wants a job made in an unnecessarily expensive way, it is wise and proper to call his atten- tion to the fact that it would be less costly in another way, but unwise to urge this upon him. He may have reasons for choosing the more expensive way, of which you know nothing. A paper salesman once sold a lot of "seconds ,, to a publisher as high grade stock, by making a price slightly below the market, ostensibly because it was a large lot, and delivering it in such a way that perfect paper was used first. The customer discounted the bill, as was his custom, and did not discover that a lot of "seconds" had been dumped on him until several months later. Result: a salesman got credit for dis- posing of a "lemon" for about $100 more than it was worth, and lost a prompt cash customer for all time. The big salesman — the wise salesman — gets his cus- tomer interested enough to do the talking instead of making long set speeches himself. Most proprietors and employers like to discuss their business with an intelligent and sympathetic listener. There are lots of good salesmen who get the bulk of their orders because they make themselves welcome visitors, showing an appreciative interest in the progress of the customer's business. Other salesmen cultivate the fads of the men they sell to, or 'desire to obtain closer relations with. An advertising man could be named who really secures most of his orders on the golf course. Old Ben. Frank- lin tells a story about getting next to a man by discov- ering that his fad was archeology, and studying up on 175 PRINTING FOR PROFIT it just to be able to draw out his man on his favorite topic. It is perfectly legitimate to obtain trade by making people like you, and showing an interest in the things that interest them. There is no law in morality or sense against being a good fellow, spreading sunshine where you go, and by warmth of sincere feeling so attracting to you others that they want to give you their trade. However, sympathetic interest in the affairs of others and a sincere feeling of regard are not within the gift of the thoroughly selfish salesman. Unless he be really overflowing with kindheartedness and good wishes toward his fellowmen, no amount of imitative effort on his part will serve instead. The buying public know a toady and a sycophant and distinguish him from a real friend every time. Nature has endowed all of us with intuitions which inform us who are our real friends, and who are simply catering to us, flattering us and indulging in useless talk solely for their own selfish purposes. It is therefore apparent that a too-selfish man cannot reach excellence as a sales- man, because he is bound to disgust many customers by his over-apparent greed. The real crackajack sales- man, for whom buyers hold orders, and to whom they like to give business, is the whole-souled, straightfor- ward, frank and honest salesman, who has acquired a real friendship for his business associates and custom- ers. You get back from people what you send out, and if you are oversuspicious, narrow and illiberal with your customers they will be the same with you. But you can educate those who need education — by being 176 PROBLEMS IN SALESMANSHIP fair and broad-minded with them. Stroke a dog and give him a bone and you have made a friend ; kick him and you have an enemy. An extension of this crude policy to methods of dealing with one's fellow beings opens a very plain path of conduct for the salesman. The only way to make your customers real friends is to feel a real friendship for them, to take a genuine interest in their affairs and their success. The simu- lated article of friendship only advertises you as a hypocrite. It is hard to understand why so many printers con- tinue to cater for the cheapest class of work, thus compelling them to work for the cheapest class of cus- tomers. I think that in all lines of business those of long experience find that the majority of customers who buy in large quantities do not want cheap goods or a half efficient service. They try to bear prices on gen- eral principles, not because they want the cheapest ar- ticle. It is therefore a mistake to keep shaving the price and taking the difference out of the quality of the job. It is part of a salesman's duty to talk up quality and service and to see that his house delivers the qual- ity he is offering and selling. Since printing is largely advertising, it is almost always best for the buyer to order a good grade of printing, and not crowd the price so that the product is cheapened. At the same time there is a super-excellence in printing, a refinement of art quality, that runs heavily into the money, and is not justified in many cases by commercial conditions. It is fitting that the salesman should recognize the grade of printing and extent of service best suited to 177 PRINTING FOR PROFIT his customer's wants, and try to sell him whatever his surroundings demand. All this means that the good big salesman must be a good business man. He should be at least the equal in intelligence of the men to whom he sells, else he cannot see their problems and offer goods likely to meet their wants. There have been exploited in various trade journals arguments and examples of the so-called forceful sales- man, he of gigantic personality, who steps into the president's office, attracts him at once, and proceeds to hypnotize him in the most approved fashion, literally forcing his proposition down his throat, clinging to him like a leech, and never letting go until he has a fat contract duly signed and delivered. Surely these articles are not written by salesmen, but by theorists of the School of Dominance by Force, who are de- scended from the old robber barons who held up travel- ers passing through their domain and took away from them any possession they desired. The so-called forceful salesman is a myth and a mis- take. Where he gets trade from a few weaker in- dividuals, he shuts himself out from the trade of the best class who prefer to use their own judgment in buy- ing, and not be dictated to. It is a crowning blunder to try and influence a customer against his judgment. Give him only honest advice, as seems agreeable, and leave him to decide, for he is the man who must bear the responsibility and stand the loss if he buys unwisely. Another sort of salesman who should be shunned is the one who steals trade. By this I refer to the adop- tion of unfair methods, as by corrupting buyers through underhand commissions, or the use of money and power 178 PROBLEMS IN SALESMANSHIP to kill off a competitor, or the stealing of a competi- tor's lists and addresses, or resorting to any practice that will not bear the light of publicity and commend itself to fair and honorable men. When a house de- mands of a salesman that he resort to or assist in any such practices, it is time for him to tender his resigna- tion. Some of these methods have been known to gain trade and hold it for a long time, and various trusts have been accused of doing these things on a large scale, with apparent success. But I fail to see the ad- vantage of winning a few dollars or even a great vol- ume of money by means that forfeit one's self respect, and make it impossible to look every man squarely in the eye without being ashamed of anything you have done. This is not real success, it is simply money-grab- bing. Enthusiasm in pushing trade is all right, and has an acceptable place in good salesmanship. When a sales- man feels that he has won the friendly regard of a cus- tomer, it is quite legitimate for him to try and interest the customer in his — the salesman's — success. I like to give sizable orders to the ethical hustling salesman, who is making a record for his house, and so do plenty of other merchants feel an inclination to throw all they legitimately can in the way of the hard, conscientious worker. The fellow who comes in all smiles — not the forced smiles, but the real signs of cheer and good will — and who is sincerely proud of what his house is doing and the volume of their sales, based on sound business methods, invites the buyer to give him more trade, rather than to hand it to a misanthrope at the same figure. 179 PRINTING FOR PROFIT It is good practice for the salesman to be also a buyer. If he cannot actually buy much, let him study what he would do in a buyer's place. Thus he may learn of the things that pass in a buyer's mind, and determine him in giving out contracts. Understanding the buyer, knowing what he wants, considering his responsibili- ties, what he can do and what he cannot do, and the things that influence him, are vitally essential to sales- manship, and cannot be studied too exhaustively. The profit salesman is the "real thing." The man who can sell $100,000 worth of printing in a year of the sort that will yield $10,000 profit to the house is a real sales- man. There are salesmen who are reported to sell much more than this, but if the work obtained does not yield the house more than two or three per cent., or only serves to keep the presses moving in the dull sea- son, it is scarcely worth while. We all take off our hats to the salesmen who can legitimately and honestly in- fluence large business contracts yielding a satisfactory profit to all concerned. The bright man going into salesmanship will con- sider — 1. The character of the firm he is selling for, and its principles of conducting business. 2. Whether they are looking for volume of business, and are satisfied to sell at cost, or realize when they are selling below cost. 3. Whether the salesman is expected to get most of his business by undercutting, which implies poor qual- ity and few repeat orders. 4. Or whether the house is the sort that insists on a fair price to start, tries to hold the good-will of cus- 180 PROBLEMS IN SALESMANSHIP tomers by fair dealing, and thus makes it easy for the salesman to hold the trade he gets. The salesman who connects with the latter sort of house and is loyal to its interests can always build up an income for himself commensurate with his ability, and once having established a good trade is as well fixed as if he were in business for himself. The real desideratum to be attained in salesmanship is the same as the motto adopted by the Associated Advertising Clubs of the world, "Truth in Advertis- ing," simply changing this to "Truth in Selling." 181 Taking Orders and Holding Customers IN the mind of every customer for printing is some- thing that decides him as to whom he shall give the work. It is the business of those who receive the orders to understand both the men and the work with which they have to deal. The best order-taker is he who sizes up what is going to decide the customer, and works to give him just that. The man who takes orders in the front office, or who responds to a telephone call to "come over and see us about that job," is in a different position from the so- liciting salesman whose problems are considered in the chapter on "Problems in Salesmanship." We are now dealing with the trade that naturally belongs to the office, or which comes along without being specially sought. The customer who calls up to talk about a job may divide his work between two or three printers, and have no special choice, or he may have large work at stated intervals, as a spring and fall catalog, on which several printers are invited to bid as a matter of regular procedure. Such customers usually appear anxious for the lowest figure, yet they do not give the work to the lowest bidder half the time, evidently because they want quality and service as well as price. It is the order-taker's duty to receive this class of customers, or to call on them, figure with them, show an interest in what they are trying to do, if possible make suggestions that will help the work, and generally to convince them that this is the place to have the 182 TAKING ORDERS AND HOLDING CUSTOMERS printing done. If previous jobs have been executed with entire satisfaction, he has an easy task, yet he must arrange to give as good printing and service as before, or the customer will not be held. Prompt attention and complete courtesy are the first essentials. The man who is already a customer of the house likes to be recognized the instant he appears in the place. It is unwise to let him wait; somebody should be on hand to smile on him and say "Mr. will see you in a few minutes. If you cannot wait he will call on you. Is there anyone else who can wait on you?" This sort of attention will always hold a man a little while, and prevent any irritation at the delay. The head of a large firm with an order for a $20,000 catalog was once kept waiting fifteen minutes in the anteroom of a large printery, to which he intended to give the job, but became so disgusted that he left, going to his second choice, a printer in the next block, and left the order. It was the courtesy of the printer who was his second choice that brought him the order when the chosen printer showed this fatal neglect. Lack of courtesy is more often sheer carelessness — as in the above instance — than from real ill breeding. Real courtesy springs from kindness of heart — thought- fulness for others. See that the man who takes your orders has these qualities, and you need never fear losing business from neglect of courtesy on his part. But the careless, self-centered or preoccupied man is almost sure to lose some trade through thoughtless neglect of ordinary attention and courtesy. Judgment should be exercised in calling on regular customers. Some like it ; others are liable to be bored. 183 PRINTING FOR PROFIT Probably it is wise to call on all good customers once a month; in some instances twice a week may not be too often. The thing to be borne in mind is that if you do not keep following up your people, somebody else is liable to get in on their work. It is important to know that you keep on satisfying your customers, and to that end they should often be asked the question point blank. There are quiet people who never kick or growl, but who if dissatisfied simply go elsewhere. Such people can be retained by making it a business to know regularly that each customer is satisfied, or if not, find out just the difficulty and make it right. Too many printers are unwilling to compensate the customer for their own errors. The printer should pay for his mis- takes and blunders, for his own good as well as for his trade reputation. It is the surest way to cure yourself and your co-workers of making errors. Do not leave room for misunderstandings in the taking of orders; it is here that many a printer falls down. He thinks he has got all the points in his head, or he thinks they will be remembered, or that if any- thing is wrong it will be caught when the proof comes back ; and so he takes chances and some of these chances develop into costly blunders that somebody has got to pay for. It is not of much use to prove to a cus- tomer that he himself is at fault, if he has got so irritated that he leaves you anyway, and complains to others about your careless methods. The thing is to arrange conditions so that misunderstandings will not occur. The new solicitor, who is not yet harmonized to his surroundings, is especially apt to leave openings for 184 TAKING ORDERS AND HOLDING CUSTOMERS error. The proper guard against this is to reduce all details to writing. The vacation season is prolific of misunderstanding, if every detail of a job has not been provided for. If Mr. Blank depends on his memory, and the point in question comes up while he is taking his two weeks at the seashore, an error and an irritated customer is the natural result. When an order is taken, all details should be made clear. In large work this is settled by means of a care- fully prepared estimate or contract ; but in small work it is best to use a form of acceptance blank, which is both a courteous acknowledgment of the order, and also serves to set forth the details so that no chance of mis- understanding can readily arise. The form on a fol- lowing page is used by the Charles Francis Press. This blank should be used for acknowledging all orders, without exception, and will be found especially serviceable when a customer telephones some change modifying the number of copies of an edition. It is so easy to get it 2,500 when 3,500 is intended, and it is im- possible later to know whether the error occurred at one end of the phone or the other, unless a memoran- dum such as shown here is sent to clinch and verify the order. This is one of the little things which go to per- fect the service of the printing office, and keep trade. Where customers write in letters altering instruc- tions to the Charles Francis Press it is our custom to send carbon copies of the letter to each of the depart- ments, that no possible misconstruction may arise. It is a mistake to go the limit in praising your own work, or criticizing that of others. Seldom is any job perfect. It is easy to show a customer shortcomings in 185 PRINTING FOR PROFIT some large job, but hard to do it better than the other fellow. Be modest as well as confident ; promise to do your best, but do not promise perfection. Then there is less likelihood of later "comebacks." If a customer will not be satisfied, after exhaustive efforts to please, let him go. Life is too short to waste in working for those who growl and grumble perpetu- ally. But if a customer's continual fault-finding arises from his ignorance, it is well to train him. I can tell a true story here, because it happened long ago. We printed the first number of a new publication, and did a very creditable job. A few days afterward the cus- tomer came in with a copy in which he had marked all the typographical errors that he and his editors could find. Most of them came from following copy, and his editors had had the proofs and never marked them. We showed him that we were at fault in about one-tenth of the instances and his own people and copy at fault in the remainder; but this did not particularly assuage his wrath. He said we should correct the mistakes in copy and not make any ourselves. Next month he found fault with the appearance of a few half-tone cuts that he turned in at the last minute and which were not etched deep enough. We tried to explain that we were not responsible for such condi- tions, but he accepted no excuses. The following issue it was the same thing, and again on the fourth. Al- though extreme pains were taken to make a first-class job, and please and satisfy, he invariably appeared in the office the day after issue, and exploded with com- plaints. He could not understand why perfection was impossible on a rush job. He was good pay, and we 186 Phone Greeley 3210 THE CHARLES FRANCIS PRESS A MODERN PRINTERY Printing Crafts Building 34th Street and Eighth Avenue, New York Date. Dear Sir: Please accept our thanks for your valued order of It shall have our careful and prompt attention. The following memoranda express our full understanding of the order as entered on our books. If any statement is incorrect or misleading, kindly notify us at once. Name Address Work ordered is No. copies Cover Type Ink Illustrations Proof wanted Paper To be completed Binding Remarks : We trust that we shall be able to serve you so satisfactorily as to win your further patronage. Very truly, (Signed). TAKING ORDERS AND HOLDING CUSTOMERS needed the work, but I made up my mind it was neces- sary to let him go before he left us. So I said to him, as nearly as I can recall : "Mr. Smith, we have done our very best to please you. It is impossible to issue a publication in a rush and do everything as we would if not limited by time and cost. If you will examine the periodicals on the newsstands you will find more errors and shortcomings than have been in any issue of yours. We need your work ; we want it ; but we can't afford to have you stay in your present frame of mind. You need to go and have your experience, and I suggest that you take it to whom you say criticizes this and this, and if he does not suit, then try another. After you have tried several, and had a general experience, we want you back. But I must refuse to get out another number while you look at things as you now do." He took it pleasantly enough, and went to the small printer who had been helping him pick it to pieces in order to get the job. The next issue was almost pitiful. The small printer had to depend on outside composition and outside binding; both were late and generally bad. The cylinder work was done on two presses, and did not match in color. Mr. Smith had enough of this man with the one issue, and then took it to a nearby shop which was under clever management. He told me of this, and pressed me for my opinion as to what he might expect there. So I said, "The first issue from that shop will be fine, but look out for him a little later." This proved to be exactly the case; in four months he tired of this printer, and his bills for corrections, and took his publication to a very large shop, from which 187 PRINTING FOR PROFIT were issued a number of well-known publications. This printer, No. 4, was full of work at the time, and Mr. Smith suggested that to hurry the first issue a form or two might be sent to Mr. Francis. No. 4 acted on this, and we printed one sheet. This sheet looked so much better than the others, that when they came together in the bound magazine the customer kicked, and told No. 4 his work was "punk !" No. 4 called us on the phone and frankly told us about it, saying, "I didn't know you could do such fine presswork as that; I guess I ought not to have sent you the sheet." After one more issue, we called on the customer, whom we have been calling Mr. Smith, and asked how he was getting on with his various printers. "We haven't had but one issue as good as you gave us," he frankly admitted. "Then we would be glad to have you back/' I sug- gested. And back he came, after which we never had any serious differences. The printer who follows the right policy, of living up to his agreements, and making up to the customer for all errors, finds it necessary also to insist that cus- tomers live up to their agreements. A case in point occurred in 1914 : We purchased a large lot of paper for a customer's catalog ; at the last moment he reduced the order for copies materially, leaving several hundred dollars' worth of paper on our hands. We billed it to him, and he kicked. We insisted, and he paid, though he evidently was sore about it, and thought we could readily have taken it off his hands. Then the war came on, and paper doubled in price, and for the next issue of .the catalog this customer had this paper ready, 188 TAKING ORDERS AND HOLDING CUSTOMERS bought at antebellum prices, leaving him several hun- dred dollars to the good. He was sore no more, but acknowledged the justice of our method. In all cases of disputes with customers it should be remembered that the object sought is not to talk him down, but to placate and satisfy him. There are times when it is well to be willing to relinquish what you regard as your rights to preserve harmony. Most men are kindly disposed, and can be disarmed by such talk as this : "Do not let our difference grow into a rupture ; we will meet you more than half way. Tell us exactly what you think we should do, and if it is reasonably possible we will do it. We are here to please our cus- tomers. We want your work ; we like you and want you to like us." Nine men out of ten will come back at you with an easier proposition than you expected. But if you try to "hog" it, you make a hog of the customer, who has the upper hand of you in that he can always quit, and if he quits in a dissatisfied frame of mind he will ever after be a poor advertisement for your business. Beware of promises; when lightly made they come back as serious encumbrances. The most successful printers are slow to promise, but faithful in perform- ance. Taken as a whole, the printing trade has a poor reputation in the matter of keeping promises. It is hard to understand why printers will regularly stultify themselves by promising things at whatever date they seem wanted, and then promptly forgetting all about it. Yet observation compels the opinion that a majority of printers do not keep their promises of delivery half the time. 189 PRINTING FOR PROFIT This slackness is the opportunity of the efficient printer, who finds it all the easier to build up a reputa- tion for doing work on time and keeping his promises. In the chapter "Thoughts from Successful Printers," a prominent printer of New England is quoted, giving as one reason for his success that it was always held that promises were made to be kept, regardless of expense. In taking orders, it is well to have an understanding with the customer as to following copy. In large work, the copy is apt to be good, the customer having compe- tent editors who put it in shape; but in smaller jobs and work done for those who only occasionally have a large job, the copy is often full of errors and very inadequate. Many printers set up the work much as it comes in, on the principle that they are not responsible for other people's blunders. When the work reaches the proofroom it is criticized, and the customer asked if he wants to let this and that go as it is. He says make it right, and the corrections are put on the proofs that should have been put in the copy, resulting in a long bill of charges for "author's alterations." This is hardly fair to the customer. If copy is faulty, it is best to give it to the proofreader, let him revise and correct a few pages, and forward these to the cus- tomer with a note to the effect that the copy shows an average of so many errors to a page; that it will cost so much for a reader to go over the copy and make them right now; that if the matter is put in linotype as it is, and these corrections made later it will cost four or five times as much. This course will usually bring an order to make the required corrections on the copy at the author's expense, and it often brings also 190 TAKING ORDERS AND HOLDING CUSTOMERS the appreciative thanks of the customer, who sees that you have his interest at heart. There are dishonest printers who purposely put poor copy through the office, in the expectation that it will call for a lot of time charges, which can be padded to their profit. This, of course, is robbery, but unfor- tunately it is very difficult to prove. Often it is essential to have an advance understand- ing with the customer as to style and punctuation; otherwise serious differences may arise. A case comes to mind of a customer whose copy was neatly type- written with a great many words all in capital letters. Naturally the linotyper followed the style. The proof came back with the remark that "any printer ought to know enough to put these in italic upper and lower and not in screaming capitals!" He never got over being obliged to pay for changing them. A little talk at the outset often will save such disputes and irritation. Another instance was of a customer who ordered about 60 cuts vignetted. When they were all made, at a cost of about $150, and he saw the proofs in which the margins faded away, he said they were not as ordered, and would have to be all done over again. He had an idea that "vignetted" meant to draw fancy bor- ders around, and arrange and group artistically. When the error was brought home to him as his own, he paid the bill, but was so sore he withdrew the order, and went elsewhere. Almost numberless experiences of this sort show the need of discussing the copy and conditions of every large job with the customer, so that such misunder- standings will be cleared up before the work is done, 191 PRINTING FOR PROFIT and not result in wasting the customer's money. It is not fair to expect all customers to know the terms and conditions surrounding the printing trade. The order- taker who can scent in advance points of possible mix-up is of great value in a printery in anticipating and preventing costly misunderstandings. Mr. John A. Wilkens, who for many years has pre- sided in the outer office at the Charles Francis Press, and who discusses most of the details of work with cus- tomers, has evolved some rules which he puts into prac- tice. He is careful to make it clear to a new customer just what a quoted price includes, and on what he may expect time charges. Detention of the press is a charge that always looks unfair to a man who has not bought much printing. Another rule is to discover whether the customer cares for suggestions, and to assist him with the experience available in the office. It is usual also to consider what grade of printing is best adapted to the customer's wants. While price is an important element, low price means low quality, and while some jobs require to be as elegant and expensive as possible, the vast majority are desired of a grade between the highest and the lowest. It is a real art to find out just what grade is best for this or that purpose, and then to arrange the details to give the best appearance for the money. It is a mistake to represent to customers that they are always to have the very highest grade of printing. The highest excellence in these days of art printing often means a cost two or three times the prevailing prices for a commercial job, and it is folly to claim that the latter equals the artistic product. As in all other 192 TAKING ORDERS AND HOLDING CUSTOMERS trades, imitations of the best exist in all departments of printing. We buy imitation hand-made papers, single-etched cuts, slap through the make-ready, omit slip-sheeting, and do or omit doing scores of other things to keep down the cost, and we ought to let the buyers know it. Those who are educated to printing do know it, and are not deceived. There is no occasion for deceiving anybody. It is the order-taker's duty to find out just what a prospective customer needs and wants, and give it to him, rather than to be a mere price-maker, or a rubber stamp for passing along what the customer says. By showing a full understanding and appreciation of the buyer's desires and aims at the outset, the first favor- able impression is made, and the customer comes to realize that his work will be handled intelligently. If he gets a lower price elsewhere he is still likely to come back to the man who has shown that he knows how to do the job right. Because work is slack, or a particular job is large, is no good reason for taking on a contract that your shop is not well adapted to. Learn to let such things go by. It pays much better to cling to a line of work, and specialize. For a full exposition of this idea see the chapter on "Service, Efficiency and Specialization." 193 Advertising the Printing Office A LL printers believe in advertising, because they /\ see that a very large part of printed pub- JL jL licity is advertising, and they handle so much of it that they readily recognize who is making money out of advertising and who fails to get re- sults. They also discover that there are almost limit- less ways and methods of advertising, and that the most common kind, the displayed space in a newspaper, is valuable only to those who have things which sell to nearly all readers — for food, clothing, and articles that everybody buys ; while the advertising of a commodity like printing, which is purchased in quantity by less than one per cent, of the population, must be addressed to the class who purchase the sort of printing one has to sell, and that money is wasted by sending advertising to people whose only expenditure is perhaps a dozen calling cards in five years and a wedding announcement once in a lifetime. In each community the largest buyers of printing are well known, for they are the most prosperous business firms of the locality ; so it becomes a question of attract- ing the favorable attention of a few. This condition at first suggests that straight solicitation is the best method of securing printing. This phase of selling is fully treated in the chapter on "Problems in Sales- manship." We know that advertising does help the printer, and that some printers do a great deal and prosper, and therefore, disregarding solicitation for the present, let us consider the various forms of adver- tising that a printer can use. 194 ADVERTISING THE PRINTING OFFICE The ornate circular, leaflet, booklet or blotter — itself a sample of fine printing — sent out regularly, as once a month, to a list of vicinity firms whose business is desired has been demonstrated an excellent method for the stationer-printer, who handles a general class of small work. Probably this system cannot be im- proved upon for the average small platen-press print- ing office. The excellence of the printing thus sent out, the ap- propriateness of the wording, and the general good sense with which it is followed up, will have much to do with the success of such a campaign; that the sys- tem is fundamentally sound cannot be denied, having been tried again and again, and most thoroughly ex- ploited in the trade papers. The printer who needs this sort of advertising will find ideas in plenty to assist him by searching the files of the Inland Printer and Ameri- can Printer, and other trade journals. For larger printing houses doing long runs of work for prominent concerns, the annual calendar has been found useful, as a daily reminder of the house that handles large jobs promptly and efficiently. These ordi- nary publicity methods are too well known to require more than passing mention. Why some printers are so unobserving as to issue cheaply printed calendars with moderate-sized figures I never could comprehend, as most of these go into the waste-basket. What the average printer seeks in advertising is some system of publicity that has not been thoroughly worked, and which he can use or adapt to his own individual wants. If in attempting to meet this demand I seem to be writing almost wholly of my own work and experience, 195 PRINTING FOR PROFIT let the reader understand that it is not from a wish to exploit my personality, but simply because this chapter is necessarily a record of individual experiences in ad- vertising. It has been thought well to reproduce here a series of advertisements run by the Charles Francis Press in Printers' Ink. This publication, being well read by thousands of large advertisers who are exten- sive users of printing, and by all advertising agencies, special representatives, and ad-men, affords an unusual opportunity for the printer to gain the attention of substantial houses. My first decision in regard to Printers' Ink adver- tising was that we must take more space than any other printer in the publication, or that at least we must not allow any other good printing house to over- shadow our space. Therefore the full page ad was chosen. The next decision was that each page ad should emphasize one idea, a single concept, that could be quickly grasped, and therefore was likely to be read by the busy advertiser. When it came to preparing copy for the advertise- ments, we first paid an advertising agency to write us twenty announcements. Not all of these were striking, and soon it became apparent that I must write almost all of them myself. Somehow the experts never caught on to just what would be effective for us, and while I never posed as an ad-writer, yet it appeared that for our own business I was better equipped to say effective things than was any one we could hire. After vain search among other advertising for models, we always fell back on the theories which had made the plant successful. 196 If you only knew all the advantages you could enjoy by the use of the CHARLES FRANCIS PRESS Half- Million Dollar Modern Plant, for your printing and pamphlet binding, you would certainly get in touch with us when in need of a printer. Our facilities and competency in caring for copy and lay-outs intelligently; for suggestions in write-ups, illustrating and designing the manifold variety of com- mercial literature is par excellence. This SERVICE is at your command. Give us a phone call, (3210 Greeley) pre- paratory to any work you may have and let us talk it over with you. You'll find it good business tactics. CHARLES FRANCIS PRESS PRINTING CRAFTS BUILDING ■35 » TI L.h's££ New York Cry o^a. We are of proper age. seasoned, ambiti Our selected battle line of defense and offer P rinting ^ emce at easy gait or double-quick time. Our company is fully recruited with the most effective "big guns" (and our artillery staff know how to handle them) that are hammering out. day and night, printing of the highest grade If you are preparing for a drive, with your eye on some objective, and have decided to utilize COLOR PRINTING CATALOGS or PUBLICATIONS to make the assault— report at once to our strate- gic and efficiency board for conference and co-ordination, by phone, dispatch or messenger Charles Francis Press PRINTING CRAFTS BLDC NEW YORK Phone 3210 Greeley fit™,™™™. -, Convincing ^roof can be shown you that the Charles Francis — =Press— = in the Printing Crafts Building, 461 to 479 Eighth Avenue, New York City with its half-million dollar printing plant of the latest and most modem machinery and its organization of Master Printers, is the one place to get just what you are looking for in SERVICE and QUALITY. ART WORK PERIODICALS PROCESS COLOR CATALOGS HOUSE ORGANS BOOKLETS PUBLICATIONS FOLDERS ADVERTISING COMPOSITION and COMMERCIAL PRINTING Telephone 3210 Creel Come and See Us if you're dissatisfied with your printing WE can give you a list of satisfied customers who will be pleased to tell you about the SERVICE we render; the QUALITY of our production and the unusual facilities for prompt deliveries that com- prise association with the Charles Francis Press (half million dollar plant) domiciled in that modern Printing Crafts Building, 461 10 487 Eighth Ave.. New York City occupying over 54,000 square feet of space filled with the latest improved equipment for COLOR PRINTING, CATALOGS and PUBLICATIONS. TELEPHONE 3210 GREELEY By all means correct the situation — Come and See Us J.HE ; substant uous bu Your Service is no small part of the sat- isfaction we receive in our dealings with you." written to us by a very after two years' contin- itions. In another para- Quite the handsomest i that has come under observation. OUR superb plant is now in full swing -working DAY and NIGHT shifts ■ — creating and producing printing for commercial and general purposes of a distinctive and impressive character, mak- ing deliveries in record time. We want some of your trade and know you will be agreeably surprised at the SERVICE rendered and perfectly satisfied with the QUALITY of the finished work. Come, let us reasor together, or arrange an by phone (3210 Greeley) or write. CHARLES FRANCIS PRESS PRINTING CRAFTS BUILDING NEW YORK CITY (Eishlt. Avc.-3ird to 34lli Strecti) PRINTING SERVICE YOUR ADVERTISING MATTER- Catalog. Booklet.etc.-if thoughtfully edited; copy, arranged typographically with style and balance; paper, proper quality, -weight and color; printing, sharp, clean and in register; hinding, carefully folded and trimmed — then you should have a finished product that will prove effective. WE are in the field to render this kind of SERVICE and to give work of QUALITY to those desirous of utilizing our half-million dollar printing plant of the latest and moat modern machinery and an organization of Master Printers. Treat us to a visit. We will gladly show you around the whole plant — at the same time you can look our staff over. It's the hest method to judge, practically, the merits of our proposition. Charles Francis Press Printing Craft, Building, Ntw York City "** A '"" PW 3210 GreeUy »" " "* S " %ESULTS Are what you want That is what counts most in Direct Advertisi POINTING THAT PULLS require, not only technical knowledge of the line to be exploited, but exceptional artistic and constructive ability behind it to second your efforts. By studious endeavor and through experience attained by business connections in the many years of devotion to commercial, color, advertising and other printed matter, that is better than the ordinary, we are qualified to produce Direct Advertising litera- ture that will make you gratifying business returns. CHOTCE-That starts as soon as you talk busi- ness — such as size, margin, arrangement of copy, style of type to use, selection of display type, proper com- bination of paper, ink and bindingtosecure harmony, etc. — and ends only on re- ceipt of delivery on time. QUALITY-This tech- nical and practical knowledge, together with the zealous application of same by craftsmen who are ever on their toes to excel, furnishes style and class that stamp distinction on your advertising, there- by commanding attention. WE want some of your printing trade. If you will confer "with us on the wants of your customers, and wish- they -were customers, we will elucidate a profit- sharing proposition. Phone, call or write CHARLES FRANCIS PRESS PRINTING CRAFTS BUILDING. NEW YORK TELEPHONE 3210 GREELEY :*:■■ MR. ADVERTISER When yon plan a campaign of advertising, an important feature in the consummation of that business-producing scheme is to have at hand, ready for immediate use, a supply of Follow-Up-Printing in the shape of a booklet, which should be written, edited and printed in such a man- ner and style as to impress the recipient so favorably that it will clinch an order. If you are not getting that kind of material in your Follow - Up literature — booklets, catalogues, etc. — you are no: realizing the gross percentage due on your expenditure. It requires practical knowledge, thought, care and artistic skill to create and produce successful trade winners. We possess these qualifications and if you write, phone or call, will demonstrate what we can do. CHARLES FRANCIS PRESS Printing and Binding OUT ON TIME AND "RIGHT" TELEPHONE 3210 CREELEY Ben Franklin nd His Big Brother Bill Started the ball railing in New York and its vicinity in the line of Printing and Binding Wr. was an expert in li is business, but if lie were living today he would be astounded to see that where he looked over virgin fields and brows- ing cattle there has arisen next to the magnificent Pennsylvania Depot and the U. S. Postoffice. a building 24 stories high, with floor space equal to fifteen acres, and built in less than one year's time for the special requirements of the printing fraternity. The Charles Francis Press occupies the largest space of any one printing concern in this mammoth structure, and with an almost ENTIRELY NEW PLANT OK MACHINERY IS DOING WONDERS IN THE WAY OK service: and quality on Magazines, Catalogues, Brochures and High- class Color Printing. You are invited to look us over at PRINTING CRAFTS BUILDING Cir.HTH AVENl'F. T j"i "V f''"r*t"i "".'t it nkw YORK CITY and give us your opinion of the change after twenty-two years in Thirteenth Street. Charles Francis Press Ttltphont 3210 Grcilty proclamation TO THE WHOLE WIDE WORLD: W\)lXWti by the Constitutional Authority of the State of New York and the power 'vested in the CHARLES FRANCIS PRESS through its incorpora- Hon under the State Laws "Be ft tyreby CnaCtCO,- that from now and hence- forward all those desiring ^PRINTING and its allied products shall be solicited to give the same to the before- mentioned company, upon pain of displeasure, poor service and execution by others. Therefore, TBe it EOSOlbCD that we will henceforth and forever, lake advantage of the wonderful facilities and reputation for highg to say that would be detrimental to our brother printers, but we have an abiding faith in the fact that with our HALF- MILLION DOLLAR MODERN PLANT and several hundred assistants, we can give top-notch service and furnish the finest quality of work to be had in the printing business. This declaration is made that you may form some idea of the scope of our equipment and organization, and what class of work you can expect to receive when you place an order. Many of your printing problems will be solved when you have a personal knowledge of this fact. So, "get busy" and telephone Greeley 3210 CHARLES FRANCIS PRESS Printing Crafts Building SSTU'ES NEW YORK Let Those Who Serve You West Serve You Most qA N INVITATION to Visit the Home of the Charles Francis Pre ss Printing Crafts Building A cordial invitation is extended to those interested in PRINTING and BINDING to visit our new home, where you will be surprised at the exhibition of modern ma- chinery and the clock-like precision with which the manufacture of printing is accomplished. Those who contemplate accepting this invitation are requested to com- municate with Mr. Charles Francis. He will be glad to make arrange- ments for their reception. Absolute 'Reliability Unsurpassed Se a and SERVICE These are trying times. Materials are hard to obtain. Our employees are going to the front, making a scarcity of workers. Our Service will be as good as ever We are all determined to use our best efforts to greater production in order that our customers may not suffer and that we may "do our bit" in sustain- ing the cause of democracy. We ask, therefore, in order to economize, that our customers will help by carefully preparing copy and make as few alterations as possible in order that we may "pare a little off" to help in the great work. We have not raised our prices and will not do so unless compelled. Yours for Service Charles Francis Press PRINTING CRAFTS BUILDING "«£" , h A s,f«u E NEW YORK CITY We Are Elected I More Business The Country Is Saved Once More Printing did it. Without prim- ing the country would be lost indeed. WE CREATE the "stuff" that saves busi- nesses from disintegration and have been instrumental in placing many victories to the credit of our customers. LET US DO FOR YOU what- we have done for others. It will be to your interest to call on us at the PRINTING CRAFTS BUILDING, Eighth Ave.-33rd to 34th Sts — New York City. WE WILL SHOW YOU most convincing proof of our responsibility and competence to render you valuable assistance in pro- ducing anything pertaining to printing. Charles Francis Press TELEPHONE 3210 GREELEY JiJiJIiiKiMii I THAN EVER WILL BE THE STATISTIC REPORT OF THE UNITED STATES THIS YEAR. Over $7,000,000,000 in money is to be distributed in trade transactions, covering the full gamut of the world's needs, above our normal expenditures. Economy in food stuffs may be nec- essary for a short period, but the "forward march" of manufacturing, trading and distribution must goon. Now is the opportune time to recruit your forces and map out plans to secure a portion of this vast sum. Advertising is the "big gun" for the assault . Mow your bugle, assemble your copy and send it forthwith to Charles Fra> ANCIS I'HESS We Are Prepared ADVERTISING THE PRINTING OFFICE Under these conditions there was produced at leis- ure moments the series of advertisements presented in reduced form with this chapter. The advertising ap- peared every other week, and by being ever on the alert for new ideas, an effective one was always found ahead of the time for printing. Credit must be given for type effects in almost all instances to some of our own force whose excellent taste has helped many an advertiser to emphasize his points. The most that can be said for this advertising is that it has paid. Again and again have we heard from these announcements, and learned that concerns that knew us, but that had never tried our service, were favorably impressed, and many of them led to give us business. Another form of advertising which we have used successfully is the ornamental booklet, describing some features of our business, in the finest printing of which we were capable. We have issued at least one a year of these for a considerable period. Perhaps the best attention-getter of the series was a booklet of letters from satisfied customers, titled "A Feather in Our Cap." A real feather, dyed a brilliant red, was passed through slits into the cover of each copy. Several fair- sized poultry farms had to be depleted to furnish all the feathers required for the edition, and the dyer hu- morously remarked that we were sending up the price of feathers to meet egg prices, by reason of ordering so many! The novelty of the red feather attracted universal attention to this little booklet, and we had hundreds of requests for copies. They found a permanent place in the files of those who collect attractive advertising for 197 PRINTING FOR PROFIT their own purposes. This booklet fortunately contained such a collection of strongly worded letters from sat- isfied customers of long standing, and it was so widely circulated and read, that it proved the most effective advertisement of this character that we ever employed. The red feather caught the attention, and invited read- ing of the letters, and the kind statements therein of those who had bought printing over a period of years clinched the effect. "What We Give You," a reprint of the priceless gems left by Charles Lounsbury, was another effective book- let of such high character that all advertising except the imprint was omitted. A very different form of advertising was accom- plished when the Charles Francis Press moved into the Printing Crafts Building, and took the largest space there occupied by one tenant — 58,500 square feet. This brought us publicity of the sort that cannot be pur- chased ; it was the literal evidence of success, bringing us conspicuously into the limelight. Though it cost $20,000 to make the move from Thirteenth street to the Printing Crafts Building, the advertising alone was worth the money, and there was an immediate response in the way of increased business. The good neighbors acquired in this building are also easily worth another $20,000, and it has become a pleasurable habit to give them business and get business from them in a way never before possible. Having installed a large line of new machinery at the time of the move, which was now well disposed in exceptionally well-lighted quarters, it occurred to us that it would be possible to get effective moving pic- 198 ADVERTISING THE PRINTING OFFICE tures of the plant, a thing that could not be considered in 13th street, because of the crowding of the machin- ery and inadequate lighting. The matter was looked into, and we were told that ' 'movies" could be made for $600, but before the work was completed, the figures went to near $1,500. While advertising was completely excluded from these pictures, which were intended primarily for educational purposes, yet they proved an immense advertisement, both for the Charles Francis Press, and the makers of the modern machinery shown. They were instantly called for in many quarters, and have been shown and reshown ever since, in many of the larger cities of the country. But all these things are secondary to the really best advertising that the Charles Francis Press has had, which came from its own customers, and was paid for by efficient service. When the business was in its in- fancy it was determined that whatever else we did or did not do we would satisfy every customer, and give him what he wanted; that we would keep our prom- ises, and having made a contract would Torget every- thing else but the carrying out of it to the best advan- tage of the customer. In the course of time this policy gained us a reputation, which was far ahead of every other sort of advertising. For years we have been able to say to prospective customers, who usually demurred at our prices as being a little higher than charged by neighboring houses: "We have to charge you a little more, because we give more than most printers. We aim toward a hundred per cent, service. We shall be pleased to have you talk with any of our present customers or any of our former 199 PRINTING FOR PROFIT customers as to what sort of service we give with our printing." It has been possible to make this broad reference to all our patrons only through the policy of satisfying all. Sometimes this was costly. All printers make er- rors, and some misunderstandings of instructions must occur, involving both loss and annoyance. In such in- stances our policy has been to enquire what damage the customer placed on the errors he charged us with, and to write a check for the amount. The very fact that we do this being known throughout our force of work- men renders them doubly careful, so that we believe we have not made half as many costly blunders as the average large printery. The accuracy of our product, and clocklike regularity of delivery, has improved with the years, until all our customers recognize it, and we can and do refer to all of them, with results that make this the least expensive and most effective advertising we do. The way in which many of our customers have shown appreciation of our efforts to please is most gratifying. Here is a case in point: We were offered a publication that was a competitor of a publication coming from our presses for one of our best customers. Experience has shown us that publishers often object seriously to their work being handled in the same place as a competitor's, for the workmen naturally learn many things regarded as business confidences, of which they do not care to inform competitors. Therefore we thought it wise to ask our old customer if he objected to our taking on the competing publication. "Not a bit," was the prompt answer. "I'll do more; I'll call 200 ADVERTISING THE PRINTING OFFICE him up on the phone and advise him to give it to you." It surely is a pleasure to work for customers like that! It has become an axiom with us that the cheapest advertisement is a satisfied customer, and this has the advantage over any printed advertising, in that it proves its truth by its existence, and it goes on year after year, during the life of the customer, without any monthly bills being rendered for the expense. So much for personal experiences in advertising ; but the main question of publicity is so large that it is im- possible to undertake to cover it here, even if I were a qualified all-around advertising man, which is not my business. The sort of advertising best for each individ- ual printer is that which is best adapted to his sur- roundings and conditions. The specialists in printing have each a fundamental idea to publish to a given class of customers, and each has to solve his problem of how to best reach them. The drug label house finds a convenient medium in the trade papers going to drug houses ; the law printer, the stock-outfit house, the rush printer, the specialist in music printing, the three-color shop, the stationer and the big edition printer — each must find an outlet among the class of customers he seeks, and many of these are as well served in their line as Printers' Ink serves those who wish to reach the large advertisers and publishers. In addition to the trade paper, the specialist can al- ways secure lists of addresses of the class he aims to serve, and mail them announcements of his line. But in seeking business this way, the printer must not ex- 201 PRINTING FOR PROFIT pect too much of the advertisement itself. It can do no more than introduce the printer in new locations: he must follow up his advertising, and when he se- cures a trial order must use extreme pains to please and satisfy, or order No. 2 will never come. It is the making permanent customers of these advertising pros- pects that insures prosperity. Most advertising costs much more than can possibly be got in direct returns as printing orders. A one hundred dollar ad that brings $200 worth of printing and no more, shows a loss on its face of about $80 for the printer ; but if it brings one $10 job, and the customer likes it and stays, spending $1,000 a year, it pays for itself every year that customer is retained; and if that customer recommends the printer to others an endless-chain effect may be set up whose end never can be determined. And so we come back to the axiom that the pleased customer is the best advertisement. If the printer cannot think of anything better to place in his advertisements than "Low Prices," he had better not advertise at all, for such will bring him only work that yields no profit. Yet there always seem to be one or two printers in every large city who think it good business to advertise in the "Business Opportun- ity" columns that they will "execute'' letter-heads for $1.50 for the first 1,000, a figure far below cost. It is possible to specialize on letter-heads, and thus do them below the usual cost, but most printers who ad- vertise a cut rate seem to have the idea that this will work like the bargain sales in the department stores. This reasoning is erroneous. The department stores have made the bargain idea pay because they thus bring 202 ADVERTISING THE PRINTING OFFICE women into the store, who look around and are tempted to purchase something that does yield a profit. But "cheap printing" brings in only a class of amateur business men, who never want anything else, and are the very last to consider paying for a high-grade job. Such advertising not only does not bring good trade that will yield a profit, but it turns away desirable trade that might be had if the printer made any pretensions to giving quality and service. No matter what sort of printing one does, whatever his specialty, it is "quality" in some sense that he should claim in his advertising. Whether he excels in good taste, in good service, or in carrying a large variety of something, or in having exceptional knowledge of details, he must always make it apparent that he is try- ing to connect with those who ask "not how much, but how well." It pays best to cater to those who want service, and to give them their orders always on time. The average customer may talk more of low prices perhaps than of anything else, but he really wants quality more than price (or if he does not he soon will) , for experience teaches all business men that the good quality printing is the cheapest, and that very low prices mean poor quality and probably worse service. American printers have developed greatly as adver- tisers during the past twenty years. Judging by ap- pearances it is probable that fully twice as much ad- vertising is now printed to connect with the same vol- ume of trade. Expressed in figures, the printer who used to spend one per cent, of his annual income in advertising now spends two per cent. ; and as the out- put of printing has also trebled in twenty years, this 203 PRINTING FOR PROFIT means six times as much advertising now as then. The reason is that various advertising printers have come to the front and awakened the trade in their vici- nage to what can be accomplished by brainy methods of publicity. One of the most serious weaknesses of direct adver- tising by printers is that they are apt to print beautiful folders or booklets in spare time, and send them out when some clerk has nothing else to do. This poor practice results in the advertising beginning to pull in busy season when work is least needed. The right course is to send out good advertising when the printer is busy, that its effect may be felt in dull season when the work is doubly valuable. Direct advertising re- quires to be systematic, and if done only in dull periods it is certain to be unsystematic. It is hard to suggest novelties in advertising for printers, but one comes to mind of a Jersey printer, who used it effectually, and so far as I know nobody has reproduced his idea. He got in touch with one of those geniuses called a weather prophet, and framed about a hundred-word prophecy on the coming month's weather. Regularly on the last day of each month the merchants on his mailing list received a card with prophecy of the weather for the next 30 days, beauti- fully printed, often with some suggestions that if the weather wasn't always right, at least the printing could be depended on. He always had something clever and catchy to say, that made people read the cards and pass them around. The fact that they were always mailed so as to reach customers the last day of the month im- pressed them with his promptness, and the advertising 204 ADVERTISING THE PRINTING OFFICE is said to have been effective for a long period. Such a scheme must of course wear itself out, as we know the weather prophecies cannot all come true, and then it has to be replaced by a new advertising novelty. The imprint on good printing is an advertisement that costs nothing, and may carry weight. Why some printers place their imprints on the variety of jobs classed as "rotten" is a mystery that cannot be fath- omed. We have all seen jobs that we would want to sue the printer for libel if he attached our name to them; yet these people seemingly are proud of their work. Benjamin Franklin was the first printer in this coun- try to show a knowledge of advertising. His quaint sayings were written to attract attention to himself and his printing business. The printer who has adver- tising to prepare will do well to study his maxims. It pays the printer to use a superior grade of sta- tionery for his business — something so much better than the average that whenever an estimate goes out on it the customer is sure to be impressed with the fact that your quality is second to none. It is a waste of money and effort to advertise and not back it up with the quality and service to match the claims made. If you do not make good on the trial order that an ad brings, the prospective customer simply sets you down as a liar, as well as a third-class printer, and not only never appears again, but probably expresses his opinion of you at times so as to turn away other trade. So, by this line of argument, for the third time, we arrive at the conclusion that "the pleased customer is the best advertisement." 205 The Small, the Medium and the Large Plant THERE is no wholly satisfactory, accepted term in use for a printing factory. "Office" is the old name, a relic of the days when it was what we now term a stationer's. Recognizing* that it is no longer an office, we often use the shorter term "print shop," which is well enough for a small shop, but inappropriate for the large one. So we are coming to use the term "printery," which is a good word ; but why should we hesitate to say "printing factory," and be done with it? That is what the great majority of im- portant plants have become, and only by development on the lines of other successful manufacturing are we now bringing printing to its rightful position as one of the half dozen greatest factory industries of the world. Printing factories may be generally classed as small, medium and large, to which should be added specialty shops and private plants. The small printery is best entitled to the name of printing office, which it seems inclined to retain, for it is usually an office with a work- room and a little machinery attached, and does not sug- gest the factory. A machinist would call it a jobbing shop. There are hundreds of these little job offices in every large city of the United States, and probably not a fourth of them can be ranked as prosperous. The rest get along somehow, picking up a precarious living, printing cards, orders of dance, menus, circulars, sta- tionery, journals, and whatever small job work comes their way. Nearly all claim to be able to print any- 206 THE SMALL, THE MEDIUM AND THE LARGE PLANT thing, which means usually anything that can be run on a job press, one at a time, though some of them run one or more cylinders. It is a curious fact that a majority of these little of- fices seem to be run by printers who have never thor- oughly mastered their trade, and who cannot hold down jobs in really good offices ; they have either started as amateurs, or have graduated from the class known as two-thirders, and they are many of them prone to cling to the "two-third" idea, that they cannot afford to pay more than two-thirds of going wages, and that they must execute work at about two-thirds of the market price to get enough to keep going. Under such conditions they cater only for cheap work, they seldom do good printing, and they work hard and are poorly paid. They are the unfortunates who have given the printing business a lack of stand- ing, so that many class them mentally with the small barber shop, delicatessen and stationery store. Most of them would be better off if they could auction their outfits, take a six months' course in a good trade school, becoming real printers, and as a result, enjoy receiving the union scale of wages, which it is beyond their abil- ity to earn in these small job plants. Other small shops there are, run by really competent workmen, who prefer independence to being employed, whose chief failing is that on the average they work too cheaply, and while they know how to do good print- ing, often deliver an inferior quality in their effort to compete with amateur shops and keep down the cost to what they believe the public will stand. A story is told of one of this sort who was induced by the secre- 207 PRINTING FOR PROFIT tary of a Ben Franklin Club to make use of their cost system. After about three weeks, the secretary called on him, and asked how it worked. "I am going to stop using it," said the printer; "it simply shows a loss on every job I do. To follow it up I would have to go out of business." The secretary talked with him, and finally secured a promise that as a personal favor, he would continue to use the cost system for two months longer. At the end of that time he called on the printer again, enquiring, "How are you getting on with our cost sys- tem?" "Confound the thing," exclaimed the printer. "I have had to raise my prices on everything. I sup- pose it will drive away all business, and I'll have to quit soon." Five months later the printer of his own accord called on the secretary, and signed up as a mem- ber of the Ben Franklin Club. "Bless you!" he said. "I've got money in the bank, for the first time since I started. You have taught me that I was working be- low cost, and that the public are willing to pay a living price for good work." The country small printing office is a different propo- sition from its city duplicate. It exists to meet a posi- tive demand for a printer to handle the local wants of the town or village. It is usually connected with a country newspaper, and has an equipment of one cylin- der press, about two jobbers, a cutter, stitcher, and general outfit. Many of these plants are moderately profitable, though most of them fail to get the prices they should for their work, and the proprietors, en- grossed in editing the local sheet, frequently fail to realize their opportunity to make money on the purely manufacturing end of printing. 208 THE SMALL, THE MEDIUM AND THE LARGE PLANT Small country plants mostly make the mistake of letting the large jobs of printing from their towns go to the city ; because they and their customers both think the country office unable to handle the large work. Us- ually they could handle it if they knew how. At times one of these country shops hires a man from Chicago or New York, and goes after the large work in its neighborhood, and gets it. The possibilities of retain- ing the trade in his vicinity are worthy the considera- tion of every country printer. These small offices of both city and country exist mainly to serve a small local trade, and rarely do their proprietors aspire to anything higher. Yet these little printers are a vitally important factor in the printing industry, for they set the minimum prices for printing in their neighborhoods. Because they work cheaper than the larger shops, they are factors for keeping down local prices. The small printing office depreciates the prices that can be had by the medium-sized shop, and the medium-sized shop cuts the prices of the big shop. Competing almost wholly on price, the small shop rarely aims to do fine work, and does not recog- nize that if it kept up the quality it could also charge the price. Let no one think that the proprietors of the small shops are all men with little minds, however. Here and there they develop genius, and from the ranks of the tiny printeries there step out, from time to time, men who master conditions, and develop large printing factories. A considerable number of the proprietors of the larger printing factories of the country were at some time operating little shops run mainly with the 209 PRINTING FOR PROFIT aid of a few boys. In the secluded little nook often lies the acorn from which a great oak will spring. Thus, while the great majority of little printing offices are run on anything but business principles, yet here is where we have to look for the saving quantity that will develop to really doing things in the years to come. So let no one despise the small printer because he is small ; Benjamin Franklin graduated from a small print shop. The small printer usually starts in with not enough money, and goes into debt and stays there because he thinks the only way to get work is by charging less than other printers in his vicinity. He buys second- hand material, because it is cheap at the outset, and seldom realizes that it costs more in the long run. If he will but do good printing all the time, and do it promptly, he will find that he can get in enough money to get out of debt and discount his bills. By cultivating good-pay customers, giving them what they want, and gaining their friendship, he may gradually work out of the smallest class, and get into the class of profit- paying shops. A really good printer, with a two-cylinder and ten- jobber plant in a large city, who handles his work right, knows what it costs, and is accurate and prompt in deliveries, should be able to own his plant clear of debt, own a home and raise a family, and take them out automobiling regularly. There are scores of such of- fices in the large cities, with not over $10,000 to $20,000 invested, whose proprietors draw their $50 Saturday nights, as they are entitled to, and enjoy a thoroughly American independence. This is possible because they know their business, look after the details personally, 210 THE SMALL, THE MEDIUM AND THE LARGE PLANT and see that things are done right. To these men I take off my hat. They have solved the problem of liv- ing well, and at the same time are independent of the heavier responsibilities that come with operating the large manufacturing printery. Observe these successful smaller printers, and it will be noted that they follow certain general rules. First, they choose good locations, where they can get to their trade and their customers can get to them, and where there is good light and satisfactory transportation fa- cilities ; they are not disposed to put up with old-fash- ioned conditions, but look for that which is up-to-date. They understand the theory of advertising, and use it for themselves and for the concerns for which they print. They have conspicuous signs, and they regu- larly send out samples of fine printing to keep their cli- entele alive to the fact that they are always on the job, looking for work, and prepared to do it well; and they follow up their prospects, and cultivate good cus- tomers. Many of them have one large customer, whom they have tied up to, and whom they depend upon to carry them along in dull times ; others secure a publi- cation or operate a specialty to have something regular coming in. These progressive young concerns are apt to fit up their business offices attractively, and hang specimens of fine printing on the walls, so that visitors coming in are impressed with the grade of printing executed. They take membership in the nearest association of master printers, and watch the methods of successful men operating the larger shops, learning all they can from them. They are the sort that subscribe for the 211 PRINTING FOR PROFIT trade journals and read them, profiting by what they read. The average printer, large or small, can increase his earnings by spending one evening a week reading the printing trade journals. No intelligent master printer can do this faithfully without picking up that which will apply to his own print shop, and increase his earnings or reduce his costs. It is the easiest way to success, to know what other good printers are doing, and take up the hints they drop continually. It is a mistake for any of us to think we know it all, and that the writers for the trade papers can never teach us. The world of printing moves, and the printing trade journals record the movements; he who neglects them stands in his own light. The trade paper readers are the go-ahead men, the backbone of the industry. They do not believe in buy- ing a press every time they get a new job, but build up only as fast as they can pay for more machinery with- out cramping themselves. They have cash in the bank all the time and discount their bills, and so avoid the danger of being pinched for money. The middle-sized office is an uncertain proposition. If it be the healthy outgrowth of a small office, it is likely on solid ground and maintains prosperity; but if it be a case of loading up with mortgaged machinery, bought to fill contracts taken at a close price, and if the proprietor is taking chances and trying to get into the class of big manufacturing printers running large edi- tions, then it is always a dangerous institution. A $25,000 to $50,000 plant, connected with a leading newspaper in a city of fair size, is apt to be a most prosperous and progressive business, probably the best 212 THE SMALL, THE MEDIUM AND THE LARGE PLANT in its field, naturally securing the cream of the trade of the locality. An office of the same size in a city as large as St. Louis, Buffalo or Boston, requires exceptional ability as to both good printing and good management to make it profitable and keep it a paying property. These medium-sized offices in the great cities appear to live largely on competitive work, which is apt to yield a very small margin of profit, and to invite the doing of work at or below cost in dull seasons. The safe course for such plants is to work up a spe- cialty of some sort — get into one line of work that is not overcrowded, and do it better than others — so as to be- come known as headquarters for that particular thing. When the Charles Francis Press was young, I saw an opening for a specialty in music printing, which is not well understood by the average printer, and it helped carry us along for a number of years during the transi- tion period from the smaller to the larger shop. The medium-sized offices that do not learn to special- ize on something are very apt to fail. Printing is be- coming more and more specialized, and only the small plant can afford to do a little of everything. One has only to canvass the list of printeries in a large city to note that the concerns that are doing well are almost all specializing on some class of work. As soon as an of- fice outgrows the small class it is apt to drift into a class of very close competition, in which profit-making is all but impossible. But in specializing, the competi- tion is reduced, for the customer, having tried perhaps a dozen printeries to find the specialist, and discovering that he does the work better and cheaper than the gen- eral printer, is usually satisfied, and does not try to 213 PRINTING FOR PROFIT hunt up other specialists of that sort, and pit them against him, to reduce the charges. There has developed among the large business houses that use considerable printing a practice of sending out nearly all the work on estimate, to from five to ten printing houses. Under this system the work tends to seek the cheapest houses, and as a result there is no money to be made in this field ; hence the printer- ies that have grown into the medium class realize the necessity of getting away from fierce competition, and the wiser ones adopt a specialty. Others secure a fav- orable contract for a terms of years from a large and strong customer, and live off his patronage. This oper- ates well until the contract expires or the large cus- tomer fails, in which case the printing office is apt to fail also. Opportunities for specializing in the large cities are numerous. One firm will go in for labels, another for stationer's work, another for law blanks, another for colored booklets, calendars, loose-leaf specialties, com- position of advertisements, department store duplica- tors, specialties in a particular trade, as clothier's print- ing, political work, selling composition, and so on ad infinitum. By giving special attention to and fitting up for one of these many classes of work it is possible to manufacture from fifteen to forty per cent, below the cost of making the same goods in a general print- ery; therefore the work can be taken, held, and made to yield a profit. Specializing in linotype composition has become so common that in most cities composition can be bought as readily as engraving. In the larger cities these 214 THE SMALL, THE MEDIUM AND THE LARGE PLAINT plants organize as groups, and issue scales of prices. They are usually able to produce composition and sell it to neighboring printers at a rate as low as they can do it for themselves, and often lower, because they keep the machines going, frequently on double shifts. Even the large plants, well capitalized, buy a good deal of composition from these specialists, who mostly make money by confining their energies strictly to the one thing. The United States Printing Company, with large plants in Brooklyn, Baltimore and Cincinnati, is a most conspicuous example of successful specialization. These great printing plants were built up gradually, first by printing colored labels, doing them both better and cheaper than could ordinary printers. When this was well established, they improved their equipments and enlarged their field, until now they do a great variety of color printing, not involving type work, as playing cards, car signs, tobacco labels, package wrappers, etc., mostly for large concerns requiring enormous quanti- ties. They do not operate composing plants, confining their energies mainly to presswork, both typographic and lithographic, and have grown up with the food packers and large advertisers, who have to make their goods attractive to assist the sale. At their Cincinnati plant they run an excellent restaurant for their em- ployees, accommodating about 500 at one time, charg- ing three cents a cup for coffee and other things in pro- portion, and by personal experience I can testify to the quality of the food. This is mentioned only as an in- stance of how thoroughly this concern has worked out all its problems in efficiency. Their history is an ob- 215 PRINTING FOR PROFIT ject lesson in capable specializing. This subject of spe- cialization is further discussed in the chapter on "Serv- ice, Efficiency and Specialization." The private plant is a thing for separate considera- tion. Here the manufacturer is his own customer; he thinks and cares little for trade conditions, except that he must be able to make his printing cheaper than he can buy it; or he must get a better service. He is a specialist, though not catering to the public. The large private plant may develop special machinery for unus- ual work which it handles in quantity. It will always develop a class of special conveniences for handling its class of printing, and will also train men to expertness in its individual line of production. The paper box factories of Robert Gair Co. in Brook- lyn constitute a conspicuous example of a combined specialty and private plant of large dimensions. A hun- dred cylinder presses are employed in printing wrap- pers, paper boxes and paper and cardboard specialties, color printing and posters. Every detail is handled sci- entifically, like other modern factories. They even make their own ink, or a considerable portion of it, keeping all their costs down to the minimum because they are able to preserve a certain routine, with scarce- ly any idle time. This sort of private printing plant is an economy. Other manufacturers having a large volume of printing that will bear specializing are per- fectly justified in building up their own private print- ing plants. Sometimes they make mistakes, however, and invest considerable money in a plant under a mis- taken idea of the costs of printing, learning later that their investment is an almost total loss. 216 THE SMALL, THE MEDIUM AND THE LARGE PLANT I question whether municipal printing plants have ever paid, or whether the printing of the United States Government could not have been let by contract for less than it costs to do it in the private plant that we know as the Government Printing House at Washington, one of the largest and best-equipped printing factories in the world. This is a question of politics rather than management, and as such beyond the scope of this book, only being cited here as evidence that volume of produc- tion does not necessarily mean economy in printing. There is a class of private printing plant that grows up in a questionable manner, and usually spells loss to all concerned. Some over-clever workman in a print- ing house, who is employed wholly on the work of one large customer, until he gets very familiar with it, and with the men who order the printing, figures that it would be a fine thing for him to induce them to start their own place, and put him in charge, at a salary considerably higher than he is earning. So he goes to the customer, and says : "Why don't you make a profit off your printing — start your own plant and let me run it? I can save you 25 per cent." The customer figures with him, concludes the idea is right, buys a plant under the tutelage of this alleged expert in their work, and takes him in as the manager. It is a fine thing for him, sure, as he takes no risks, and gets an increased wage in good cash every Saturday. Occasionally such a man makes good, and secures an economy for his patron. More often it turns out that he was simply unfamiliar with all the costs of printing, and that when a regular balance sheet is obtained it develops that the costs are as great as before, and per- 217 PRINTING FOR PROFIT haps greater. The private plant may run on, because it is bought and paid for, and the owners have to wear out their machinery to get back their investment, but they are very apt to find that they have been taken in by a man, perhaps well meaning, but biased by his own interest, and ignorant of what actual costs were, until he has learned at their expense. A most common reason for printing costing more in a private plant than in a competitive printery is in- ability to keep its plant running uniformly and continu- ously. Almost every business is subject to its rush sea- sons. A private plant that is called upon to produce, say, $10,000 worth of printing a month for ^.ve or six months of the year, and which can supply but $5,000 or $6,000 worth during the other months, is about sure to lose money, because it has to carry most of its work- men and its overhead charges during the dull six months. When there is periodicity in the demand for printing, the private plant is almost certainly fore- doomed to failure. Many a house that has tried it has appeared some years later among the buyers of print- ing, admitting a very heavy loss by its experiment. No concern should establish a private plant without having the soundest advice from more than one printer of large business experience, who has no personal interest in the scheme. Taking the "say-so" of a man who wants a job with them is highly dangerous, because such a man is likely to be deceived himself as well as to deceive them. Examples of successful private plants are those of several prominent insurance companies, commercial agencies, and large houses whose work is distinctive, 218 THE SMALL, THE MEDIUM AND THE LARGE PLANT large in volume, and pretty evenly distributed through the calendar year. Some combinations of trade papers have done well with their plants, and others have failed to produce as cheaply or to secure as good a serv- ice as they can purchase in the market of commercial printers. A large publisher told me recently: "I pre- fer to confine my energies to publishing, and trying to make all I can out of that, to dividing my interest, and that of my force, in trying to save money on the print- ing or manufacturing end. I am willing to allow the printer to make a little out of me, believing I can make more in publishing than in competing with him." The large commercial printing plants of the country have been a growth mainly of the last thirty years. In 1885 there were only four great big printing houses in New York City, whose annual business approached or exceeded the half-million mark. Now there are fif- teen or twenty such plants here and nearly as many in Chicago, while St. Louis, Philadelphia and Boston also have their great printing factories. These cities do half the printing executed in the United States, and what are known as the large printing offices, with the newspaper offices, do four-fifths of the printing in the entire country. These great printeries are factories, and have de- veloped along the lines of other factories by systema- tizing, introducing the latest machinery, and creating a service of prompt delivery that is not possible with smaller establishments. They are as different from the large printing houses of twenty-five years ago as are the railway terminal stations of great cities different from the old stations. 219 PRINTING FOR PROFIT The modern large printing factory is an evolution resulting from the increased number and circulation of magazines, periodicals, trade catalogs, mail order work, and large editions generally. A quarter century ago, just as the ten-cent magazine floated to success, these large-edition and magazine plants were meas- ured by the number of their cylinder presses. Any- thing over a ten-cylinder outfit was considered a big plant. As the single cylinder machines came to be con- sidered too slow for publication work, the perfecting press was developed, printing large sheets on both sides at a single operation. Then followed magazine web and rotary presses in a great variety of styles, two-color presses, four-color presses, and latterly two-sheet presses, all permitting more rapid and economical pro- duction of long runs. The offset press, the automatic feeders and folders, trimmers, gathering machines, etc., have all added to the productive capacity of the large plants, and the development of these is sketched in the chapter "Fifty Years in Printing." With large batteries of costly composing machines, typecasters, and engraving and electrotyping plants as adjuncts, the great printing factories of America have attained large output with a much less proportional number of men than formerly. The increased demand for printing has been such, however, that more men are employed in the industry every year in spite of the very wide introduction of automatic and rapid machin- ery. It is in the utilization of the new automatic or semi-automatic machinery that the large plants excel. New and costly machinery has enabled them to distance the medium-sized and often anciently equipped plants 220 THE SMALL, THE MEDIUM AND THE LARGE PLANT of the last century, and to produce both better and cheaper, besides markedly cutting down the time re- quired for turning out large contracts. While the large plant is no longer measured by its batteries of cylinders, these faithful servants are still valued, and are to be seen in long rows, in all large shops, operating at higher speeds than of yore, and being also larger and heavier. For medium-sized runs, say for periodicals and books of 10,000 to 50,000 edi- tions, they are still staple producers, though every year more work goes on to special and automatic machines. These conditions of dependence on improved machin- ery have altered the status of the large printing fac- tory in a considerable degree. There is no longer ef- fort to reduce cost by squeezing labor. Improved fast machinery and efficient system are relied upon to keep down the cost of production, while increased speed and service are relied on to hold trade. It is no longer dif- ficult to issue 100,000 copies of a large magazine or a big trade catalog in a few days, and all the large print- ing factories are prepared to contract for large work in much less time than was possible a few years ago. 221 Office Management and Keeping of Accounts IT is the management in the office that determines the profit or loss in operating a printing business. No amount of excellent printing, no installation of rapid machinery, no corps of experienced workmen can compensate for lack of efficiency and under- standing in the front office. Here the policies and prices are made, the orders are entered and passed into the mechanical department, the business is handled, the accounts paid and bills collected or adjusted. The office is to the plant what the head is to a human being. Once a Philadelphia printer failed and came to an- other city looking for a job. "Can you estimate on work?" was asked. "Certainly; I did nearly all the estimating in our place." "How much margin for profit did you allow in your figuring?" "We always calculated to make 25 per cent." "You don't mean to tell me that you actually made 25 per cent?" "Oh, no; I don't believe that we averaged to make over 10 per cent." "And you failed?" "Ye— yes." This man was convicted out of his own mouth of in- competency. Apparently it cost him 25 per cent, more to do his work than he estimated. Either he "guessed" very far out, or he did not know how to keep down the 222 OFFICE MANAGEMENT AND KEEPING OF ACCOUNTS costs of production. The only way to extract money from a printing business or any other sort of business is to know your cost by using the standard cost system, and to keep exactly in touch with what is being done in your shop all the time. The cost cannot be known if the returns on time-slips are inaccurately made, or if the system of recording is faulty. Some printers figure their costs by assuming that an eighth-medium jobber is worth $1 an hour, a half-medium $1.25, a pony $1.50, a large cylinder $2, a hand compositor $1.25, and a linotype $1.75. They calculate that if they add 10 per cent, to these it is sure to be profit. Obviously such figures mislead in- stead of informing. These hour costs may vary as much as 25 per cent. The purpose of bookkeeping is to furnish the infor- mation "where you are at" every day and every month in the year. Some systems I have seen appear con- cocted for the purpose of concealing from one the real status of affairs. The old style of bookkeeping, with large account books, imposing ledgers, and a row of clerks making double entries of everything, costing five per cent, to obtain once a year a balance of profit or loss, is of little value in a modern printing house. You need to know the condition of your business at all times, or leaks will arise and something will get away from you, and one day you will wake up and discover that you are making deficits instead of profits. The most individual features of the methods of book- keeping of the Charles Francis Press, depended upon to keep track of the condition of the business, are indi- cated below: 223 PRINTING FOR PROFIT Every morning there is laid on my desk a tickler of the working cash balances, which may read something like this : DAILY TICKLER — RECEIPTS Date— Nov. 13, 1916. Balance previous day $2,635.44 Smith & Smart 799.84 J. I. C. Pub. Co 6.20 Penna. R. R. Co 137.11 Doemall Printing Co 762.42 Doemsmore Goode Co 17.44 City Capers 417.76 D. T. Adv. Co 35.89 $4,812.10 Minor Expense — Surrey Mag., Postage $44.70 A. J. Pratt, Pub 1.70 Gross Pub. Co 22.40 J. I. C. Express and Post. . . 46.94 Macy's .58 Doemall Express and Post. 16.96 Scribble Pub. Co 35.83 Lathrop, Sundries 2.50 Carfares 2.70 174.31 $4,637.79 Morning Checks Jolly & Co $58.00 Rock, Bottom & Co 250.00 G. Munition Works 2,563.85 World Underwriting Co. . . . 669.15 Pucker-Prunes Co 54.69 3,595.69 Working cash balance. . $8,233.48 Bank Balances — Date— Nov. 13, 1916. Security Bank of New York $4.40 Metropolitan Bank 69.01 New Netherland Bank 4,437.57 Cash 37.91 Slips 88.90 $4,637.79 The above informs me what the working cash is and where it is, as well as what firms have paid their bills that day. By then turning to a list of "Accounts Ee- 224 OFFICE MANAGEMENT AND KEEPING OF ACCOUNTS ceivable" which is placed on my desk at regular month- ly intervals, I can run it over and see who ought to be prodded up to send in their checks. Looking up an- other list of "Accounts Payable" which is also regularly on my desk, I can instruct the cashier what checks I desire written. The entire process does not take over five minutes of my time, and I know that I am acting understandingly, and not guessing at anything. I am up to date as to my resources and obligations, and I am not likely to spend cash for one purpose that is needed for another, while it is all but impossible to overdraw an account. Deposits are carried in differ- ent banks for different purposes, and run large or small according to conditions. The endeavor is to keep the working balance as small as is consistent with safety, so as not to have money idle. To know the profit day by day is of course impossi- ble in a business so complicated as printing, and no at- tempt is made to judge of profits at intervals short of one month. But I have learned that when a balance like that below is struck, it closely approximates the real profit: January product $40,000 Wages paid $16,000 Invoices 10,000 General expense 10,000 36,000 Estimated profit $4,000 Such a balance is near enough to accuracy to show whether one is gaining or losing, affording a financial thermometer of profit or loss. It is well to accompany this with a 225 PRINTING FOR PROFIT COMPARATIVE STATEMENT 1915 Est Amount of Business Profit Dec, 1914, $32,306 (Loss) $4,214 Jan., 1915, 33,191 (Prof.) 3,073 Feb., " 34,492 " 3,015 Mar., " 41,172 " 5,665 1916 Est. Amt. of Business Profit Dec, 1915, $38,803 $1,571 Jan., 1916, 36,054 6,731 Feb., " 38,638 5,046 Mar., " 42,916 3,198 $11,753 4,214 Totals, $141,161 $7,539 Totals, $156,411 $16,546 Profit, 5^$ per cent. Profit, IO3/5 per cent. Same months, 1913-'14, $156,501 Profit, $12,156— or 7 7/10% The above informs the printer definitely whether he is doing better or worse than the previous year, and also indicates monthly variations, which is valuable in- formation, as every business has its seasons. Every six months we take an inventory, trying to write off the actual rather than the theoretical depre- ciation, and balance sheets are drawn up in the en- deavor to show the profits as exactly as possible. At such times we write off bad bills deemed uncollectible, and make every effort to avoid fictitious assets or any- thing that may tend to deceive us as to what is the actual standing of the concern. Our half-yearly balance sheets are made up in this form: BALANCE SHEET, MAY 31 (Figures Fictitious) ASSETS Cash on hand $1,626.14 Cash in bank — Security Bank 6,799.35 Metropolitan Bank 783.28 $9,208.77 226 OFFICE MANAGEMENT AND KEEPING OF ACCOUNTS Carried forward $9,208.77 Sinking Funds — Equitable Trust Co Mutual Alliance Trust Co New Netherland Bank Bills receivable (See List) Accounts receivable ( See List) Patent account (Expended to date) . . . Printing supplies on hand (See Inven- tory) Ink Rollers Linotype metal Paper on hand (See Inventory) Electros on hand Unfinished work (Expended thereon to date) Waverly Bindery (Current acct. bal.) Machinery, type and fixtures Stocks and shares — Waverly Bindery. . Int. B. & 0. Co Morgan, Gould & Van Co 919.02 2,191.65 6,397.46 $9,508.13 5,234.38 29,648.98 468.14 424.25 824.97 2,597.50 $3,846.72 1,793.25 200.00 4.813.55 8,831.14 207,442.61 10,000.00 2,500.00 1,000.00 Prepaid insurance — Life -4,186.30 Fire 2,020.00 Compensation 750.00 $13,500.00 6,956.30 Total assets $301,451.97 LIABILITIES Accounts payable (Trade accounts as listed) $5,575.76 Bills payable (Trade and press accts.) $6,600.00 (Bank loan, Sec. N. B.) 7,000.00 13,600.00 Officers' personal accounts (Undrawn balances) 3,325.88 Bonds 9,000.00 Capital- Preferred authorized $50,000 In treasury 38,300 11,700.00 Common authorized 75,000 In treasury $8,600 Spec, reserve 9,000 17,600 57,400.00 69,100.00 Surplus— Balance, Nov. 30, last 200,311.43 Added this half year 538.90 $200,850.33 Total Liabilities $301,451.97 227 PRINTING FOR PROFIT TRADING ACCOUNT, SIX MONTHS ENDING MAY 31 Dec. 1. To unfinished work, brought forward $4,002.30 May 31. Wages, Composing room.. $41,639.25 Pressroom 37,276.65 Stock room 2,827.00 $81,742.90 Salaries 9,427.78 Office salaries and wages. . 2,649.00 Printing supplies — Ink. . . . 6,104.45 Rollers 568.80 Sundries 1,025.59 7,698.84 Paper 5,744.19 Electrotyping and engVg 3,284.00 Printing and binding (bought outside.) 31,957.76 Expense 3,318.51 Repairs to machinery..... 1,784.84 Repairs to motors 222.80 2,007.64 Electrical repairs and sup- plies 317.61 Advertising 582.34 Convention Expense 500.00 Rent 1,200.00 Building Expense — Fuel.. 309.25 Repairs 334.76 Sundries 244.67 Wages 1,707.00 2,595.68 Insurance 1,498.54 Discounts allowed custom- ers 3,139.76 Expressage 1,307.21 Light and power 5,146.96 $168,121.02 Balance carried to profit and loss account 6,906.14 Total $175,027.16 May 21. By production for 6 months $166,402.89 Less allowances 640.05 ■ $165,762.84 Commissions 3,590.21 Less allowance 16.25 3,573.96 228 OFFICE MANAGEMENT AND KEEPING OF ACCOUNTS Discounts off purchases. . . 566.19 Interest 269.65 B. Z. account sales 40.97 Unfinished work (Expend- ed thereon to date) 4,813.55 Total $175,027.16 PROFIT AND LOSS ACCOUNT May 21. To bad debts written off (See List) $2,497.47 Bond interest 270.00 Dividend, preferred stock 497.77 Dividend, common stock 3,102.00 Balance, being profit for the six months 538.90 $6,906.14 The lists referred to in above balance sheet are at- tached to it in a folder, the entire account being filed with similar balances for convenient reference. While the amounts given are specified as fictitious, yet it should be stated that they represent correct propor- tions, and thus show actual results in the Charles Francis Press in one of our poorest half years. The actual ultimate profit shown, it will be observed, is only a little more than $500. There are printers who would have figured the en- tire $6,906 surplus as profits, but I do not consider that paying dividends of six per cent, to capital invested is dispensing profit, any more than is paying salaries. Profit comes after salaries, interest and all such things as depreciation and poor accounts are written off. If there is nothing remaining after caring for all these things then there are no real profits. There is no get- ting away from the fact that during that half year (of financial depression) we simply paid running expenses. And experience indicates that that is what the average 229 PRINTING FOR PROFIT printer does in hard times — rarely can he do better when a panic reduces the volume of work in the market say 30 per cent. If printing is to be maintained as a ten per cent, business, it is therefore obviously necessary to earn 15 per cent, in good times to balance the lean years, which come about once in so often. We ought to clear 15 per cent, in good times, but we don't, and putting the bad and good together, and making all reasonable allow- ances, I am forced back to the conclusion, expressed on another page, that about eight per cent, is all that can be expected in large plants, though printers opera- ting specialties may at times make much more. But it requires a complete system of bookkeeping, extending over a period of years, to disclose all these things. Ob- servation suggests that two-thirds of the firms in the printing business do not know- what they are making — most of them guess at it, and guess too much. We all know printers who keep their wage accounts all in one. Above it will be noted that wages pertain- ing to the building are lumped with building expenses, as they are really a part of rent, while office wages are separated from the officers' salaries, and the commis- sions paid from these. All discounts are also subjects of separate entry in the statement, so that their total is not lost sight of. We have found it a good plan to provide sinking funds for all large items of debt to be met later. If a bank loan is made to enable cash to be paid for a large new machine, a sinking fund is set aside, as- sumed to be from the earnings of that machine, to pay its own cost and take up the loan at maturity. This 230 OFFICE MANAGEMENT AND KEEPING OF ACCOUNTS prohibits the money's being spent for other things through inadvertence. The carrying of complete lists of bills and accounts receivable with the half yearly statement permits in- spection of important details of the assets, and is a check against any carrying of a poor account as an asset, when it may not be worth 50 per cent, of its face. Giving credit to customers always involves some losses, and the Charles Francis Press has had its share. We find it necessary to charge off fully one per cent, a year to bad debts. In the case of publications, how- ever, it is sometimes possible to save a good deal of a poor account by nursing it, and carrying the debtor. If a publication "gets into us" for more debt than it can pay, I always demand a complete expose of its financial condition. If it appears to have earning power I may then nurse the account, and extend fur- ther credit, under condition of a percentage being added every month toward wiping out the old account. This is decidedly more agreeable than forcing a con- cern into bankruptcy. Once we nursed a publication for five years, and re- duced the sum due us from over $5,000 to about $2,500, when it went to the wall. The studying of one's accounts, and consideration of where the money goes, often makes it possible to see a saving that would be undiscovered in a jumble of ac- counts. When in 13th street we realized that we were paying a very high rate for insurance, and introduced improvement after improvement in the plant, ending in a monthly fire drill, which showed we could empty 231 PRINTING FOR PROFIT the building in less than two minutes, which we did when a real fire alarm came. By such means we suc- ceeded in reducing the rate from $2.25 to .78 per $100. In opening the books of a printery, the printer re- quires to consider his problem, and fit his books to what he is trying to do. We find it best to wholly sep- arate the accounts of the printing and binding. The Waverly Bindery was started as a separate company, and kept separate until its earnings warranted its being amalgamated, when the Charles Francis Press took over all its stock. The composing room, press- room and stock room also have separate accounts. This appears fundamentally necessary, in order to be sure that the leakages are promptly found and stopped, and that one department is not running at a loss and living off the others. An office doing both publications and job work in any quantity does well to separate the ac- counts, else how can it be sure which is paying the profit, if any? These things appear so fundamental as to be hardly worth mentioning, yet for this very reason they are sometimes overlooked. It is one of the prime duties of the office to see that the bills are collected. A printer should not be ex- pected to give long credits; that is, supplying capital to customers. They should have enough time to be able to look over and check up the work as satisfactory, but that is all. The common plan of paying on the 10th of the following month for all the work of the month is enough credit to give anyone. If a customer does not come to time, there should be no hesitancy in promptly and politely demanding the money, let- 232 OFFICE MANAGEMENT AND KEEPING OF ACCOUNTS ting him know that you require it regularly on the dates agreed. Most losses grow out of easiness as to credits and extension of time. They can be kept down by close collecting. A printing plant doing a business of $40,000 a month is out $40,000 of cash if it gives an extra month of credit. The interest on this $40,000 will pay dividends on $40,000 of stock; the business is therefore perma- nently robbed of $40,000. The credits of the Charles Francis Press run from $40,000 to $75,000, or the equivalent of from three to six weeks' production. Ex- cept as this is offset by bills payable, it is virtually cash capital loaned to customers. In a business which is run on so close a margin as printing it is necessary to guard against such waste. Another duty of the business office is to watch the progress of the work, and see to it that it goes out in time, and in good shape, and that the customer is sat- isfied. This will never be done right if left to chance. It must be the business of one man to follow up the work, oversee it and supply deficiencies where noted. Printing is a complicated business, and a job involv- ing composition, presswork, paper, electrotyping, en- graving and binding may be handled right in each of these six departments, and yet be a failure because of some lack between the departments. It is the business of the office to keep all departments working harmoni- ously, and not only find work to keep them busy, but watch each job individually, and keep it moving. Otherwise a particular job is likely to be stalled in some department and stay there until the customer kicks for its delivery. 233 PRINTING FOR PROFIT The only way to make sure that work does not lapse at some point is to make somebody responsible for its progress, and to arrange for such reports to the office that "hold-ups" may receive instant attention. Each man in a shop has his individual responsibility, and cannot be held for things outside of that. Publications once set running smoothly are apt to keep on, because everything moves by set dates, but miscellaneous work may reach the pressroom and come to a full stop be- cause nobody has provided the paper ; and unless there is a system to guard against such things and remedy them when they happen, they are sure to be of fre- quent occurrence. Nothing but eternal vigilance will keep all the work in a printery moving properly all the time. The office force is there to serve customers, and it fails of its purpose in just so far as it fails to satisfy all. The customer judges of the shop through the office, and by the people with whom he comes in imme- diate contact. Courtesy and an evident desire to please go a long way toward making things run smoothly; they cost less than anything else that is offered the customer. No matter what the worries, a smile should be reserved for every customer, and it should be made apparent to him that he is welcome, and that his pat- ronage is valued. 234 Managing a Composing Room IN managing the mechanical or productive depart- ments of a printing plant, the composing room is of prime importance. Here the work starts, and has to be handled with an understanding of all that comes afterward. In small and medium-sized offices the fore- man of the composing room is of necessity the fore- man of the whole shop ; in large plants he comes near being a superintendent, because he controls and guides the work going to the electrotyper, the pressman or the binder, all of whom have to lean on him to obtain harmony of action. He should be a man of excellent executive ability. But whether the composing room be large or small, its foreman must have a head and be a real manager if it is going to prove profitable. Judgment and man- agement are called for all the time, on every job, and at every stage of its production. Only general rules can be laid down — their application calls for intelligence, ex- perience and brains. Common sense must be exercised. The best plan is to hire the best man you can secure — not necessarily the man with a record in such capac- ity, but the man with the right ability whom you can train to handle the work in your way — and give him general instructions as to principles, and what you ex- pect him to accomplish. The proprietor who is not an all-around practical printer requires to have a fore- man who is thorough on the mechanical side, as he cannot train one. A good business man can make a success of a printing business if he have a foreman 235 PRINTING FOR PROFIT to whom he can leave the entire detail of production, and know that it will be handled with judgment and economy. Having started a new foreman right, let him have full power, and work out his own detail in his own way. The consideration of his problems will teach him to think, and you want him to think out the routine and minor detail which you have not time to consider. If the owner or a general superintendent interferes with the management of the composing room the chances are that he hinders rather than helps, cre- ating a conflict of authority that tends to paralyze results. When I was a foreman and manager for others, I always insisted on being given complete control, that directions to me should be given in the office, and that the proprietor refrain from giving orders direct to the men. I have gone so far as to resign, put on my coat and hat, and start out when a proprietor violated his understanding with me and went over my head, giving personal instructions in the composing room. I felt that I could not be responsible for results unless I had full control. In one's own business it appears a mistake to try to watch the detail, the only smooth-working method being to leave all that to the man put in charge. One should not hesitate to advise a foreman that his course in such and such a matter seems questionable; but it may appear on conference that he had good reasons not apparent to the employer. But the instant the em- ployer goes over the foreman's head to the workman, that instant the foreman's authority with the men is weakened, and they try to keep next to "the boss." 236 MANAGING A COMPOSING ROOM Lack of harmony creeps in and work is sure to be handled wastefully. It is better to have a second-class foreman in com- plete control than to have a first-class foreman divid- ing the control with the head of the house. The good foreman must be more than a good printer; he must have executive ability, be able to lay out and plan his work, use the men under him to the best advantage, and keep everything moving systematically. He must be able to guide his men rather than drive them. He must lead and train them to work with him and with each other, and not to make individual records, least of all encourage opposition amongst them. To err is human, and perfection cannot be expected of either foremen or assistant foremen, or anybody else. Allowances must be made for the human element, which is temperamental, and cannot be moved with the precision of a machine. A man-made machine be- comes dependable within its limitations because it can be relied on to do the same thing every time under the same conditions; it has been planned and worked out harmoniously to an end. But human machinery, though far superior to iron and steel machinery, is yet open to human errors, and by its very nature never does the same thing in exactly the same way. Men and women in a manufacturing plant must be considered and managed as human beings, with the same aspirations, hopes, likes and dislikes as you and I feel. If they are handled and treated and valued like iron and steel machines, with no recognition of their higher qualities and feelings, they will lose in- terest, and work like slaves instead of free men. It is 237 PRINTING FOR PROFIT therefore of prime importance that a manager have a kindly feeling toward every human being under him. The boys and girls at work are just as interesting and lovable as your own sons and daughters, and deserve as careful treatment and consideration. The mature men and women in the shop and the counting room are flesh and blood, made in the image that we all revere, whatever our respective creeds, and no permanent suc- cess can be had in a shop where these things are for- gotten, and the work-people are treated as if they were not as good as anybody else, and as important to the ultimate welfare of the whole establishment. Every employer wants foremen who get results, but the foremen and managers who get results by driving the help like dead machines are not desirable in the long run. If they are to be permanently valuable they must learn to govern by kindness and not by brute force. Every employee must be made to feel that he is liked, that he is wanted, and that he is valued for what he is ; when he makes errors they should be called to his attention in a helpful way, and not by the scolding or fault-finding method. The principle of harmony, which brings results in the direction of a great orchestra, is also the principle that gets results desirable from human machinery. When the foreman and all his force operate in cheerful harmony they put the work behind them with an alac- rity that is at times little short of wonderful. Every employer finds it necessary to work with his foremen and heads of departments, just as they require to work with their men. All are human, working for a common end, to make the business successful, and 238 MANAGING A COMPOSING ROOM yield each one a good living. The head of the concern is limited to the best material he can find or train to work in harmony with his ideas. Just so the several foremen and heads must learn to work together har- moniously, and to train the men under them to move according to the same principles. Esprit du corps is a French expression worthy of cultivation. It means the patriotic and harmonious spirit of the corps or body of men associated for a given purpose. The foreman who knows his trade and can work up the right spirit of unity among men is the only one who will be reported in the end as having "made good." The first essential of a composing room is plenty of material systematically arranged. The leading manu- facturers of printers' supplies have done a commend- able work in recent years by developing more conven- iences making for efficiency in the composing room. They have very properly urged the trade to use more furniture, and carry larger stocks of leads, slugs, rules, spacing material, etc. Time is much more costly than material. We have all seen composing rooms in which the lack of $100 worth of furniture, reglet, chases, and spacing material has involved a time waste of easily $10 to $25 a week, and the owner seemingly oblivious to the fact. The slogan "Every alley a composing room" has my hearty commendation and endorsement. The principle involved is to stop the compositors from running around looking for what should be at their fingers' ends. It is better to have a ton more of pica quads in stock than are ever used at one time, than it is to have one com- 239 PRINTING FOR PROFIT positor wandering around among quad boxes picking up enough for the job in hand. The quads represent about $400 of capital, costing $24 a year or the equiva- lent of less than one hour a week of a compositor's time. The principle involved is that the material shall be always at hand. The efficient manager will see to it that the men have plenty to work with all the time, and that distribution of hand-set material is so sys- tematic as never to block the production of the compos- ing room. The new system of non-distribution, which is being accomplished successfully in many newspaper offices, I am confident will be more and more employed in the large book and job establishments. The linotype has taught us the convenience of remelting rather than dis- tributing, and since the monotype developed as a caster of slugs, rules, leads, quads, etc., all in linotype metal, it has become possible to sweep entire jobs off the stone into the melting pot, and to depend on the caster for more sorts and spacing material. There must be a steady development of the non-distribution system, and an increased use of type and spacing-material casters in the larger printing plants. In arranging the frames, cabinets, stands, racks, stones, etc., of the composing room, the good foreman will bear in mind that the modern composing room is just as much a make-up or imposition room. There are no longer large forces of hand compositors as in the old days. Now the composition comes mostly from the machines, and a row of linotypes, with perhaps a few monotypes or typecasters, is depended upon ±or the bulk of the composition. 240 A PRINT SHOP OF ANTWERP 250 YEARS AGO PART OF A MODERN COMPOSING ROOM MANAGING A COMPOSING ROOM The proper handling of composing machines is a large subject by itself, and worthy of an entire book. It begins with the preparation of the copy, which is usually lax. Wherever possible the copy should be all gone over by one proofreader before it is delivered to the machines, to see that it is in good shape and uni- form in style. It is much cheaper to make the style on the copy than on the proof. The rule for proper editing of copy before it goes to the machines is largely "honored in the breach." Edi- tors are prone to sending in large quantities of copy, with general instructions that it is all right, and a demand that a proof be forthcoming in a few hours. This can be done and is done right along, but it makes for lost time and greater expense farther down the line when the time comes for corrections. Every careful composing room foreman tries to main- tain an office style, and have the proofroom adhere to such a style. Some customers insist on a style of their own, to be followed out regardless of whether their copy is or is not prepared in that style. The making of a separate style for a dozen different publications is a source of endless nuisance and time-wasting in the printing office. The best results are obtained when the editors of a publication accept the style of an office, and of the generality of other publications from that office. For instance, if the Standard Dictionary be used as a basis of style, and each new customer asked to accept that style, all work will proceed more har- moniously and at less cost than if some customer de- mand that Webster be followed and another have a preference for old Worcester spellings, and yet another 241 PRINTING FOR PROFIT declare — as one prominent publisher did — "all hyphens are a nuisance ; don't put any in my work except where you divide a word at the end of a line/' In the Charles Francis Press the question of compo- sition style has settled itself in a somewhat unusual way. The linotype operators seldom are changed. The same men handle the copy year after year, and thus each one of them knows all the styles of the publishers served, quite as well as the head of the proofroom, and thus very few lines ever have to be reset to preserve style. The product of the linotype machine goes on the gal- leys, which must be convenient to the place of make-up. Each composing room foreman must study his prob- lems, and arrange things so that steps are saved, while the work moves continuously forward from the battery of composing machines to the pressroom or electrotype foundry. No rules can be laid down for such arrange- ments. Each office is a separate problem. It is pos- sible, however, for a foreman to improve his layout by studying the layouts in other printeries, and any fore- man of any other office is always welcome to come into the Charles Francis Press and study the layout of the material, and utilize any ideas he finds that may assist his own problems. There must always be quantities of type for hand composition in every composing room. We cannot en- tirely dispense with hand-set type, but we can render it more available for economical use by buying or cast- ing up large fonts, and storing in cases with large boxes, which do not involve much fingering and feeling to get hold of the type. To me it is marvellous that such a 242 MANAGING A COMPOSING ROOM simple cause of time-waste as the small type-box should be so prevalent. The two-thirds case and the triple case each always was an abomination, while the laying of several fonts in one case is an invention worthy of the "devil." It is also a mistake to crowd things so that compositors are virtually obliged to set much dis- play out of cases high up in a cabinet or close to the floor. The whole composing room system should be built around the idea of economizing the men's time. One of the worst time-wasters is picking sorts. If there is any one thing that causes more profanity in a printing office than hunting around for sorts to get out a job, it is putting to press a job that has been picked, and wondering whether all the missing sorts have got back into the right places. It is the most wasteful practice that ever disgraced a printing office. There is a good English system of dividing a com- posing room into half a dozen or more departments, each in charge of a "clicker." This clicker is a sort of sub-foreman, who handles the copy of certain jobs, and distributes the work between a certain group of men. The name is almost unknown in America, but the prin- ciple is often followed by placing the management of a particular large job, as a catalog or publication, in the hands of one compositor, and making him responsible for all copy, for the composition being ready on time, etc. The f oremanship of a composing room handling small work is a vastly different proposition from one hand- ling large work. When I was in charge of a shop handling stationer's work, I found it desirable to first 243 PRINTING FOR PROFIT get out the stock for every job, write the job number on it, and lay it on a long table near the job presses. The job ticket traveled with the job, and when it reached the press, the pressman took his form and the stock at the same time. This avoided the nuisance of a question being raised at the last moment as to the quantity or kind of stock, and also insured against keeping a press waiting when the form was ready. In handling large work, the composing room foreman requires to be in close touch with both pressroom and bindery, to prevent loss of time between the depart- ments. It is easy to waste all the profits on the average work by lack of harmony between the departments — making the pressroom wait for forms, or by stopping the presses for corrections or changes that should be foreseen. The make-up man must be familiar with what the folders in the bindery can do, and know just what folders are expected to handle the work he makes up. Here again it is a question of harmony. Unity of action induces harmony, and is as essential to suc- cessful management as are job-tickets and time-slips, and should be impressed upon both heads of depart- ments and the working force. It is well to let every man know that he is regarded as an important cog in the machine, and that if he falls down there will be difficulty elsewhere. Thus each one may be taught to grasp the idea of his individual responsibility. A suc- cessful foreman studies his men, and tries to use them for the work for which they have the best natural adaptation. A man with a good mathematical mind always handles tables to advantage; one who is quick and accurate in make-up belongs on the stone ; another 244 MANAGING A COMPOSING ROOM with artistic taste should be kept on display as far as possible, and so on. In keeping records of composing room time, the men should be encouraged to make their records accurate. I have seen a foreman laugh at a man for entering 24 minutes as his time on a job, instead of an even half hour. The man was to be commended ; he was trying to make a correct record. In too many offices the men get in the habit of averaging their time. If a certain job takes five hours, and looks as though it might have been done in four, they would put it down four, to avoid being criticized for slowness, and charge the other hour to something where it would not be noticed. If such practices are general, they ruin the value of the time- records, and mislead the office in making future esti- mates. The workmen should be encouraged to make accurate records of their time, and great care exercised as to censuring them if a certain job moves slowly. It is the foreman's business to find out why it goes slowly, or consumes more time than estimated, and not to pro- duce conditions that invite men to hide from him the details. The composing room foreman not only has the hard task of starting all the work, and calculating it to reach the pressroom so as to keep the presses moving uni- formly, but he has to keep down waste or unproductive time. The amount of "pottering" that can be done on a job after the galleys come from the composing ma- chines until the locked form goes to the pressroom is enormous. Under modern conditions it costs more to make up, read proof, correct, impose, revise, o.k. and lock up than it costs to compose the type and put it on 245 PRINTING FOR PROFIT the galley. With good management these costs can be kept down, but they are there, and no amount of clever figuring can get away from them. In every office where the cost sheets are kept right, it will be found that this is so. Good layout of copy and clear instructions in advance, and everlasting vigilance of the foreman will help to lower the level of this unproductive time evil, but it can never be eliminated. I hope I have made it clear that I regard printing as a departmental business. The composing room is simply the first department, where the system and routine must begin right, for it to operate harmoniously throughout the entire establishment. 246 PfUN'l INC I OR "I 111 III INI), 'I I lis !»<>!(( Ms ( 0ii! by N. li. l\hK>:ss> vlr.y o; niin<>! Print i r. I Rill DI AWDIK'S ROMAN CAPITAL. HEREAPl IK SHAL1 1 HE SON (»)' MAN v c >l'l ON THI KIGIM HAND OP i HE POWER 0)' GOD. THEN SAID THEY AL1 , ART THOU I HI N "i Ml SON Of OOD'i AND HI SAID UNTO TMEMi Yl SAY THAI 1 AM. Howe's |b osl<> n llowtr [co;se. hej'eoifler ,f flu Power oi go<>\ . Ihen soio! Illu-V jaMli M thot: Ihch I h i \$ on I o f g o <>! ? '<>; n4 l « i \t i GooL l hjen so;i<>! Iht y o;ll> /\\ i thou i h i n the Sonoi cum'f AiVcl Ik sOiici unio ihcKili Ye soy II. oi 1 Oitn!. UNIQUE SPECIMEN OF A BLIND PRINTER'S COMPOSITION Securing Profit in Presswork SAYS the press salesman, "We'll guarantee that press to run 1,800 an hour, day in and day out." "Run it on two shifts, sixteen hours a day, six days a week, and its product will be 173,000 impres- sions." This sounds magnificent, and creates imagina- tive visions of the pressfly throwing out sheets of bank-notes, all one's own — but like the vision, it can- not be realized. It is not what a press can produce, but what it does produce that determines the profit or loss in the final summing up. Running a cylinder at 2,500 an hour makes a big stir, but is not necessarily profitable. The records show that it takes good management in a press- room to keep the cylinders going forty per cent, of the time, and that there is no such thing as one hundred per cent, production. The common custom of figuring a thousand an hour for the presses is as profitless as tossing money out of the window to see if it will come back. There is no doubt as to good cylinders being able to stand 1,800 an hour speed; we have all timed them at that figure or better; but in practice, under pressroom conditions they will not average half this production. Here are actual records, from the Charles Francis Press, made with good machines, under modern sur- roundings, with the best men that could be hired : Six-months' record of 16 cylinders, 15,050,323 im- pressions; weekly average 578,858; average (when manned), 615 impressions per hour. 247 PRINTING FOR PROFIT The average for two and a half years, divided into six-month periods, showed the following results re- spectively, 648, 566, 509, 546 and 614 impressions per hour. Two more cylinders were then added, and the same time divided into six-month periods, showed 614, 800, 811, 644, 622 and 664 impressions per hour. The cylinder plant was then increased to 23 ma- chines, and with the same time period, divided as be- fore, showed 682, 711, 660, 664, 821, 700, 682, 711 and 660 impressions per hour. One of the above high records, over 800, was made under stress of trying to show the management what the men could do working eight hours, just after we left off running nine hours. For a little while they were able to produce as much in an eight-hour day as they had in nine hours. It took three and a half years of management for us to get our record of cylinder presswork up to 700 an hour average, and during one period of six months it was but a shade over 500. The Universal and Gordon presses did not produce quite as much as the cylinders, 650 an hour being their normal average of impressions. It must be borne in mind that the time charged against these presses was the hours when a paid crew of men were there drawing wages to run them. If they ran two shifts, 16 hours was charged; if men were laid off, no time was charged against their machines. It is obvious that in a smaller pressroom there would have been more waste, and lower totals scored. It should also be noted that sixty per cent, of the work in this pressroom was publications, with good long 248 SECURING PROFIT IN PRESSWORK runs, so that the small figures cannot be charged to a large amount of make-ready. I do not believe that the average printing office, with five cylinders, running mixed work, can average to pro- duce over 600 impressions per hour on its cylinders, and it is safer to estimate on a basis of 550 production. Other pressroom matters often left out of estimates are shown by our records to be: Electric light and power cost, 2y 8 per cent, of output. Rent cost, 3 per cent, of output. Roller cost, 1/3 per cent, of output. Ink cost, normal times, Z]/ 2 per cent, of output. The above figures are made for sixty per cent. 40x60 presses. At war prices the item of ink may run over 5 per cent, of the pressroom product, and under most favor- able circumstances I have been able to bring it down to 2 J4 per cent. ; under unfavorable conditions one year it cost nearly five per cent. This was because we were buying too heavy inks. What I wish to emphasize by these figures is that the printer in estimating should calculate that his cylinders will produce not over 5,000 impressions per day of eight hours, and that his fixed cost for light, power, rent, rollers and ink should be figured as at least ten per cent, of the production in a large pressroom, and probably 15 per cent, or more in smaller pressrooms. The printer who knows these things will not be apt to estimate below cost, no matter what cost system he employs. If a large cylinder press costs $5,000, and is to pay for itself in ten years, it must earn $300 interest and $500 sinking fund, or $800 a year. If it is manned 249 PRINTING FOR PROFIT 200 full days a year, that is $4 a day. If the wages to keep it manned are $7 a day, and if the ten per cent, of product (to pay for rent, light, power, ink and rollers) be placed at $2 a day, and if the overhead of the establishment figures $4 more, it obviously costs $17 a day to run that cylinder machine, and if the product of 5,000 impressions is sold at $20, or $4 per 1,000, it yields only a small return. The trouble with printers who sell the product of a large cylinder at $2.50 or $3 per thousand impressions is that they calculate they are going to get 1,000 sheets an hour out of the press, which in practice they never can do for any length of time. A hen should lay an egg every day, but she doesn't, and it is just the same way with a press ; if you get 200 days' work out of it in a year you are doing well, and if you get 700 sheets an hour during those 200 days you are also doing well. There are printers who laugh at the way their wives figure on the profits they are going to get out of a small hennery, and who are just as blind when they get to estimating on a large job of presswork that they are anxious to produce. In a well-managed pressroom having a good cylinder equipment, and good trade, the cylinders are printing not over 40 per cent, of the time, and occupied by make- ready 20 per cent, of the time, while the other 40 per cent, is idle time. No printer can get away from these conditions by reason of long runs, for the great big runs now go to the web machines, which do the work quicker and cheaper. And no printer can rightfully figure that with feeding machines he can overcome these conditions. The automatic feeder saves some- 250 SECURING PROFIT IN PRESSWORK thing in wages, and something in spoilage (which is usually the customer's gain), but my records do not show any increase of production by reason of automatic feeders. Just here I can almost see some clever fellow turning to his pressroom records, and saying, "Why, we do much better than that; this press-run of 10,000 was put through in eight hours, and this of 25,000 in three days' actual running." Such men never figure on the slow runs. Before me is a sheet of one week's produc- tion in the cylinder pressroom of the Charles Francis Press. It shows cylinders that recorded, in half days of four hours, 4,200, 4,700, 4,800 and 4,500 impres- sions ; but it also shows one press that had four and a half days of make-ready and less than 6,000 production for the week, and another press that was broken down three days, and on Saturday (a half day) 3,900 sheets came through four presses and the other twenty ma- chines were idle. It is not running time accomplished on a particular job that determines cost, but average production. This is our method of keeping press production: Partial Press Record Press No. 1.— Feb. 20. 8 a.m.: Smith's Weekly, Make-ready. Noon: Smith's Weekly, 2,100. 6 p.m.: Smith's Weekly, 5,200. Press No. 2. 8 a.m.: Inland Wrappers, 4,200. Noon: Inland Wrappers, 5,100. 6 p.m.: R. of R., Make-ready. 251 PRINTING FOR PROFIT Press No. 3. 8 a.m. : Board Health Cir., 9,000. Noon : Waiting for sheets. 6 p.m. : Board Health Cir., 12,100. Press No. 1.— Feb. 21. 8 a.m. : Smith's Weekly, 10,300. ' Noon: Smith's Weekly, 12,500. 6 p.m.: Standing. Press No. 2. 8 a.m.: R. of R., Make-ready. Noon: R. of R„ 1,200. 6 p.m.: R. of R., 4,300. Press No. 3. 8 a.m. : Board Health Cir., 16,000. Noon : Standing. 6 p.m.: Standing. The record above of press No. 1, showing 5,200 of Smith's Weekly off at 6 o'clock Feb. 20, and 10,300 off at 8 next morning, is the very simple method used to indicate night runs. A pressroom record such as the above takes very little time to keep, and serves many useful purposes. The information is gathered right from the presses by a young man and brought to the office, morning, noon and night, and if a customer wants to know when his job will be off, it is not neces- sary to go into the pressroom to enquire, for the prog- ress of the job is evident from this record in the office. This record is also quite as efficient as an indicator showing in the office what presses are running and what are idle. Every pressman in the shop knows that his product is reported on the manager's desk three 252 SECURING PROFIT IN PRESSWORK times daily, and that slow work on his part is seen and noted. This record also serves as a basis for obtaining total production and average production for the month, and for cost records of actual performance. It is both the simplest and most complete record we have been able to devise, and is adapted to either a large or small pressroom. The record for an entire week is kept on one large sheet about 24x36, in the office. When the sheet has served its purpose, and the information is all trans- ferred to the books, it is laid aside. One sheet is in active use each week. Records of this sort have proved to us: 1. That jobbers and cylinders produce 600 to 700 an hour under good conditions, and no more on the average. 2. That web machines, with a capacity four times that of cylin- der machines, rarely produce twice as many impres- sions in a six-month period. The web is useful for getting out several folded signatures rapidly, but one cannot make-ready on it any faster than on a slow press, and in practice one can never find the work to keep a web press going most of the time. The web machines and various rapid special presses are valued for their ability to handle large work within a small space so as to make quick delivery and good service to the customer, but rarely do they afford much economy in manufacture, as measured by the thousand impres- sions, until the 100,000 mark is attained. As a matter of fact it has been found advantageous by us to run publications of from 65,000 upwards on a web, because some web machine was idle and the cylinders busy on the days when such publications went to press. This 253 PRINTING FOR PROFIT procedure operated to balance the pressroom — that is, make work uniform on the different classes of ma- chines. Normally a run of 75,000 or 80,000 is best done on cylinders, but above 100,000 the web machine is essential to economical production. It is a common saying among the larger printers that the money is made in the pressroom. The com- posing room is too often run at cost in order to get work to keep the presses busy, for the heavy invest- ment in expensive presses must be kept active, or loss instead of profit may result. A pressroom of ten cylin- ders may just pay its running expenses with a produc- tion of 40,000 sheets a day, but as its capacity is 50,000 sheets, and on a double shift can be made to produce 100,000 sheets a day, with the same overhead, it is obvious that making money involves keeping the press- room full of work. This is the condition that induces so many printers to take "fillers" to occupy the gaps of idle time on their machines — a very pernicious prac- tice which tends to lower the prices on all classes of presswork. It costs $17 a day to run a large cylinder for eight hours, as we have seen, but if a press crew have to be there two days in the week, when there are no forms, the cost is much the same, and thus the temptation arises to take a job at about two-thirds the normal price to fill in this idle time. The plan would be feasible but for one thing: this method steals a good job from a neighboring printer, who then has a gap in his press- room and steals back a paying job from the first printer. So both these competing printers have as much idle time as before, and each is doing one job at less than 254 SECURING PROFIT IN PRESSWORK the fair price. The only safe rule is to insist on a fair profit on every job or else leave it alone. Get all you can out of your pressroom legitimately, but never cut prices to keep the cylinders turning. Do not be in a great hurry to buy more machinery when you are rushed with work; be willing to feed a little presswork to the office across the street at times, so they may not be tempted to steal your trade. When all the presses in your locality are busy most of the time and you are crowded to produce, that is the time to buy a new press. The pressroom foreman requires to keep in close touch with the composing room head from whom he receives the work. He needs to know just when such forms will be in the pressroom, to have the presses and crew ready for them. A little miscalculation not only delays work but increases costs. The responsibility of a large pressroom is great, where thousands of dollars' worth of paper are going through the machines, and slight errors may make heavy spoilage. The element of time is of more and more importance, and nearly all large jobs are now required on a schedule. By keeping before him on one sheet a record of the coming work, the pressroom foreman can lay his plans accurately. By keeping in right touch with the stock- room he will know that the paper for each job is avail- able, before the make-ready is completed. He will also keep his eyes open for emergencies, as when the cus- tomer telephones in and adds a few thousand to his order while it is on the press. It is then necessary to see that the extra paper is on hand in time to prevent lifting the form. 255 PRINTING FOR PROFIT Instead of dodging night shifts, which involve higher pay to the workmen, the good manager now courts them in the pressrooms of the larger cities, as New York, Chicago, etc., realizing that the overhead charges are reduced to a greater extent. Working men time-and-a- half is a losing game all around, but with two shifts of men and one overhead charge, there is an economy. It is a fatal blunder to try to increase production by speeding up the presses, thus knocking them to pieces before their normal time. It is not the speed of run- ning but the quickness of make-ready and avoidance of small delays and idle time that determines output in the pressroom. Every customer who holds up a press should be charged with the idle time, but this is a rule very dif- ficult of enforcement, because the customer is almost sure to think it unfair. But it is just as proper as the plumber's charge for coming to look at a job and going back to the shop. The best way is to make prices high enough to permit a certain amount of concession re- garding delays, and to be careful to notify customers in writing, at the time of beginning a contract, that delays created by them will involve costs of so much per hour. When such delays come about it should be somebody's business to telephone the customer : "Press No. 4 is being held up by you, with crew waiting at your expense, costing you $2.50 per hour." This will operate to reduce such delay, and also cause the cus- tomer to recognize that it is his fault, not yours. If a proof or a delivery is promised at a certain hour, and because of delays it becomes apparent that the promise cannot be kept, the customer should be notified 256 SECURING PROFIT IN PRESSWORK at once, in order that his plans may be shaped accord- ingly. And the system should provide automatically for such notification, so that it will surely be done in all cases. Since the time of a large press is worth as much as the time of the men who run it, there is double reason for watching and keeping down time in make-ready. Overlays can be cut in advance, and various little things can be done to save the time of the machine. By washing rollers before or after hours, by extra care in having the proper temperature at starting time in the morning, by thinking ahead, discovering what will have to be done for the coming form, and getting every- thing there ahead of the form, press time can be saved. A pressman with a good head for planning his work is often worth ten per cent, more than an equally capable workman who does not think and plan ahead of what he is doing at the moment. In the old days we used to be bothered almost to dis- traction at times with the electricity in the paper. It is now better understood, and there are devices for dis- sipating the charge when it occurs. I recollect years ago at Louisville, Ky., when we used to receive paper by boat, it would often come in very cold, and we would try to run it in a dry pressroom ; frequently it would be stuck together as tight as if dipped in molasses. Grad- ually we learned that moisture was a conductor, and that by making the air steamy and having the floor wet, the electric balance would be restored so that the paper could be handled. The condition still has to be watched, especially in the smaller pressrooms, where ideal conditions do not prevail. The friction employed 257 PRINTING FOR PROFIT in an automatic feeder often generates a charge of electricity in the paper, on the same principle as in a frictional electric machine or the rubbing of a cat's back. As there are now numerous well-known methods for getting rid of the electric charge, it has almost ceased to be an annoying factor in the pressroom. The presswork of a small office presents problems of a somewhat different character from those of the large shop. Suppose we have in consideration a plant of a few small Gordons, two half-medium Universals, a pony and two larger cylinders. Such a plant is almost certain to be in a rented building, dependent on some one else for heat, and often for power. Electric power is usually the best, but if there is also a good gas engine in the place, it prevents the presses being hung up if the current fails. It is important to watch the heat, which is apt to be scanty the first hour in the morning, in which case it is best to pay the engineer to get at the furnace early in the morning, avoiding a loss of an hour or half an hour on most of the presses. It pays to have a system, even in such a small plant. Results will depend mainly on the good head and re- sources of the foreman, who sees that the forms keep coming uniformly, and that the stock is there with the form. One competent pressman, one assistant who can make ready, and feeders enough to man the presses, can operate such a pressroom. The pressman has to adapt his work to his facilities all the time. If the large cylinders are busy and the pony idle, he will split some forms to keep the pony busy. If there is color work in short runs, he may prefer to do it in small forms on the Universals rather than on the cylinders, the loss in 258 SECURING PROFIT IN PRESSWORK doubling impressions being compensated for by less cost of operating press, easier register, etc. If the jobbers are crowded and the cylinders idle, he will try to double up on small forms and run them on the cylin- ders, all the time striving to get the most out of the facilities he has. In the small office it is more difficult to keep things running uniformly than in a large plant, hence it is more important to have "all-around" printers, men who can set type, make-up, feed press, cut overlays, do any- thing required of them. Such men are scarce, but they can be trained, and it is usually easier to make a fair assistant pressman out of a compositor, than to make a typesetter out of a pressman. A man who can do noth- ing but run a press is of reduced value in a small plant. Whatever the size of the pressroom, the foreman needs to know something of binding, and to keep in touch with the work that goes to the bindery. Other- wise forms will be made up in a way that that particu- lar binder cannot fold with his machinery, or the guide edges will not be marked to assist him in correct fold- ing, and minor differences will constantly arise between pressroom and bindery, to the loss of the house. It is not honest to deliver short count to a customer, and the printer who practices it on the theory that it will never be noticed is sure to reap what he sows some time. I recollect a customer who used to order 15,000 photograph slips of us monthly. He disappeared for three months and then returned. "Where have you been?" I asked. "Trying another printer?" "Yes, he did them for less, but I found he gave us only 700 for 1,000, so here I am again." 259 Printing Ink Problems BECAUSE ink represents but two to five per cent, of the cost of printing, it is all too apt to be overlooked in printing estimates, and naturally becomes a more or less negligible quantity in the press- room. This condition invites not only trouble but con- siderable loss. If money is made at all in a printing factory, it is commonly in the pressroom, and if there are serious difficulties here, the probabilities are that no money will be made. If there were a few standard grade papers, and if the speeds on cylinder and web presses were uniform, and if the temperature and moisture in pressrooms did not change, and if the ink manufacturer could depend on uniform raw materials, the printer could be pretty sure of obtaining dependable inks, by clinging to one responsible ink house. But with a seemingly endless variety of papers, with varying press speeds and print- ing surfaces, with alternately dry and humid condi- tions in the pressrooms, and ink manufacturers sud- denly deprived of half their dependable raw materials, difficulties multiply until it is apparent that we are asking altogether too much of the ink man by order- ing inks recklessly, and then complaining if they do not meet our exact wants. No matter how able or well disposed he may be to serve the printer, there will be some loss in the pressrooms unless an intelli- gent pressroom head and an intelligent ink man cooperate and keep in close touch to watch each prob- lem as it arises. 260 PRINTING INK PROBLEMS The pressroom foreman should be informed in ad- vance of the papers he is to be supplied with, and he must be in frequent communication with the ink man, and both must be efficient, intelligent and honest, if the best results are to be obtained. It is not so much a question of saving a quarter of a cent a pound on ink, or of matching any color exactly, as it is a question of securing continued smooth running, avoiding waste time and spoiled stock, especially on colored work. These are the things which, if neglected, make the ink problem costly. The average printer makes his first mistake in being too suspicious of his ink manufacturer. Having bought a few job lots, recommended by some glib salesman, only to learn that they were not adapted to his work, he too readily concludes that all ink men are scamps, that one cannot tell what an ink is till it is tried on the press, and that anyway the whole ink question is a nuisance that cannot be solved. Now the fact is that ink men are quite as honest as printers, and they average as well in intelligence as any class of men we come in contact with. But they have to deal with an unusual complication of problems, little understood, and too many salesmen have there- fore formed the habit of letting the printer do the talking, thus finding out his prejudices, and catering to them, instead of trying to educate the printer to the true understanding of conditions in ink manufacture and use. I am aware that I am ill qualified to clarify this situation, and to settle ink problems for all the readers of this book. But I shall do my best, and I draw my 261 PRINTING FOR PROFIT facts from men who know. For the bulk of the tech- nical information in the following I am indebted to Mr. Robert W. Hochstetter, vice-president of The Ault & Wiborg Company, who has kindly loaned me his knowl- edge to assist in a popular statement likely to benefit the printer in dealing with ink questions. I would be glad to credit other ink men with their share in educat- ing me as to inks, but their name is legion, and I can hardly separate the facts gleaned from this one and that one, so it seems best to thank them generally for a variety of information that has assisted me in reduc- ing cost and increasing quality in my pressrooms. Printing ink is primarily a pigment or dry color, which is ground exceedingly fine and mixed with a varnish, that it may flow readily and dry quickly on paper. In choosing pigments it is necessary to avoid those that tend to crystallize, as these will make the ink lumpy or gritty and cause the color to rub off when dried out. We have been told that black ink is pri- marily lampblack and linseed oil, and such it was in the early days when printers made their own inks; but this is no longer true. Gas black and lampblack made by burning dead oil are now commonly employed as black pigments, together with a variety of special varnishes. Gas black (often called carbon black) is formed by burning natural gas (which is the vapor of petroleum, or the first product blown off an oil well) , and catch- ing the soot on a cold surface and quickly scraping it off. At one time there was a great surplus of natural gas in the United States, but the supply has been largely brought under the control of the oil interests 262 PRINTING INK PROBLEMS and diverted to other purposes. Since it takes 1000 to 8000 feet of natural gas to make a pound of carbon for printing ink, obviously the gas can be put to more useful purposes, yielding a larger return in money. Especially is this true of cheap newspaper ink. Under these conditions there is a tendency to use less carbon black, and go back to so-called lamp black, which is rather denser, but does not always yield so deep a color. When it comes to linseed oil for the varnish, the ink maker is up against it once more, for the world's linseed crop is a reducing quantity. Linseed is identi- cal with flaxseed, and flax is being grown less and less, as cotton has so much replaced linen, made from flax fiber. America has never produced sufficient flaxseed to meet the demands of the consumers of linseed oil and this deficit was made up by imported flaxseed mostly from the Argentine. After the outbreak of the war the United States was solely dependent upon its own crop. The consequent scarcity of flaxseed brought about a great increase in price of linseed oil. Unfor- tunately linseed oil can not be easily replaced by sub- stitutes and those inks in which it is absolutely neces- sary to use linseed varnish had to be correspondingly advanced in price. Rosin has also advanced in cost owing to increased consumption brought about by new uses especially in the explosive industry. Rosin oil got a bad name some years ago, and manufacturers do not care to use much of it. Yet for some purposes it is the best oil, and the makers have learned how to counteract some of its dis- advantages. 263 PRINTING FOR PROFIT With these handicaps in his materials, and a printing- public demanding uniform products of several hun- dred different sorts, always easy flowing and quick drying, is it any wonder that some ink men are gray before their time? The grinding of ink looks like a simple proposition, but it is not, as the coterie of New York printers learned who, about 1900, purchased a few ink mills, and undertook to grind their own blacks. The stand- ard mill has rolls to crush the pigment so fine that no grit is discernible. Despite water-cooling, the mill heats as it runs, and the longer the grinding the thicker the body of the ink will be, so when great fineness is attempted the result is sure to be an ink unduly tacky ; the inkmaker has to choose between the extremes. When ink is ground very fine to remove all grit, it has to be thinned to permit it to flow through the fountain, and the more it is thinned the less is the depth of color. You cannot have all good qualities in one lot of ink any more than you can buy a horse that can trot in two minutes, draw a five-ton load of coal, be gentle for children to drive, and be satisfied with two quarts of oats a day. The ink man can give you a very dense black ink; he can give you a free-flowing ink; he can give you one that will work on 175 line screen half-tones; one that will not offset ; one that will not pull off the coat- ing of the paper, and several other things; but it is folly to expect all these qualities in one ink, and a lack of understanding of this is the cause of much dissatis- faction with ink by printers who ought to know better. Sometimes two opposite qualities can be obtained in 264 PRINTING INK PROBLEMS an ink; for instance it was regarded as a great accom- plishment in the ink trade when they were able to produce a suitable ink for rotary photogravure work, that had to be absolutely free from grit and also to flow freely enough to permit a printing speed of 10,000 an hour. When it comes to mixing and working inks, con- sistency is the thing sought — an ink just fluid enough to flow readily through the press fountain, and not sticky enough to tear or flake the paper, which will distribute easily, and not fill up the finer spaces in the form. If the ink is too thin the work will be muddy; if too thick it tends to fill up half-tones. It is stated that European pressmen understand this matter of consistency, or thin and thick ink, better than we do in the United States, and that they will keep varnish and dryer on hand, and regulate these details them- selves; whereas in America we mostly put these prob- lems up to the ink manufacturer, and if an ink does not work well, throw it back at him and tell him to send us something else. Obviously, if he sends us an ink designed to be run in a pressroom at 80 degrees temperature, and it is run when the temperature is only 65 it will not flow freely, or if the temperature is 95 it will flow too freely. Increase of humidity opens the pores of paper, and it absorbs more ink ; an ink tried on soft paper on such a day will not go as far as on a dry day. On a very humid day some papers repel an oily ink, and there is also a shrinkage of the paper that is apt to destroy close register. Ink dries either by absorption into the paper, as in soft stock, or by oxidation, as on hard 265 PRINTING FOR PROFIT calendered and coated papers, hence air must be re- tained between the sheets of the latter. What we call dryer assists oxidation. It is useless to apply it in the case of a soft, absorbent paper. When there is trouble in drying on a hard stock it is often good economy to use a higher priced, strong-colored ink, as a less quantity of the ink is placed on the paper, hence it dries more quickly. Several mineral salts as- sist oxidation and hence drying, as compounds of lead, zinc and manganese. The grade of linseed oil also af- fects the drying properties. Lithographic work requires heavier ink than letter- press. It is a mistake to use too heavy inks for letter- press ; they cost more and run less freely. Where there are large runs for the same character of work, it is best to make trial of several different grades, and finding the most suitable, make a contract with one ink house to supply that as nearly uniform as possible. When it comes to colored inks, the troubles of the ink man are multiplied almost in the proportion of the num- ber of shades and tints on the market. Fifty years ago a printing office that had two kinds of red and two kinds of blue ink on the shelf was well fitted for color printing. Now we do not pretend to enumerate the col- ors, and there is a tendency to undertake to match any shade or combination of colors. There are two general classes of colored printing inks — those based on inor- ganic or earthy pigments, as chrome yellow, milori blue, and the ochres, umbers and siennas; and the organic, or coal tar pigments, which includes the so-called lakes or coal tar dye inks. Lakes and coal tar pigment inks are made from coal tar dyes which are treated to 266 PRINTING INK PROBLEMS make them insoluble in water. If this were not the case these inks could not be used for out-of-door work. One trouble experienced in the printing of color forms is the drying of an ink to a different shade from what it appeared when freshly put on. Wet ink is al- ways brighter than dry ink. When it comes to print- ing four colors with a two-color press, great experience and judgment are essential, for the first two colors must dry before the next two go on wet. A run may be started on the second two colors, and look fine while the second two colors are wet, and weaken seriously as they dry; or it may start with a look of being badly blended or contrasted, and come out right when all col- ors are dry. The only way to insure results seems to be to take proofs of a four-color form under the same con- ditions that they will be run, with the identical inks, and then wait until all colors are dry, to see if the de- sired result is attained. When the right combination of colors is thus found, and there is certainty of having in quantity the exact inks used on the proof, then only is it safe to proceed with a long run of a job in several colors. Some printers suppose that the inkmaker buys a red, a blue, a yellow, a white and a black base substance, and secures all his tints by mixing, but this is not so. The basic substances are legion, and a modern ink fac- tory is a chemical laboratory working on a large scale. The inorganic or earthy bases were developed years ago, and may be called the "old reliables"; when well ground and mixed, they work well, but they do not per- mit of the brilliancy and variety of coloring that is to be had from the coal tar dye inks. These latter were first 267 PRINTING FOR PROFIT introduced as anilines, and had a way of fading out in a few weeks, and so got a bad name in the trade. The inkmakers sought a better source than aniline, and found it in naphthalene, which produces a much more permanent color. Later chemical researches resulted in the discovery of yet faster colors, based on anthracene, which is also distilled from coal tar. The printer must not expect these coal tar inks to be as permanent as the blacks or chrome colors; the brighter an ink is the more apt it is to fade, and the printer should not blame the inkmaker because the last- ing qualities of delicate and brilliant hues are not equal to those of the blacks and ochres. In discussing colors with his customer, the printer should not claim everything, but tell the truth, which is that when striking and brilliant colors are desired nei- ther ink man nor printer can guarantee very long ex- posure to sun and moisture. When showy effects are de- manded, safe for long exposure, as on calendars, it is best to depend on the bronzes, or to get a deeper shade by running some color twice through the press. When the European war cut off the supply of numer- ous pigments, the larger ink houses were driven to make some provision to meet the condition. One con- cern established a very large plant for making coal tar dye colors, and not only supplies other ink houses, but sells colors to the textile trade. They are now in- dependent of European production, and make the para colors, lithol red, sola red, etc., besides a line of inter- mediates, acids, bronzes and various bases — in short everything that goes into printing ink is produced from nature's raw materials. 268 PRINTING INK PROBLEMS Inkmaking has become more and more a chemist's business. The variety of colors and ingredients are derived from such a variety of sources, and have so many different qualities that only an expert is fitted to prepare new mixtures and combinations. To illustrate : vermilion is a beautiful light red, obtained artificially by grinding a mixture of mercury and sulphur, and then digesting with potassium hydroxide. (At least so the chemists say, as a printer I don't pretend to know.) This sulphide of mercury reacts on copper and type metal, and on a long run may decompose electros and type faces. It follows that only a small quantity can be mixed with an ink, though a larger quantity may be employed for short runs. A similar condition exists with ultramarine, which is unfortunate, because ultra- marine is perhaps the most permanent of all blues of this particular shade. These two instances are given to impress on the printer that there are things which the inkmaker can- not do for him, or at least cannot do wisely, and that in the prevalent state of ignorance among the printing craft as to the nature and chemical constituents of ink, it is unwise for us to insist on the ink people doing this or that, and much better to ask their advice and take it. By ignorantly insisting on something the ink man cannot consistently do, we only invite some of the more careless among them to try and fool us. Many a printer has stopped buying of an ink house that told him the truth, and gone to buying of another that fibbed to him to get in on his trade, only to learn later that the goods were unsatisfactory. He has only himself to blame, because he invited the condition. 269 PRINTING FOR PROFIT The colored inks for posters are the lowest priced, yet they must be permanent to stand exposure to rain and sun. For dark cover papers, non-transparent col- ored ink is requisite. Hence the lake inks have proved useless for this class of work, as the color of the paper shows right through the ink and modifies it. But the ink people have given us a line of heavy opaque inks, some of which cover even dark-colored stocks remark- ably. Obviously, in these instances, the printer's best plan is to explain his needs, and leave the solution en- tirely to the ink house, taking what they give him, and if the house is a large one making its own materials, he can be pretty sure he has got the best that is to be had. At the time this book goes to press, one of the largest ink houses is spending more than $5,000,000 in build- ing chemical laboratories and factories that America may be independent of other countries for any ingredi- ent in the manufacture of inks. Such enterprise de- serves the highest praise and encouragement; let us hope that future Congresses dabbling with the tariff will not hamper business conducted on such broad lines, or endanger such heavy investments for the benefit of the entire printing trade of the United States. In studying economical use of inks, one of the print- er's methods is to try one ink, wash up the press, and introduce another ink without altering the fountain screws. If the maintenance of color requires opening the fountain wider it is decided to be a more expensive ink; but this is often an erroneous conclusion. If the ink that calls for another notch on the fountain be what we term a buttery ink, it flows less freely than other inks. While it calls for a greater turn of the fountain 270" PRINTING INK PROBLEMS roll, it may be that a pound goes exactly as far or even farther than the more free-flowing ink. The only sure way of comparing the covering qualities of two differ- ent inks is to weigh the ink carefully and run it on a given job, then change to the other ink with which com- parison is desired, and run the same number of pounds and see if the same number of sheets of the same form are produced. We are apt to be too finical about the matching of ink. It is well to inform customers in advance that matching inks exactly costs more money, while an ap- proximate match is just as good and keeps down the cost. So many conditions affect the reproduction of an exact shade, that it is well to avoid this wherever pos- sible. Few of us can hope to match engraver's proofs or color-plates, because the conditions of printing in long runs on cylinders are so different from those on a proof press. Money cannot be made in the pressroom if both cus- tomer and workmen are allowed to dabble in ink no- tions to the limit. The best plan seems to be to go to an ink house that commands your confidence, place the re- sponsibility on them, and act on their advice. Their experts knoiv a vast number of things that we printers only guess at. It seems wisest to buy their knowledge with their goods. A conscientious ink man is not satisfied with merely making a sale. He is vitally interested in knowing that the ink he has sold is the best for that particular job which can be made. The conditions under which that job is run must be familiar to him, for he takes pride in knowing that his ink enabled the printer to run the 271 PRINTING FOR PROFIT job with .the least waste of time and paper, and that there has not been a kick from the customer who re- ceived the job, as it answered all his requirements. The ink man who has earned his customer's confidence by giving good service wins respect and is welcomed by the printer, while the glib salesman, interested only in an immediate sale, is apt soon to be discovered and to receive little consideration. The true relationship be- tween the inkmaker and printer is founded on honesty, good service, intelligent comprehension and mutual re- spect. Where these maintain, the ultimate consumer will best be served. 272 Problems in Purchasing A S soon as a printing plant expands beyond a one- /\ man proposition, the proprietor begins to find A~ \* himself more or less dependent on others to do his buying. This complicates the problem, for one has to— 1. Buy at the best price and terms. 2. Buy neither too much nor too little. 3. Keep clear of commissions and middlemen. 4. Keep abreast of the times in new things. 5. Avoid speculative purchases. To do all these things wisely through department heads is always difficult, and probably is not accom- plished to the very best advantage in any large con- cern. Through experience I have gradually evolved certain rules that work well in practice, and which I pass along for what they may prove of worth to others. First we must consider conditions. It is a theory that the balance of a large printing plant must be main- tained in order to produce economically ; by balance is meant that the composing room should keep pace with the pressroom, and both of these with the bindery, and other departments, so that one department constantly feeds another with work. In practice, this balance is continually upset. A new publication is secured ; its cir- culation bounds; soon it involves the purchase of an- other press ; as a result the composing room is crowded, and a new linotype added. Soon the pressure reaches the bindery, and a new folder or stitcher is demanded. But in striving to balance these things perhaps we have created a surplus of machinery in the bindery. At once 273 PRINTING FOR PROFIT work is hunted for to keep the bindery busy, and when such work is found it is liable to involve composition calling for another caster in the composing room. And so on the circle grows, and the pressure to buy and buy is seemingly eternal. All this comes about from following a set purpose- maintaining the balance of the plant. Where a short- age of equipment is felt anywhere, the head of that de- partment will recommend a purchase, and it is likely to be o. k.'d by the superintendent and bought. If it is below a certain value the proprietor may not know it until it shows up in the accounts ; if it is above a certain value or is problematical, he is consulted. It is therefore apparent that conditions in the plant determine the printer as to purchases of machinery. We do not buy because a good talker comes around and shows us a wonderful new machine; we buy to meet our wants, and we have to feel a want before we con- sider purchasing. Wants may come about in a variety of ways. For instance, a few years ago we began to experience difficulty in hiring extra girls as needed in the bindery for hand work. Certain stores had raised their rate of pay and carried off the surplus women help that formerly could be had for a rush. It became a question of calling for machinery to reduce the demand for hand workers. We put in a single-fold folder, some- thing we had never before considered, to relieve the hand folders, and this machine had such a large output that it promptly remedied the situation. Of course it is best to buy machinery for cash. We all know this, but not all realize that it is easier to get the cash than is commonly supposed. This matter is 274 PROBLEMS IN PURCHASING fully discussed in the chapter on "Profitable Financ- ing." A good deal of machinery is offered on trial, the agreement being that if the machine will perform a given amount of work, it shall be accepted and paid for. We never make such an agreement. If a salesman wants to put a machine in our place on trial we will not go further than to agree to buy if satisfactory to us, for sometimes a machine fulfils its guarantee, but does not fit the work we have, so that it is unprofitable. Once we had to throw out a very good make of press, of which we have a high opinion, simply because we could not feed it enough work to earn its floor space. In order to illustrate : we had a publication requiring a large sewing machine, and could not have the work done in any other bindery, so we had to purchase a special sewing machine, at about $1,000, to handle it. When the job left us we never could find much use for that sewer, and were glad to sell it again at a bargain. It is unwise to hang on to machinery which you have not the work to keep busy, and which does not tend to balance your plant ; better take the loss at once and pass it on to whoever can use it. All authorities agree that it is best to buy new ma- chinery rather than to fool with old machines ; yet we all at times buy used machinery, which suggests that there are exceptions to the rule. Usually lack of money is the impelling cause, but this should not induce a printer to make a poor bargain for himself. If one must buy a second-hand machine it should be purchased of a manufacturer, who will put his guarantee behind it; then it may be depended upon. But the usual sec- 275 PRINTING FOR PROFIT ond-hand press, patched just enough to make it go, ordinarily wastes enough time to make it more costly than a properly overhauled or a new machine. The first ten years of a press's life are worth about four times as much as the next ten years, and yet the second-hand buyer has to pay about half the first cost for the privilege of nursing the machine during its de- clining years. The printer without sufficient capital may know bet- ter than to buy second-hand material and machinery, but feel forced to do it in order to get a plant going. The only way to check him off is to stop throwing old presses onto the second-hand market. Why should we rave at Smash & Smart, second-hand dealers, when we feed them our old crippled machines ? We should break them up. The plan of the Charles Francis Press for years has been to turn our old machines back to the manufacturer as part pay for new ones. We take the allowance, say it is $400 for a cylinder; then make a cash offer, say of $200 for the old machine to the manu- facturer, who is glad to take it, and break all important parts and sell the wreck to a junk-man for say $100, losing $100 by the transaction, but we keep an old ruin off the market, and when all other printers do the same it will gradually eliminate the re-use of well-worn ma- chines, which are a menace to the trade, in that they are picked up and used to float offices that depreciate prices for printing in their neighborhood. In accumulating machinery it is best to stick to sizes which become standard in your plant. In the Charles Francis Press we have a lot of 5-0 cylinders, bed 46x64. Not only are the rollers interchangeable, but a break 276 PROBLEMS IN PURCHASING can usually be made good temporarily by using a part from an idle machine of the same style, thus saving valuable time. In the purchase of material that is likely to be wanted in quantities it is best first to purchase a little of the several kinds on the market, and not stock up until you have tested which is best for your work. Metal blocks, for instance, that might be quite satisfactory for certain slow presses, we found impossible for our rapid ma- chines, and there was constant trouble until we located a make that could not be shaken loose by hard usage. Then we felt safe in stocking up the place with the effi- cient metal blocks. The purchase of binder's machinery involves a pol- icy. The step from hand binding to machine binding is so great, and it is getting so impossible for hand work to compete, that work is all going to the large binding plants, equipped with modern expensive machinery. The result is that a small hand-operated bindery is no longer a paying institution. There must be a large outlay for up-to-date machines to secure low cost of production ; half-way methods are sure to fail. Folders and stitchers have to be bought in series, gathering and case-making machines are absolutely essential, trim- mers are replacing cutters, and time-saving machinery is increasing on all sides. The plants with the most complete equipments find that the work drifts to them with little selling effort. The vicinity printers soon find out where to go. When it comes to type, the small office will do well to stock up from the foundry in steel cabinets, with plenty of spacing material and furniture. The medium and 277 PRINTING FOR PROFIT large shops must decide on whether they require a type caster, and the large shop simply has to have one or more casters to make its stock of every-day faces, and provide leads, rules, slugs and spacing material. The non-distribution system is becoming more feasible in large shops, and as fonts of matrices accumulate the printer prefers to do his own casting. Less metal is tied up in shops having casters, because they do not keep idle fonts filling cases and stands. What is not needed for immediate use goes in the melting pot. The printer therefore learns to watch the fluctuating price of metal, in order to stock up when metal is low, and not be forced to buy at high prices. In the purchase of ink there is much uncertainty, because you do not know what you are getting until after you have used it. This ink is 10 cents, that is 25, and that 50 cents a pound; you can take your choice. However, the ink manufacturer today has learned the value of cooperation with the printer, and the need of maintaining his reputation. He gets trade largely be- cause the printer has learned to trust him. He now provides inks for an almost infinite variety of papers and conditions ; especially for color work has the char- acter and quality and adaptability of the inks improved. With the average printer ink-buying is less a matter of bargaining than of securing inks adapted to a variety of purposes and conditions, but in concerns with an an- nual ink bill of over $20,000, as the Francis Press, first cost is important. One year we were offered a contract to purchase all our inks at a flat price based on a percen- tage of the plant's production; another manufacturer heard of this, and took the contract at a still lower per- 278 PROBLEMS IN PURCHASING centage. It was a fair proposition at the time, but the war sent ink prices kiting, and made such an arrange- ment impracticable. See chapter titled "Printing Ink Problems." During recent years a few large customers who have professional buyers have taken to specifying that cer- tain inks be used on their work. This is an unwise prac- tice, for since such customers almost invariably supply their own paper, they are liable to bring together a paper and ink unsuited to each other, in which case the loss is wholly theirs, whereas if they leave the choice of ink to the printer, he becomes responsible for using a grade of ink that will work with the paper. The best rule in buying inks seems to be — choose a manufacturer in whom you have confidence, give him the majority of your trade so as to let him have a chance to make something, and demand the best of him. Paper buying has been a sore subject with the printer for a long time. It seems that conditions are not quite what they should be, and that the printing trade as a whole does not receive the consideration from the paper trade to which it is entitled. Ignoring the difficulties connected with the short pulp supply and war prices, the printer demands but does not receive recognition as a wholesaler or as a distributor creating a market for the paper manufacturer. The argument used is that the publisher is the great buyer, and that since he buys three times as much as the printer, he is entitled to the lowest price, and not the printer. But this expresses only a half truth. Because the printer gets no commission on paper he prefers to put the buying on the large consumer of 279 PRINTING FOR PROFIT printing and be free of it, but under such conditions he cannot be wholly free of responsibility in connection with the paper. He is continually asked to handle and store paper, thus becoming responsible for it for a time, without any allowance from either the publisher or the manufacturer. Though the customer may insure the paper against fire, the printer is still liable for soiled sheets, shortages, etc. He cannot quarrel with his cus- tomer, and the paper manufacturer and jobber, only too well satisfied to let things alone, ignore him. The jobber has even been known to quote a lower price to the publisher after quoting a first slightly higher figure to the printer. In what other trade does such non-pro- tection exist? The right condition would seem to be for the large publisher to continue to contract and buy wholesale, the best he can, and to pay the printer an agreed fair per- centage for handling, storage and insurance. But in the case of medium-sized purchases, where it is a toss-up as to whether the printer or his customer will buy the paper, the jobber or manufacturer should treat the printer as a salesman or creator of trade for him, and allow him a fair percentage, as a protection. The prin- ciple is followed in other trades and is a reasonable one. In the case of small purchases for the jobbing trade, the printer is undoubtedly entitled to wholesale prices as against the general merchant, and it is no defense for the paper man to cite that the merchant has a rating ten times as great as the printer. One principal reason why large stationers have grown up and ab- sorbed the bulk of profits in certain classes of small printing is that the printer was not thus protected. 280 PROBLEMS IN PURCHASING When printers get together in their associations with sufficient strength they can command this situation, and apparently not before. From five to ten per cent, differ- ential on small lots of paper would be very moderate. The stationer charges the public 25 to 60 per cent, ad- vance on wholesale prices; surely the printer should get his modest ten per cent. He takes risks in hand- ling, and invests time and trouble on every pound of paper he buys, and he should insist that the jobber pro- tect him as against the great public. Printers are apt to be too careless in accepting paper. It is a common practice to order a large lot, bargaining on a sample, and then to allow a porter to receipt for the paper, without either counting or weighing it sys- tematically. Such blind confidence is most inexplicable. Paper is a mighty costly material, subject to consider- able variation in quality, to errors in count and in weight. It is necessary to know what you get for your money. It is the small printer who is particularly lax in this respect, yet he is proportionally the largest buyer of paper. In some small shops the paper repre- sents 20 to 30 per cent, of the expenditure, and there is not a scales in the place. An instance of costly variation in paper comes to mind. A large number of booklets were printed, ar- ranged to come within the two-cent postal rate in mail- ing. The calculation was correctly made, but about half the paper used overran the weight ordered, with the result that some thousands of the booklets were overweight, and could not be brought down even by close trimming, creating a loss of $10 per 1,000 in mail- ing. 281 PRINTING FOR PROFIT When paper comes in, the packages should be counted and some of them at least weighed before the lot is re- ceipted for. If not convenient to weigh entire lots while the truckman waits, receipt should be given in a rubber stamp form stating that the total is subject to revision on weighing. In any case it should be weighed prompt- ly, and if there is a discrepancy with the bill, the paper man should be notified at once. If paper is in bundles, it is well to open it up promptly, and have the stock- man look carefully at a sheet in each bundle, as he stacks it away, that any evidence of poor quality may be noted at once. If the stockman is not a judge of paper, he should show sample sheets to the superin- tendent or foreman of pressroom. Errors or inequali- ties require to be found promptly in order to secure proper adjustment of the bill, or arrange for a return of the stock. When a particular paper is to be used, for the first time, with colored ink on a long run, it is a safeguard to try out the ink on the paper before paying for either paper or ink, and thus avoid the chance of being loaded down with an ink and paper that are chemically inhar- monious, and will not work well. Occasionally large jobs have been spoiled by the lack of affinity between the ink and some chemical constituent of the paper. In purchasing binding the printer requires to look around him and learn the equipments of the various plants in his vicinity; this is more important at times than knowing which quotes the lowest prices or hands out the biggest cigars. One binder will usually be found best for cloth work, another for pamphlets, and others will have their specialties, due to superior ma- 282 PROBLEMS IN PURCHASING chinery of a kind. One who is excellent for large edi- tions may not handle small editions well, one who does cheap work will rarely do justice to a high-grade job. Engraving and electrotyping have come to be largely a question of quality. In the cities it is always possible to purchase engravings at a square inch rate, varying usually 60 per cent., but the excellence of the work also varies — you get what you pay for. In recent years the electrotypers have such a close organization that a very flat rate prevails, which can rarely be shaken. We must take off our hats to this branch of the trade for knowing how to cooperate and create a uniform price for printers. I am not sure but it is a good thing, as one does not have to "shop" for estimates. The buying of labor is not often thought of as pur- chasing; yet such it truly is, and also the largest de- partment of expenditure. He who buys his labor to advantage has already secured half a success. Some men try to buy labor cheap, and to get all the hours of work out of the men that are possible with the least money; like the New York employer who discovered a few years ago that the (then) hour scale was about a quarter of a cent cheaper than the weekly scale, due to the omission of some fraction. He discharged all his hands, and engaged them again by the hour, figuring that he saved 12 cents a week on each. Common-sense ought to teach a man that they would resent such a procedure, and individually see to it that he got 25 cents less work out of each of them. Wiser employers adopt the Carnegie plan of trying to hire men smarter than themselves, and this is the correct idea. The more clever and better balanced a 283 PRINTING FOR PROFIT man is the more you need him. Such men realize that they have got to give their employers $6 for $5 to hold their places, and that if they want a raise they have got to earn $7. Every wide-awake wise employer prefers to pay $7 or $10 a day to men who can earn it, to paying $4 or $5 to average men ; the difficulty is to find the men who can earn these extra rates. These extra-good men have to be found, and trained, and put into the groove where their abilities count for the most. Such men are the bargains in the labor market. You have to run your shop right for them to want to come with you; next you have to give them a chance to develop, using them like intelligent human beings and partners in your busi- ness; and lastly, you have to be willing to go "fifty- fifty" with them on everything they produce. Many printers overlook that they spend or buy nine- tenths as much as they sell. It follows that the spend- ing of money, the purchasing of machinery, supplies, labor, etc., is of quite as much importance as the sell- ing or securing of orders, and that if one buys to advan- tage he may largely increase his profits. Some printers we all know who really make ten per cent, on the print- ing they do, but waste it through slack and careless buying. A careful business man, aiming to make 10 per cent, out of a print shop, will recognize that he ought to make at least 4 per cent, of this on the buying end, and if he gives proper thought and effort to it, he will. In the average printing plant doing $100,000 of an- nual business, there will be spent all of two good men's time, worth $5,000, to secure the orders or trade, and to 284 PROBLEMS IN PURCHASING the expenditure of $90,000 in buying will be devoted about 10 per cent, of the time of one good man, or a value of $250. Is it not worth more time and thought? Why not be willing to spend 1 per cent, on the buying, or $900 worth of time to buy $90,000 worth, and see if it does not yield a few thousands more to the right side of the annual balance sheet? 285 Relations with Employees EXPRESSED in one word the essential thing in the relationship between employer and em- ployee is harmony. This harmony cannot exist where either thinks the other is getting the best out of their dealings. Printing is done for profit, and there must be equitable division of these profits or inharmony and costly strife result. The late J. P. Morgan once offered $1,000 as a prize for anyone who would devise a simple practical means of securing an equitable divis- ion of the profits of labor, but never had to pay the prize because no one could suggest a simple means of getting at what was a fair division between capital and labor. Since this question has failed of complete solution in other industries, we cannot hope to settle it entirely in printing, yet we know that material progress has been made in recent years, and we hope for still more harmonious conditions in the future. Both sides re- quire a liberal spirit, but too much liberality, like too great stinginess, upsets the just balance and invites a collapse of the business structure. That all may move smoothly, there must be first a condition of friendship and confidence, and further — conditions which tend to uphold and maintain that friendship and confidence in the face of differences and dispute. If employees and employers are too far apart, if no way is provided for them to meet occasionally, and exchange views, the tendency is to drift into ex- treme positions, from which neither will recede, and 286 RELATIONS WITH EMPLOYEES thus a fight develops. Hence the need for systematic conference, conciliation and arbitration. Experience has taught us all that if we do not look out for ourselves nobody is likely to look out for us, so most men acquire the attitude of fighting for their rights. But fighting is both annoying and expensive. It was tried in the printing trade a good many years ; happily we have learned better, and now through agree- ments between associations of employers and the unions we have provided a satisfactory method of ad- justing differences when they arise, and in the light of experience we expect them to arise periodically. We are all safe as long as we preserve the conditions of "Justice to all," and "A fair day's work for a fair day's pay." This harmonious condition is possible through interest in the employee's welfare by the em- ployer, and interest in the employer's work by the em- ployees. With such reciprocity of feeling we all become more liberal. The difficulty with the employer often is that he is overburdened with financial problems, mak- ing it impracticable for him to give that consideration to his workmen which their full interest sometimes demands, and on the other hand the employee is apt to be so occupied with his own financial problems of filling the mouths at honie, that he also fails to con- sider the conditions surrounding his employer, and too often decides to take every dollar he can get, whether or not he gives the equivalent. It should never be forgotten that we are entirely dependent on each other, and only as we act fairly with one another can we expect the satisfaction and comfort that come from a realization that there are other peo- 287 PRINTING FOR PROFIT pie and other problems than our own, and that we are doing our part to produce a "live-and-let-live" policy. Harmony requires an understanding of each other. It is impossible for the employee to take from the em- ployer anything that he does not put in his hands first ; the employer is merely the agent between the customer and the producing workmen or employees, and if the latter does not give sufficient of his capital (which is labor) the employer will not have the capital (money) with which to meet his obligations and pay wages. When this is fully understood, it is apparent that the master printer and his workmen are in partnership, both leaning on the customer, and that the workman can get nothing for himself unless the employer first gets it from the customer. There is no ever-flowing fountain yielding dollars, which can be tapped by way of a strike and made to yield more wages ; it is simply a question of what can be got out of the customer, and how it shall be divided. It is to the mutual interest of men and bosses that good work be produced and plenty of it, and if they dispute over the division of the re- ceipts there may be less for both. The workman gets his share first, then the bills and overhead charges are paid, and if there is any left it belongs to the employer. The workman's wage is fixed and sure, or supposed to be, while the employer gambles for his. Under modern conditions the division is about this way: Of every dollar coming into a print shop the wage earner takes 50 cents, the supplies and overhead use up 40 cents, and the proprietor, his partners and the stockholders get 10 cents. The least sure to arrive is the last ten cents. If there are blunders or errors to 288 RELATIONS WITH EMPLOYEES be paid for they come out here ; if there is a demand for higher wages or shorter hours it cuts here at once. Those workmen who have been bosses know that it is no cinch to be a boss, and that while on the average the proprietors make more than the men, they have to earn their pay, and bear many a headache getting together the payrolls. Sometimes the employer "goes broke," and then everybody has to look for a new job. Yet the prosper- ous employer will never forget that one element of his prosperity lies in his workmen, and that when both have made good, and the money flows in regularly, and a successful business is established, he becomes respon- sible for them and their families to a large degree; it is folly for either side to ignore this relationship. It makes of a printing house one large family, to which each and all belong. If we do not develop a real fra- ternal feeling we are sure to be short of the best accom- plishment. I think of and speak of the men who work with me as "my boys" and I'll match them against any working crew in America or anywhere else, for producing a giv- en amount of printing. Sixty per cent, of them have been with the house over ten years, and this suggests the warm friendships that have grown up between us. I have tried to show my regard for them in various ways — by providing good office conditions, by paying the highest wages, by recognizing extra effort, by at- tending their annual outings, and by buying life insur- ance for all hands. In return I have received numer- ous and gratifying evidences of their friendship and loyalty; amongst other things a loving cup of which I 289 PRINTING FOR PROFIT am truly proud. They are good to each other, and also to unfortunates, as may be inferred from the existence of a Charles Francis Press Benevolent Association. They even show respect for my notions about the use of liquor. Perhaps the most touching testimonial of all was from a young woman employee, who resigned because of her approaching marriage. When I wished her hap- piness in her new relation she said simply, "If I am as happy in marriage as I have been in the years spent in your employ, Mr. Francis, I shall be satisfied.'* "My boys" are loyal producers, and I could tell many stories of their accomplishments. When I conceded the eight-hour day to them, it was with some misgivings. I called them together saying, "Boys, I am going to give you the shorter day at the old pay. We won't fight about it; but remember that we have to compete with some scores of open shops, running nine hours at the same pay you will be getting for eight, and if you don't make good, and produce as much as they do, this shop will have to either close up or be ratted. You know I don't want to do either, but I'm letting you have your chance to see if you can do it, and only reminding you that it is your experiment not mine, and that the success or failure rests with you." The next month, running at eight hours, we had a larger production in the composing room than we ever had under the nine-hour schedule. That is the sort of stuff my boys are made of, and I am proud of them. The time was when employers and employees re- garded each other as natural enemies. This was in the days when a leading official of the Typothetae boasted 290 RELATIONS WITH EMPLOYEES "We kept off the shorter workday for ten years," and when walking delegates were liable at any time on an hour's notice to spring some new rule on an office, pro- ducing the condition of instant compliance without dis- cussion or submitting to a walkout of the men. Each side spied on the other, and raised funds for a fight, as though warfare were the most natural thing in the world. Thirty years ago printing had the reputation of be- ing an unprofitable, cutthroat business in most cities, prices being killed by competition, and wages kept down by the low prices received. The unions demanded more pay, which the bosses felt unable to concede ; then the unions went to making rules that tended to increase costs and reduce production, making the employers very angry. In the general fight of 1886 the employers won, but in the fight of 1906 the men won. Both these vic- tories were very dear, but if both sides have learned the lessons of conference, conciliation and arbitration, perhaps the millions spent were not all wasted. Every evolutionary advance means a sacrifice. It is now pretty generally conceded in the trade that the men have a right to organize, and that it is best for all that they should. But union rule is disastrous unless it is restrained by the brake of conference with the em- ployers' associations. It appears that we have now found conditions, through the principles of the Print- ers' League of America, which insure peace in the trade indefinitely, and a uniformity of pay and of trade regulation, which tend to put all employers on an equal basis. Conditions are not quite equal, however, for some cities pay much higher wages than others; but 291 PRINTING FOR PROFIT the tendency is toward equalization, living costs consid- ered. But uniformity of wages in one locality is not an unmixed good. A flat scale of wages tends to the over- payment of the slow men and poorer workers and un- derpayment of the best and fastest workmen. The system also tends to dropping off the old men before they are worn out, because they cannot keep up with average production. They often need the work, and it is cruel to produce conditions which deprive them of earning the lesser amount they are capable of. Per- haps the unfairness of this will some day bring us to the rule existing in British # union printshops, where there are three grades of workmen, with three differ- ent wage rates according to their capacities. New men start in the lower grade and have to show certain pro- duction and skill before they are raised to a higher class. This rule works well for all, and it is hard to understand why it has never appealed to the unions in the American printing trade. Education of employees in the problems of the em- ployer is of vital value in improving the relations be- tween the two, and in directing the prosperity of the trade as a whole. When men know just what is for their best interests they are bound to work along those lines of endeavor ; but employees not well informed as to conditions with employers are apt to injure themselves by their activities. It is a mistake to try to regulate the personal habits of employees. They have a right to get full on their own time, or to gamble or dissipate. But those who do these things should not be surprised at being laid off and seeing sober and wiser men take 292 RELATIONS WITH EMPLOYEES their places. Men are apt to rebel at prohibition of smoking, but as this affects fire risk they should recog- nize that "No Smoking" protects them quite as much as it protects others. It should be a part of trade- school education to inform every apprentice of the fundamental laws of business, that it may be generally understood how inexorable they are ; and it would aid immensely if trade journals, and especially those circu* lating among union men, were well supplied with in- formation concerning the trend of business, and discus- sion of the economic principles under which the trade exists. The workers mean to be fair, but sometimes in their desire to do better for themselves they are not fair, and they promulgate erroneous philosophy that brings trouble for everybody. Let us illustrate the case by presuming the introduction of a new press, with double the capacity of the machine it displaces. When it makes its first appearance it has to be set moving by men who understand it ; these have to be trained at the place of manufacture. Such men coming from a factory to a printshop in another city would not be likely to belong to the pressmen's union. It is proper that they should be taken into the local union, and if thoroughly compe- tent it may be that they would receive a wage $2 higher than paid on the less complicated press replaced. But suppose the local union insists on putting a local man on the job, who does not know the machine, and at the same time wants $2 raise for being permitted to learn. This makes a condition that may very easily rob the employer of every dollar of profit to be made off the new fast machine. He is apt to sicken of the proposi- 293 PRINTING FOR PROFIT tion and tell the manufacturer to take out his machine. Thus everybody loses money, and ill feeling is devel- oped, and the printing office is deprived of a money earner which would bring more work into the shop, and probably create work for two or three more union men in other departments. The maker of the machine, to get a foothold in that city, then makes a proposition to an open shop where the men cannot interfere. The fast press goes in, is a success, and the open shop as a result takes away from the union shop that threw out the press several thou- sand dollars' worth of annual business, because it can be done quicker and cheaper under non-union auspices on the rapid machine, and thus two or three union men are released from the union shop and have to seek an- other city for employment. I have outlined this case at length to make clear the fundamental principles of trade, violated in the first place, in the effort to make a good job for one man, but resulting in the throwing out of two or three union men. If in such a case the union men had let the proposi- tion alone, as being a detail of the employer's business and no problem of theirs, confining their efforts to making the new press a success and a builder up of the employer's business, awaiting the development of its latent earning power, before trying to take from the employer press-profits not yet earned, it would have been better for all concerned, and doubtless when the new press had actually brought in considerable money, and it was somewhere near paid for, the employer would not object to a $2 raise of the pressman who had 294 RELATIONS WITH EMPLOYEES helped him to such a result. Thus all parties to the transaction would have been benefited. It was just because of such unwise, narrow union leg- islation that the Thorne typesetting machine was de- veloped 30 years ago as a non-union proposition, and found its way into at least 500 printing offices, in every case tending to strengthen the shop as a non-union concern. Probably the majority of the officials of the larger unions now understand the principles here out- lined, but many men who have come into the trade have no experience with such problems, hence it is cited and emphasized here as typical of the principle that the union employee must work with, not against, the union employer, for his own good quite as much as for the employer's. When the employees of an office introduce and pro- mulgate a rule or custom that hurts the office they hurt themselves, for they are partners in the business, draw- ing many times more money than the proprietors. The only right and safe way for the employee to get more out of the business is to help the employer make more and then ask him to divide. But when an em- ployer has to spend half his time defending himself against the aggressions of the men who ought to be his helpers, that much energy is withdrawn from the push- ing of the business, and less money is made, and there is less to pay out in wages. An instance of short-sighted unionism comes in mind in regard to a daily trade circular that was offered to a union office. The union notified the office that if it handled the job the men would have to work under the daily newspaper scale. The printing office proprietor 295 PRINTING FOR PROFIT protested, urging that he was running a book and job office, and that because this job happened to have a daily issue, it was in no sense a competing daily news- paper nor his office a newspaper office. But the union was obdurate and insisted, the result being that the job went to an open shop, and has been handled by non- union printers for the last dozen years. Long afterward the same employer, still operating a union book and job office, was offered another daily trade review, and again put the question up to the union officials, reminding them of what happened on the previous occasion. By this time the union officials saw a light, and ruled that the job was not a daily newspaper, and it has been issued ever since in a union shop, as the first job might have been, but for the mistaken zeal of the union officials then making the decision. It is the workmen who do not understand conditions with the employers who create trouble. Such as these endeavor to force employers to hire two men to do the work of one on a given machine, and try to reduce out- put, unaware that such things hurt themselves quite as much as any one else. Under the old system of making shop rules — still in force in some places, I regret to say — some employee who thinks he has a grievance against his employer will grab hold of the business agent of a union as he comes through the shop, and fill him full of the story of his alleged wrongs. A union's business agent is hired by his union on purpose to take up such matters, and he usually proceeds to act with- out investigation of the story, least of all does he think of going into the business office of the employer, and inviting him to state his side of the disagreement. The 296 RELATIONS WITH EMPLOYEES result may easily be a ruling going forth from the union that is utterly unfair and impracticable in its workings. Under the right system — that inaugurated by the Printers' League — the business agent does not go through the shop without the employer's consent, and employees having grievances must make them in due form. When cause for complaint is found by the busi- ness agent, it becomes a matter for conference, concilia- tion, and if necessary arbitration — but usually it never reaches the latter stage. In my own shop, in case of any difference of opinion, I send for the chapel foreman, and state my side of the case to him; he talks with the men of his chapel, and reports back to me. With a little wholesome restraint on both sides, and a mutual desire to be fair, we always arrive at a settlement without calling for any outside aid. Unions are good things when run rightly, just as are employer's associations. Both make mistakes and com- mit errors ; being run by human beings they can hardly do otherwise. The wise course for sane men, whether employed or employing, is to belong to their own organ- ization, and to help to guide it on equitable lines. With more activity of the best men in the unions there never would have been any demand on employers to pay double time when not really justified, and with more recognition of what is due workmen there never would have been any serious and prolonged antagonism to the shorter workday on the part of employers. There are undoubtedly many employers who need education as to the conditions surrounding their men, 297 PRINTING FOR PROFIT and the hardships they endure, and who fail to sym- pathize with the workers because they never have had to work that way themselves. I consider that it was for- tunate for me that I once knew what it was to work ten hours a day as a journeyman for $9 a week, for in no other way could I comprehend fully how a man feels when he is hard worked and poorly paid. And it may be just as hard now for a man making $25 a week in New York to care properly for a family as it was when $9 was considered a fair equivalent for a week's work. Many employers who have been through the mill and grind of hard work at close wages will sympathize ever afterward with workers who become restless at times, and will remember that they are not machines, but have their problems quite as difficult as the employer's, and that these should always receive consideration. The quiet man who runs his press day in and day out with never a vacation may be supporting four or five people unfit for work, and that woman tirelessly fingering the keyboard may be paying the bills for her sister's fatherless children for all we know. These cases of noble self-sacrifice are not so rare. When shops were small and all knew each other well, there was little con- tention between employer and employee. It has come about through their being too far apart to understand each other. The obvious remedy is to get together again, as far as possible, under the changed conditions where shops grow constantly larger and the heads of a business see less of the workers. Of course there are mean and small employers who do not know enough to appreciate and reward good service, but the faithful and efficient workmen usually 298 RELATIONS WITH EMPLOYEES know enough to quit their service, and thus they are left to man their plants with a second grade of help. This is the natural punishment which business condi- tions bring to the employer who gets a reputation for being unfair. The most of us, however, are human enough to be selfish a good deal of the time, and this prevents ideal conditions anywhere. Nevertheless, fifty years of experience have shown me that the employers and the employees who adhere most closely to fair and honorable and generous methods are most commonly the ones who succeed. Clever selfishness succeeds for a time, but wears itself out in the long run, and he who rises by trampling on the rights of others is himself trampled down by the inexorable laws of compensation. A number of years ago I came to the conclusion that the average employer did not let the employee know enough about his business. He was too apt to think the employee might learn his ways and set up an opposition across the street — and the printer across the street is always magnified into a very satanic personage. I find that the more I educate my boys as to my business and my methods the more they help me, and the better off we all are. When some of them resign, and go into business for themselves, we all say "God bless 'em," and give them a send-off. Rarely do they take or try to take a customer away from the old shop. Knowing we wish them well, they do not want our trade, but look for dissatisfied customers elsewhere. With the assistance of other employers I have tried my best to spread the spirit of friendship between em- ployer and employees in the printing houses of the United States, and what time I could spare from my 299 PRINTING FOR PROFIT own business has been largely devoted to that end dur- ing the last dozen years. It is a duty we owe to each other and to humanity to help the other fellow, and one of the curious things about it is that the more you try to help others the more you help yourself. It comes back to you in obtaining their good will, as well as in dollars and cents. While the bulk of this chapter has been devoted to emphasizing the cultivation of good will and right senti- ments between employer and employee, yet it must be recognized that there are many men in both classes who have not yet sprouted their heavenly wings, and who need to have a time-clock tied to them, as it were, to keep them moving regularly. To run a printing office properly it is necessary to know what each man can do, and what he does do, and see to it that he keeps up to a reasonable schedule of production. If this is not done systematically there will be paying of wages to those who do not earn them, which will have to be made up by overcrowding the willing workers, which is obvi- ously unfair. Every master printer is troubled more or less with half-educated or incompetent workmen. They are with us largely because of our lack of apprentice schools, and are pitied more than censured. We teach them when we can, and once in a while make a good worker of one, but many have to be taken on in a rush season and dropped when it is over, drifting on to some other temporary job. There should be better facilities for training such men, and giving them a chance to develop the best there is in them, and this is why asso- ciations of both employers and employees should be 300 RELATIONS WITH EMPLOYEES willing to make some financial sacrifices for such schools. The opportunity of all employees is practically the same, whatever they may think. There are always those who groan over the promotion of another, where- as they should study themselves for deficiencies to dis- cover why the promotions did not come to them. The compositor who improves his spelling, reads the trade journals, and watches the methods of the better men about him, is the fellow who finds himself picked for assistant foreman, and thus naturally educated to fill the foreman's place when he quits. In time he may be the superintendent, and later fill the boss's shoes. In every job the employee should not only perfect himself, but make himself fit for the job above him. The really efficient men are scarce, and you will not wait long for recognition if you are competent. The trouble is that too many allow their vanity to mislead them as to their proficiency; the judgment of the men who work with a man is more apt to be correct as to his ability than his own biased view. There are a few exceptions, where ability is not rec- ognized by a man's employer; but in such cases it is up to him to move on to a shop where he can see he is wanted, and where effort is likely to be rewarded with promotion. The man who makes good finds himself pushed ahead. The competent apprentice is the first to be put on display; the chap who sets a clean proof finds himself wanted in the proofreading department; the feeder who is of most use in patching up is the first to get a full pressman's job; the thoughtful workman who introduces a new customer to the house is not 301 PRINTING FOR PROFIT surprised when he is sent out as a salesman. All these promotions come naturally to those who deserve them. I remember a man who applied for a foreman's job in a good-sized office, and was told by the superintend- ent that in a few weeks the place should be his. Com- ing back in a month the superintendent said, "I am sorry to disappoint you, but another man has come along who controls a large amount of work that we need, and I am about to place him, in the position." Said the applicant, "As you know, this has put me to considerable inconvenience to free myself from other obligations. Can you not split this job, putting me in charge of one department and your other man in charge of the other department for thirty days, and then if you prefer him I have nothing to say?" The superintendent agreed, and this applicant took hold in a way previously unknown in that establish- ment. When the thirty days were up, it had been so apparent that he outclassed the foreman who controlled work, that he simply said to the superintendent, "Now you know what I can do, what are you going to do?" "Put you in entire charge," was the reply. Six months later the proprietor sent for this hustling foreman and said, "You are twice as competent as our superintend- ent. He has a chance to go elsewhere, and I am going to put you in his place." At the end of another six months, the proprietor offered him an interest in the business on practically his own terms. He had changed a losing proposition into a profitable one. This is a true story, though I cannot mention names. It is told here to emphasize the point — why it pays the employee to hustle for the shop. 302 Growth of Trade Associations THE history of printing trade associations in the United States begins with the first year of the Republic, 1776, when a temporary organization of journeymen was formed in New York City, Phila- delphia falling in line ten years later. But the first real organization of employees was the Typographical So- ciety of 1795, which lasted two and a half years, and secured a $1 a week increase for its members. It was followed in 1799 by the Franklin Typographical Society, of which David Bruce, the typefounder, was the first president. Its wage scale was 25 cents per 1,000 ems, $8 a week in newspaper offices, and $7 in job offices. The Philadelphia printers organized in 1802, when the Philadelphia Typographical Society was born, con- tinuing to this day as a benevolent association. The Boston Typographical Society followed in 1803, and the Hub has also the honor of producing the first asso- ciation of employers in the trade, the Faustus Associa- tion, formed in 1805, to regulate prices charged the public ; it was short-lived. Philadelphia continued the banner city for organized working printers for many years. In 1816 their society had 80 members and boosted the weekly scale to $9; by 1850 their member- ship had grown to 235, and $2 a day was talked of and paid to some of the best men. While there were union organizations in most of the large cities by 1850, $6 to $9 continued as an ordinary wage, and numerous fights were undergone to place the scale at $12 and $13 for morning newspaper workers. "303 PRINTING FOR PROFIT ASSOCIATIONS OF EMPLOYEES National conventions of employees were held in 1850, 1851 and 1852, and in the latter year, at Cincinnati, the National Typographical Union was born, with fourteen locals. Though the membership fell off considerably during the Civil War, by 1869 the national body grew to 79 locals, with over 7,500 members. In 1869 it be- came the International Typographical Union, and since then the growth has been rapid. There was a falling off in 1877 and 1878, due to general financial depression, and in the latter year only 69 locals and 4,260 members were reported in good standing, this being practically the same membership as in 1866. Gradually there was a return, and in 1882 the membership passed the 10,000 mark, while 95 locals were in good standing; by this date the accessions were rapid, and in 1884 there were 161 local unions with over 16,000 individual members in the I. T. U. The 25,000 mark was attained in 1891, when there were 309 locals — a gain for the year of 104 locals. The membership continued to steadily increase to 31,379, with 354 locals, in 1894, and then the finan- cial depression operated to reduce the figures, which fell to 28,000 in 1897. During the following prosperous years there was a steady accretion, culminating in 1905 with 46,734 members and 690 locals. The union was now so strong that the strike of 1906 and the panic of 1907 had less effect, though more than 4,000 (or nearly ten per cent.) of the members dropped out. They came back again by 1910, and in 1911 the 50,000 mark was passed, and 696 locals reported. In 1916 the official figures were 60,231 individual members, divided among 754 local unions. 304 • GROWTH OF TRADE ASSOCIATIONS The famous local union that antedates all the inter- national organizations is popularly known as "Big Six" of New York, organized as the New York Printers' Union, in 1850, with 28 members. It was not a power- ful or influential body until about 1868 and 1869, in which latter year the membership passed the 2,000 mark, only to fall away to 1,000 a decade later. Big Six is rightfully proud of the fact that Horace Greeley was its first president, and that it has numbered among its members many prominent men: Gideon J. Tucker, founder of the Daily News, and Secretary of State; Congressman Amos J. Cummings ; Gov. G. W. Peck of Wisconsin ; I. W. England, of the N. Y. Sun; Congress- man Joseph J. Little; Public Printer Samuel B. Don- nelly; and probably a third of the proprietors of the book and job printing houses of New York City. The membership in January, 1917, was 7,638, a gain of 2,200 in 16 years. What the unions have accomplished in raising wages and shortening hours may be most easily reviewed by noting the gains in New York City, which has usually paid top wages, though occasionally Far Western cities (where printers were scarce) have paid as much or more. The New York Printers' Union spent the entire year of 1850 in working up conditions to introduce a higher scale, which was announced in February, 1851 ; $10 for job hands working ten hours, and $14 for news- paper hands working twelve hours, and $11 for night news compositors working nine hours, and piece rates of 27 to 36 cents per 1,000 ems were the figures which were partially forced upon the reluctant employing printers of the metropolis. The pressmen's pay was 305 PRINTING FOR PROFIT fixed at $10 and $12. There were also piece rates for presswork and for making up. It seems singular to have to record that these very moderate demands were generally resisted, and one newspaper held out for a long time. In 1853 there was another boost of about 15 per cent., which was resisted by five newspapers. Most of the book and job offices were also recalcitrant, and their average wage was stated as $6 a week. But Greeley was the printers' friend, paying the top scale and openly advocating bet- ter remuneration. During the panic of 1857 the unions voluntarily abandoned their scale, and the accepted rates were $12 for ten hours and $16 for twelve hours on newspapers. When Sunday work came in the men got an extra dollar. The Civil War took many printers to the front, and wages were advanced both in 1863 and 1864, in which latter year week hands received $15, in New York, or a dollar more than the Philadelphia scale. Towards the close of the War an $18 scale was established for day work and $20 for night compositors, the piece rate going up to 50 and 55 cents for manuscript. The union lost some newspapers, and the book and job offices never pretended to pay the scale. But in 1869, the union having been much strengthened, an attempt was made to enforce the $20 scale for a week of 59 hours in the book and job offices. The Typothetse (the first organization, born in 1862) resisted, and 500 men went on strike. The Typothetse adopted a scale of its own, paying $20 to "competent men." After several months' strike there was a compromise on the piece scale, and $20 was accepted as the journeyman's wage in New 306 GROWTH OF TRADE ASSOCIATIONS York. At the same time, 50 cents an hour was con- ceded for overtime, 70 cents for Sunday work, and $1 for Sunday night. The following year the newspaper scale was made $20 and $22 for eight hours' work. Two years later another $2 was added, and the news- paper piece scale went up to 50 cents. The smaller cities mostly paid $1, $2 or $3 less than this metropoli- tan scale. Wage scales were forgotten in the panic of 1873, and in 1876 the New York newspaper scale was back to $18 for ten hours' work on evening papers. In 1883 the book piece scale was only 35 cents. In 1887 it became possible to again work up the rates, and the newspapers paid $20 for day work and $27 for nine hours' night work; but $18 a week, and 45 cents per 1,000 was the best that could be obtained from the book and job houses in the Typothetse. In 1890 conditions began to alter. The newspaper publishers formed their own association and dropped out of the Typothetse ; they also generally made use of the linotype. For day work $22 and night work $27 was the agreed price for operators ; proofreaders were given $24 the next year, these being all newspaper prices; the linotype did not get into the book and job offices until a few years later. In 1902 the Typographi- cal Union and Typothetse agreed upon a scale of $20 a week for hand compositors and $22 for machine ope- rators. Through arbitration the newspaper scale was raised slightly in 1907 and again in 1910. The scale for eight hours' night work was made $32 and the "third shift" got $35 for iy 2 hours' work; machine tenders were given $25 to $31. 307 PRINTING FOR PROFIT The Printers' League of America began to pay $22 to book and job hands for eight hours in 1910, $23 the next year and $24 the next. In 1917 the New York scale runs all the way from $25 for hand compositors in book and job offices to $35 for the lobster or third shift on newspapers. I have been at the pains to state all this in detail to make clear that in 67 years of persistent effort the unions have reduced hours from twelve to eight, and raised wages from a level of about $8 to near $30. Their per hour compensation has thus increased about 550 per cent, and they have raised themselves from "the pauper wage level of Europe" to the level of "free American wage workers. And they have done this in spite of the resistance of the employers, teaching the employers the value of cooperation, and the possibility of getting more money out of the public. The unions have been the real upbuilders of the printing industry in the United States, and the employers have simply followed. The record given above of Big Six's progress in price boosting, begun under the tutelage of their first presi- dent, the ever honored Horace Greeley, who looms up with increasing grandeur as time passes, is typical of what occurred all over the country; and without such measures employers would be today trying to reduce wages and compete by using cheaper help, instead of by giving better service. In commending the unions for their accomplishments, I do not wish to appear as blind to their defects and errors, which are numerous. They have at times em- ployed walking delegates and business agents whose 30S GROWTH OF TRADE ASSOCIATIONS chief idea of efficiency seemed to be to harass the em- ployer. The crowding on of an extra man where he was not needed has been regarded as an accomplish- ment. In truth such a thing is as damaging to the workmen as to the employers, for by raising cost in the closed shops work is driven to the open shops, and often to non-union men working below the scale. The proper way of progress is for unions and asso- ciations of employers to work with each other, to con- sult each others' needs and not make any hurried moves until a full understanding is arrived at from both points of view, so that things may operate harmoniously. In the incipiency of the Printers' League there was a reso- lution adopted that no agreement should be made with unions that did not represent 70 per cent, of the trade in the locality, and there was much good sense in the proposition. When unions have become very strong, almost monopolizing a field of labor, there has been often a tendency to abuse power, and thus injure the trade. This is avoided by frequent conference between employers and employed, so that they understand each other. On one occasion the union refused to allow my son to learn the business in our composing room, saying I already had a complement of apprentices. I notified them that it would be wholly unfair for me to discharge an apprentice to make a place for my son; that he should not be classed as a competing apprentice, for he was not learning the business to become a journeyman, but that he might take my place later in the manage- ment. Finally I made them see the point, and the per- mission was granted. Yet I have heard of similar 309 PRINTING FOR PROFIT instances where proprietors were refused permission to allow a member of their family to work in their own shop. Such refusal works only harm and ill feeling, and is the sort of thing that has made so many employ- ers antagonistic toward unions. The International Printing Pressmen and Assist- ants' Union was organized in 1889 with 380 members. During the next ten years the organization was brought to 9,000 members. In 1907 they had 16,882 individual members, and in 1917 some 38,000, including about 350 locals. The growth has been comparatively uniform, and the progress of the wage scale has closely followed that of the Typographical Union. The International Brotherhood of Bookbinders, founded in 1892, had 12,000 members and 140 locals in 1917, and the Inter- national Stereotypers' and Electro typers' Union, and the International Photo-Engravers' Union, both or- ganized in 1901, have been very successful, and domi- nate their branches of the printing industry. About 1902 the International Printing Trades Association was formed, for the development of local Allied Trade Councils, and these various unions have since been enabled to cooperate together on important business. At this writing 24 unions are represented in the Allied Trades Council. EMPLOYERS' ASSOCIATIONS The Typothetse organization began in New York in 1862, but lapsed once or twice, effecting a permanent organization in 1883, largely through the efforts of Douglas Taylor. It was formed of the proprietors of the representative book and job printing houses of New 310 GROWTH OF TRADE ASSOCIATIONS York City, Theodore L. De Vinne being the leading spirit for many years, being followed in the presidency by Joseph J. Little. In 1887 the United Typothetse of America was formed, and eventually took in most of the large commercial printing houses of the country, which became unified largely by their resistance to the de- mands for better wages and a shorter workday. While the Typothetae has done many things for the trade, and served as a valuable educator, its record has been mainly negative in that its chief motive has been to resist advance in wages and reduction in hours, both of which are now recognized as characteristic of American development in all lines of industry. For about ten years it fought off the nine-hour day, which was finally settled at the Syracuse Convention in 1898, but lost out totally on the eight-hour day in 1906, and during recent years has consolidated with the Ben Franklin Clubs (started in 1900), as the United Typo- thetae and Franklin Clubs of America, and done most excellent work in educating the trade as to cost systems and price making. So thorough has their work been that it seems useless to give space in this book to cost finding, and the inquiring printer is referred to them at 608 South Dearborn street, Chicago, for complete literature on the subject. In 1900 Charles H. Cochrane organized the New York Master Printers' Association, and within two years built up the membership to about 400, being the largest individual membership in any local employers' associa- tion in the printing trades. It is designed to bring about cooperation between the small and medium-sized printing houses, to check price-cutting, and exchange 311 PRINTING FOR PROFIT information as to credits. It has proved a valuable force in upbuilding trade interests. The National Association of Electrotypers, and of Photo-Engravers, came into existence in the opening years of the century, and the National Association of Employing Lithographers in 1906. The Printing House Craftsmen organized in 1909. The rise and progress of the Printers' League is the subject of another chap- ter. The League has recently formed an alliance with the TypothetaB, under the name of the Employing Printers' Association of the City of New York, Printers' League Section, and general business is transacted through one set of officers, but the League section which is known as the closed shop section, transacts all business in regard to agreements, etc., with union labor, so that the trade may look forward to peaceful negotiations in future between all the organizations, whether of employers or employed. The newspaper branch of the printing fraternity has also developed a number of important associations. The Associated Press, originally a combination of New York daily newspapers, has been since 1900 an incorpo- rated company, and includes now in its membership some 1,600 daily newspaper publishers. The American Newspaper Publishers' Association was born in 1887, and has been a power in the publishing world. The National Editorial Association has been a conspicuous factor for thirty years, and the Associated Advertising Clubs of the World, though one of the youngest of the associations, holds the banner for large conventions. The Trade Press associations also have their national body, and there are some scores of other associations 312 GROWTH OF TRADE ASSOCIATIONS serving locally the interests of various fractions of the trade. What have these sketches of associations got to do with "printing for profit" ? someone may ask. They are vitally important, as showing the historical develop- ment of cooperation in the trade, and its tendencies. They are the incontrovertible records of experience. A comparison with European trade conditions, where there is little cooperation will illustrate. From 1900 to 1903 the average compositor's hour wage in the United States grew from 40 to 44 cents; in Great Britain it grew from 17 to 18 cents; in Ger- many from lS J / 2 to 14 cents ; and in France from 12>4 to 13 cents ; while in Belgium it ranged between 8 and 9 cents. American printers have for years been getting three to four times the pay of European printers, and the proprietors must also be making considerably more. And our prosperity is due principally to the aggressive activity of the typographical and other unions, which taught the employers' organizations, so that coopera- tion developed ; and secondly, to the phenomenal inven- tive ability and energy of the manufacturers of machin- ery in America, who have enabled us to produce more rapidly and economically, so that the public buys its printing even more cheaply under the present high wages, than it did fifty years ago, under low wages, comparable with the European levels. Having learned these principles of cooperation, and that unions of employees are really a good thing (even if subject to occasional error), and that associations of employers can work together amicably (even if men are naturally selfish) , and that both classes of organiza- 313 PRINTING FOR PROFIT tions, by conference, conciliation and arbitration, can work together for mutual good, maintaining harmony, and building up the trade, let us all be more active in our association work, remembering, as Marcus M. Marks says, that "the day when a merchant or manu- facturer can afford to stand alone has gone by. He must cooperate with others to insure success." I became a union member in 1866, and put in fifteen years as an employee. My relation to the union in London, and later in Little Rock, Ark., is shown in the working cards reproduced herewith. In 1877, when I was financial secretary of the Little Rock union, I walked out with the boys against a twenty per cent, re- duction, and on other occasions I walked out in Louis- ville and Chicago. But I am gratified to be able to say that after I became an employer my men have not found it necessary to walk out on me, and that I have found it possible always to meet demands for more pay and shorter hours, and to maintain harmonious relations with them. The Charles Francis Press feeders were out for a few days once, when the feeders in all the Typothetae shops of the city quit, but they were the last to quit and the first to come back, and there was abso- lutely no unfriendly feeling. The slight frictions that have occurred in the employers' organizations to which I have belonged have left me without hard feelings toward any, and I hope none holds a grudge against me. The lesson to be drawn from organization move- ments is plain : Cooperation is one of the prime essen- tials of "printing for profit" — meaning both coopera- tion between employer and employee, and cooperation between competing employers. 314 i/r. • JL - ~t. an^. iPTEW-^OBK ^aXJSfXERS.^ TOtON ]vfa« admitted a Member of the Neu^YerK primers' SHuicn -> ~- ^^^-^-^-^~—-^^/^--aA , THREK INTERESTING UNION CARDS The Printers' League of America THE late John C. Rankin, a great soul, good printer and brilliant orator, on a memorable oc- casion when the New York Typothetse first seri- ously discussed a defense fund, faced a group of the larger employers in the book and job trade of the city, and declared against it as wrong in principle, and sure to invoke a disastrous trade war. Said he : "Gentlemen, just so sure as you raise a lot of money to back a fight you'll have a fight." His utterance was the more re- markable as he stood alone in opposition to the other- wise practically unanimous sentiment for a fund to fight the unions. All Printerdom now knows that Mr. Rankin was right, for the Typothetae raised its $100,000 and the Union raised its millions, and they fought out the ques- tion of the shorter workday, with a trade loss, all things considered, of between $20,000,000 and $25,000,000. Long before that fight was ended; I decided that it was up to me to do something, and the result of my study of the problem of trade harmony and my efforts to bring it about is The Printers' League of America, of which I frankly confess I am proud. One day in 1906, while the shorter workday fight was still an active proposition, I called a meeting of em- ployers to consider an organization based on the prin- ciples of conciliation, consultation and arbitration, That call brought out just four men : Henry W. Cher- ouny, Frank Meany, B. P. Willett, and myself. Though disappointed at securing only a quartette, we were all 315 PRINTING FOR PROFIT serious and determined, and agreed on the need of an organization in which employers and employees would meet on a common ground. Another call was issued, and a dinner inducement added to the discussion. This brought out an attend- ance of 21, and the basis of a tentative organization was laid. The printing houses interested were all em- ploying union labor, and had granted the eight-hour day, but the proprietors felt that the unions ought to make it easier for them, as many of them were in direct competition with shops running nine hours a day. By 1909 the membership swelled to 55, and in that year the Electrotypers' League joined as a body, bring- ing the membership up to 69. The 55 printing firms had then about 10,000 employees. The first accom- plishment was the making of an agreement between the press-feeders' organization, Franklin No. 23, and the League. That was followed by an agreement between the Printing Pressmen and Assistants' Union and the League, and then by a contract with Typographical Union No. 6. These agreements were different in one important particular from previous arrangements made between employers in the printing trade and the unions. Instead of being closed between the officers of the dif- ferent organizations they were discussed at open meet- ings at which any of those interested had a right to get up and speak. In this way there was obtained a unity of opinion and a soundness of conditions unknown in previous agreements. The working out of these agreements has been in the main satisfactory. There were ripples to be smoothed at times, but the affiliations between em- 316 THE PRINTERS' LEAGUE OF AMERICA ployers and employed became so close that harmony has always been obtained, and no thought of strikes has been raised. The trade unions were made a part of the League, and the Union members came to feel just as much at home in walking into the League rooms as into Union headquarters. If it was proposed to alter the rules of operation of the pressroom or bindery, the representatives of the Unions were notified that the question would be brought up at such a time, and in- vited to be present and discuss the points at issue. This invited fair dealing, and has done away with the practice of either body voting rules to be enforced against the other. The Printers' League in making contracts with the several Unions, agreed to employ their members and their members only, provided these Unions could, at all times, supply a full complement of competent work- men for the several departments. This understanding has operated to interest the Unions in developing and educating their members to competency. They realized that they could not expect to hold employers unless they provided good workmen at all times. The Unions also agreed that no matter what griev- ances were supposed to exist in an establishment be- longing to a member of the Printers' League, no strike should be called therein until the supposed grievance should be submitted in writing through the proper channel to the Printers' League, and a reasonable time given for investigation and hearing before a joint com- mittee of the League and the Unions ; and it was further agreed that the findings of a majority of this joint committee, composed of an equal number of employers 317 PRINTING FOR PROFIT and employees, should be finally accepted. If there was a tie the matter was to go to an arbitrator, and each organization pledged its members to abide by the arbitrator's decision. The way in which the matter of satisfactory agree- ments has been worked out is instructive. It is a ques- tion of friendly relations between the employer and the employee. The League's members believe it is better to have the employees work with them than for them. Frequently a number of employers go down to the Union rooms and consult with them. In the case of the contract with Big Six, the local League officers and the Union officials got together and formulated an agree- ment. An open meeting was then asked for by the League with Union No. 6 to put that agreement in force, by the consent of those interested. There were close to 2,000 members of the Union and seven em- ployers at the meeting. Naturally there were some very strong speeches made against that contract, but with the counteracting influence of the employers on the platform to state their side of the proposition, the agreement was finally carried by unanimous consent, showing that a full presentation of the conditions brought all to the same frame of mind. One of the things accomplished by this agreement was the stopping of the practice of the business agent of the Unions from going through the workrooms of a League shop without the employer's permission. Under the old system one-sided complaints were acted on with- out consultation, and difficulties were brought on through hasty action. Under the new system, when the business agent of a Union finds something that 318 THE PRINTERS' LEAGUE OF AMERICA seems to him wrong in an office, his procedure is to go down to the Union rooms and write to the executive committee of the local League, setting forth his com- plaint. The executive committee takes it up, and per- haps agrees that the complaint is good and the condi- tion is remedied; or if they decide in favor of the employer, and fail to convince the business agent that there is no grievance, the matter goes to a conference committee consisting of three employers and three em- ployees. If these fail to agree on a decision, the ques- tion is referred to an arbitrator, and in eleven years' experience with four unions only twice have matters gone to arbitration. In arbitrations it has been the rule to select as the odd man some one in the trade, who understands condi- tions. Both employers and employees have served as arbitrators with satisfaction. An appeal to national arbitration is provided for, but this has never been necessary. I have myself been down to Union meetings in New York probably a hundred times, and tried to make clear the position of the employer and what he can grant to employees and what he cannot. I have been received everywhere with the utmost respect, and listened to with gratifying attention. The men have been satisfied that I told them the truth, and on one occasion, when I went before the Franklin Association, or press- feeders' union, and called their attention to the fact that their wages had been raised faster than any other New York Union, and that they were making a demand for more money at a time when employers were least able to grant it, I had the satisfaction of knowing later that 319 PRINTING FOR PROFIT they voted to negotiate a "raise" by a majority of only three votes, showing that I won over almost 50 per cent, to see our side of the case. Time and again I have told the Union members that it is impossible for them to take anything out of the employer's pocket more than they put in. It is abso- lutely necessary for them to produce, if we are going to have any business at all; and if business stops it stops them as well as the employer; that they are half partners in any business, because they take the first half of the money that comes in, and they get theirs whether or not the employer gets any. Since 40 per cent, of receipts is eaten up in overhead charges, there remains but ten per cent., and the only question is whether the employer shall take this, or whether the workmen will quarrel with him about it, and demand a further share. Considering that the employer has to gamble for his 10 per cent., and does not always get it, is-it worth while to try to take any of it from him? Is it not' better to try and increase production, so that the total may be larger, and the employees' half therefore greater? Working with the Unions on these lines, the League has served as an educator to both sides, and neither employers nor employed would dream of going back to the old conditions that existed before the League was organized. It is generally agreed that the Printers' League among other things, has gained for its members the following ten advantages: 1. Absolutely undisturbed peace in and unhindered running of shops, enabling the making of agreements 320 THE PRINTERS' LEAGUE OF AMERICA with the assurance that no strike would prevent their execution. 2. The members are guaranteed as good or better terms than other shops outside the League. 3. An equitable apprenticeship system was estab- lished. 4. A means of settling any and all disputes was worked out and operated successfully. 5. All League shops working together under the Em- ployers* Court of Honor were banded together for their mutual protection and good. 6. The League being recognized and endorsed by the International Unions the local administrations have the benefit of their steadying influence. 7. In New York City where the League started there was a common interest developed to keep New York work at home where it belongs. 8. League consultations by committee with local unions provided equal representation where legislation is proposed of local matters. 9. The League stands for the best there is in Union- ism and has the full support of the Unions, so that both organizations cooperate to elevate the class of labor employed in League shops. 10. Peace and harmony exist, strikes and lockouts are forgotten, arbitration of difficulties has proven a gain for both sides, and conciliation has reduced the previously existing friction to a minimum. After the principles of consultation, conciliation and arbitration had won out in New York, and the League methods became recognized as the best for dealing with the Unions, other cities began to come into line. 321 PRINTING FOR PROFIT The employing printers of Toledo were threatened with a strike. I was in Chicago at the time, and hearing that the Toledo pressmen were going out, telegraphed, offering to stop there and explain the methods of the League. The employers who were then in session ad- journed until I could get there, and then took me into their conference. In a two or three hours' session I told them the whole story of our methods of avoiding friction with the Unions, and at their request I met a committee of the pressmen, who were soon satisfied that the League system of arbitration would give them justice. But the strike idea had gone too far to be wholly stifled, and the men went out for a day. In the meantime we had issued a charter to the Toledo em- ployers, and they organized a local branch of the League. The next day the men went back to work, and within a very short time all differences were adjusted to the satisfaction of all concerned. The Toledo local was organized with a membership of 15, and they have proven their loyalty to League principles. In Cincinnati the pressmen employees volunteered to solicit members for a League organization, and twelve employers were brought together at a happy time, as difficulties were impending that threatened a break if an understanding were not speedily consummated. After they were in working order, and had completed an agreement, Mr. Arthur Morgan, vice-president of the United States Printing & Litho Company, of that city, was kind enough to say that in organizing the Cincinnati League branch, I had contributed largely to their sense of security and comfort. They now have a membership of about 35. 322 THE PRINTERS' LEAGUE OF AMERICA Chicago has an Employing Printers' Association which originated about 1908, and which had already done some negotiating with the Unions. When the Printers' League of America was formed, they came into it as a body, retaining their local name. At last accounts their membership was 92. The sentiment developed in St. Louis through the Ben Franklin Club brought the printers together there, and in 1910, when I was West assisting in amalgamat- ing the Ben Franklin Clubs with the Typothetse, I was invited to stop at St. Louis, and assist them in organiz- ing a branch of the League, which I was glad to do. They have now a strong organization of 40 members. Louisville employers organized and came into the League of their own accord, having a prospect of a strike on their hands. They had learned of the League, and proceeded to make agreements on the Printers' League basis, and came into the national organization in a body. Cleveland has a local League organization of about 40 members, organized in 1907, and Spokane is repre- sented by a League of five large printing houses. The Columbus Employing Printers got together on the principles of the Printers' League, but without ally- ing themselves with the organizations in the other cities named. They formed agreements with the Unions and then adjourned for four years, with seeming confidence that no troubles could arise. This has not seemed to the various branches of the League as a sound policy, for the Unions are in business, holding meetings all the year round, and with the best sort of agreement, dif- ferences of construction are likely to arise. 323 PRINTING FOR PROFIT The original Printers' League of the City of New York became a local branch of the Printers' League of America in 1909, and in 1917 became a part of the Employing Printers' Association of New York. The national organization of the Printers' League was effected in September, 1909, under the title of the Printers' League of America. There are now (1917) eight branches or locals, with a total membership of 313 employers, covering shops employing some twenty- five thousand workmen, and an invested capital of about $50,000,000. Their annual payrolls are upwards of $35,000,000. The New York League shops alone are credited with some $24,000,000 annual production. The national organization honored me by making me its first president, as the New York local had previously done, and it has been a pleasure for me to give the organization a great deal of my time. Having evolved a principle, not a name, it will be gratifying to state that there is every probability that this principle is being absorbed by the United Ty- pothetse and Franklin Clubs of America, and a ten- year arbitration agreement between the International Typographical Union and the above-mentioned body of employers has been promulgated. Other international bodies will no doubt soon follow suit. 324 Estimating and Price-Making SAMUEL REES, the veteran printer of Omaha, tells this story of his first experiences in price- making : "In 1870 I was working as a job hand in what was then the largest printing office in St. Joseph, Missouri. The foreman, formerly of Boston, and then of Chicago, made most of the estimates. He was a wiseacre — in fact knew it all — and when he looked over the book, he remarked that it was absurd to think of making a price- list for printing — that any printer should be able to make a price. "Notwithstanding this, he shortly afterward got up .a price-list for the smaller work, and though it was none of my business, the prices were so absurd that I felt it my duty to take the list to the proprietor, who was a personal friend, and point out its faults. The list started with 500 copies, and then continued with 1,000, and additional 500s. In most cases the advance on the larger quantities would not pay for the additional paper used." Such were the conditions in many cities during the last century. Only since 1900 can the trade be said to have begun scientific price-making. The entire problem of estimating or making prices in advance on printing is a matter of knowing cost and adding a profit. The sum of the difficulties encountered is in knowing the costs. They cannot be known abso- lutely in advance, because printers are not endowed with the gift of prophecy. Wonder has sometimes 325 PRINTING FOR PROFIT been expressed at the wide difference in printers' esti- mates. Those who have tried it aver that almost any job sent to a dozen different printers for estimate will sometimes show a variation of much more than 100 per cent. Yet is it not probable that if such a test job were put through these dozen different offices, and exact records kept, that the cost would be found to differ 100 per cent., and very likely the quality also? The overhead charges in printing establishments vary from ten to fifty per cent in extreme instances. Some houses pay salesmen ten per cent, to get their work, and some have a line of trade that comes to them. Some printeries have expensive office forces, and some do not even have a desk. Some proprietors draw $15,000 a year and some are glad to get $20 a week. Some fill up a job room with two-thirders and others have a corps of men all paid above the scale. Printing ink is sold at from 15 cents to $5 a pound ; paper at 8 cents to 50 cents; a second-hand old drum cylinder can be bought for $300, where a modern press of the same size is worth $5,000. A job may be set from a case of type worth $15 or on a linotype worth $5,000. A book may be bound wholly by hand labor, or by utilizing $50,- 000 worth of machinery. Obviously we cannot and should not expect uniformity under such a multiplicity of varying conditions. Take linotype composition : It has been sold in vari- ous places on the galley as low as 25 and 35 cents per 1,000 ems; there are a few who still sell it as low as 45 cents; yet it is a fact that high-grade magazine com- position, produced in a large city, under rush condi- tions, has cost over 65 cents for a period of years in one 326 ESTIMATING AND PRICE-MAKING well-equipped metropolitan printery. The chief differ- ence between this 60-cent and 45-cent composition is in the quality. The high-priced stuff is cast in slugs de- signed to bear 75,000 impressions ; the cheap stuff is in any old metal, and suitable only for short runs. The higher grade is set by educated men, and read and cor- rected to an accurate style. A single reading and cor- rection of matter, done in the best style, may easily add 10 cents per 1,000 to the cost. Yet these features of added cost are seldom alluded to. Make-up of the mat- ter may add 5 to 15 cents per 1,000 ems; the handling of a few extra proofs at intervals of a few days, in- volving bringing out all the galleys, proving and return- ing them to storage, may mean several cents more added to the per thousand cost. Then there are the conditions incidental to tabular and objectionable matter, unusual style, poor copy, and a dozen other things, each of which varies the cost of machine composition. The Cost Committee of the Chi- cago Ben Franklin Club at one meeting asked its mem- bers to individually estimate the cost of composition on one of their own blank forms, copies of which lay on the table. The matter was intricate, involving several ta- bles, but the committee were all experts. The estimate was made by hours, and varied 300 per cent. On a large job of difficult tabular work upon which ten or fifteen men worked, on one day one man turned in just five times as much composition as the lowest man of the lot. A similar variation of costs exists in the pressroom. Two forms of the same size with the same number of cuts may easily vary from two hours to two days in the 327 PRINTING FOR PROFIT time of make-ready. When the time-sheets of a press- room show that one cylinder delivered 25,000 impres- sions one week and its twin standing alongside, opera- ted under similar conditions at the same cost delivered 60,000 sheets, how is any estimator going to calculate exactly what will be the time and cost of the runs on these machines the following week? We do have flat prices for electrotyping, but engrav- ings vary fully 50 per cent, in cost, depending largely on the degree of re-etching. When bookbinding was done mainly by piecework, we knew pretty nearly what it would cost, but in these days of machine work, though costs are lessened, they vary enormously with the shop conditions, so that many jobs cost 50 per cent, more to produce in one shop than in another. In the Charles Francis Press eight kinds (sixteen in all) of folding machines are found necessary to handle ten requisite varieties of work. These chaotic conditions seem to have been almost lost sight of by some experienced in cost systems. To look over some of these elaborate creations, one would scarcely doubt there could be differences of opinion of more than ten per cent, as to costs. Yet some small printer will get hold of one of these, observe that the cost of hand composition is $1.65 per hour, and then go right to his counter and agree with a customer to re- duce the charge for corrections on a job to 75 cents per hour. Let us admit that while cost systems are beauti- ful in theory, and serve to educate many, they cannot entirely settle the problems of estimating and price- making, because these go deeper into the very roots of human nature. 328 ESTIMATING AND PRICE-MAKING There will be no attempt here to present or analyze cost systems and cost finding. The reader who wishes to delve into these had best apply to the United Typo- thetae and Franklin Clubs of America, at the Estima- ting Department, in Indianapolis. The School of Printing there has done commendable work in cost find- ing, and furnishes information at nominal cost. Stand- ard cost-finding blanks and a standard price list are issued. • The endeavor here is to deal with principles, not figures, and to call attention to the wide differences in actual costs, and the impossibility of figuring anything down to absolute accuracy of estimate. There always must be wide differences in actual costs, and therefore we have to learn to base our prices on average costs. It is desirable that all the printers of a locality should have as near uniform prices as is consistent with the class of work they execute. If letter-heads are selling at $4 per 1,000, what does Mr. Customer care about your showing him a cost-sheet to prove that your cost is really $4.47 per 1,000 Unless he thinks you will do them better he will go across the street to the fellow who is printing them for $4. This is the problem we have to meet in the printing business con- tinually. It may help some to remark on the way the railroads meet this problem. They do not figure freight-carrying costs at all but charge "what the traffic will bear," and what the law will allow. They will charge three times as much for transporting a case of books or a case of shoes as the same weight of brick or coal, because they know the brick or coal will not travel at all if they put 329 PRINTING FOR PROFIT on a charge of a cent a pound, that will hardly be felt on books or shoes. Nearly all their cost is overhead, so they totally disregard the direct costs, and merely aim to get in more money during a year than they pay out. Since the overhead or indirect charges in printing have risen to be larger than the direct time charges, it is a question in how far the railroad method of charging what one can get is justified. It would help business if the printers of each city and locality, and specialists who find themselves in competition, would maintain closer understandings as to the bases of their estimates. If a group of printers can agree that minimum costs of machine composition on the galley, are 50 cents for newspaper work, 60c for book work, and 70c for MS. copy wanted in a rush, and set to a style, plus 15 to 25 per cent, for make-up, and it is generally accepted that these represent minimum or cost, and that the printer shall add for extras, as well as for profit, then a fair basis is arrived at for making estimates which may be somewhere near uniform when they reach the cus- tomer. The education that counts for the most is that which teaches a printer to actually know his costs, and here the cost-finding blanks .help. Next comes the inculca- ting of the idea that average minimum prices must be fixed in a locality if anybody is going to make any profit. Finally the printer has to have the nerve to charge the right price, and the ability to get it out of the customer. In practice things will not work out as they should in theory. It is undoubtedly true that the Charles Francis 330 ESTIMATING AND PRICE-MAKING Press ought to make ten per cent, on all its type com- position. But it may as well be admitted that for years we have found ourselves obliged to do machine com- position very little above the actual cost to meet com- petition and keep the presses busy. Only by installing numerous new fast presses which were ahead of the machinery used by very many of our competitors has it been found possible to compete and make a profit. Taking display composition at so much a page is very much like buying stocks on a margin — you never can tell how you are going to come out until the end. Yet there is no middle course between the flat page price and charging the customer by the hour. Customers object to time charges ; they want to know in advance just what they are liable for, and therefore guessing at the average time appears an endless performance for the printer. By maintaining actual records in one's own shop, and using these for calculation in making new esti- mates, the printer has the best guide he can get. But if a job presents new features, the time is very apt to be underestimated. The workmen almost invariably un- derestimate the time a job will take, if put up to them as a query. The estimator should never forget that something is always happening to prevent jobs going through the shop smoothly. The average job may be said to present average delays of probably 15 per cent. It becomes possible to set a nearly average price on routine work that is done in the same way day after day. Yet while every job presents some routine fea- tures, most jobs also present individual problems that may or may not work out smoothly. 331 PRINTING FOR PROFIT A little print-shop talk will illustrate this: "Will those blanks be ready for Smith Tuesday?" "No, we couldn't match the stock and the jobber has sent to the mill for another lot." "How on earth did it come to take 47 'hours to run this lot of circulars?" "We had bad luck. The paper was flaky, and pulled off, and it was run in that hot moist week, when the rollers were all sticky. Then a corner broke off the electro, and we had to wait for a new one." "I hear Jones is kicking about his book. What's the matter?" "He claims he told us to set all the quotations solid, and they are set on leaded slugs, so the job won't make up into 64 pages as he thought, and he insists we should bear the cost of resetting to make it come in." Who among us has not met with hundreds of such experiences, and yet who places in his estimates any allowance for blunders, errors, misunderstandings and things that go wrong? J. Cliff Dando, of Philadelphia, in a trade paper, a few years ago, called attention to the fact that there were 41 items forming a part of the cost of a job of composition, and that the printer could not get away from any of them, yet the most of these items never appear in an estimate, and hence are apt to be over- looked. The trade has become accustomed to lump the small items together as "overhead" charges, and when business is very dull, and a printer really has got to have some work to keep busy the men whom he cannot afford to lay off, he is all too apt to drop off the over- head. And perhaps next day he will attend a meeting 332 ESTIMATING AND PRICE-MAKING of employing printers, and lament with them about the hard times and cut prices that rule, utterly oblivious to the fact that he and others like him are making times hard and prices unremunerative. The practice of taking such fillers is not confined to small printers who presumedly don't know. One of the largest and best-known printers in the country admit- ted in an open discussion that in very hard times he had taken work for a large web machine that should command $60 a day, at $30 and $35 a day. Here was a man who knew all about cost systems, had helped to develop them, contributing both of his time, advice and money, but when he gets a little pinched he takes the price he can get. He does the same thing as the little fellow who wants a job more than he wants to make money out of it. The purpose of all this rather pessimistic talk is to emphasize the fact that it is not altogether ignorance nor foolishness that causes so much undercutting. It is close competition, combined with the uncertainty of actual cost, that invites the printer to make low esti- mates. To obviate this tendency, it is well for all of us to bear a few fundamental facts in mind : The average hand compositor sets 550 ems an hour, not 1000. Somebody has got to distribute the type or pay for recasting. The average machine compositor in book and job of- fices sets less than 3000 ems an hour. Of course he can set 5000, but idle time and proofs must be reckoned with. 333 PRINTING FOR PROFIT The average job press delivers 600 impressions an hour, and not the 1500 an hour that the feeder will tell you he can do. The average cylinder press produces 575 sheets an hour, though it will stand a speed of 1800. The average man will take one-third more time than he thinks he will to do a given job. The average foreman will underestimate the time at least 25 per cent. To composition you must always add the cost of proving, handling, reading and correcting at least two sets of proofs, and often a third. To presswork you must add the costs of spoilage, breakages, ink, and a sinking fund to replace the ma- chine's cost. General expense or overhead is no longer one-half, but 120 to 150 per cent, of the direct costs of composi- tion and presswork. When you pay a linotyper or a pressman a dollar you need to get $2.50 from the customer if you are going to have 25 cents left for yourself. The printer who will keep the above things in mind will find it easier to resist the pressure to make low figures, for he will realize that he is losing money by accepting sophistry and neglecting hard, cold facts. And now we arrive at the crux of the whole matter : It is useless to estimate on so-called cheap work for it will always be done at about or below cost. The only way to make money in the printing business is to do work a little better, finish it a little more promptly, and make fewer blunders than others. Then you can charge the great public a little more than your 334 ESTIMATING AND PRICE-MAKING competitors, and they will stand for it because they like your work. Making an estimate in a hurry is a grave error. The customer who asks you to make figures on a $5,000 job during a half-hour talk at his desk either does not un- derstand how impossible it is for you to do it right in the time, or else he is hoping to trap you into error to have a low figure with which to pound down the price of another printer. The only safe rule is to make such estimates in the quiet of the private office, and have the figures checked before submitting. It is unwise to make a total price for a book" or cata- log without qualifying it according to the number of pages; or for a reprint from electros without specify- ing for corrections or remedying battered electros. An extra form on the former or a few broken electros of the latter might eat up all your profit margin. Do not close on a job until you see and examine the copy and drawings or cuts. A little difficult or intricate copy, or cuts costly to make-ready, may turn possible profit into loss. Color work is very deceptive even to those who have handled much of it. A very usual mistake is to esti- mate a three- or four-color job on a basis of running large forms, and then to find it impossible to make reg- ister except in small forms. Another common error is to gamble that a job will go through without slipsheet- ing, and then find it essential. More than one good printer has been caught in agreeing to match a sample of color work, and later finding that the effect is only to be had by running one color twice through the press. It is often impossible to match the colors on engraver's 335 PRINTING FOR PROFIT proofs, as when running a set of three-color plates in one form. We have been given work with instructions to match engraver's proofs, only to learn later that the engraver used an ink twice as stiff as could be used on a four- roller cylinder; even double rolling would not compen- sate for the difference. If offered a job that can be done economically only on a Harris or other special job press, do not try to figure it out for a cylinder. Either decline to estimate, or get a figure from the printer who has the right press. It is always questionable to figure on work you are not well equipped for handling, unless you run a shop that farms out most of its work. It is best not to estimate at all on small work. Tell the customer you will know the cost only when it is done, but that you will use him right as you want his trade. There are times when it is better not to estimate on large work. We have taken in several publications at the Charles Francis Press without estimate or a word being said as to price. In each instance the cus- tomers had had work done by us to a sufficient amount to familiarize them with our charges and service. They had confidence that we would be fair. And is not that all that any good customer desires? He asks your prices largely to know what his cost is to be; if he trusts you, he is willing to wait for the price until the job is finished, just as you are willing to wait for your pay until the job is printed, if you have confidence in him. Two men should be made responsible for every esti- mate, either working separately or one checking the 336 ESTIMATING AND PRICE-MAKING work of the other. This is the only safeguard against serious and costly blunders. It is well to have a simple method of checking your figures by a different sort of calculation from the primary one. For instance, after figuring the paper for a catalog, take a dummy and weigh it on an accurate scale, and multiply by the edi- tion and the pound price of the paper, and see if it tal- lies with your estimate. Thus you may avoid that oft- repeated error of halving or doubling the quantity of paper for the job. Check up and see if you have figured the right num- ber of forms, and whether the make-ready is charged for every form. Such things have happened as its being figured only on the first form. It is also easy to forget that paper has to be printed on both sides, and so get in only half the presswork. A prolific source of blunders in estimating comes from asking somebody over the phone for an offhand figure on some detail. About one time in four such communication is not fully understood and the wrong price results. Uniform specifications are important for correct es- timating. How else can you be sure that others are putting in the same paper or duplicating other details of your estimate, unless each item is framed in the same way? If all printers would use the same forms for estimates, and figure on the same principles, there would be less discrepancy in figures. The evil of being worked for estimates by business houses that only want your figures to check up some other fellow's is one continually met. Not infrequently the printer is induced to give up $5 or $10 or $25 worth of time to making a price on a job that is already 337 PRINTING FOR PROFIT printed, simply because the ostensible customer wants to know whether or not he has been overcharged, and he is not man enough to state his case and offer to pay for the advice. No way of meeting this evil has been sug- gested except to charge for estimates; this has never been found practicable. The same difficulty exists in other contracting trades. A reprehensible practice is to invite dummies for a tasteful job, and then turn over all the dummies sub- mitted to the successful bidder, for him to use any ideas he can. Dummies should be returned to the bid- der unless purchased from him ; they are the property of the bidder. Every careful printer will insist on the return of his dummies. 338 Service, Efficiency and Specialization IN these days we hear much of "Service" given with printing. Some of it is real, efficient service, and some of it simply travels under that name. The dictionary defines "Efficiency" as the quality of exercis- ing effective power; the possession of adequate skill or knowledge and its exercise in full measure ; the having of power and the using of it for results. Service is de- fined as work done for the benefit of another; the act of helping or promoting another's interests in any way. Efficient Service may be regarded as a combination of all these things, and it should be the aim of every print- er to furnish his customers with this sort of service. A more specific definition of Service, as called for in a printery of the first class, in 1917, is — Service consists in giving efficient attention to de- tails other than mere printing — in handling all the work in a plant with a trained force of men, opera- ting the latest machinery ; the delivery of all proofs in good style, and on time; handling everything with a margin or leeway great enough to cover ac- cidents, emergencies and additions; the supplying of experts for any contingent work the customer may desire, and the positive delivery of the entire job at the time and place specified, without any excuses whatsoever. No printer can give good service unless he special- izes on a few things requiring the same class of ma- chinery and workmen. Printing has become more and more a specialized business. The manufacture of drug 339 PRINTING FOR PROFIT labels was one of the earliest things to be specialized and taken out of the hands of the general printer; fruit-can labels followed ; then the entire label business was absorbed by specialists. Poster printing grew on the theatrical trade, and is carried on almost entirely by houses that do nothing else. A special press was designed for railway tickets at least fifty years ago, and the manufacture of time-tables involved so many intricacies that railway printers became established. Directory printing has also been specialized in the larger cities. City printing and political work at first went to newspapers, but has gradually worked into the hands of printing houses owned and run by men who are in politics, and know how to control the business. The magazine and periodical printer is a development of the last thirty years, and improvements in machin- ery have come so rapidly that it is now practically use- less for a house to enter this field without a large equip- ment of cylinder, web and rotary presses, color ma- chines and linotypes, besides batteries of folders and feeders, and many minor conveniences which have been found essential to economical production. The large catalog or big-edition printer is a mod- ern development. This line of work involves conveni- ences for making plates and printing long runs in black and colors. It may be combined with periodical print- ing, since it utilizes the same sort of machinery. The extra high-grade booklet and catalog work with expensive drawings, engravings and color inserts, and gorgeous covers, has been the basis of an increas- ing number of specialized printeries in the large cities during the past twenty-five years. They are closely in 340 SERVICE, EFFICIENCY AND SPECIALIZATION line with a class of smaller shops that originate and de- sign beautiful printing, but do not have all the facili- ties for the mechanical work or for printing long runs, and who are thus more expert overseers of fine work than executors of the same ; while the large high-class booklet and catalog shop aims to do everything in its own establishment. Books require a special class of machine composition with convenient access to a platemaker, presses adapted to both long and short runs, and good binding and storage equipment. They can no longer be made eco- nomically in any sort of printing office. The efficient book printer is ready at any time to produce 100,000 copies of a popular seller on short notice. The rush printer who handles almost anything that is in a hurry also has his place of usefulness among the specialty offices. He frequently prints newspapers of small circulation, sometimes even daily newspapers. The successful daily newspapers, however, almost in- variably own their own plants, their regularity of pro- duction enabling them to keep their men busy all the time. But, since daily newspaper pressroom equipment became so costly, it is not uncommon for some news- paper offices to do the composition and print other newspapers in the hours their expensive machinery would otherwise be idle. The private printing plant is distinctively of special character. It is profitable only to concerns having enough work to keep several machines busy all the time, and desirable for those whose work demands special training. It is usually a mistake, however, for a private plant, established to do the work of the own- 341 PRINTING FOR PROFIT ers, to engage in general commercial work, to fill in unoccupied time. Such plants rarely run more than a few years, and are then closed out at a loss. The con- cern that cannot keep a private printing plant busy with its own work should be without a plant. Sticking to one business at a time is the wise plan, rather than trying to go into allied work, unless con- ditions force you, from the viewpoint of service. The average publisher is better off to buy his printing be- cause he gets a better service from the printer who specializes in his class of work. And the average print- er is better off to buy his electrotyping, because the service is better from a large commercial electrotype foundry than he can hope to have in one of his own. But when better service demands adding an auxiliary business it becomes good policy, though requiring to be undertaken with care. For illustration : Years ago the Charles Francis Press found its binding service, pur- chased outside, was unsatisfactory. I therefore bought a small bindery and developed it as the Waverly Bind- ery. In the course of time it began to pay, and I then turned it into the printing company; had it not paid it never would have been amalgamated with the print- ing company. Thus the chances of its hampering or endangering the printing company were avoided. An increasing number of firms specialize on paper box wrappers and cartons, calendars, colored picture cards and art novelties; others in law printing and legal blanks ; others in stock certificates and outfits for new corporations ; in lithography or offset printing ; in loose leaf or blank book manufacture ; in street-car ad- vertising cards; in cheap circulars, folders and hand- 342 SERVICE, EFFICIENCY AND SPECIALIZATION bills; in wedding stationery, calling cards, and so on indefinitely. Even the little nickeled press one sees in windows of small stores, delivering a few hundred small cards at a low price, is a feature of specialization in printing. When it is remembered that printing in the United States has increased in value twenty times in fifty years, and that because of improved machinery it has increased in volume or quantity at least forty times, or four thousand per cent., it will be the more readily understood that it must differentiate more and more, and become split up into branches and specialties as the years go by. The well-informed customer learned some time ago that before placing any large orders it was well to look into the printer's plant, and see with his own eyes whether he had the equipment for handling to advantage the class of work involved. Of necessity the customer must now seek the class of printing office that specializes in his class of work ; otherwise he will be at a disadvantage. There are still thousands of printing offices that ad- vertise to do anything, using the old slogan — "No job too large or too small" — but such appear to have ceased to make any money. The do-anything-that-comes-along offices are essential in towns and small cities, and a few of them are local conveniences in large cities. But the printer who aims to have a real business, and to build up and thrive, requires to specialize on something, to train his help to do that class of work, and to secure the kind of machines that will handle his specialty to the best advantage. If I may be excused for offering advice to those printers who are not satisfied with the 343 PRINTING FOR PROFIT progress of their establishments, it is that the best way to make a printery pay is to look around for a specialty, find some branch of work that is not well taken care of, and go after it and do it, if possible, better than any one else in the vicinity. A Western printer wrote me asking advice on the matter of specializing in art printing and advertising, and looking up my file I find that I wrote him substan- tially as follows: 1. Change your name to something that describes your specialty, or let the statement Advertising and Art Printing immediately follow your name in all your announcements. 2. Since you have equipped for color printing, I would endeavor to open up arrangements with writers, artists and solicitors in art printing and advertising, and to educate the public to a higher class of printing, and making combinations of lithography with printing for color effects. 3. Do not lose sight of commercial printing while developing this art line, as you will probably need it to keep your force in action. 4. Get up some suggestions and dummies for one or two concerns that you think might be interested, and get them to give you the chance to make really fine jobs. Perhaps some high-class hotel or automobile manufacturer would be available. In your propositions include the writing, cuts, dummies, printing, binding, in fact a whole advertising campaign. This line of specialty is developing very fast in cities where there are growing factories, but requires special talent in both advertising and art printing. 344 SERVICE, EFFICIENCY AND SPECIALIZATION At various periods in my experience I have run shops devoted to miscellaneous work, anything that we could get, and I have specialized in drug labels, posters, sheet music, and periodicals and large catalogs. I could not handle much large work until I had a large plant, and in developing into the printing of large editions, it was obligatory to make some sacrifices. At times we had to throw out really good machines because we had not the work to keep them busy, and to get the work for them involved a departure from the line of special- izing that seemed most advantageous to the plant. Twice during the development of the Charles Francis Press it has been necessary to purchase between $70,- 000 and $100,000 worth of machinery practically at one time, but in each case we knew pretty nearly where the work was coming from to keep the presses busy, and so were able to clear off the debt before long. Had the plant been forced to depend on miscellaneous work, anything from a three-color job to a poster, I am con- fident it never could have been all paid for. But be- cause, as the plant grew, we specialized in magazines, long runs and color printing, and because we gave a service that held our customers, and because their businesses grew also, it has been possible to bring to- gether one of the larger plants of the metropolis, and in the face of strong competition, to make it pay for itself. Service seems to be the strongest factor in building up a magazine and periodical trade. The publishers not only require issue on certain dates, but certain hours, to catch certain mails. One of our publications for several years is finished regularly, according to con- 345 PRINTING FOR PROFIT tract, at 2 A. M. Not many years ago monthly publi- cations were thought to be "near enough" if they were issued within three or four days of the set date. Now the conditions of both mail routes and news companies demand regularity, and clockwork delivery. One magazine publisher tells me that he calculates they lose $1000 a day for every day they are late on the newsstands. It figures out this way: the reader who has been in the habit of picking his favorite magazine off a certain stand at a regular time, in his disappoint- ment at not having his regular reading supply fre- quently will look over the other magazines, choose one and never come back for his favorite. Thus every day's delay not only means sales lost, but business handed right over to competitors. A magazine with 100,000 newsstand sale might easily lose 15,000 sales by being three or four days late. In some cases, where magazines have large New York city circulations, the printer is called upon to de- liver the packages to many individual large stands, giving almost a news company service. Only by plac- ing the printing, binding, wrapping, mailing and de- livery all with the printer is it possible to get this clock- like service. A contractors' journal, containing the lat- est regular reports of building or other contracts, is of much reduced value if issued late. One daily publica- tion of this sort is delivered to the New York Post Offices absolutely at a set time every 24 hours, as each branch Post Office arranges to have it included in the first morning delivery. This necessity for service, this positivity of delivery with the regularity of mail trains and timepieces, is not 346 SERVICE, EFFICIENCY AND SPECIALIZATION confined to daily, weekly and monthly publications. Often political circulars or important business an- nouncements for direct mailing require to be in the mails on a set day and hour, or else they are robbed of half their value. The manufacturer's spring catalog that gets to the retailers ahead of others stands a bet- ter chance of being well read, and if it does not get there until his mind is made up on selections from other catalogs it has failed altogether. Every year a larger proportion of goods are seasonal — that is in demand according to the seasons. At first sight this would not seem to apply to machinery cata- logs; but when it is remembered that a majority of machines are used to manufacture things having a bearing on seasons, it is apparent that here too the seasonal demand holds good. Every printing office de- sires to instal its new presses during the dull summer season, so the time for printing press catalogs to be in the mail is early spring. The city hotel manager will not look at a catalog in December because he is too busy, and the summer hotel proprietor will not think of buying new supplies and furnishings before Feb- ruary or March. The more the catalog question is studied the more apparent becomes the importance of timing them to hit the possible customers when they are considering pur- chases. This is impossible unless the printer can be depended upon to push them through with machine- like regularity the moment he has the order to go ahead. This delivery of magazines and catalogs on set dates without falling down is exacting enough, but in 347 PRINTING FOR PROFIT connection with it comes the more trying demand that copy and cuts and advertisements be handled at the last possible minute. Only by building up a large force of workmen, all specialists, and establishing a thoroughly practical system, has it been possible to meet all these demands, and give entire satisfaction. It has been our constant effort to make efficiency and service synonymous. Each man's natural talents have been studied and utilized for certain sorts of work, until each was busied with the thing he could do best; then the endeavor was to keep them day in and day out — and often night after night — on the selfsame thing, un- til they acquired a degree of expertness not possible in shops where men do a greater variety of work. A man who locks up forms all day will do them twice as fast as an average printer, and with a certainty of accuracy not possible to the compositor who locks up only occa- sional forms. In my younger days when we were spe- cializing on posters, I remember one evening sending down nine forms — for three three-sheet posters, all for short runs, which were completed from start to finish in three hours, and representing the work of two men and a boy feeder. I did all the composition and lock-up and broke up the earlier forms to get the material for the later ones. In an average printery such a job would have taken twelve hours. By working on the same sort of thing over and over the best ways of handling each sort of work are devel- oped and used, and if it is possible to pick up new kinks from other offices we are prompt to make use of them, and just as ready to allow others to come in and study our methods for producing celerity and uniform speed. 348 SERVICE, EFFICIENCY AND SPECIALIZATION Only by such interchange of courtesies can improved methods be brought into general use. The supplying of service by a printing plant must be a development ; it cannot be accomplished at once by a new concern. It is of course possible to equip a new- plant for a special service, but a force of expert men to handle all details efficiently cannot be built up in a month. Time is required to find out where each man fits to the best advantage, and to familiarize him with the new environment. Some specialists can be hired ready-made, but most of them have to be developed right in the plant, and this means studying and utiliz- ing the natural ability that is in the shop, and leading each man to his best accomplishment. It can never be done by driving men; this is instinctively resented. Only by instilling in them the soundness of the princi- ple that the more each and all accomplish, the more is it possible for each to increase his own stipend ; only by developing the "one for all and all for one" feeling, can a crew of men be led to work harmoniously toward an end that yields the best results for everybody. One of the essentials to giving a satisfactory service is the thoughtful study of the customer's business, to learn just what each is trying to do, and just why he needs this and that at such times and places. When these things are well understood, work is apt to run smoothly. Lack of service often arises from ignorance of the customer's wants, or of the exact reason why it is important to him that a thing be done in a certain way at such a time; it is desirable that the thing in hand be looked at from the viewpoint of the customer if the product is to be satisfying. 349 PRINTING FOR PROFIT Here is an instance of slipshod methods: I have known a printer to charge a customer for fourteen hours' waiting time on a press, when if the waiting pressman had taken half a dozen slugs out of the form, and put on his coat and walked to the linotyper's to have them reset, all might have been moving along in an hour. This illustrates not only lack of harmony be- tween the composing room and the pressroom, but the impracticability of giving good service when the plant and accessories are not all under one roof. The printer who buys his composition from other's linotypes, may be delayed at every step of the work, and if he is also depending on an engraver in one place, an electrotyper in another, and a binder in another, it is obvious that he never can be sure of completing a job on time. The slowest of these several assistants in the allied trades determines the speed of the job. The Printing Crafts Building is a great aid to all the concerns within its commodious walls in the matter of service. With a hundred concerns in one structure, half of them printers of different sorts, besides engrav- ers, binders, electrotypers, specialty plants, etc., all un- der one roof, the ability of every firm in the building to give service is largely increased. It is likely that this bringing together of printers and allied trades will be more and more imitated in other cities, as the ad- vantages of the plan are manifest. Already there are a considerable number of structures where printers, binders and engravers or the like can be found in happy proximity, for the purpose of facilitating work. Nothing but ceaseless vigilance on the part of an entire printing house force keeps work moving rightly. 350 SERVICE, EFFICIENCY AND SPECIALIZATION Every man, boy and girl must be made to realize his or her responsibility for the work that passes through in- dividual hands. The proofreaders cannot keep every- thing right; they have troubles enough of their own. Accuracy in counting, accuracy in following instruc- tions, accuracy in making up and locking up, accuracy in handling revises, and in a thousand other things is essential to the final satisfactory result. If the stockman runs the wrong lot of paper to the press, if the pressman turns a cut in underlaying, if there are a few loose type in a form, if the uncorrected electro is used instead of the corrected one, if the wrong ink is put in the foun- tain, if the sheets are partially backed up wrong end to, if the time for delivery is overlooked, if any one of scores of similar things are allowed to occur, a large job may be as thoroughly damaged as if the office devil had put in all the corrected slugs without reading them and they had gone to press without revision. No trade offers more opportunities for errors or omissions than printing, and only a constant system of checks and revises, with unceasing watchfulness, and the development of the habit of looking for possible blunders, will prevent their occurrence. The job ticket was developed to insure each job's being done accord- ing to instructions in all details; but efficient service goes far beyond the mere mechanical job ticket's pos- sibilities, and thinks, for only by concentrating atten- tion on and having a genuine interest in the completion of work with entire satisfaction, can the highest serv- ice be attained. The printer who gives service cannot afford also to make the lowest price, and must expect often to lose 351 PRINTING FOR PROFIT work to lower bidders. But it is a source of joy at times to see one who has been wooed away by a lower price coming back and saying, "We are glad to get back with the printer upon whom we know we can depend at all times." When the customer tells you that he has requests for estimates every week from other sources and wastebaskets all of them, you know that you have succeeded in giving him what he wants, and that he recognizes that work and service must be bought to- gether, and that the man who makes the lowest bid never can afford to give with the work the service the customer would like to have. Good printers are common, but deliverers of good service are scarce, and as the exigencies of business in- crease, the demands on the publisher and consequently the printer are greater each year, and the publisher who finds that he can lean on a printer, and receive cor- dial and intelligent support when he most needs it, will not lightly discard the business ties that chain him to that printery. Brains — ideas — initiative — are the three best-paid products of the publisher and printer in the field to- day. Just mere mechanical perfection is a competitive proposition, and goes for the best price obtainable. When you add all these together in one establishment you can count on — results. 352 Reciprocity THE printing trade has been carried forward on competing principles for many years, and there is yet existent far more idea of competition than there is of the newer and wiser principle of reciprocity. Some call it cooperation. It matters not what name we give it, so long as the thing is understood and acted upon. Civilization and business evolute and develop much as men, continents and worlds progress ; they must pass through lower stages to reach the higher. Competition is an early or lower stage of business, comparable to the tribal civilization that preceded organized govern- ment. The tribes learned that they were stronger when they cooperated, and gradually there grew up imperial states. Later these states became allied, and next we find federations and groups of allied nations. Thus have the ideas of cooperation and reciprocity grown in the history of peoples. And so it is in the printing industry. The unions of workers brought together the master printers, and now we find numerous associations which the printer is asked to join, for the sake of cooperating with his fel- low-printers along some line of mutual interest. Lat- terly there appears a tendency of the associations to amalgamation, and the era of recognized reciprocity dawns. Those who get into these movements first, and who are most willing to give of their time and effort to developing benefits for the trade as a whole, are the first to profit by reciprocity or cooperation, but we have 353 PRINTING FOR PROFIT still a very long way to go, as the idea is only in its infancy. Printing is becoming more and more a specialized business, and as various plants develop on their individ- ual lines, seeking only one or two classes of work, they find themselves continually obliged to pass by orders for other sorts of printing. Here is the opportunity for increased reciprocity. Let the magazine printer send the customer for colored labels to a specialty house; and the book printer forward inquiries for booklets to a booklet house, and let the stationer refer the news- paper job to a newspaper printer, and so on around the circle of specialties. This idea is already well un- der operation in the Printing Crafts Building, where some scores of various sorts of printers and allied trades operate under one roof. Gradually it comes to be understood that by this method any printer who is well thought of gets the sort of trade he wants and is best fitted to do, and each has sent to him as much trade as he sends away. This is real reciprocity. The Rotary Clubs have developed reciprocity between concerns in different trades and businesses, and have made a practical success in most large cities. In their organization, the tailor boosts the restaurant, the pho- tographer, the plumber, the printer, the electrician, the insurance man, etc., and all boost the others in re- turn, all around the circle of two or three hundred trades and professions. Each Rotarian gets trade by giving trade; there ought to be more of them. With twenty-five kinds of specialization among the printers the same sort of exchange trade becomes practicable, and is already exercised to a considerable extent. 354 RECIPROCITY Ever since the Charles Francis Press developed into a magazine and catalogue, color-printing, and long-run house, we have systematically turned away small work, and directed inquiries to neighboring platen press and stationery printers. In turn these offices have sent many long runs to us. We found this better and sim- pler than trying to extract commissions from work sent to others. This is not intended as a reflection on those who accept such commissions, or who take orders for printing and farm them out. The house that takes or- ders for almost any sort of printing, engraving and binding, handles the detail, adds advertising value, and places the work where it can be handled most economi- cally and efficiently, has its proper place in the trade. Such are properly jobbers in printing, and earn their commissions by placing their knowledge of conditions at the disposal of the customer. The time will come when a really great big organizer will appear in the American printing trade, of the sort advocated by Mr. Stillson in another chapter — a $50,- 000 a year man, who will find his vocation in develop- ing this reciprocity to the limit. No more attractive field awaits the potential captain of industry who has the requisite talent. Such a man might first take the two great printing centers of New York and Chicago, and the tributary territory, and classify the large plants according to the character of their machinery, facilities and output. He could then work out a plan for dis- tributing the large work of the country to the best ad- vantage for all concerned, reducing costs and produc- ing at the best centers for mailing. It could be made so apparent to all that there was more money in reci- 355 PRINTING FOR PROFIT procity than in competition that they would fall into line. Under present conditions the printing trade is some- times worked by clever men to its own hurt. A typi- cal case is that of a large manufacturer who bought quantities of printing requiring certain machinery for its economical production. It was all given to one con- cern, with very cordial treatment, so the printer most cheerfully spent perhaps $50,000 to $75,000 fitting up to handle this work. He was treated so handsomely, that he felt he had the customer cinched, and that the rosy path of prosperity was his for good. Then the manufacturer began feeding part of the work to an- other house, and finally gave the second house so much that they also equipped with the special machinery. Then he played these two houses against each other for lower prices. They cut for a time, and then got to- gether and stiffened the rate. Thereupon Mr. Manu- facturer proceeds to encourage another printer to get in on his work, and at last accounts he had four print- ing plants, which he had induced to fit up with machin- ery adapted especially for his work, and he could give the lot only about 30 per cent, of their capacity. Thus the four are scrambling and competing for the work, and just managing to meet their notes, with no possi- bility of any of them coming out of the transaction with a profit, although between them they have invested a quarter of a million dollars for machinery for this one concern's work. This is but one of many similar instances of over- equipment that might be checked if there were reci- procity between the large printing houses, so that in- 356 RECIPROCITY stead of buying machinery for every new job, they looked for a competitor with idle time for some of his machinery. That is real reciprocity, which pays all parties. A man like the late A. W. Green, who brought some 200 cracker bakeries into unison as the National Bis- cuit Company, would work wonders in the printing trade. Some day such a man will appear in printer- dom; he may even now be growing to fit the job, and create a practicable, legal and remunerative reciprocity system, good for the public as well as the printers con- cerned. In the meantime those who understand the principle of reciprocity, which is very different from "trustizing" or cornering a large industry, can utilize it within their own circle. Reciprocity must in all cases commence by giving. The man who tries to work up reciprocal trade rela- tions by having others give him trade on the strength of airy promises as to what he is going to do for them will gain experience but not business. The American trader is too much on the alert and too shrewd to be fooled or worked in that fashion. There must be giv- ing of trade before there can be any receiving worth mentioning. The printer who sincerely and systemati- cally distributes trade among a circle of specialists, sending linotype composition to one, presswork to an- other, color work and lithography to others, thus "cast- ing bread upon the waters," will find his own sort of work coming back to him after a time, as a result of the reciprocation of those he has favored. It is a result oi the Law of Compensation, which is as operative in business as in ethics. 3S7 PRINTING FOR PROFIT What a man sows that he reaps, and the fellow who sows trickery and plays sharp games on his competi- tors has to defend himself against the same kind of treachery; while the fellow who tries to help his fel- low printers gets it back in the same coin. If you want composition in your office, start sending presswork to Mr. A., who has a large pressroom and only one lino- type, and you will soon find him sending you orders for composition. By extending this practice among your personal friends in the trade, you open the way for larger reciprocation through the associations. Why should not every employing printers' association be a clearing house for work in its community? Nothing but the lack of reciprocity prevents it today. It will come, and awaits only increased faith and sincerity be- tween the houses in the trade. They must learn to have confidence in each other, just as the banks have con- fidence in those to whom they make loans. During recent hard times it was stated that fifty per cent, of the printing machinery in the large cities was idle ; yet the purchase of printing machinery went on at perhaps sixty per cent, of the normal rate. With proper reciprocity this would have been impossible. The few concerns with surplus work would have farmed out their orders to the concerns where machinery was standing idle, and the press-building and typesetting machinery companies would have had to stand idle un- til machines wore out or production caught up. This may not sound very cheerful to the machinery people, who have done so much to advance the art of printing, but it would have been sound sense for the printers, whose business it is to look after their own trade first, 358 RECIPROCITY and not after the printing machinery trade, which is sure to prosper anyway as printing prospers, and which ultimately must receive its share of any printing pros- perity. While such a policy would invite a slack period for the machinery manufacturers, yet when the trade did come, it would be much more desirable, and able to pay cash for its wants. Has it been made clear that systematic voluntary distribution of printing where it can best be handled is the fundamental idea back of reciprocity, on which it rests for its success? Any policy that makes for the good of all concerned must come in time, though it may be retarded by individual selfishness. The thing that most delays reciprocity between em- ploying printers is that so many still regard other men in the business as "competitors," and hence natur- al enemies. So many promptly knife competitors be- cause they believe the others would knife them if they had the chance. This attitude partakes of business barbarism. It must sooner or later yield to the saner notion that people in the same business have a part- nership relation, which can be worked out advantage- ously for all, through principles of reciprocity. It pays quite as much to be fair, and frank and friendly with competitors, as it does with customers. We all need the friendship of others and especially the printers in our localities, and the only way to get it is to give our best to them. To assist reciprocity it is advisable to speak well of your fellow printers to your customers and to the trade. The harsh word is all too easily carried back to the other printer, hurting the utterer more than any one 359 PRINTING FOR PROFIT else. Thus ill feeling is engendered, defeating oppor- tunities for reciprocal trade. If you want a good workman employed by a competi- tor, when such a man applies to you for a place, it is better to call your competitor on the phone, and say, "Your man Jones has applied to me for a job as make- up. I need him, and would be glad to hire him, but I don't want to cripple you. Can you spare him ?" Consideration like this will bring your competitor into a frame of mind to want to help you, and to re- frain from injuring you. Such incidents make for real friendly reciprocity. There is just as much need for reciprocity between employers and employees as between competitors. We have a foretaste of what such reciprocity means in the workings of the Printers' League. There must be ad- vance in such reciprocal feeling as one develops the idea that the workmen are partners in the business. It is unquestionably true that they are, and that they are entitled to a fair share of results. They should not go after their share with a club; they should not be squeezed so that they desire to go into clubbing tactics. We must recognize that America is a country of in- telligent industry, that the workingmen make business quite as much as the employers, that they know their rights and are organized with a view to getting them. They have shown a spirit of fair play, and should be met in the spirit of reciprocity. The time has come when large printing houses — like other factories — should share the profits with the wage-earners, by some reasonable system of giving back surpluses. Henry Ford, of course, furnishes the finest example of the re- 360 RECIPROCITY suits of such a policy. By such a course every man be- comes interested to make more for the concern, and profits are easily double what they would be without some understanding that the men are to be directly recognized when the year's balance is found favorable. The above is neither a sermon nor a pipe-dream, but a plain common-sense statement of the future trend of the printing business in America under an enlightened policy of reciprocity with all. In my own way I have tried to retain the good will of all my employees, and to make them friends and partners ; and in a similar spirit have worked in the employers' associations for concilia- tion, harmony and reciprocity. I never knowingly in- jured a competitor. If any feels that he has been hurt, let him come to me and state his case, and if he can show me error against him he will receive apology and reparation. If I have sometimes expressed myself forcibly in association gatherings it has not been with intent to browbeat or batter down opposition, but sim- ply because of an earnest conviction that some good end demanded plain speech. We all want the friendship of every competitor, and every employee, and every customer ; being human, we at times probably offend some, but I take this oppor- tunity of expressing my strong desire to carry out the principles of friendly reciprocity with all, and my will- ingness to let the other fellow have half the say in all matters demanding consultation. 361 Ethical Problems of the Printer A LL men recognize that good ethics, good man- Am ners and a kindly thoughtfulness for others are A. ^essential if home life is to be harmonious and satisfactory, but many there are who fail to practice in business the ethics they uphold in the home and in social life. Bad ethics are as certain to create dislike, confusion and disaster in business relations as anywhere else. No one can afford to lower his standard of right or wrong just because it is a matter of trade. The busi- ness that lasts must be based on honor. Mistakes there will be, for all of us are human, but when the customer begins to feel that he is used unfairly he is as good as lost. There are many customers of this day who think it a part of their program to scold the printer at regular intervals, who never have a good word for him, or who, if they are pleased with any work are careful not to let any one else know that they could say a good word for the printer. Again there are customers who fully appreciate the efforts that the man of types puts forth in their behalf, and the best of these are the periodical makers who bring in their advertisements several days after the schedule laid out, and who must publish on the schedule date. Many of these could be quoted show- ing that they realize the printer is just as anxious as the publisher to get all the money possible into the pub- lication, as it has its retroactive effect whenever the pub- lisher fails to obtain the money he can in his journal. 362 ETHICAL PROBLEMS OF THE PRINTER This brings to mind our great boast of "independ- ence" in this country and yet how very dependent we are, one on the other, all through life and even after, until we are laid comfortably away for good. A story of an independent man comes to mind, the one and only man who really is independent, being placed on a desert island without clothes or food, and even he has to depend upon the soil, the water and the animals to maintain life. So we are dependent upon our custom- ers, and also upon our employees, and upon our supply and paper men for a combination to bring food for our families, and our customers are again dependent upon the consumer of their product, upon the advertiser and the subscriber, the purchaser of the wares offered for sale through the various mediums, whether they be cir- culars, letters, publications or other means of reaching those to whom they wish to sell. In order that the best of harmony may prevail be- tween all parties, and especially the consumer of our products, the printer must be very careful to follow out instructions given as to time and quality, to please the customer's customer, for that is where the publisher gets the "wherewith" to relieve our necessities. Our lack of uniformity in prices for printing is one of the fatal errors of our business, and is just as fatal to our customer as to ourselves. If Tom Jones can get his journal published for $1,000 an issue and his co- temporary has to pay $1,500 for the same service, the cotemporary cannot make the same amount of profit unless he charges 50 per cent, more for his advertising and subscriptions, and Tom Jones may wake up some fine morning and find that instead of his journal ap- 363 PRINTING FOR PROFIT pearing as it has done for many years promptly, the sheriff has visited the cheap print shop, and Tom Jones' publication is "tied up" good and hard. Now, we have laws in restraint of trade which may be good sometimes, but how often the law seems to react upon itself and send many foolish competitors to the wall ! We also have Cost Congresses filled with enthusiasm from all parts of the country, and the delegate returns home with the determination to raise his prices, which have been altogether too low, as shown by the Cost Con- gress, but the first time he comes before one of his cus- tomers and begins to talk the matter over, and tries to convince him that he has been losing money for a long time on his work, the customer tells him con- fidentially that one of his confreres down the street has offered to do the work for 15 per cent, less than he is now paying for it ! And the Cost Congress fades into oblivion, and the printer crawls into his shell, glad to know that the work was not taken away for his imprudence in asking for a fair price. The reputation of a printer in promising delivery of work has so depreciated in the scale that he is proverbi- ally known as a "liar," but the customer, when he gives the printer some "inside information" in regard to what the competitor will do his work for, is noted for his "veracity." There may possibly be a little devia- tion, by accident of course, in the specifications, but his veracity cannot be questioned. There is one thing that appears to me as being very pertinent to the ethics of the printer and his customer, and which constitutes a reason why the printer should 364 ETHICAL PROBLEMS OF THE PRINTER have a greater ratio of profit than in any other busi- ness, and it is this : If a customer orders printing and for any reason refuses to either receive or pay for it, it is a total loss to the printer, more so than in any other business. If it were a loaf of bread, a house, a suit of clothes, a boat, or any other merchandise, it could be sold for some reasonable price, but the printer's product is worth next to nothing and the loss is com- plete. Another reason is that the liability to error is greater than in any other line of business. These are good reasons for a greater margin of profit than in any other business in order to offset these risks, but what are the facts? In actual every-day practice, the printer is obliged, by the lack of cooperation, truthfulness, fair dealing, and combination with his fellows, to scratch along with a very meagre profit, and is always making an effort to fill up his plant and keep his machinery going, be- cause it is expensive if idle, and is always living in fear of the other fellow — and the results are easy to see. The frequent change in establishments of executives and proprietors, and the many that go under the ham- mer or pay no dividend whatever tell the story of profits that never materialized. Where lies the secret of success? One word prop- erly applied would change the whole situation, and that word is "confidence," and then cooperation. The divi- sion of the employers' associations of the country, and their unusually short life, shows the lack of confidence and cooperation with one another. Further elucida- tion of the idea of cooperation will be found in the chapter entitled "Reciprocity." 365 PRINTING FOR PROFIT Where lies the secret of success with our employees ? Confidence in the fact that without cooperation, one with the other, we employers would deal to them the disastrous consequences we have brought on ourselves by this lack of confidence and cooperation. The remedy lies in a combination of all forces for mutual advancement. In order to make it possible for prices to have some stability and basis it is necessary to begin cooperation with our employees, and our mate- rial and paper men, and then with our customers, for it stands to reason that if the customer knew he had to pay a definite price for his printing, as he does for his bread and clothes, he would pay it, and would be able to make his charges accordingly. Under existing conditions the customer is too often burdened by having to pay for the expense of main- taining a large force of salesmen for the printing office, and a successful salesman is a high-priced luxury, and this non-producer eats up the profits if there are any in the business. Owing to the conditions set forth, the work of obtain- ing a clientele is beset by many difficulties, and every printer has to work out his own salvation. The Charles Francis Press has adopted the plan of making satisfied customers, and in this we have the cooperation of our employees, for they understand that their personal welfare is at stake whenever a customer is not given just what he wants and when he wants it. We avoid padding bills for profit, and do our best to prevent the wasting of the customer's investment. By the adoption of these means we have many cus- tomers who have involuntarily become solicitors for the 366 ETHICAL PROBLEMS OF THE PRINTER house, and the non-producing salesman has been re- duced to a minimum. The duties of the salesmen we have are largely to see that the interest of the customer in our institution does not wane, and that some little matter is not allowed to rankle in his breast until it becomes a mountain. We make it a rule to treat the employees of our customers with courtesy and respect, according to them — as representatives of the customer — the same treatment as if he personally were present. Our employees are proverbial for doing everything in their power to make and keep a satisfied customer, and without their cooperation our efforts would be vain. I wish we could say the same of our fellow- employers — in some instances we can even to a great extent, but the lack of cooperation with fellow-em- ployers is disastrous in its effects. It must be admitted that the great majority of em- ployers are too narrow; they sit in their offices and groan under their burdens and complain of the injustice of human nature, and think their competitors are hide- ous and frightful specters, when if they would step out and join hands for the betterment of the business, by confidence and cooperation, their minds would be broad- ened and their businesses strengthened by cooperation with all parties with whom they have business dealings. Printers' cost congresses are all right and printers' boards of trade are all right, and printers' consulta- tions and cooperation with their employees and others for mutual benefit are all right, but we must have "con- fidence" in one another, and so conduct our business, both toward our customer and competitor, that both will have "confidence" in us. 367 PRINTING FOR PROFIT "Confidence" must begin at home and be of our own making, by our own application of the principles of fair dealing always and with all people. "Confidence" in one another earned by fair dealing, is the solution of all questions of ethics between the printer and his cus- tomer. Misrepresentation is a boomerang. The printer who deceives his customers has only himself to blame when they desert him. We all know printers, capable of good work and possessed of many excellent qualities, who seem unable to understand that nothing is gained when they secure a job by misrepresentation. Take the all- too-common practice of underestimating on a job and then overcharging on extras and corrections to get back the fair cost and a profit. There are many who defend this method as being forced on them by the customers who are hammering them for prices at cost and below cost, and who declare this the only way to get even with them. Such printers usually consider it quite honest, because they say they give value for what they produce. This may be true, but it does not excuse the mis- representation, which involves evils apparent on an- alysis. In the first place the practice of cutting the estimate price is not fair to the printer himself nor to his competitors. It misleads the public as to the costs of printing, and makes many customers unwilling to pay a fair price, because they are led to believe costs are much less than they really are. Next, the practice tends to create actual dishonesty, for one lie always begets another. In making up the difference on extras, false or extravagant charges have to be put on the 368 ETHICAL PROBLEMS OF THE PRINTER books, leading the employees to set down the proprietor as tricky or as a rogue, and educating and training them to improper methods, which they are likely to use later to his disadvantage. One deception in the first instance, regarded as harmless, brings on another, until the practice becomes surrounded with lies and subterfuge, and everybody in the office learns that it is the custom to double up the time in charging extras to customers. False entries and forged time-slips are apt to follow in this chain of error. Such an employer would never dare prosecute his bookkeeper if he caught him stealing; and thus the whole shop is demoralized and placed on a corrupt basis. Another bad result of this dishonest practice is that the printer who follows it soon finds his shop filled with cheap work, and discovers also that he is in continual dispute with his customers over minor items. How much happier is the condition of the printer who makes an honest price at the start, leaving a suf- ficient margin of profit to give a good service with good printing! He gets the cream of the custom, the people who have learned that it pays to buy the best, and thus receive the best product. And he keeps friends with his customers, while everybody is satisfied. Other sorts of misrepresentation are apt to result in similar difficulties. A story comes to mind of a printer who made a monthly magazine, and collected every month for the making of electrotypes of the pages. On the second month the customer was informed that a day could be saved on that occasion by omitting the electrotyping, and verbal permission was secured to 369 PRINTING FOR PROFIT print from the linotype slugs and type forms for that issue. The printer continued to omit making the plates, though collecting for them in every monthly bill. At the end of a year's contract, the magazine was taken away, and the customer called for his electro- plates. He got them for one issue only, and was told that the others were omitted by verbal arrangement. When he demanded back the cost of unmade electros, he was told that the cost was offset by the wear and tear on the type used to print from. As the forms were mostly linotype slugs, this wear probably was less than a tenth the cost of the missing electros. Result : One lawsuit which the printer won on a technicality after spending in legal fees all he had skinned the customer out of in electrotype charges. Why some printers think that it pays to keep on doing such things,, and destroying their reputations, is beyond me to understand. Human nature is weak, and tempta- tions are many, and unfortunately customers play so many tricks on printers that many come to think it all a game in which the cleverest trickster wins out. A sample of the way some customers do is found in the method of a former well-known department store. They sent out memoranda for estimates of all their printing, always inviting figures from ten printers. If one printer was considerably below the others, he got the job. If the ten figures were fairly uniform, the request for estimate was sent to ten others, in the hope of catching some fellow who would make an error, and figure below cost. Thus for several years they secured nearly all their printing at less than actual cost. It* is not important to analyze the processes by which 370 ETHICAL PROBLEMS OF THE PRINTER such methods disintegrated the department store, but it is sufficient to remark that in time the place was closed up. A business involving so much detail as printing also presents unusual opportunities for playing tricks on customers, on competitors, and between employers and employees. Tricks are essentially deceitful, and lower the standard of morality of the house that permits them. There is but one right way to do business — to keep back nothing from the other fellow that he is pay- ing for and has a right to know. We so easily recognize trickiness and shiftiness in others, and so commonly see through their shams and hypocrisies, that it becomes a matter of real wonder why men of even moderate pre- tensions to brains and good management should con- tinue year after year to play the same old tricks on the people they buy from and sell to. Without stopping to comment on the error and wrong of all dealings that are not straightforward — for this is not a book on morals — is it not surprising that plain common-sense does not force the average man to be thoroughly honest and aboveboard in all his transac- tions ? Every man feels insulted if called a liar, yet it does seem as if fully half of the business people we meet cannot be trusted to tell the whole truth about their goods, or to avoid the small tricks peculiar to their trade. I recollect a printers' discussion as to time charges, in which the majority of those present ad- mitted that they habitually estimated part of the time that went on their bills, certainly a dangerous practice ; and in which one man said frankly that his hour prices 371 PRINTING FOR PROFIT varied according to the demands of the customers — if they insisted on getting corrections, etc., at 60 cents an hour, he billed them that way. "But," he added with a smile, "I see to it that I lose nothing on corrections." This was generally regarded as a good joke. It is the slipping into these questionable practices that weakens consciences until downright robbery is condoned. So the only straight path is to be strictly ethical, and not allow oneself to be deluded into doing anything that will not bear the light of publicity. We have all heard people say that one has to do this and that in our trade ; that there is no choice. It is the old story of putting the good side of the melon out and keeping the bad side out of sight. One sale is made and two sales lost. To all those who struggle with ethical problems in their business, and seek light on better methods, I recommend a study of the principles of the Associated Advertising Clubs of the World. Here is an entire profession prospering on honor as it never prospered on duplicity. There simply is no business in which it pays to do unethical things. 372 Customs of the Trade THERE are three kinds of law to be considered in trade dealings : the law of the state or nation, trade custom, and the unwritten law of human fairness and good will. The latter is often the more important. The good will and friendship of customers is the best asset a printer can have. There have grown up with the printing industry in America certain cus- toms which have become recognized laws in the trade. While these are not matters of statutory or legislative enactment, they are often legally binding, because in civil suits it is customary for courts to enquire what is the custom of the trade, and when this is established, action in accord therewith is apt to be supported by judge or jury. Some of these customs are so old, or so generally established in other lines of trade, as not to require any discussion here. For instance, no one will now dispute that a customer for printing should furnish his own copy in writing, and that it should be legible, and that if his copy is "blind" or illiterate the printer is not responsible except to reproduce it to the best of his ability. But there are numerous customs, not so well known or established, which it seems well to emphasize here. In the matter of orders, written instructions should be asked for, and if the customer does not provide them, an acceptance blank should be used, as indicated in the chapter " Taking Orders and Holding Customers." (See p. 186.) Verbal orders and instructions by tele- 373 PRINTING FOR PROFIT phone make for uncertainty, and are dangerous to the interests of both parties, unless supported by written statement, which can be accomplished through such a blank. The object sought is not a basis by which to win a suit, but a means of preventing misunderstandings, loss and disagreement. A customer canceling an order that has been entered is liable for all expense and trouble incurred to that time. The printer has a right — nay, it is his duty to himself — to figure in both direct and indirect expenses such a customer has made, for he is releasing him from a contract for his convenience and to the printer's detriment. Many printers in figuring such expense forget their overhead costs. The time of their office force is quite as definite a cost as composing room time or paper ordered. One of the most common expenses of a canceled contract is the placing of an order for paper with a mill. Rarely can the printer stop the mill without expense. If the paper has not come in it may be possible to get the mill or some jobber to hold it, and take it off your hands at a discount. But so many thousand sheets of paper, bought for a special purpose, are never worth as much for some other pur- pose. Only those who have handled this sort of thing realize how much time and trouble and loss is usually involved. The care of customers' property entails many points regarding which differences may arise. It should always be understood that the printer does not insure any paper, electros, engravings, manuscripts, drawings, etc., which the customer places in his custody, and that he is not liable for fire or water damage, nor for loss by 374 CUSTOMS OF THE TRADE burglary. He agrees only to give such property reason- able care for a brief time. He does not maintain a storage warehouse, either gratis or for pay. The laws regarding storage warehouses in New York, and pre- sumably most other large cities, make it impracticable for the printer to contract to store or take pay for storage of customer's property. If he does, he is likely to find that he is running a storage warehouse contrary to law, and therefore liable to local fines, and perhaps in case of fire liable for the destruction of his cus- tomer's goods. Not being paid for such risks, and not having the fireproof compartments of a storage ware- house, the printer cannot afford to take such chances. Since the printer is virtually obliged to handle cus- tomer's property to a greater or less extent, without specific charge for storage or handling, it seems best to estimate such as a part of general expense, in making prices for work, so that the overhead expense involved may not be lost. In making contracts for large work, where the cus- tomer supplies his own paper or other property, it should be made very clear that he is to supply his own fire insurance, and that the printer is only responsible to the extent of reasonable care against waste and spoilage. In the matter of handling customers' paper, various publications and associations in the trade have at times argued and specified that ten per cent, should be added to the cost of paper for handling, but. this is a custom frequently "honored in the breach," because the publisher or other customer objects to a specific charge, which he is not in the habit of seeing on his bills. 375 PRINTING FOR PROFIT It is also apparent that in many instances ten per cent, is far too high a charge, and sometimes it is too little. If the printer has to send a young man down to a paper jobber's to buy a dollar's worth of paper for a special small job, it may well cost him half a dollar, or 50 per cent. ; but in the case of a weekly publication involving running $1,000 worth of paper through the presses, it certainly is not worth $100 to handle this paper, which perhaps does not lie in the place more than a few days. Ten per cent, is probably a fair average price for handling paper in a small or general job office, but when it comes to long runs of large work the paper is often — nay, usually — worth as much or more than the printing charge, and to claim ten per cent, for handling, would be to make 20 per cent, out of such printing instead of 10 per cent., the figure commonly aimed at, but not always attained. The labor cost of handling paper in the Charles Francis Press, where the runs are mostly long, is four and 13/100ths cents per 100 lbs. This cost has no rela- tion to the value of the paper. It costs not a cent more to handle a hundred pounds of 15-cent paper than 4- cent paper, there being no insurance. Under such con- ditions a fair charge for handling is about l/10th of a cent a pound, and is best taken care of in the price fixed for presswork. In the case of used electros and cuts, left with the printer without specific instructions, the custom is that after a reasonable time the printer is justified in junk- ing them, and accepting the junk-man's payment to cover his own cost in holding and handling them. What 376 CUSTOMS OF THE TRADE a "reasonable time" is may vary with circumstances. We often destroy electros of monthly publications with- in 90 days, being certain there will be no reprinting after that length of time ; but in miscellaneous work we hold electros six or eight months, and often a year or more. It depends on the nature of the work. In the absence of any specific agreement no printer ought to be held to produce an electro or engraving more than one year. The same applies in a greater degree to original copy for jobs of printing. These are rarely called for at all, and as their accumulation increases fire risk, they are seldom held longer than six months. There is no need of holding weekly publication copy more than a month, or monthly publication copy over 60 days. However, for his own protection, the printer should hold copy and proofs until all the bills connected with a job have been paid or canceled. It has long been customary for printers to place on their letter-heads, contracts, and other appropriate printings, these words : "All agreements are made and all orders accepted contingent upon strikes, fires, acci- dents, unusual market conditions or causes beyond printer's control." This has been found useful in case of disputed responsibility for loss. It might be well to include in the above clause the phrase "contingent on general customs of the trade." Some printers and binders have gone so far as to print a long list of customs and rules on the back of their letter-heads, and to include in these various stipu- lations which if carried out would make settlements wholly in the favor of the firm using same. A very little 377 PRINTING FOR PROFIT knowledge of law should satisfy any one that this is neither good law, good sense nor common fairness. No customer should be held for what is not commonly ac- cepted trade custom, except by specific agreement, and he cannot be held for small print on the back of corres- pondence which he has not assented to nor signed, and probably never read. A binder has been known to bind up thousands of book sheets belonging to the customer of a customer- publisher, in excess of the written binding order, and then to threaten the publisher with suit for such non- ordered binding because six months before they had written the publisher a letter on the back of which was a printed clause specifying that they reserved the right to bind up all sheets coming into their place at their convenience regardless of the order. They did not col- lect the bill, though they did receive an amount suffi- cient to cover the handling and storage of the sheets the binding of which was not ordered nor desired. The proper place for all such stipulations that are to be a part of contracts is in the contracts themselves, above the signatures of the parties; then it is under- stood and binding on both parties. The small-type-on- the-back method of foisting restricting clauses into contracts has been thoroughly tried out by insurance companies and generally squelched by the courts. It is essentially dishonest, and does not pay. Since the printer's truckmen, stockmen and others in his employ are frequently called upon to receipt for goods which they cannot count or accurately determine, the printer is responsible only for the incoming number of bundles, packages, etc., signed for, unless there is 378 CUSTOMS OF THE TRADE special agreement with the customer providing for a full count or weighing and examining at his expense. It is regrettable to feel obliged to say that it is a cus- tom with some printers to give short count, and to hide it by delivering first bundles of full count, and later bundles of short count. The customer may count the first package, and measure or weigh one or two more, and thereafter is apt to receipt for the bundles without close examination, hence he does not discover the short- age until a considerable time afterward, or perhaps not at all. If he becomes convinced of it, and resists paying a part of the bill, he makes a poor showing in defense of a suit, because he has given receipts, and the goods have been handled by various of his employees, and he has to admit that he accepted the goods and used them. The only defense of a customer against such is to count all the work as it comes in, and ever thereafter steer clear of printers of tricky reputations. In using customer's paper there is often a difference as to waste involved. There can be no hard and fixed rule for a percentage of waste that is permissible, be- cause it is always a varying quantity. The customer who purchases 103,000 sheets for a run of 100,000 thinks he has furnished plenty, and at times we put through such runs with as little as two per cent, waste. But the waste simply will run higher at times, because so many uncertainties enter into the problem. The paper may be flaky and hard to handle, or there may be undiscovered short count in it; there may be difficulty with the ink ; a little sharp sand may get on a fine cut, and spoil several hundred sheets before the damage is discovered and the press stopped to replace the cut; 379 PRINTING FOR PROFIT and there are a score of similar things in the nature of accidents that make for waste. So the risk of large waste is always with the customer who furnishes his own paper; it adheres to the job, and should be paid by him, except in cases of gross carelessness in the print- ery, when the printer should lose it. When it comes to color runs, say of four impressions, the waste normally runs up to 12y 2 per cent., though very few customers seem to be able to understand why they should pay for such excess of paper. It is well to have records of spoilage to show customers how other work runs, and thus educate them to accepting unavoid- able conditions. The situation would be helped if the paper maker would only supply 510 or 520 sheets to the ream instead of the unreasonable old custom of 480 to the ream, which is a long-perpetuated nuisance. This is now very generally 500 sheets to the ream, except in some grades of high class writing papers. There have long been rules as to charges for standing type matter. This was more important in the days when type cost 60 and 70 cents a pound. Primarily the rules were made for cases where a customer would order the type kept standing for his own convenience, to enable him to make changes later, or for a possible new edition. While the rules call for a charge for mat- ter kept over 30 days, it has not been customary to enforce such rules in the case of jobs that lag in their progress through the printery, and perhaps are not printed until 90 days after the type is set. This is at times a hardship for the printer, and often he requires to be more strict. Take a linotype plant that puts all its spare metal into one job, and then because the cus- 380 CUSTOMS OF THE TRADE tomer holds up the proofs has to go out and buy up a ton or two at war prices. The metal cannot be billed if it is still with the linotyper, but the cost must be met in some way, and should be covered by a standing- matter charge. Where the customer does not make a typographical style for a job the printer is justified in making a style for him, and charging as corrections all variations from that style. It is the part of wisdom not to be too strict as to style, especially when the customer does not care for it; and it is necessary to avoid making useless charges against him for time work done to preserve a style. A case in point occurred in my Western experi- ence. We printed a weekly paper for a customer, and a contributor to that paper was given a proof of his ar- ticle. He marked in some hundred or two commas, having a strenuous love for close punctuation. I in- structed the printer to disregard the marks, as con- trary to the style of the paper, and it went to press without his commas. He raved, and came around to kick, and the editor pushed him off on me. I frankly told him that every paper had to have a style, and that he did not and could not set the style for that paper. Though I tried to smooth it over, he went away sore. The following year this man was attorney general of the State and I was handling the contract for State printing. When he brought in his first job, he looked at me woefully, remarking, "I have got to bring this here, but I suppose I can't get you to print this as I want it, for you object to putting in the proper com- mas." I laughed, and told him that in this case he was the customer and could set the style, and could have a 381 PRINTING FOR PROFIT dozen commas in every line if he wanted them. Soon we came to an understanding, and all ran smoothly. All alterations from copy are a proper subject of time charge, but it is not fair for the printer to charge into his time the corrections of errors made by his own force. Where more than two proofs are called for, and where press proofs are demanded, the customer should pay time charges covering the full cost, including time both of men and of machines. When linotype composition is sold, it is customary to bill the metal at a price several cents a pound above the market value, and if the metal is not returned in thirty days, or by the time agreed, to regard it as a sale and collect pay (or try to collect pay) for the metal. This is fair, provided the difference between the market price and billing price be not too great. The endeavor to collect a difference of 30 or 40 per cent, is invariably and rightly resisted. Perhaps an advance rate of 20 per cent, for small lots of metal and 10 per cent, for lots worth $100 or more is fair. There are familiar established usages in the measur- ing of composition, that are too familiar to be cited here; some less familiar require consideration. Very lean type commands an increased price per 1,000 ems. Narrow measures involve extra cost, and when less than 10 ems pica is measurable as if it actually were 10 ems pica wide. This rule was first adopted by the ma- chine composition houses in the New York Master Printers' Association, about 1904, and is eminently fair. Many printers measure linotype matter with a type- founders' rule. This may or may not give a correct measure; frequently it overmeasures the matter be- 382 CUSTOMS OF THE TRADE cause the slugs are either trimmed "fat," or have a slight burr, or are not locked up tightly from the foot when proving, or because the paper has dried and ex- panded since proving. I have seen such measurement by foundry rule that differed three lines per galley from the actual count by lines, making a difference of 600 lines or 18,000 ems on a 200-galley job. Certainly the body of the slug is the correct basis for measurement, and ten pica lines should only measure ten lines, regardless of any "stretch" from such causes as indi- cated above. It is a much discussed question whether printers should charge for estimates. Nearly all agree that they ought to be permitted to charge at times, but in prac- tice they never do. The misuse of estimates is really a serious evil in the trade, and should be combatted. It involves much more than the loss of the time of high- priced men in making the figures; the system invites the public to work one printer against another, and to use quotations from one to reduce the prices of another, when the one estimating never was intended to have a chance at the work. Where one printer farms out work to another he is entitled to a trade price or differential, to enable him to make a profit. What this differential should be is not definitely fixed, though ten per cent, is probably a common figure, based on the idea that the man who handles the order is entitled to make ten per cent. A high-priced printer, farming out work to a rush shop, may secure 20 to 40 per cent, differential, and this may not be unfair considering that the high-priced printer has supplied perhaps unusual taste in design, has to 383 PRINTING FOR PROFIT meet a heavy overhead office expense, and becomes re- sponsible for a fine job, reading the proof and following it up at some cost. If the work so farmed out is taken originally at a close price, it may be difficult for the printer who sub- contracts to do it for ten per cent. less. He is of course not going to do it below cost if he knows it. But a printer with an idle press is justified in making a trade price to another printer, provided this is done in a way not to depreciate prices to the public. The argument against "fillers" does not apply if the price to the pub- lic is not cut. It appears, however, that there can be no fixed rules as to trade prices while prices to the pub- lic are so elastic. If the charges for printing ever be- come scheduled like railway fares, and thus more or less permanent, a fair uniform discount as a trade price may be possible. Since it is manifestly impossible for the printer to make the exact number of copies of a large job, of which the individual copies may be worth several cents each, or as in the case of books and catalogues some- times 25 cents to a dollar each, he is justified in de- livering a total varying not over five per cent, from the order, and in deducting or adding a pro rata charge for the underrun or overrun. Otherwise his only safe course is to provide surplus material of all sorts to an excess of about five per cent, to cover whatever hap- pens to run shortest, and thus be sure of making enough copies to fill his contract. In all large jobs it is best to have an understanding with customers as to this trade custom to avoid dispute. The customer rarely objects to the point in advance, but he often seriously objects 384 CUSTOMS OF THE TRADE at the end of a job, as he may find that an overrun or underrun is to his advantage or disadvantage. It is a custom of long standing in the printing trade to pay employees weekly in cash, and in a majority of offices no receipt is taken from the men; they simply get their cash in envelopes made up by the bookkeeper, and if there is an error it must be rectified by the em- ployee going at once to the bookkeeper or cashier, else it passes beyond any one's knowledge. The courts have recognized this condition as reasonable, and where such regular payrolls exist, are loath to accept the word of a worker that he was not paid or not fully paid at the time of a regular payroll distribution. But when the employer systematically holds back a part of the wages, or enters into complicated arrangements of part wages and part commissions to his helpers, he opens the way to misunderstandings and trickery, as well as false claims. A jury is much inclined to give an employee any wages or commission he sues for, on the ground that he would not be likely to sue unless his cause was just, and that it is a hardship to sue for his money, and therefore they should be liberal with him. For these reasons it is erroneous practice to advance small sums to employees to carry them along, or to do anything that complicates the regular and simple meth- od of payments. If you want to help an employee who is in a hole, go down in your personal pocket and make him a loan rather than advance him any wages from the company's treasury. 385 Leakages, Pitfalls and Mistakes THE income tax of most captains of industry would figure up very profitably for the tax-gath- erer were it not for the provisions for reductions on account of debts, losses, depreciation, etc. So the average printing plant might show a fine margin of profit, but for the long list of leakages, the blunders and mistakes, and the accidental or incidental losses that adhere more or less to all trading. A wholesale dealer in flour or the like, buying in car- load lots of the mills, so that he merely purchases and sells the receipts for flour that he never sees, on a mar- gin of perhaps ten or fifteen cents a barrel, has to keep track of little else than the reliability of the concerns with whom he trades and the ruling prices in the mar- ket. His watchful care has to cover but a few things. The barber has only to give an easy shave and a neat hair-cut, and be clean and polite. The maker of a pat- ented novelty may have a simple business, selling to a few concerns the same thing over and over for prompt cash. These lines of trade are vastly simpler than printing, and a man may succeed in them without hav- ing much capacity for detail. Our chosen art and occupation involves such a mul- tiplicity of intricate details that a little laxity in one or two things may readily nullify the profit on every job. Probably there is no other business that involves more liability to error and leakage than running a commer- cial printing plant — though I have found shipbuilding a close second. Take a magazine issue as a sample job 386 LEAKAGES, PITFALLS AND MISTAKES of printing. It may easily contain 250 pages, and each and every type on every page must be in proper posi- tion. Out of the million chances for error of this sort, if the customer finds three or four wrong, he is apt to characterize the entire production as a "rotten job," despite the fact that the editor never lived who pro- duced that much copy without a full hundred errors. The poor printer is supposed to correct these errors as well as his own mistakes. The magazine may also contain 200 pictures big and little, all of which must be accurate in detail and cor- rectly placed. Should a pressman turn around one of those "blind" cuts that look alike from every view- point, the customer will rarely accept any excuses. There may be 500 advertisements, which not only must be individually proof-perfect, but positioned and located according to an exact schedule. And the pages of the entire magazine must be printed so that they will fold into the proper order, back in register, and line up at the top when the publication is completed. Then there are all the chances of error in dates and captions, in covering, binding and mailing, while the entire job is seriously reduced in value if it is late in issue, and if the total of the order should have been misconstrued as either 1,000 too few or too many, it is the printer's loss. Observing the culmination of responsibilities taken in connection with this one magazine issue, and recol- lecting that large printers may issue 25 or 35 magazines a month, and handle several thousand smaller jobs, all on eight to ten per cent, margin of profit, and it is at once apparent that if one in a hundred of the chances 387 PRINTING FOR PROFIT of error are allowed to develop into publication, that the narrow margin of profit will be wiped out, and that the printer's reputation will suffer accordingly. The character of the men composing the working force of a printing factory exercises the largest measure of influence upon the total of leakages and errors. When men are intelligent and well-satisfied with their posi- tions, with a kindly feeling toward the house, experi- encing fair treatment, they are therefore anxious to give in return accurate and satisfactory performance. When there is also provided a system of checks and o. k.'s, to cover all possible errors, the chances of blun- ders going through are still further reduced. The job ticket, with proper bookkeeping, a system of written orders for everything, and an efficient proofreading de- partment are the things depended on by most printers for accuracy in their work. But on top of these, per- petual vigilance must be exercised, and no needless chances taken. Willingness to show the customer plenty of proofs, the calling him on the phone in every case of doubt and hasty decision, have saved many a loss in printing; whereas taking things for granted, and a little too much haste in drawing conclusions, have been the founda- tions for countless costly shaving of the bills when pre- sented for payment. The proverb "Haste makes waste" must have been written by the first printer. Taking time to consider all the essential details of a job before giving the order to go ahead is a practice learned in the School of Experience. The next largest cause of waste in the printing of- fice is no doubt the dissipation of time and effort, spent 388 LEAKAGES, PITFALLS AND MISTAKES in useless and needless performance. The badly laid- out printery, which causes the workmen to take daily twice the steps they should in the ordinary routine, is a ceaseless drag on the treasury. We all know print- eries distributed over several small floors, with poor light, and inconveniences at every turn, where there must be a continual wastage of ten to twenty per cent, of the time of the force. Poor systems of type dis- tribution and sort-picking have been condemned by every writer on printing since the time of Moxon, yet they still continue. The non-distribution system, by which dead jobs all go into the melting pot, has been a saver simply because it eliminates the greater waste of pottering on dead forms. A foreman who trots into the front office three times with every little order before he gets the details into his Head, and who then summons a compositor, and wastes his time also by an over-verbose description of what should be all covered by the job ticket, and who next stops to chat with one of the girls, and next fills his pipe and settles himself for a quiet smoke, is about as wasteful a thing as can be kept in a printery, even though otherwise competent. He not only wastes his own time, but sets a bad example to all others in the shop. A pressman who fiddles in making ready, and can only see one blemish at a time on a sheet, hence who never seems to get through patching a tympan, is an- other sort of potterer, wasting his time, his feeder's, and that of the press, and should be sent to an appren- tice school to study the value of push and hustle. And so on through all departments of the printing office. 389 PRINTING FOR PROFIT The slowpokes and the time-wasters have to be elimin- ated before any printery can be expected to show a profit. Lack of cooperation and understanding between the several departments of a printery is a never-ending source of misunderstanding and spoiled work. In the shop where the cry of the composing room is that this was the binder's fault, and in the bindery that the com- posing room has gone wrong, and in the pressroom that both other departments must be crazy, the obvious fault is lack of harmony and frequent and frank discussion between the several heads of departments as to the work in hand. Team work is as essential here as on the football field. The foremen and men too must all work together and understand what may be expected of the others, as well as to know each one's own respon- sibility. It is a serious leakage to have on the payroll a sales- man or a half-partner who does not earn his salary. It is unwise to hire any man in a way that prevents his being discharged or released on a week's notice, if un- profitable. There is often temptation to enter into con- tracts covering a period of time, which promise favor- ably, but which depend on the other fellow's ability to turn in business, and if the expected trade is not forth- coming, the printer-proprietor may find himself loaded with a salary to pay, and nothing coming in to meet it. If you are not experienced in this feature let it alone. The best way is to pay all help by the week, or to make a straight commission for selling. The partner- ship arrangements with a worker who does not invest in a business are very apt to work out unsatisfactorily. 390 LEAKAGES, PITFALLS AND MISTAKES All partnerships are dangerous, but especially so with the man who is financially irresponsible. If money is made you divide with such; but if money is lost you lose it all. Many beginners in business are unaware that certain commission deals make a man a real part- ner and not an employee, and that his services cannot be dispensed with when unprofitable, and that if things are unsatisfactory to him he can demand and secure an accounting at law, and perhaps enjoin the real pro- prietor from going on with his business until a settle- ment is made, no matter how unreasonable and unfair are the demands. It is of importance for every proprie- tor of a business to avoid commission deals with sales- men or others that may be construed into a partner- ship. The costs of partnership suits are levied on the business, and so all come out of the responsible part- ner. The condition is one that enables the irresponsible man without money, who has got one end of a partner- ship contract with a printer who has money or a plant, to make himself a nuisance, and blackmail the printer in order to be rid of him: Many a printery has suffered from taking in a part- ner who could not earn his salary, in order to get his cash for use. This may prove a very costly way of bor? rowing money. A partner investing $10,000, but draw- ing $1,000 more than he is worth, is getting 10 per cent, annual bonus on his loan, a frightful waste. All partnerships are questionable since the develop- ment of good corporation laws. If you want to take a man into your business, form a company, and let him buy stock. The company incorporating laws may not be perfect, but they are largely designed to take care 391 PRINTING FOR PROFIT of all partnership conditions, and are vastly better than the laws governing partnerships. In these days of highly refined manufacturing, the material wastes of a printing office — meaning paper, metal, etc., are well worth careful attention. In many a printery there are thousands of dollars' worth of metal lying idle, in old unused type, electros, stereos, etc. It does not pay to lose the use of such capital, and all use- less junk should be cleaned up periodically, and either converted into cash or usable material. To provide a way for utilizing dead metal, we place in our contracts that electros left on our hands over one year may be junked for our benefit. This principle may be extended to machinery which is mostly idle, and does not pay its keep. It should be sold for what it will bring, and the floor space used for some money-earner. Since paper rose in price the waste has assumed val- uable proportions. What used to be swept out with the ashes can be turned into money. A case comes to mind of a printer who kept account of his paper cuttings, waste accumulated by trimming pamphlets and maga- zines, and found that the work of trimming was paid for by the price got for the trimmed off waste. This of course would not be true in every printing office, or with all classes of work, but the fact that it is true of one shows that this source of economy needs to be watched. The printer who has considerable waste paper should not sell it to the first junk dealer who comes along, at any old price, to get it out of the way. He should bear in mind that gatherers of waste have been known to make real fortunes in some large cities, and hence see to it that he receives for his waste a fair 392 LEAKAGES, PITFALLS AND MISTAKES market price, which can only be done if he gets in touch with several junk houses. Print shops are usually rated as bad fire risks, and as a consequence high fire insurance rates prevail. It is not at all uncommon for the craft to have to pay two or three per cent, for fire insurance. This constitutes a very serious leak, being half the interest on the invest- ment, and adding a heavy drag on the plant. By keep- ing a printery clean, gathering up the waste paper into tins twice a day, being careful about the use of benzine (which is not half as necessary as the average pressman seems to think, as there are good substitutes), and by installing sprinklers and fire-buckets, and watching all details that go to make safety, the insurance rates may be materially lessened. When in 13th street, the Charles Francis Press, though located in an old-fashioned building, not erected on modern fireproof lines, was yet able to reduce its insurance rate 250 per cent, by intro- ducing these ideas, including a fire drill for employees. On several occasions the drill emptied the building in less than two minutes, and when a real fire alarm came, nobody was hurt and the damage was trifling. When the price of benzine went above fifteen cents a gallon, our firm found a substitute and cut out the extra insurance charge, and saved much money by making the change. Some printers neglect their presses and machinery, and think of repairs only when they break down. When the "bust" comes, and delays important work, they con- sider it an act of Providence, beyond human control, whereas it is sheer neglect. Machinery breakage is simply a leak that can be stopped by having a compe- 393 PRINTING FOR PROFIT tent machinist call in regularly and look over the ma- chines, overhauling them in the dull season, and making repairs and replacing worn parts before they break. In a plant aggregating twenty cylinders or its equivalent it is well to keep a machinist and an electrician on the payroll. They will easily save more than their wages. Another waste is the loss of stock, both printed and unprinted, by reason of lying on dirty shelves, or worse still on a floor where it encounters the regular sweep- ing. Dust tends to get in everywhere. The printer should take a hint from the paper jobber and keep all valuable paper, printed and unprinted, wrapped up and sealed, except when needed for immediate use. This is easier, simpler and more effective than keeping it in close closets and drawers. A neglect of such precaution involves losses of commonly two to fifteen per cent, waste from paper dirtied simply by lying around. All paper should be put up on skids raised about six inches from the floor. The proper care of inks and rollers prevents waste and loss. How often have we seen large cans of ink not thoroughly emptied, the residuum being left to dry up, involving two to five per cent, waste? How often the roller bill is excessive because of neglect to lift or wash the rollers, as experience has taught us is desir- able? Lack of order and system produces half the leaks in the average printing office. It is so much easier to go along in a happy-go-lucky fashion, and not burden one's mind with duties to be performed and to considering the best ways of doing things — in short, many people 394 LEAKAGES, PITFALLS AND MISTAKES are so downright lazy — that the little things about the shop are constantly neglected, and loss follows. The pressman should never have to wait for ink or paper, but without system this will occur often, and the time of both pressman, feeder and press will be wasted be- cause somebody could not get last night's poker game out of his mind enough to think that he should have ordered paper ahead, and looked out for an ink supply before the job was on the machine. When a job comes to a standstill because somebody forgot to look ahead and provide something, the loss is not to be charged to "accident," but to sheer neglect and inattention to busi- ness. A good system and good work insure against such so-called "accidents" or unfortunate "happenings." Printing is a business in which work passes through so many different hands, that system is absolutely essen- tial to keeping each job moving smoothly and preserv- ing the economies of production. Another common leakage in the printery grows out of a failure to preserve a balance of work in the office. Balancing an office, in my way of using the phrase, means proportioning the work so as to keep busy not only all the men but all the machines in the plant. In practice it is impossible to do this completely, but the nearer such balance is approached the less are the costs of production, the less "overhead" there is to eat up profits. This matter of balance is gone into more fully in the chapter on "Service, Efficiency and Specializa- tion." We all know that an office must be kept busy to make money, but the leakage comes in with neglecting to plan ahead to secure that sort of work which will fill 395 PRINTING FOR PROFIT in where the plant as a whole most needs it. Many an office fails to make money just because of lack of a broad enough vision to look for work that will keep the balance, and result in all the machines earning their money. It is bad to have to lay off a capable man be- cause of a dull spell and perhaps lose him for good, but one cannot lay off a machine that costs perhaps $2 to $10 a day to maintain in idleness. Money leakages are dealt with in the chapter on "Profitable Financing." It is a mistake for the proprietor of a medium or large printing office to do any of the routine work of the place. He should leave himself free to do the plan- ning, preserve the balance of work, look out for leaks and wastes, and keep all moving in harmony. Just this one item of harmony may mean a difference of five per cent, in the year's earnings. If you can keep har- mony with your men, with your customers, and have the work well balanced and moving systematically, you will get profits even at close prices, but I never saw the printer who could make money out of a shop divided against itself, where the men hated the boss, and the superintendent and foremen were jealous of each other, the customers suspicious, and the machinery liable to lie stationary. 396 INDEX INDEX PAGE Acceptance blank 186 Accidents and happenings... 395 Accounts, Keeping 222 Accurate time records 245 Acme press 45 Adams press 43 Addressing magazines. ....... 150 Advantage of Printers' League 320 Advertising 194-205 Advertising and art printing. . 344 Agreements, Living up to 188 Alterations from copy 382 America, Landing in 22 Amer. Newspaper Publishers' Assn 312 American Printer 136, 195 Antipodes 5, 16, 27 Appraisal 81 Apprentices' School 74 Arbitration agreement 324 Arbitrations 319 Arkansas Gazette 33, 34 Army press (illus.) 11 Artists in the trade 53 Asso. Advertising Clubs 312 Associated Press 312 Associations, Growth of 303 Ault & Wiborg Co 262 Automatic machinery 220 Automatic magazine binding. . 149 Autopress, The 48 Average printing office 99 Banker, Consulting a 114 Balance sheet 226 Balancing a plant 273, 395 Balancing a pressroom 258 Beginner in business, The 76 Ben Day process 56 Benevolent Asso. of C. F. P.. 290 Big Six 305 Binding 50 Binding machinery 277 Binding, Purchasing 282 Blind coDy 373 Blue, A. L 74 Bonner, Robert 130 PAGE Bookkeeping 223 Book composition 37 Booklet advertising 197 Booklets, Decorative 158 Borden, Joseph A 88 Borrowing money. . . . 116, 121, 126 Bradford, Andrew 127 Brett &i Goode 68 Business agent of unions 318 Business man, Printer as a 99 Business man, successful 110 Buyer of printing, The 169 Buying problems 125, 273 Campbell, Andrew 42, 43, 44 Campbell presses 42 Capital for printing. . 71, 104, 105 Cash transactions 117 Catalog printing 152 Catalogs, Over-large 155 Catalogs too costly 162 Century Magazine ........... 133 Century presses 67 Chandler & Price press 47 Charles Francis Press 38, 59, 107, 143, 196, 276, 355 Charles Francis Press, Begin- ning of 25 Chasmar, A. E 70 Chasmar & Co 25 Cheap printing 207, 334 Checking estimates 336, 337 Cherouny, Henry W 315 Chicago Inter-Ocean 22 Chromo 54 Circulation department of a magazine 142 Circulation of magazines.... 132 Cleveland folder 68 Clicker System 243 Cline, C. C. & Co 23 Coal-tar inks 268 Cochrane, Charles H 311 Collection of bills 232 Color printing 54, 55 Color work estimating 335 Colored inks 266 399 INDEX PAGE Colt's Armory press 47 Columbian hand press 17, 28 Combination catalogs 159 Commercial art 56 Commission on paper 279 Commissions to buyers 171 Competitor, Informing a 63 Composing machines, Handling 241 Composing room 40 Composing room management. 235 Composing room material 239 Composing room system 243 Conference and conciliation... 287 Confidence 365, 368 Conkey, W. B... 71 Constructive! printing 10 Contract stipulations 378 Cooperation 365 Copy, Following 190 Cost congress 102, 364 Cost-finding 91, 208 Cost-finding blanks. 329 "Cost Finding System" 90, 328 Cost-system man's thought... 109 Cost variations 327 Cost, Working at 6 Costs, Actual 334 Costs, Minor 77 Country printing plants 208 Courier- Journal of Louisville. 23 Courtesy 234 Courtesy, Value of 183 Covers, Attractive 154 Cottrell & Babcock 44 Cottrell press 46 Cowper's Apostrophe 58 Crawford, C. Frank 95 Credit-giving 231 Credit to customers 119 Crippled cylinders 60 Critic, The 60 Curved line craze 32 Cushing, J. S 71 Customer, The dissatisfied. 186, 189 Customers as advertisers. .199, 201 Customers, Holding 182 Customers' paper 375, 379 Customers' property 374 Customers, Treatment of.. 166, 186 Customs of the trade 373 Cut cost steel equipment 41 400 PAGE Cutting prices to get cash. . . . 122 Cylinder press speeds 253 Dando, J. Cliff 332 Deacon, R. T 96 Degener press 47 Delivery, Efficient 346 Depreciation 80 DeVinne plant 43 DeVinne Press 133 DeVinne, Theodore L 70, 78, 86, 311 DeVinne's "Price List" 87 Dexter, Talbot C 51 Direct advertising 204 Discounts for cash 113 Dishonest printers 189 Display composition charges . . . 331 Dodge, Philip T 37 Drum cylinder 30, 43 Drying inks 266 Dubuque, Iowa 22 Dunedin, New Zealand 17, 27 Editions, Large 9, 52 Education of employees 292 Efficiency 339 Eight per cent in printing. . . . 230 Eight vs. nine hours 316 Electricity in paper 257 Electros, Holding 377 .Electrotype storage 83 Electrotyping 49 Electrotypes, Curved 50 Ellis, George H 87 Empire typesetter 37 Employees' associations 304 Employees hurt themselves . . . 295 Employees, Relations with.... 286 Employers' Associations 310 Employing Printers' Assn. 312, 323 Equipment, Up-to-date 72 Errors in printing.... 77, 200, 351 Estimates, Charging for 383 Estimating 78, 214 Estimating and price making. 325 Estimating in a hurry 335 Estimating on small work 336 Ethical problems 362 Failures in printing 71 Fair profit, Insist on 255 Fairhaven press 45 "Feather in Our Cap" 197 INDEX PAGE Fifty years ago 15 Fifty Years of Printing 27 Filigree type 31-33 Fillers 73, 106, 254, 333 Financing a printery 113 Fire insurance rate-reduction. 393 Fly-boy 29 Folding magazines 149 Foreman's duties 236 Four-color difficulties 267 Francis Press 59, 355 Francis Press advertising 195, 196-199 Francis, Reginald W 69 Frank Leslie's 129 Franklin Association 319 Franklin, Benjamin 127 Franklin clubs 104, 208 Fraser typesetter 37 Friendship between all... 299, 361 Friendship of customers.. 82, 177 Friendship of employees 286 Friends, Policy of making 65 Gantz, Joseph 71 Gaily Universal press 47 Gathering machine 5H Globe press 47 Godey's Magazine 130 Goldfields, New Zealand 19 Golding press 47 Good will 300 Good will of employees 361 Gordon jobber 31, 47 Goss press 46 Greeley, Horace 130, 306, 308 Growing too fast 120 Guide Printing & Pub. Co.'. . . 24 Hallenbeck 71 Hand composition speed 333 Hand press 17, 28, 43 Handling paper cost 376 Harmony 363, 396 Harper plant 43 Harper's Magazine 131 Harris press 48 High-priced workmen 284 Hochstetter, Robert W 262 Hoe press 43 Hoe web press 68 Honesty, Strict 102 Hour wage scale 313 PAGE Huber press 45 Hudson Guild 74 Human machinery 237 Idle machinery 358 Illustrating magazines 146 Imposition 40, 41 Imprint on printing 205 Incompetent workmen 300 Independent man, The 363 Ink buying 173, 278 Ink, Early prices of 30 Ink grinding 264 Ink manufacture 262 Ink man's thought Ill Ink men reliable 261 Ink problems 260 Inland Printer 136, 195 Insurance reduction 232 Inter-Ocean, Chicago 22, 32 Inter. P. P. & A. Union 49 Invercargill, N. Z 15, 18 Irresponsible partners 391 Ives' process 54 Job press speeds 334 "Justice to All" 287 Kastenbien typesetter 37 Kelly press 48 Knifing competitors 359 Koenig & Bauer 44 Labor, Hiring 283 Labor-saving equipment 40, 41 Lake inks 270 Lambert-Deacon-Hull Print- ing Co 96 Large printing plant 206 Lasher & Lathrop 25, 59 Lathrop, Percival 66 Lathrop, Spencer 59 League agreements 316 Leakage in printeries 83 Leakages and pitfalls 386 Learning and teaching 112 Lee, Wilson H 88 Leslie's Magazine 53 Linotype 37, 38 Linotype composition 214, 326 Linotype matter, Measuring. . 382 Linotype metal, Billing 382 Lithographic stone 28 Lithography 53 Little Rock newspapers 23 401 INDEX PAGE Little, Jos. J 311 "Live and Let Live" 288 London experience 20 London Illustrated News 53 Loose-leaf catalogs 157 Louisville, Ky 23, 35 Low prices 202 Machine typesetting 36 Machinery, Breaking up old . . 105, 276 Machinery on trial 275 Machinery selling 173 MacMillan typesetter 37 Magazine, First American.... 127 Magazine making 139 Magazine printing 138, 143 Magazine printing plants 137 Magazine printing, rotary. . . . 148 Mail order catalogs 160 Making ready 30 Manufacturing printing inks . . 262 Marder, Luse & Co 89 Marinoni press 46 Meany, Frank 315 Measuring linotype matter 382 Meeting notes 100 Meeting the payroll 120 Melbourne memories 20 Mergenthaler linotype 37 Metal press-blocks 277 Miehle press 45, 67 Minneapolis, Minn 22 Misrepresentation 368, 372 Mistakes in printing 386 Misunderstandings 184 Modern printing development. 55 Molleson Brothers 25, 59 Money in presswork 254 Money taken out of printing. . 124 Monotype 39 Morgan, Arthur H 322 Moss Engraving Co 25 Moving pictures 199 Municipal printing plants 217 Munsey's Magazine 136 "My boys" 289 National Editorial Assn 312 New Era press 48 New shop kinks 348 New York Miaster Printers' Association 311, 382 402 PAGE New York periodicals 133 New York printing 6, 57, 151 Newspaper printing offices... 164 Newspaper Pub's. Assn 312 New Zealand printing 15 Night shifts profitable 256 Non-distribution system 240 Note-meeting 100, 118 Oakes, Augustin 61 Office management 222 Office style 241 Offset press 48 Old machinery breaking up... 105 One customer dangerous 123 Optimus press 45 Order taking 18? Orders, Acknowledging 185 Osterlind press 48 Otago Punch 18, 28 Otago, New Zealand 17 Over-equipment 79 Overhead charges 326, 330 Overruns and underruns 384 Palmer, F. W 23 Paper buying 279 Paper, Care of 394 Paper commissions 279 Paper dealer's thought Ill Paper- folding machine 50 Paper-profit, Charging 83 Paper stock handling 96 Partnership arrangements 123, 390 Percentage of profits 230 Percentage on paper 83 Periodicals in America 127 Platemaker, The 49 Poe, Edgar A 130 Poor printer, The 100 Post, Saturday Evening 127 Potter, C, Jr 44 Prescription for success 102 Press-builders, Famous 44 Press detention. 256 Press-feeding 16 Press manufacturer's thought. 109 Press manning costs 250 Press speeds 249 Press time records 251 Pressmen, Artistic 49 Pressmen's school 49 Pressmen's Union 310 INDEX PAGE Pressroom 42 Pressroom of a magazine 147 Pressroom profits 247 Pressroom records 79 Price-making 325 Primitive printing 19, 29 Principle of harmony 238 Printers' Ink 136, 196 Printers' League contracts 317 Printers' League principles 291 Printers' League scale 308 Printers' League, The 315 Printing a magazine^. 143 Printing as manufacturing. . . 57 Printing Crafts Building 68, 151, 198, 350 Printing factory, The.... 206, 219 Printing House Craftsmen . . . 312 Printing in New York 6 Printing increases 343 Printing plants 206-221 Printing plants, Middle-sized. 212 Printing progress 52 Printing schools 74 Printing statistics 57 Printing third U. S. industry. 8 Private printing plants 137, 216, 342 Production, Actual 334 Profit and loss 229 Profit, Approximation of 81 Profit balance, Estimating 225 Profit, Definition of 11 Profit-figuring, Poor 125 Profit in presswork 247 Profit-making 70, 95 Profit statement 226 Profitable financing 113 Progress in printing 52 Proofreader's sixth sense 145 Proofreading, Particular 144 Proprietors' salaries 84 Prouty press 47 Publishing vs. printing 219 Purchasing for cash 117 Purchasing problems 273 Quality in advertising 203 Rankin, John C 315 Reciprocity 353 Rees, Samuel 89, 325 Restricting output . 74 PACE Religious magazines 132 Review of Reviews 140 Rogersville, Tenn 49, 74 Roller-maker's thought 108 Rubber blanket 30 Rubber-stamp salesmen 193 Rule-twisting 31, 34 Rush printing. 341 Salaries of proprietors 84 Salesmanship, Problems in... 164 Salesmen, four types of 165 Salesmen,, The big 175 Salesmen's qualifications 167 Satisfied customers 366 Schools of Printing.... 49, 75, 329 Scolding the printer 362 Scott, Walter 23, 44 Seasonal printing 347 Second-hand material 276 Second-hand printing plant... 101 Secret of having money 115 Selling ink 172 Selling labor 170 Selling printing 167 Selling out a printer 122 Service 165 Service and Efficiency 339 Service in magazines 345 Seymour, R. C 46 Shooting-stick 29 Shop rules, Making 296 Short count 259, 379 Showing proofs 388 Sixteen hours a day 16 Small printing plants 207 Specialists developed 349 Specializing 106, 214, 342, 354 Specialty printing 213, 340 Specifications 337 St. Paul 22 Standardizing catalogs 161 Standing matter charges 380 Steel blocks 41 Stereotyping 49 Stern, Edward 92 Sticking to one business 342 Stillson, R. L 70, 94 Stokes & Smith 48 Stone, Edward L 94 Storage charges 375 Straightforward policy, The.. 103 403 INDEX PAGE Stuyvesant Press 25, 59 Style corrections 191,381 Success prescription 102 Successful printers 86 Suggestions to customers 192 Taylor, A. B 44 Taylor, Douglas 310 Tasmania 15 Ten hours for $9 per 298 Ten per cent, in printing 230 Theory of advertising 211 Third U. S. industry 8 Thirteenth street building 62 Thompson press 47 Thompson typecaster 40 Thorne typesetter 37 Three-color process 54 Tickler, Daily 224 Time records, Accurate 245 Time value of presses 257 Time-wasting 389 Trade associations 303 Trade catalog evolution 152 Trade customs 373 Trade journals 136, 212 Trade prices 384 Trading account 228 Training men 73 Trickery and! sharp games 358 Tricolor printing 54 Truth in selling 181 Two-sheet press 68 Typecasting 39, 40 Type lice 30 Typesetting by machine 37 Type styles, Early 30 Typographical schools 75 PAGE Typographical Union 304 Typographical Union Cards.. 314 Typothetae 306, 310, 315 Typothetae cost lists 101 Underestimating a sin 103 Unfair selling methods 178 Uniformity in prices, Lack of 363 Uniformity of product 73 Uniformity of wages 292 Union men, A hint to 294 United Printing Mach'y Co... 46 United States Printing Co. 215, 322 United Typothetae and F. C. . . 90 Unity of action 107, 244 Universal press 47 Vigilance 350 Wage-earners' receipts 288 Wage-paying weekly 385 Wage scales 306, 308, 313 Washington hand press 43 Waste in paper 379 Waste stock 97 Wastes of material : . 392 Wastes of time 389 Waverly bindery 67, 342 Weighing paper ;.. 281 Wharf edale press 18, 44 Whitlock press 45 Willett, B. P 315 Woodcuts 53 Wilkens, John A 67, 192 Wood & Nathan 48 Working cards 314 Working inks 265 "Working" the printer... 356 Working with not working for 238 World industry 7 404