The Society

Founded in London in 1964, The Printing Historical Society now has individual and institutional members worldwide. Fully committed to its original aims, the Society fosters interest in the history of printing and encourages both the study and the preservation of printing machinery, records, and equipment of historical value.

Representing all aspects of the printing arts and industry, members include printers, graphic designers, typographers, publishers, librarians, collectors, booksellers, and historians of all relevant fields. In pursuit of its aims, the Society holds meetings and arranges occasional lectures and, since its inception, has produced a series of publications which are available to members at particularly favourable terms.

The Society's Journal, issued annually, maintains a high standard of scholarship and distinction in production, publishing the results of original research in the history of printing, including the histories of the machinery and equipment, of the industry and its personnel, of the printing processes, and of the design of its artefacts (books, newspapers, journals, fine prints, and ephemera). Members receive the Journal as part of their subscription, which now incorporates the Bulletin, containing book reviews. Notices and reports of meetings and other activities of interest to members are reported in the newsletter Printing History News.

In 2016 we created a dedicated subcommittee to take over the duties and resources of the former National Printing Heritage Trust. This is the National Printing Heritage Committee. Its aims include the preservation, documentation and display of printing artifacts and it is actively pursuing the goal of creating a national museum of printing.

The Printing Historical Society is a non-profit organisation and is registered with the UK Charities Commission (Registered No. 295885).

Constitution

Printing Historical Society, St Bride Printing Library, St Bride Institute, Bride Lane, Fleet Street, London, EC4Y 8EE.

1. Name: The name of the Society shall be the Printing Historical Society.

2. Objects: The objects for which the Society is established are

• to promote and encourage the study and knowledge of and to foster and extend interest in the history of all forms and aspects of printing and associated activities, techniques, equipment, materials, organization, and products

• to encourage the preservation of historical equipment and materials

• to promote and organize meetings, exhibitions, and discussions

• to assist research

• to arrange visits

• to give information, advice, and assistance

• to produce publications in connection with these objects.

3. Membership: Ordinary membership shall be open, subject to the approval of the committee, to all persons who sign and deliver to the Society an application form framed in such terms as the committee shall require and on request pay annually such sum as may be determined from time to time by a general meeting of the Society. Corporate membership shall be open, subject to the approval of the committee, to organisations which, through a responsible officer, sign and deliver to the committee an application form framed in such terms as the committee shall require and on request pay annually such sum as may be determined from time to time by a general meeting of the Society.

4. Officers: The officers of the Society shall be an Honorary Chairman, Secretary, Treasurer, Publications Secretary, Journal Editor, and Membership Secretary who shall be elected at the Annual General Meeting for a period of three years; more than one of these offices may be held by the same person. In addition, the committee shall have the power to appoint distinguished persons as President and Vice-President of the Society.

5. Committee: The business of the society shall be managed by a committee which shall comprise the officers and up to eight additional members who shall be elected at the Annual General Meeting for two years. The committee may also, as they see fit, co-opt other members to the committee. In the event of a vacancy or vacancies, due to the full number of members of the committee not having been elected, the committee shall nevertheless be deemed fully constituted and all acts and proceedings thereof shall be deemed valid in all respects, notwithstanding such vacancy or vacancies. No business shall be transacted at any committee meeting unless a quorum is present when the committee proceeds to business. For all purposes the quorum shall be five members personally present. The committee may elect or appoint from their number sub-committees or representatives for any special purposes and shall have the power to co-opt any other members of the Society, whose service they consider valuable to such sub-committees or as representatives.

6. Annual General Meeting: The Society shall hold a general meeting in every calendar year as its Annual General Meeting at such time and place as may be determined by the committee, notice having been despatched to members at least twenty-one days before the meeting.

7. The committee shall cause true accounts to be kept of the revenue and expenditure of the Society and shall cause such accounts to be audited annually by one or more auditors, who shall make a report on the correctness of the balance sheet, statement, and accounts to the committee. The balance sheet made up to the end of the membership year annually, with the report of the auditors thereof, shall be laid before the Annual General Meeting.

8. All monies received by the Society shall be regularly paid into banking accounts kept in the name of the Society, and no money shall be paid by or for the Society, other than petty cash disbursements, except by cheque on the said banking accounts. Petty cash disbursements shall be paid out of cash for which cheques on the said banking account shall be drawn from time to time as required. All cheques on the said banking account shall be signed as follows: up to and including the value of fifty pounds by the Honorary Treasurer, cheques above the value of fifty pounds by the Honorary Treasurer and counter-signed by either the Honorary Secretary or the Chairman of the committee.

9. The constitution shall not be altered except at the Annual General Meeting of the Society, or at a Special General Meeting called for that purpose, and shall be altered only by a two-thirds majority of those members voting at such a meeting. Notice of any proposed alteration to the constitution shall be sent in writing to the Honorary Secretary not less than six weeks before and shall be circulated to the members not less than three weeks before the meeting at which it is to be proposed.