Table of Contents
background
From 'Print: How you can do it yourself' (1975)
'You might have used this press when it was a community press at 11 Hemingford Road or you might not have heard of us but would be interested in the printing facilities. We have two printing presses – one does newspaper size, and the other does leaflet size. They are both simple 'offset litho' where you type, write or draw your material and it is photographed exactly onto a metal plate which prints the image on the paper as it goes through the machine. there is also a duplicator, and an electric scanner, if you want drawings on duplicated leaflets. Finally we have a typewriter, if you really cannot lay your hands on one. It is not a commercial press. No one makes a profit out of it and there are no labour charges, only the cost of material. We do not do printing for people, we ask them to come and help and learn how to use the equipment themselves – especially if they are printing something regularly, like a newspaper.
We see the press as a weapon in a political struggle – we want it to be used by local groups who are pushing for more control over their own lives and situations and who are fighting against the profit system and against bureaucracy. We would like it to be a bit of a meeting place for people who come with other things to print. On the other hand we are not a Council-sponsored 'project' aimed at do-gooding and participation – which means participating in a way which the council controls us and keeps us down! The sort of things that really need printing are squatters' posters and handbooks, community papers, stuff for black groups, for school kids and for women and men fighting in the workplace (particularly where they are not in the union or have been sold out by their union).
If you have anything to print for your own struggles come to our press meetings on Wednesdays at 6.00pm.
On account of the way we run the press, we seem to be in permanent financial difficulties. Any contributions and money or typewriter ribbons or paper will not be thrown back in your face.'