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A REPUTATION FOR EXCELLENCE
A History of the Aberdeen and Northern Counties Printing
Industry
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The shortages both in manpower and
materials experienced during the First World War led to a degree
of cooperation between the two rival news-papers. This was fortunate
as both companies were experiencing financial difficulties in the
post-war years and no doubt led to their amalgamation in 1922 and
the formation of a new company, Aberdeen Newspapers Ltd. A decision
was then taken to name the combined newspaper The Aberdeen Press
and Journal.
Changes in ownership began in 1928 when first Allied Newspapers
Ltd purchased Aberdeen Newspapers Ltd and renamed the company Aberdeen
Journals Ltd. It was to change hands again when Roy (later Lord)
Thomson took over in 1951 to add to his growing newspaper group.
More recently, at the beginning of 1996, the Thomson organisation
sold Aberdeen Journals Ltd to Northcliffe Newspapers Ltd. the regional-papers
stablemate of The Daily Mail.
Another two major events mark the recent history of The Press and
Journal. Firstly there was the transfer from its nineteenth-century
site in Broad Street to a new location on the council-owned Mastrick
Industrial Estate. That the new building was constructed in fourteen
months was remarkable, but even more so was that such a massive
relocation was completed without an issue being lost. Although the
presses were moved over a period, the Linotypes and other equipment
were all transferred over a weekend in mid-November 1970.
The second major event was the introduction of new technology in
1978, which involved scrapping the Linotype machines and replacing
them with Apple Mac computers. In 1990 it was the turn of the pressroom
when a £10 million Goss Colorliner press, capable of 75,000
copies per hour, replaced the two old Headliner presses. This contrasts
with James Chalmers’ single-sheet hand-fed press turning out
240 copies an hour.
Commercial printers too were seriously affected by the rapid developments
brought about by the introduction of Apple Mac and Postscript page
description language. These, linked to laser printers, have made
possible the establishment of desktop publishing, enabling former
customers to set, make-up, and print their own stationery, brochures
etc for relatively small capital outlay.
In spite of those advances Aberdeen can still boast a number of
traditional printers offering a service which cannot be matched
by non-commercial units. Among those who are noted for the quality
of their product one must include Compass Print Ltd. Gilcomston
Litho (Aberdeen) Ltd. Grant Print Ltd, Langstane Press Ltd, Printagraph
Ltd, Waverley Press (Aberdeen) Ltd and Wiggins Teape Stationery.
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Volume 3 published 1996
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