Training

For centuries, the apprentices trained as compositors and pressmen while living and working at the master printer’s premises, but by the beginning of the 19th century most lived at home or in lodgings.

Boys were taken on around the age of 14 and spent 7 to 10 years learning their trade, originally in both the case-room and the press room. Apprentices, especially in the early years, were often given tasks such as cleaning the type and the printing presses, becoming very dirty in the process leading to the nickname ‘printers’ devils’. Apprenticeships were not offered to women and few women worked in the trade until the middle of the 19th century, and then they were mainly confined to lower paid roles.

As machines became faster and more complex, some apprentices especially in larger printing works were trained either as compositors or as pressmen. By 1914, there were evening classes for printing in Glasgow and Edinburgh. By the 1920s Stow College (now part of the City of Glasgow College) in Glasgow, Heriot-Watt College (now University) in Edinburgh and Dundee Technical College were all offering training courses as part of printing apprenticeships. Training in Edinburgh was later transfered to Napier College, now Edinburgh Napier University. By the mid 20th century the length of the apprenticeship had shortened to 4 years.

Some apprentices attended night school after completing their day’s work. A number of training films were made, such as a vocational film about the printing trade (1947) and an introduction to typesetting (1959).

In the 21st century limits on the age and gender of entrants to the printing industry no longer apply, Apprentices now undertake a workplace print training programme leading to a range of recognised vocational qualifications across a number of key occupations and print trade sectors.

Printing classes in Edinburgh were run by Edinburgh Typographia from the late 1880s: you can download the syllabus for the session 18911892 [PDF 11.7Mb] and William Maxwell’s Address to the Edinburgh Typographia, given in 1935 [PDF 5.9Mb]

Although some courses might involve attendance at college for a block of time, or on day-release, s