OUR PRINTING PRESS
WHEN the Eastern Province Herald started in 1845, it was a four-page, three-column, hand-set and hand-printed newspaper.
Three years after its launch, in 1848, a new printing press was imported from England. The Herald was in the process of procuring new premises at the corner of Military Road and Baakens Street (where it is still located, but in the much larger Newspaper House building) when a fire broke out on April 25 1902.
Fortunately plans for the new building were already approved and on July 7 1903, printing started in the building at the corner of Baakens and Military.
In 1918, The Herald acquired a new rotary printing press resulting in improved photographic illustrations.
In 1931, a R16 000 used Duplex rotary press was imported from Scotland, capable of printing 36 000 copies per hour.
When The Herald moved into the new Newspaper House in October 1952, the press was installed and used until mid-1966.
From then on several new printing presses included a Goss Urbanite offset litho press purchased second-hand in France.
In 2008, a brand new, smaller, Goss Community press was purchased by Avusa, which is still used to print all Times Media publications at its premises in Hunter’s Retreat. – Ivor Markman