Technological change in London’s commercial printing trades, 1980–1992

Heslop, A (2021) 'Technological change in London’s commercial printing trades, 1980–1992.' In: Martins, N and Brandão, D, eds. Advances in design and digital communication. Digicom 2020. Springer, Cham, pp. 443-455. ISBN 9783030616700

(Request more information)

Abstract

This paper adds to the discussion of how technological change occurred in London’s commercial printing businesses between 1980–1992 (‘Commercial’ being a term implying that firms were neither private presses, nor newspaper producers.). It shows how a decentralised trade restructured and underwent a major industrial shift in order to survive a technologically and politically turbulent decade. It argues firstly that print production de-industrialised and emerged as a ‘service’, as the result of social networks within the industry breaking down and reorganising and secondly that the impact of digital technologies on practices in the workplace was a slow and complex process. In doing so, it complements familiar narratives of newspaper production, which focus upon a more ‘sudden’ transformation within a centralised trade. Changes in training, tracked with oral history work, provides a focus for understanding. Object-based and archival document research is also used, including an examination of annual reports (a chief undertaking by London printers), as well as trade literature. Together, such sources give a view from a variety of responses to industrial transformation. They also demonstrate how a multi-disciplinary approach that combines social networks and material culture can generate alternative insights into both industrial transformation and also into researching the digital as a political occurrence (This paper is a part of a larger research project entitled ‘Open Shop: a Reassessment of London’s Printing Trades, 1980–1992’.).

Item Type:	Book Chapter or Section
Note:	This chapter was first published on 23 October 2020 but has been recorded here with a 2021 publication date as recommended by the publisher.
UN SDGs:	Goal 9: Industry, Innovation and Infrastructure
Keywords:	printing industry, sociotechnical change, information economy
Subjects:	D History General and Old World > DA Great Britain N Fine Arts > NE Print media T Technology > TS Manufactures T Technology > TT Handicrafts Arts and crafts
Divisions:	Bath School of Design
Date Deposited:	21 Oct 2025 16:01
Last Modified:	22 Oct 2025 09:33
URN:	https://researchspace.bathspa.ac.uk/id/eprint/17300

	Request a change to this item or report an issue
	Update item (repository staff only)