Ben Franklin, Printing Week and Your APA Dues Notice!

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With today being the auspicious birthday of BENJAMIN FRANKLIN, Printer, and the beginning of International Printing Week, this provides me a great opportunity as your new APA President to welcome you to the New Year! May this be a year full of beautiful letterpress printing each month, arriving each month thanks to the postal system, set up by Ben Franklin and aided by our current mailers, Troy and Lisa Groves

 

International Printing Week was created by the International Association of Printing House Craftsman (IAPHC). The week surrounded the birthday of Benjamin Franklin, Printer, on January 17th. Printing Clubs around the country, as well as printers in general, celebrated the week with special activities, public events, newspaper articles on the printing industry and a good banquet. The IAPHC often issued special stamps for envelopes, posters, and even books to support the weeklong celebration across the county. The illustration above was from the Louisville Craftsman Club in 1958, the year APA started. I was a member of the Santa Monica, CA, Chapter; our distinguished Tramp Printer, Paul Aken, was a member of the Chicago Club and has quite a bit of memorabilia as well. It would be nice to hear who else was a member!

Membership dues are currently due. If you haven’t paid them yet, we have set up an ONLINE DUES option this year through this website by CLICKING HERE.

You can now pay by credit card, bank transfer through Zelle, or mail a check to Katie Roeck, the Secretary-Treasurer. Also, you can make an Additional Donation to help cover additional costs not covered by your nominal dues.

A few reminders and encouragements for 2021 for all of us in APA:

  • Print Early, Print Your Best & Print Often. 
  • Stretch your Printing and Design Skills this Year. 
  • Print to Inspire! Jim Daggs, our dearly departed Tramp Printer, accomplished this often, testified by my refrigerator which is still decorated by his printing. Personally, I want to print something that my fellow members think, smile and reach for a magnet on their refrigerator!
  • Communicate with Courtesy and Respect, whether in print or online. At the end of the printing day, we are a hobby organization made up of diverse members, but we come together to enjoy letterpress printing and friendship.

I am looking forward to a successful year full of ink, type and the sound of presses cranking! Ben Franklin would certainly approve. So lift a glass of Franklin’s favorite, Madeira wine, in his honor at your press. And get some ink on your fingers…

In the service of Franklin,

Mark

Mark Barbour
2021-2022 APA President
714-529-1832
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