Description and History of Site:-
The company began, principally as manufacturing stationers, in the mid C19, but these works were built in 1933-4 replacing older premises (elsewhere) destroyed by fire in 1932. In the 1980's, following a takeover by R. R. Donnelley, telephone directories and the 'Yellow Pages' were printed here.

Members of the Institution of Mechanical Engineers visited in 1936 and reported that:
"...The plant is laid out and equipped for the bulk production of fine printing in black and colour by letterpress and offset lithography which call for skill and co-operation on the part of those employed, and necessitate intricate machinery built to fine limits of accuracy. In the letterpress section the composing room is fully equipped for mechanical composition with slug and single-type machines, together with plant for producing half-tone stereos to within 0.001 inch of the required thickness. The machines are "two-revolution" presses fitted with "stream" feeders; they range in size from 18 by 23 inches to 60 by 40 inches. The larger sizes print two colours on both sides of the sheet in one operation.

In the "litho-offset" section the process cameras range from 15 by 15 inches to 40 by 40 inches and an important department is engaged upon the colour correction of the negatives and positives. The machine plates are produced by hand transfer, by direct photo-litho, or by "offset deep"; the latter gives finer results, a wider range of tone, and greater density of colour than other methods. The printing-down department is equipped with a "step-and-repeat" machine for producing in perfect register a series of machine plates on which the same design appears a number of times. The offset machines, which range in size from 20 by 25 inches to 35 by 45 inches and print one and two colours in one operation, are of the latest types, built to a fine degree of accuracy and equipped with "stream" feeders.

In the bindery the work printed in the two departments mentioned above is made up for dispatch, and here may be seen a variety of machinery for folding, wire stitching, and cutting."

The company still exists, now based in Flaxby. Their products and services are now much more diverse.

Further Reading and References:-
https://www.gracesguide.co.uk/1936_Institution_of_Mechanical_Engineers:_Visits_to_Works
https://www.yorkpress.co.uk/news/14448819.old-york-37-photos-of-ben-johnsons-rr-donnelleys/

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Key Words :- printing stationery office materials

Address :- Boroughbridge Road, York, North Yorkshire, YO36 5ST
Grid Ref :- SE 57696 52567
Co-ordinates :- Lat 53.965971 , Long -1.122032
Local Authority :- York City Council
Pre 1974 County :- Yorkshire - North Riding
Site Status :- Site demolished or no longer extant
Site Condition :- Site redeveloped to residential housing
Site Dates :- 1933 - 1990's
Record Date :- 2 October 2019

Copyright :- cc-by-nc-sa 4.0 © Nick Nelson