Robert Smail’s Printing Works
Smail’s Stationer’s Shop is open every weekend (10.30am–4pm) until Sunday 22 December.
In 1857, Robert Smail relocated from Jedburgh to Innerleithen to establish himself as a shoemaker and bookseller. With the introduction of a new railway and a thriving textiles sector, he saw a chance to expand his ventures and decided to open Robert Smail’s Printing Works. By March 1866, he had successfully acquired the current location on the High Street for £500.
Robert Smail‘s Printing Works used letterpress printing and served the local community by handling various printing tasks, including the production of stationery, business cards, advertisements and letterheads.
Letterpress printing is a relief printing method in which ink is applied to raised areas of a block and then pressed onto paper to create an image. Other methods include woodcuts and linocuts. In the case of letterpress, each ‘block’ is an individual letter or symbol, called a sort, and multiple sorts are assembled to form a page.
In 1866, this was done by hand, one letter at a time. Around the turn of the century, many printers began using type-casting machines, which used a keyboard to automatically cast and set the type. By the 1960s, letterpress was vanishing in favour of methods like offset litho, which allowed for rapid printing in colour. However, the Smail family continued to use only the handset type until Cowan Smail retired in 1986.
Originally, printing in Europe used a wooden screw press called a common press from the 1450s until around 1800. The oldest of the Smail’s presses is an 1860s Columbian press, used in the caseroom to print proofs. Invented in the USA in 1813, this press is operated by hand, using a cantilever and counter-weight system to apply pressure to the print.
By the turn of the century, Robert Smail’s middle son, Robert Cowan Smail, born in 1864, was the senior partner of the printing works. During this time, the business expanded, acting as an agent for various shipping lines and establishing a local newspaper. The newspaper was printed on an 1880s Wharfedale Reliance press manufactured in the 1850s in Otley, Yorkshire. This large machine used a cylinder instead of a flat platen (a plate that presses against paper to make an impression in letterpress printing) to produce prints up to around A1 in size. It was hand-fed, usually by apprentices or young women called ‘layers on’. Robert Cowan Smail passed away in 1950 at the age of 86, bequeathing the business to his eldest son, Cowan Smail.
By the turn of the century, Robert Smail’s son, Robert Cowan Smail, was the senior partner of the printing works. During this time, the business expanded, acting as an agent for various shipping lines and establishing a local newspaper.
Apprentice printers would begin working with a 1920s treadle-powered Arab Clamshell platen press. This machine, invented in the 1870s, is self-inking and could print four or more times as many copies hourly than the Columbian press. Because it was treadle-powered, it was considered safer for apprentices to use. It usually produced small single-colour jobs such as dance tickets or business cards. Today, the team at Smail‘s use this press to print the bookmarks used in the hands-on section of the tour and some small items like postcards.
Cowan Smail, started his journey at Smail’s in 1926 when he was just 16 years old while also pursuing his studies in printing at Heriot-Watt College in Edinburgh. He initially worked primarily in the caseroom, but after World War II, he shifted his focus to the machine room, always preferring the hands-on environment of the workshop over the office. Following the passing of his father, Cowan took over the business, dedicating long hours to ensure customer satisfaction. A bachelor with a friendly and laid-back personality, he enjoyed his leisure time on the Innerleithen golf course. He participated in cross-country running as a member of the Gala Harriers. He had inherited his father’s shrewd business sense and was happy to stick with the traditional methods and equipment of letterpress printing.
Two Falcon presses, c1904-1908, were the leading production presses at the printing works until Cowan purchased what remains the most modern machine, a 1953 Original Heidelberg platen. Today, this press is used mainly for commercial and Stationer’s Shop printing.
Cowan was the final family member to manage the business, overseeing operations from the 1950s until 1986, when he retired. By then, hand-set letterpress printing had become too costly and slow for many companies that had once supported the printing shop. Anticipating that the type would be sold for scrap after his retirement, Cowan left all his jobs set up in the last few years. However, Maurice Rickards from the Ephemera Society noticed the closing sale sign in the shop window. The society then encouraged the Trust to acquire the building and its contents. Cowan agreed to sell his family business to the Trust, which committed to keeping it operational and making it a place to be enjoyed by visitors.
Enjoy a visit to Robert Smail's Printing Works, by booking a guided tour via Eventbrite.
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