I’m not a printer. In fact, I’ve never worked in a printing company. I’m a newshound. Luckily for me, you don’t have to be a printer to write about printing, much as few sporting journalists would have an Olympic gold medal in their top drawer. 

A journalist needs the ability to recognise the makings of a story and the nous to extrapolate the key facts. The nature of the beast is that you’re always on the job. Stories pop up for me in the moments when most people are at their leisure: during idle conversation, flicking through a Sunday newspaper, trawling through Facebook.

In short, you can’t turn it off. You can’t afford to. One way or another, you’re always on the clock. What I like about printers is that they’re exactly the same.

A common compulsion

I first noticed this common compulsion when the general manager of a print company mentioned to me that one of the joys of printing was seeing your work when you’re on holiday. I got it: I suppose I’d be excited too if I saw an article I’d written in some unfamiliar magazine on a newsstand somewhere in the world (unless they hadn’t paid me for it, of course).

However, the similarity between a newshound and a printer was really brought home to me on a recent trip to Hong Kong (courtesy of HP – thanks!) 

The incident occurred on arrival at Hong Kong airport, when a group of us were being hastily ushered to a hotel transfer bus. With the bus almost in sight, one of the overseas printers I was striding alongside suddenly altered his course, walking purposefully 15 metres over to the right to inspect one of the large printed advertisements adorning the terminal wall. I also stopped to watch as, after 10 seconds of close inspection, he ran his finger across the ad and furtively scratched at the surface.

While a lack of proficiency in foreign languages meant I never found out exactly what he was looking for, I liked what I saw. The incident reminded me that the printing trade isn’t just a 9 to 5 duty, it’s a 24/7 passion, even when you’re in a rush, jetlagged, and in need of a change of socks.

Running 24/7

I’ve heard plenty about 24-hour operations and stories about printers being called to the factory at 3am when things go belly-up. But now I can truly see how it is comparable to my furtive beavering over a laptop at 3am (writing stories, that is).

Sadly, looking back at some my online work over the last month, it seems I’m probably not the only one enduring a few sleepless nights these days, with March yielding a remarkable number of company administrations, including a series of industry heavyweights. It hasn’t been easy chasing these stories, though obviously things are more difficult on the other end of the phone.

Here’s hoping that April produces the upswing we’ve heard forecasted for some time.

Daniel Fitzgerald is a reporter for ProPrint

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