Australia’s largest privately owned prepress house David Graphics has reached its 50th birthday, and is still going strong.
The company offers platemaking for flexo, dry offset and lithographic printing, as well as film and proofs.

David Graphics owner Alan David is delighted that his company has reached such a milestone, saying that he is “very grateful” for the opportunity to see his company reach its 50th birthday.

After leaving school during World War II, David spent a number of years working at a publishing company followed by a stint with a photo engraver before starting the company, then known as Press Photo and Engraving, to support his growing family.

“I started the business out of necessity because I had a family, and at the age of 25 I figured if I didn’t do it then, I’d never do it,” says David. “We had no equipment and no money, but we had service. At that time, we treated our customers right, which didn’t happen much in those days.”

Still the original owner, David has managed to keep a loyal staff, with his secretary Adelaide Merlino still the original secretary he hired when he started out in the business.

Over the years, the company has seen many highs and lows. The company was reportedly one of the first to practice customer deliveries and extended working hours, gaining much respect through these efforts. This saw the company hold 90 per cent of the Sydney retail market’s work in the early days. A fire and a flood destroyed the company premises on two separate occasions, but the company always managed to rebuild, today boasting a large company headquarters in Waterloo with two smaller outlets in Smithfield and Kogarah.

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