About APHA > Mission & History
Welcome!
The American Printing History Association (APHA) is a membership organization that encourages the study of the history of printing and related arts and crafts, including calligraphy, typefounding, typography, papermaking, bookbinding, illustration, and publishing. The organization does this through a wide variety of programs and services: the annual three-day conference and Lieberman Lecture series; the oral history project; the fellowship program; the scholarly journal Printing History and other special publications; and the annual individual and institutional awards that honor distinguished achievement in the field of printing history.
APHA is international, with members all over the world. The parent organization is supported by regional chapters that sponsor active programs of lectures, field trips, and other opportunities to meet fellow APHA members on an informal basis. APHA was founded in 1974; the founding board included J. Ben Lieberman, Cathy Brody, Joseph Dunlap, Stuart Dobson, Paul Noble, Robert Leslie, Herbert Johnson, Elizabeth Harris, Philip Grushkin, Martin Speckter, Terry Belanger, Jean Peters, Stephen O. Saxe, and Susan Thompson.
The By-laws state that APHA exists
1) To encourage the study of printing history, especially American printing history, in all its facets from a world context to national, regional, state and local interests, and including all the arts and technologies relevant to printing, book arts and letter forms;
2) To produce and promote publications, exhibitions, conferences, lectures and other functions, at both national and local levels, by which information and ideas relating to printing history may be exchanged;
3) To foster the development and maintenance of libraries and museums for the preservation of materials bearing on printing history, including specimens of printing and the equipment and materials used in printing; and
4) To cooperate with other organizations, institutions and individuals to recognize the central importance of printing to humanity.
Deadline for the 2014 APHA Awards nominations is September 1st, 2013. Details.
We are pleased to announce the speakers for the upcoming APHA Conference on October 18-19
David Pankow to deliver the 2013 Lieberman Lecture. Details.
The APHA board has agreed to move forward with a redesign of the APHA website. The front page will feature articles, news and a calendar, and will replace the pdf newsletter. While a Summer launch is expected, the editor is now seeking short articles of 200-400 words in length, plus images. Please write to website@printinghistory.org.
The 2013 Winter Newsletter, featuring a summary of the Annual Meeting in New York is now available. Download or read online.
Individual and Institutional Awards for distinguished achievement in printing history were presented at our Annual membership Saturday, January 26.
Details.
Back issues of Printing History are now on sale at a deep discount at Rochester Institute of Technology Press
The complete listing of Printing History's contents have been put back online. See the contents (and a few select articles) from the Original Series, or a complete listing of the New Series. See something you like? Order Directly from RIT Press.