The E. B. Eddy Handbook of Printing Production — book, Paul Arthur, 1967

This 1967 edition was a major update of Carl Dair’s 1952 Handbook of Printing Production for E. B. Eddy. While it retained essential information on metal type and traditional typesetting, it greatly expanded coverage of phototypesetting – a technology that was rapidly overtaking hot metal. Letterpress printing, once dominant, was now given less emphasis in favour of offset printing and new techniques such as silkscreen, which had become widely adopted within the graphic arts community.

One of the most notable features of this edition was its inclusion of a detailed, foldout production chart – offering a clear visual guide to planning and scheduling large-scale print jobs from concept through completion. In both its content and its format, the book reflected the complexities of a new era in design and production.

Paul Arthur, a seasoned designer and editor, approached the handbook not as a personal design exercise but as a collaborative production. He assembled a team of writers, designers, and technical specialists, working more like a producer than a sole creative. His goal was to meet – and often exceed – the expectations of the client by matching each element of the book to the expertise of its contributor.

Due to the rapidly shifting technologies of the time, this would be the last major production handbook issued by the E. B. Eddy Company. In retrospect, it stands as both a culmination of the letterpress era and a bridge to the photomechanical and digital futures that followed.
– Rod McDonald