ABSTRACT
In this chapter, the authors deal with the presentation of the evidence arising from our case studies in the printing industry concerning the effect of technological change on employment. Almost every aspect of the printing operation has been subject to some significant technological advance, although the extent to which these advances have been adopted by firms in the industry varies considerably. Although the technical advances in letterpress technology have been small compared to those of offset, investment in reel-fed rotary and sheet-fed rotary machines has of course been taking place, particularly where the demand was growing for products not suitable for production by other techniques. The principles of hot-metal setting are the basis of the typesetting operations of most printing firms, but both filmsetting and the more modern refinements of hot-metal setting have widened the range of methods which are available.
