Teenagers were encouraged to make money in their spare time by purchasing the equipment and supplies to set up a small shop. In addition to completing small printing jobs, some of the printers found time to publish papers. They began exchanging journals with one another, then formed regional and national organizations to provide a framework for activity. Computer-generated amateur journals began appearing in the early 1980s, and an increasing number of members use home computers to produce their papers. Publishers send the mailer sufficient copies of their papers for each member, and the mailer packages them up and gets them to the post office.
Typical bundles contain one to two dozen papers.
An official organ, The American Amateur Journalist , is published every other month to keep members informed of activities. Pleasantly-relaxed conventions are held annually, traditionally in late summer. We're strictly informal. Our officers are elected by mail. We have no permanent headquarters, no big operating fund, no big endowment.