Sacramento daily record-union. [volume] (Sacramento [Calif.]) 1875-1891, 1890-01-01
OF IMPRINTs.

The printing art has so advanced at this
day that it promises to enter upon an era
paralleling that when the greatest skill of
the worker in the fine arts was made con-
tributory to it, and book decoration ranked
among the first of the arts. While in
many things, as in the beauty and variety
of styles of type, this is superior to any
previous day, it is not be denied that in an
earlier period printing was regarded, as
the Bookmaker puts it, as an almost divine
revelation, and for that reason it engaged
the learned and pious men and the most
eminent merchants.
If, as is believed, we are about entering
upon typographical renaissance, then all
the subjects relating to the revival that
the eminent printers forecast become of
public interest. Among these the Book
maker brings forward that of the growing
importance of the imprint, and asks for
discussion of the question whether it shall
be made the subject of legislation.
An English statute requires printer to
place his imprint upon everything he
prints excepting engravings, address cards,
business cards, price lists, catalogues, bank
notes, certain other commercial paper and
specified legal documents We certainly
do not need any such legislation. 1t would
seem that our laws under which trade
marks are registered and designs copy
righted are sufficient That the imprint
viii become more and more important is
not questioned, and the name of this and
that "press" will give greater and
greater character to issues of choice
books and works of the printer.
But to the question: "Shall we
have laws specifying what shall
constitute an Imprint" We answer, Ne,
there is no need for such statute, because
there is no demand for it from the print
ing and publishing interests on the one
hand, nor is the public Inconvenience by
the incompleteness or elaborateness of any
imprint or the absence of statutory regu-
lation. Upon what classes of matter shall
it be obligatory to place the imprint !?
There should be no legal mandate in the
matter. The publication of works pro-
hibited by law will not be restrained by
such legislation the issuance of rare pub
locations will not be promoted nor the pub
Usher protected by such laws.
That the imprint is valuable is admitted,
but that compulsory use of it will add to
its value we cannot understand, nor does
the BooImaker advance any reason for it.
That the English law in any way benefits
the printer has not been shown. We can,
however, see that law requiring an i'm
print would add advertising value to the
printers job. But there is sentiment of
no small proportions among business men
antagonistic to the imprint. They insist
that it shall not appear, except they are
credited by the printer in precisely the
sum of its advertising value. 1t is mar
row and eoldly commercial view, and not
creditable to those who entertain it. These
same business men send out their goods
bearing their trade marks, and would deem
it hard rule on the part of the purchaser
to refuse payment until the advertising
value of the commercial imprint" was de-
Quoted.
Nevertheless there is no need for legis-
lation upon the subject. The imprints OF
( the publishers and printers of the age are
not in danger of infringement, nor are they
likely to be in the future, and the trade
mark laws are sufficient to preserve them
iuviolahle if they were menaced.