The times dispatch. [volume] (Richmond, Va.) 1903-1914, 1905-09-03
EASY to Be Job Printer,
but Few Ever Get Rich.
~ Robert MOdler.

/ with Just as little material as ne can Possip1!
get along with.
y Then. when his business expands ne can M
! crease his type, his presses, ana other paraI
aphernalla in accordance with the needs Oh
stho work that comes to him. He is simply
feeling OF his business whent ne stat's'a''hu
he must develop MS 1t develops. How much
he will invest depends entirely upon himself
his capital, and resources and his prospects
for trade. If he is sensible he will got his
material second hand. saving 80 per cent
OF its cost and getting stuff that Will do him
list as well s new SO long as he only does
small business.
a Job press large enough to do any work
that will come to the beginner can be had
second hand for $3.50 almost any time
Maybe 1t may be secure d cheaper There are
occasionally some rare bargains TO be had IN
presses Such aSpress new VIII cost S'a)o
One hundred dollars will go a long way to-
wards buying all the type forms, paper cut
ter, and other machinery that printerwill
need at the beginning. Fifty dollars moreNwill
pay a couple of months rent, Thus $500 is
fair capital for the small beginner TO have.
Five hundred is obviously better, but It is
to be supposed that the man who starts into
this line Is not burdencd with capital. IT
he is 1t Is a foolish move on his part to get
tlIllO ~, ~ lplsp AiSh t1aoh oaHA''.'"'
Competition for Trade Fierce.
A man should have several sources Of
business located and nailed downSfor his
Eown before he puts his money into an out
fit Competition in this line Is to be dcs-
ignated only by tho choice word 4" fierce.
The printing business Of q firm Is as eagerly
sought after as patent medicine testlmo-
malls. lie who tries to be a job printer IN a
large city without having some special guar.
anteed business Is going to feel what i Is to
be left In the race for trade. II a man has
several sources for securing good, substan-
* tal orders regularly there Is no reason why
he cannot make money doing job printing.
While the prices on cheap work are cut to
such 4 figure as to leave almost no profit
good work is still at price where ityieds
a good, even excellent, profit to the printer.
1t is this kind Of work u man should try to
get.
Many Start at Home.
One Of the favoritc means of starting IN this
line now Is to Z" start at home' A manwlth
u a spare ROOM loft, ora good basement, puts
in a small hand press, a few fonts of type and
takes orders for small printing among his
friends and business acquaintances AS a
fad this Is one of the most profitable imag-
Unable. one OF the most reIHhrRaple ca
amples ORA fad turned into al life ton
is that Of dry goods clerk who in his young
days had acted as printers devil on the small
" home /" newspaper, and who took up the
work OF doing little Jobs Of printing at home
evenings more as a matter of recreation
than anything else. Besides IT happened he
had a wide circle of acquaintances who need
ed work done, 1t was not long before he was
ready to quit his job and devote his entire
time to his fad Now he employs twelve men
and wears the rament that indicates pros
perty and much Of II on the nart OF the
wearer. He made So 600 cleari in the first two
years that he was In the business and his
trade is still growing,
., However, his case Is an exception. Most
job printers, even the old established tfaae,
do not make this much. II Is not that me
small plants possibilities are not up to- TINS
1rure hut Al Ia so ha I'd to "pet the business