Ottumwa tri-weekly courier. [volume] (Ottumwa, Iowa) 1903-1916, 1909-05-18
COMMERCIAL. HAS;
STEADY GROWTH
oTTUMWA PRINTING CONCERN
MOVES ALONG ABREAST OF
THE TIMES.

Few Ottumwa concerns have enjoy
ed more healthy and prosperous bus
mess existence during the past veal
than that experienced by the Conn
mercial Printing company. This firm
has enjoyed steady and substantial
and is bent on reaching the highest
point of efficiency in the business al
which they are engaged. 1t has from
time to time been compelled to in I
crease it's capacity to keep pace with
the demands made upon 1t In tha
filling of its immense number of orders
! that come tCNit because of the higk
character Of re work and the cour.
teous treatment accorded it's custom
| ers. To meet these demands addi-
tional machinery of the labor and
time saving type has been installed
as well as several individual motors
for. the operation of each separate ma
chine.
Necessarily the work done by this
firm is of wide and varied character
catalogs and calling cards, two and
three color designs, hand bills. all
manner of office stationery and BLANK
forms, leaflets and pamphlets, both
plain and ornamental, inexpensive and
of exquisite quality, society stationery
ments, hangers, placards. and, in fact
anything that can be executed with
| types and embellishments, paper.
presses and ink.
| l.. h. Mercer, secretary of the COM
pany, said: 1T is our constant aim to
keep abreast of the times. Printing
that was considered of high quality
last year must be rivaled this year. AS
time goes on people become more and
more discriminating in regard to their
printing and advertising. Just few
years ago the average man was fully
satisfied with his stationery if it con-
tanned all the letters of his name in
a form that was readable. Today, sta
tionery that is not neat and artistic
and in keeping with the firms bust
ness finds small favor. Fully realizing
these things, we are determined there
shall be no foundation for fault-flnd-
ing with the quality of our work.
Display, composition and press
work is now, indeed, mechanical art
The composition must needs have a
very clear conception of the harmony
of various faces of types, sizes and
groupings OF. display lines and text
matter and the value and proper dis
trtbution of white space. The press
man must have thorough knowledge
of the effects of various inks on the
different styles and makes of papel
and a discerning eye for color schemes
as well as a knowledge of how to ex-
ecute the work to bring about these
results. Both pressman and compos.
itor must know in advance of how the
finished product will look. This car
only be learned by close application
, and large experience
While this printing company's bust
ness depends principally on its Ioca
trade. it gets, also, many orders from
the surrounding country and order.
for larger contracts frequently com,
from beyond the state borders.
The present management has hat
! charge of the company for the pas
eighteen months. The fact that iii
; office has been crowded to its capicit.
at all times indicates that business il
Ottumwa is generally good. Just a.
soon as trade in general begins t
, drop off the printing shops are among
the first to notice it in the decrease O
their output. NO such depression ha
, been noticed by this local PRINTING
l company however, during the pas
year and half.