FRONT PAGE COMPANY PRINTED MATTER SURROUNDINGS CONTACT INFORMATION ASK FOR A QUOTE Company Porvoo office Juva office History News Printed matter Surroundings Contact information Ask for a quote A printer for 150 years The printing house in Porvoo has been operating since 1860. The first print job was a card in which Gustaf Leopold Söderström told of the birth of his son Werner, a small printer. Porvoo was then an administrative center with hinterlands extending to Häme and Savo. It was good to set up a printing house here, the area had a long literary tradition with Runeberg, among others, and an advanced lyceum. The books of Runeberg and Topelius formed an important part of the production of the printing house. Initially, the press consisted of wooden hand-held printing presses, which, in addition to books, printed Borgåbladet, Finland's third oldest newspaper, founded by Leopold in December 1860. Borgåbladet appeared on Saturdays and the price of the vintage in Porvoo was 1 ruble and 20 kopecks. Werner Söderström published his first book in 1878, the work was called The Pearl of Ostrobothnia. As print volumes increased, Werner went to buy cylinder printing machines from Sweden. He also built the first power plant in Porvoo to electrify his weight and home. Werner Söderström was also able to sell electricity to his neighbors. The annual output of the printing press rose rapidly to 150-200,000 printed books, but remained at this level during the years of famine of the late 19th century. Conditions after the First World War were difficult, and local warfare took place in Porvoo as well. In the late spring of 1918, the printing press had to print FIM 5 and FIM 20 banknotes to cover direct expenses and salaries. On the labels, the company, confirmed by the signature of its director, promised to take responsibility for the liabilities incurred as conditions stabilized. These tickets were traded in perfectly functioning shops in the city. As conditions stabilized, the era of the most liberal cost line began under the leadership of Jalmari Jäntti. The company grew, and publishing expanded into magazines. A major investment decision was made just before the wars when a 16-page gravure rotary press was ordered for magazine production. It weighed as many as 10,000 sheets per hour. During World War II, more books were printed in print than ever before, and specifically fiction. Average weights increased from 8,500 to 11,000 during the years 1942-1944. The post-war years were favorable for the publisher but challenging for the printer. The printing presses urgently needed modernization but due to currency regulations, it was difficult to get the currency. In 1950, the machines were finally allowed to be properly renewed, and after the flat weight of its first four-color machine, its production for color work immediately tripled. Gradually, the property in the center of Porvoo began to become impractical. The room height was too low and the column spacing too tight for modern printing presses. Thus, from 1966, the current Tarmola production facilities, the former paper warehouse, were moved in small installments. Vuonna 1976 päätettiin perustaa kirjapaino Savoon, Juvalle ja tehtaan vihkiäiset olivat jo 1977 tammikuussa. Juvan tehtaan perustaminen ja sen myötä suuritehoisen Cameron kirjalinjan hankinta käynnisti kirjapainon kansainvälistymisen. Linjan teho oli niin suuri, että markkinat jouduttiin hakemaan viennistä. WSOY:n historian suurin yksittäinen investointi, Book-O-Matic kirjanvalmistuslinja, tehtiin Juvalle 1992. SanomaWSOY konsernin synty vuonna 1998 vaikutti välittömästi myös kirjapainoon. Osana järjestelyä Otava lunasti itselleen yhteisyritykset Actaprint lehtipainon, sekä Suuren Suomalaisen Kirjakerhon. Lehtipainoliiketoiminta loppuikin Porvoosta muutaman vuoden sisään. WS Bookwell Oy erillisenä juridisena yhtiönään perustettiin vuodenvaihteessa 1999 - 2000. Joulukuun 2009 alussa WS Bookwell yhdistyi myöskin vanhat perinteet omaavan Gummerus Kirjapainon kanssa. Vuonna 2010 WS Bookwell yhtiöitettiin kirjapainoliiketoimintaa jatkavaksi Bookwell Oy:ksi ja kiinteistöyhtiö Bookwell Porvoo Realtyksi. Vuoden 2012 Bookwell Oy osti Kariston Kirjapaino Oy:n. Bookwell Oy Teollisuustie 4 FI-06150 PORVOO, FINLAND Puh. +358 19 21 941 Sähköposti / email: etunimi.sukunimi@bookwell.fi firstname.lastname@bookwell.fi