Background

In an article entitled "History of College Printing," Robert Dudley French, the first Master of Jonathan Edwards, wrote:

"In the spring of 1936, the Master of Timothy Dwight began to make his plans for opening a printing office in his College. At the same time, August Heckscher, of the Class of 1936, was urging a similar enterprise upon the Master of Jonathan Edwards. Himself an enthusiast for the art of printing, with a distinguished record behind him as an amateur of the craft, Mr. Heckscher was in a position to confirm Mr. Rogers and myself in our opinion that it was possible to stimulate an interest in the Colleges in good printing and that it was not unreasonable to hope for work of high quality from young men whose principal interests were engaged in regular college work. Under his encouragement the plans for establishing presses in these two Colleges went forward with a surer confidence of success.

Whatever the evidence may be concerning the establishment of the first press, there is no disputing the fact that Branford was third in line, to be followed by Silliman in 1941, Pierson in 1948, Berkeley in 1952, Morse-Ezra Stiles (a joint operation with the press located in Morse) in 1962, Davenport in 1967, Trumbull in 1978, Saybrook in 1985, and Calhoun at unknown date most likely in the 1960’s. All but one of the shops began with letterpress equipment; Timothy Dwight, Jonathan Edwards, Branford and Pierson added offset presses, all of which were later removed as the commercial availability of copy centers became widespread. Morse-Ezra Stiles had only offset.