16 Apr

Do you like the History of Salmon Arm? So do we!

If you are interested in the history of Salmon Arm and the Shuswap, then you are just like us.

If you have been to Hucul Printing then you have either met Bernie or Gary Hucul, the owners of Hucul Printing.

Both of these brothers, having been born and raised in Salmon Arm, have a strong interest in the local history. They have collected hundreds of photographs from the early 1900s to present, which showcase how Salmon Arm used to be.

They have scanned in so many images that its hard to navigate your way through their collection.

Luckily, we have started a Flickr Page that showcases some of the best and most interesting of their collection. They are continually building it for the public’s perusal and I recommend you check it out!

Every one of the photos on the site are available in printed format and we highly recommend you go with a canvas option if you choose to get one for your house.

If you are a history buff like them, then stop by Hucul Printing and start up a conversation with one of the brothers and find out more. Also, if you have some old photos, bring them so we can see!

22 Jan

Why Printing Is Alive and Well

As a printer’s son, I have been around the printing industry my whole life. When I was younger, I tended to take ‘the role that printers’ have played in the world’ for granted. Now, my apathy has shifted to enthusiasm for what sparked the Age of Information — which is printing.

Printing changed the world

In fact, printing has been regarded as an important factor in the evolution and creation of the modern world. Printing has changed the way we have communicated with each other, not unlike what the internet has done for us today.

Photo by Jonathan Kos-Read

Before printing there were specially trained people called scribes who would spend hours handwriting pages to be provide a written history, to be read later.

Could you imagine if all of the written material known to man was handwritten!

Now almost every word you read is either seen on the printed page, printed by a printer, or seen on the computer screen, just waiting to be printed by pressing two buttons, CTRL/Command P, or Print!

Technology changed printing

Like many industries today, printing has been influenced by modern technology.

At Hucul Printing, we have adapted to changing technologies in order to stay competitive.

A good example of these types of adaptations is what we call the short-run printing jobs. Before the use of digital technology, we exclusively used the big, industrial grade printing presses to print business cards.

However, in order to make these runs affordable to our customer, we would have to run 500 to 1,000+ business cards at a time.

Now, times being different, it isn’t unusual for us to run 100 business cards, at a time, by using digital technology on digital presses.

This new technology has made printing business cards, brochures, and pamphlets more affordable to our customers than ever before.

Printing is still necessary

Printing has gone through many changes since the mid 1400s and is still relevant today. Consider that printed material still serves the people of Salmon Arm, British Columbia and Canada, in ways that simply cannot be replaced.