TT printers cry foul

THE EDITOR: Once more the printing and publishing industry of TT is treated as the orphan child by the bureaucracy of our country.

The printing industry is the equal of any international printer of similar status. The investment by TT printers in equipment, infrastructure, training of man/woman power has been considerable. Yet its abilities and energies are consistently ignored by those who should be dedicated to the encouragement of local enterprise. It has taken foreign users of print to recognise the high standards of workmanship and related matters that has enabled many TT printers to survive in this most competitive of industries. Yet this significant contribution to the economy and to the upgrading of talents in the field of graphic art is barely recognised by those whose duty is to understand and encourage such important local efforts. The textbook back-to-school decision which favours mainly UK publishers and printers, is once more a slap in the face to all the energy, investment etc that our industry has so willingly made.

It is ironic that the chosen books, whilst emanating from UK publishing houses, are rarely printed in the UK, but are printed in Hong Kong, Singapore, China and similar countries. Few of these locations produce paper and all use machinery similar to that with which our major TT printers are equipped. Some of these publishers make nominal acknowledgment to “contribution” from Caribbean persons in order to give a “Caribbean” flavour to their editions, such “contribution” being paid in sterling. Ken Gordon and myself fought long and hard to change the practice of selecting UK publishers at the expense of local publishing and printing facilities. We both met with incredible obstacles from these same UK publishers. We have the talent and the facilities here in TT, but without the will in the quarters that matter to give those a fighting chance we will once more loose out to closed minds.

LEONARD MAYNARD
Glencoe