News and Views

March Meeting at Janet's: Report by Janet

BPS Report

Once again the majority of Maidenhead Branch members managed to get together for their Monthly meeting. This time the theme was Fonts and the venue was Janet Tweedy’s.
Much talk of selling type and setting it up for Ebay etc. lots of advice from our very own Mr Ebay, Chris Daniells.
Janet dug out several trays of unusual type and also so typeface books which are always a Godsend so that you can check or even scan the fonts if needed.

Bob brought along his now finished book that he is busy printing and exporting! A lot of work and effort going into its production.
A short intermission whilst we all consumed the food and drink and then back to a general discussion of selling printing stuff generally and then one or two printing problems that individuals had met, were resolved.
Janet showed those present her current Gocco printing equipment, although Chris Daniells had some difficulty in understanding that the samples of serviettes were deliberately printed cock eyed! For printing three or four colours at once the Gocco can’t be beaten although the manufacturers had stopped making the little screen making kit and you can only get the supplies from very few places.

There also occurred several other threads concurrent with the printing conversations including Fireman, HS2 and the world record for shirt ironing (I kid you not!)

Another great evening with the final members trundling off into the frosty night at about 1am!

February Meeting at Bob's: Report by Bob

Maximum numbers piled over to Advantage Press on 7th February for the monthly meeting of Maidenhead Branch. Whether it was the activities being offered or the refreshments kindly laid out by Jane, it was good to welcome so many to Crookham Village, in rural Hampshire. This is most southerly venue in the Maidenhead Branch and on a cold winter’s evening, it was a long drive for those who attended.
The focus of the meeting was a discussion on image files: the various types, how they differ and which to use for what purpose. This is a subject that Bob really wanted aired, to give members a chance to share their knowledge, and to improve his own IT practice.
As a diversion, there was a practical demonstration of small-book making skills, starting with Bob’s method of padding the pages, and finishing with two different ways of fastening the pages along the spine. For an 18mm thick paperback book, seven shallow slots were cut using a fine tenon saw and bookbinders’ thread pulled through the slots in a figure-of-eight pattern, and then knotted. The spine was pasted with PVA and covered with a strip of gauze. This is quite a time-consuming process but very strong, and inconspicuous beneath the cover. A thinner book of about 8mm thickness was side-stapled using a hand staple-gun; very quick and accurate, though the staples have to be tapped home with a small hammer so that they are flush to the surface. Whatever the thickness of book, the final stage is to attach the laminated cover using hot-melt glue. Three trims later on a large guillotine and you have a completed perfect-bound book!
To go with the food prepared by Jane, there were more hot drinks, and at around ten o’clock, the meeting concluded because of the long journey home.

JANUARY MEETING

The Annual Dinner of the Maidenhead Branch took place on Friday 14th January, when five members and their spouses gathered at the Bird in Hand Restaurant, Knowl Hill. This old coaching inn is on the A4 Bath Road west of Reading and seems to be in the middle of nowhere, so it’s a miracle that everyone found it on time. The weather this year was warm and dry, a stark contrast to the snow and ice experienced a year ago.
The table of ten seemed to split itself into Chris, Rose, Richard, Caroline and Bob at one end, inevitably chatting about the Daniells’ proposed move to Devon; the other half comprised Jane, David, Heather, Barry and Ann who seemed to be talking about holidays, although there were almost certainly reminiscences from David. It all went smoothly and as usual, the food and service was excellent. It’s so simple isn’t
it, to have cards with people’s name and food choices; it makes it so much easier for the servers. Why doesn’t every restaurant do this for group meals?
The three courses came and went, followed by tea and coffee, and everyone seemed very happy to sit at the table. In no time at all, it was ten-thirty, and people started to move off, especially if they had an hour’s drive. Our thanks go to everyone for coming, also to Richard & Caroline for organising the dinner once again.