Tuesday 12 June 2012

MARC my words, printing needn't cost the earth...


MARC stands for the Manchester Area Resource Centre and it's a thriving printers on Edge Street in the Northern Quarter. It specialises in design and print services and advice, such as posters for community groups, charities' newsletters and many other grassroots activists' publicity. It's been a stalwart of the Manchester political scene for longer than I can remember. They print on recycled paper and their soya ink print process uses digital machines called Risographs. As they say, printing needn't cost the earth! Their website is www.marctheprinters.co.uk and Twitter feed is twitter.com/marctheprinters .

My first experiences at MARC were back in the late 1980s when I used to co-write the Chorlton CND (Campaign for Nuclear Disarmament) group newsletter, on a typewriter at home(!), and sometimes at a community centre on computer. I would then head off to MARC, then on Bloom Street. You would produce a template and, using a machine with a roller, have to manually turn and churn out your publication, sheet by sheet. The smell of printers' inks remains fresh in my head to this day, as does the positive and radical feel that all the groups using MARC then were slowly but surely changing the world for the better (or trying to) - think locally, act globally!

They then relocated to a large mill in Ancoats before becoming very much part of the bohemian village that is the Northern Quarter. I like the way that their window display shows the forthcoming month's events as well as showcasing their wide range of clients. 

Linking to the Signs, Signs blog for signs around the world this week.

19 comments:

  1. Hello Chrissy!
    An important article today, very well prepared!
    It's very interesting to know about the prints on recycled paper and the print process called Risographs!Thanks for all information!
    Léia

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  2. Really cool! I do remember the smell of ink. ;)

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  3. I like the composition of the picture, making an ordinary rectangular subject a little bit different.

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  4. Most of all I like the fact that they're still going, and have adapted in an environmentally friendly way. Really enjoyed this post Chrissy.

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  5. What a role model ! Wonderful where alike is possible. Please have a good Wednesday.

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  6. What a wonderful bit of community and personal history! I love hearing about things like this :)

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  7. Interesting shot and story!

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  8. Nice to hear of a green printer! And to hear your story.

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  9. A fascinating display! What a great business managing to move effectively with "progress"!

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  10. Well if I still lived in Manchester i know where I'd take my printing!

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  11. How fine that MARC the Printer provides these services to civic groups. Well found.

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  12. Sounds like you were producing your newsletters with a Gestetner - I recall the default colour was purple.

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    1. That's right Gerald, it was a gestetner I think. A bit messy at times too!

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  13. soya ink? that is a new one to me, but interesting!

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  14. a fascinating post! i didn't know about soya ink, either.


    Signs

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