Yesterday, July 30, 2024, the Southeastern Printing proof of A Pictorial History of Palm City. Florida was signed and submitted for print. What a feat.
Unlike when our other books were printed and we saw the big presses running and watched as book designer, Heidi Rich, approved each press sheet, the new book is out of our hands.
Golden Gate.
Southeastern Printing is no longer in their plant in Golden Gate on A1A, near the Yacht and Country Club of Stuart. The 100 year old company founded by Edwin Menninger has relocated to Hialeah, Florida, adjacent to downtown Miami.
Printing has changed dramatically since 1992 when my first book was printed. The quality diminished so slightly when the presses changed to digital, it was hardly noticeable
No longer are large metal sheets required. The process was so interesting to me that I kept one of the metal printing plates and a number press sheets.
When I pulled the big metal sheet out of the back of a closet so I could photograph it, a sound like thunder erupted. (Something like this must have been used to produce thunder in the era of radio dramas.)
Someday, I will throw out the paper and metal trail of book production but some copies of our books will endure long after I have to say “goodbye.”
