Robert Smail’s Printing Works

Posted 26 June 2014 by Jane

Robert Smail’s Printing Works in Innerleithen was established in 1866, it worked as a printers, stationers and even published a weekly newspaper. It remained in the Smail family until 1986 when it was acquired by the National Trust for Scotland and opened to the public in 1990.

The Smail family didn’t bring the works up to date with twentieth-century advances in technology, they kept everything leaving a lasting archive and the National Trust for Scotland have kept the works open as commercial jobbing printers. This gives a visitor a wonderful feeling of stepping back in time. You can also try typesetting by hand which is printed by the Compositor on the beautiful Columbian Eagle Press. It really is a wonderful place.