Printing Office

The delegates’ visit to the U.S Printing Office in Washington D.C struck a chord – the whole group was attracted by the calm and calculated atmosphere of the working environment. They witnessed synchronicity in action during a tour of the composing room on the top floor. From above, the delegates watched as mechanical typesetting, stereotyping, and printing services worked in tandem using steam power. While men and women worked side-by-side in the office, the group observed that roles requiring greater precision, such as typesetting, were dominated by women. Kunitake Kume made a note that because of the newfound technological progress in machinery, which had turned printing into a relatively inexpensive process, a door had opened for the mass production of books. Similarly, in Japan during the Edo Period (1603-1867) accessibility to cheap printing had drastically improved the spread of knowledge and information.