Tramp Printers

A rare daguerreotype (an early photographic process) of a young Samuel Clemens (Mark Twain) at age 15, holding a printer’s composing stick with the letters SAM. Mark Twain was a ‘tramp printer’ who began his career as printer’s apprentice and later worked as a typesetter for newspapers and other publications. The photo is a mirror reproduction (as were all daguerrotypes). The letters on the composing stick are readable – they would in reality be reversed to print correctly.

Tramp Printers: The Free Spirits of the Print Trade

The term ‘tramp printer’ might call to mind images of drifters or vagrants – those unwilling or unable to hold down a job. But the reality is quite the opposite. Tramp printers were highly skilled craftspeople who chose a life on the road, travelling from one print shop to another across Canada and the U.S., always in search of work.

For more than a century, ‘tramp printer’ referred to an itinerant typesetter who preferred the variety of short-term gigs over a single long-term post. Their way of life was made possible – and even protected – by the formation of the International Typographical Union (ITU).

The Role of the Union

Established in 1852 as the National Typographical Union, the organization became the ITU in 1873 after Canadian printers joined. Its reach spanned North America, and its influence was substantial. Members had access to pensions, mortuary funds, and even retirement homes. The ITU was also one of the few unions at the time that admitted women, offering equal pay and conditions. Printers weren’t so much concerned about equal rights for women, as much as they feared competition from lower-paid women.

With a union card (also known as a travelling card) in hand, a typesetter could walk into any affiliated print shop and expect to be hired – no questions asked, no applications to fill out. The card served as both a professional credential and a passport to employment across the continent.

Linotype and a Changing Industry

The invention of the Linotype machine in 1885 transformed the newspaper industry. By the end of the century, nearly all major newspapers had moved away from hand composition in favour of Linotype, which allowed a single operator to do the work of several hand compositors. One Linotype operator could produce in one day as much as a good hand compositor could produce in a week.

Here again, the ITU stepped in, ensuring that only union members could operate Linotypes – maintaining job security for its members in a rapidly mechanizing trade.

Membership in the ITU made travelling extremely easy and some tramps became very well known and often were given nicknames which boosted their reputation. They knew where the big money was to be made: at special events like legislative sessions, rodeos, or county fairs.

Legacy

Though they often worked behind the scenes, tramp printers played a vital role in the spread of news and ideas across North America. They kept presses running, filled gaps in print shops large and small, and brought with them a wide range of skills honed on the road. But more than that, they embodied a certain restless spirit – fiercely independent, proud of their craft, and drawn to the open road. There’s something undeniably romantic about the image of a lone typesetter, union card in hand, stepping off a train in a strange town, ready to set type by morning. They were workers, wanderers, and storytellers in their own right – and the legacy they left behind is inked into the very history of print.

Reference:

Berry, W. Turner, & Poole, H. Edmund. (1966). Annals of Printing: A Chronological Encyclopaedia from the Earliest Times to 1950. Blandford Press, London.

Howells, John, & Dearman, Marion. (1996). Tramp Printers. Discovery Press

Image:

Mark Twain by GH Jones, 1850. Public domain, via Wikimedia Commons. https://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/7/70/Mark_Twain_by_GH_Jones%2C_1850_-_retouched.jpg