RBW Graphics, established in 1853, has enjoyed a century and a half of printing history. The Company has published a handsome history filled with chapters from RBW’s past and present. This week, the Explorer is telling the story of one of Canada’s major printing firms, a story that began with the founding of a newspaper in the port town of Owen Sound and grew over the years as innovation gave RBW a strong competitive edge.
After C. A. Fleming purchased the company in 1912, new processes and technologies helped the business grow. In 1928, George Fleming developed the Photo-Repro process that gave the company a reputation as a leader in printing technology. Next, they turned to printing wholesaler’s catalogues. With the success of the Photo-Repro process, there was a need for faster, more efficient presses.
In 1934, Charles Crabtree, President of Crabtree Press in England paid a visit to Owen Sound. George Fleming asked him if could build a two-sided printing press. To illustrate the idea, Fleming drew an outline of the new press in the sand on a beach in Leith, north of Owen Sound. Crabtree decided then and there that the concept was workable and agreed to build the press for RBW. The result was the first Perfector press ever built in the world that could print two sides of a sheet in one pass through the press.
This new innovation in printing gave RBW a competitive advantage. And when Crabtree ceased making presses during the Second World War, RBW went on to dominate the printing market for a decade. It was this process that turned what was a good regional print shop into the major national printing operation that RBW would become.
Originally aired 13th of September 2016
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