Opening a printing house is subject to a declaration regime, like publishing a newspaper. Its basis is Printing Houses Law No. 5681 (adopted 15/7/1950).
First Condition: The Declaration
Principle Decision No. 176 says: for a workplace and/or facility to count as a printing house, a declaration must first have been filed with the relevant authority for those premises under Printing Houses Law No. 5681.
What Goes in the Declaration?
The decision also sets out the contents. Specifying, in that declaration, the types, number and printing dimensions of the typesetting, printing and other equipment at the printing house, and in which languages and with which printing system it will operate, is one of the mandatory provisions of Law No. 5681.
| To be stated in the declaration | Explanation |
|---|---|
| The types of typesetting, printing and other equipment | Machine types |
| The number | How many |
| Printing dimensions | In what sizes it can print |
| In which languages it will operate | Language capacity |
| With which printing system it will operate | The printing technique |
Second Condition: Machine Equipment
The same decision lists the machines that must be present for a workplace to count as a printing house:
- Machines requiring the pre-press preparation of the works to be printed
- Machines generally accepted in the sector as printing house presses
- Auxiliary machines related to printing
Third Condition: Qualified Staff
The decision sets one further measure: the printing work performed on the machines used in printing houses is carried out by qualified people with the knowledge and skill to operate those machines.
A Digital Press Does Not Count as a Printing House
We cover this in the digital press guide and the printing house requirement guide.
Why Does It Concern a Journalist?
It comes up in three separate places:
| Issue | The connection | Basis |
|---|---|---|
| Official announcements | To count as a periodical, printing must be at a printing house that filed a declaration under the Printing Houses Law | Agency General Assembly Decision No. 67 Art. 5 |
| Press card | The publication must not have been reproduced by methods other than a printing house | Press Card Reg. Art. 15/f |
| Legal deposit | Copies given under the Printing Houses Law fall outside legal deposit | Law No. 6279 Art. 2 |
Printer Information in the Imprint
Art. 4 of Press Law No. 5187 requires every printed work to show the place and date of printing, the names of the printer and, where there is one, the publisher, their trade names where they have them, and their business addresses. Art. 15 brings within the scope of the penalty a printer who does not show, or wrongly shows, their name and address.
The Delivery Duty Rests on the Printer
Law No. 5187 Art. 10: the printer is obliged to deliver two signed copies of every kind of publication they print, on the day of distribution or publication, to the public prosecutor's office of the locality. The duty also applies to later printings containing a change in content or form and to facsimile printings.
Summary
- Opening a printing house depends on filing a declaration with the relevant authority under Printing Houses Law No. 5681.
- The declaration states the types, number and printing dimensions of the typesetting and printing equipment, the languages and the printing system.
- A printing house press and qualified staff are also required; desktop digital printing machines do not have that character.