Nick and Liana Howard officially open Howard Iron Works (HIW) in Mississauga to provide restoration of historic printing equipment and to serve as a globally unique printing museum with machine vintages ranging from the 1830 to 1950s.
The Howards have operated Howard Graphic Equipment Ltd. over the past couple of decades, which supplies and rebuilds modern printing and converting equipment for markets around the world. The business continues into its 46th year, having started in 1967, by Nick’s father, Bill.
HIW is the realization of a lifelong dream of Nick and Liana Howard. To help support their endeavor, HIW is also providing leasing and sales from within its large collection, which includes a range of iron presses, cylinders, platens and bindery equipment. HIW’s library also features a collection of vintage printing-related books, technical and trade journals.
With uniquely skilled craftspeople, HIW aims to restore equipment just as it would have been when leaving the original factories. One of the current projects at HIW, for example, is the restoration of an 1887 New Champion from New York City. Howard describes this once commonly produced press as a simple platen, often referred to as the Boston Principle, which is quite rare today.
Nick Howard discusses the origins of HIW on page 17 of PrintAction’s July 2013 issue in an article called Restoring Printing’s Past, produced by columnist Victoria Gaitskell .
Read Restoring Printing’s Past
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