Classes in printing were first offered at the Leicester School of Art in the 1901-02 session. They were part of an 'Applied Art' course and at first only lithography could be studied. By 1905 classes had expanded to a separate 'Printing and Allied Trades' course arranged in conjunction with Leicester Master Printers Association. Classes were offered for 'lithographic artists and designers for the printing trade', 'bookbinders', and 'typographers'. By the 1930s the Leicester College Of Art included a Department of Printing and Book Production which held separate courses in 'lithographic printing', 'lithographic draughtsmanship', 'bookbinding and machine ruling', 'composing', 'letterpress machining', 'monotype' and 'costing for printers'. In the 1960s the Department was renamed the School of Printing, adding classes in 'hand composing', 'line composing' and 'photo-lithography'. Experimentation was encouraged using a wide range of equipment and machinery offered in the College workshops. Students could work towards the qualifications of the City and Guilds Institute.
In 1969 the College of Art became part of Leicester Polytechnic and the departments were merged and shuffled. Subjects taught by the School of Printing became part of the new Graphic Design course.
From the guide to the Printing Trade Classes, Leicester Municipal Art School and Leicester College of Arts and Crafts, 1905-1932, (De Montfort University Archives and Special Collections)
