Our history

Our history

From 1953 to today

Three generations, 2 continents, overcoming difficulties... the secret: passion for the Craft!

About us

The story My name is Manuel and I am going to tell you my story. My interest in printing comes from my family. When my grandfather arrived in Cuba from Asturias, he began working on the guillotine of a printing press and eventually had his own bookbinding workshop. My father was working with my grandfather until he opened his printing workshop at the age of 25 in Havana and at the age of 36 he emigrated to Spain. After having lost everything he started again and opened a printing press in Madrid. I have spent many hours in my father's workshop, helping as much as I could during my childhood and working, more seriously, while studying for my degree. I finished my degree abroad and was working on issues outside of the profession, related to the financial world. When I returned to Spain and after some time to stabilize my life, I decided to take over the family business and embark on a new direction. For La Imprenta Vintage, what is the Craft When you have lived almost literally in a printing press, the smell, the rhythmic sound of the machines, the touch of the different textures... forms a set of sensations, which together with your family history creates a very strong emotional bond. Personally, it gives me something different, a story to tell, a way to express yourself, personal growth, it is to value something that has taken many years to learn. The Craft is more than just printing well, it is a way of working 360º that implies: effort, attention to detail, responsibility (with clients, workers and suppliers), humility to learn from elders, pride in a job well done, curiosity to try new things, order and generosity to share what you know. What led me to set up The Vintage Printing Press Since the late 80s, the graphic arts underwent a profound technological transformation. First, computer systems made thousands of forms obsolete, which for decades were the basis of information management in companies. Then came digital printing, which not only lowered printing costs, but also empowered customers to produce their own printed material. With this scenario, when I decided to take over the family business, I saw that it made no sense to continue betting on the commercial printing that my father's printing press had always developed, understood as large runs mainly in color. This required heavy investments to be competitive and enter into price wars with the competition. My bet then was to return to the origins of the Trade, to do so I had to obtain: financing, machinery and a network of people and companies that would make this project compatible with my main activity in the financial world and thank God, I was able to obtain it and I launched The Vintage Printing Press. What makes the Vintage Printing Company different "Preserving the Craft by producing and teaching" has been the driving idea that has been present from the beginning. I would like whoever approaches La Imprenta Vintage to see, above all, passion for the Craft, that their projects will be treated with care from our first greeting until the delivery of the finished work. "Your ideas and our Craft", I think this phrase defines our value proposition well, our focus is on execution, on doing things well, on making "things happen" in a timely manner, and putting all our knowledge and means so that our clients' ideas become small works of art, which do not leave the people who receive them indifferent. I believe that being didactic, teaching how things are done, so that our clients perceive all the knowledge necessary to carry out their order, gives the printed matter a very human intangible that increases its value. Nowadays with social networks and mobile phones, details of the production process can be shared and this enriches the final product. Teaching the Craft is preserving the legacy of our elders and is also giving new digital professionals the opportunity to better understand their present by sharing with them the origins of their profession. At La Imprenta Vintage, along these lines, we have set up workshops and open days to begin teaching and making the Craft known. We have a network of senior talent that we would love to connect with young professionals, in a format in which both are enriched. I hope that at some point the circumstances in which we live change and we can launch this initiative. Follow us on networks to stay informed. The Vintage Printing Office is a project open to anyone who wants to approach it to: learn, collaborate and even be part of it. We are in a time of networks, it is increasingly important to work as a team and connect talent. If you think you have something to contribute... Welcome! How we see the Craft in the future If it is already difficult under normal conditions to predict the future, in the global pandemic situation we are experiencing, it becomes even more challenging. What I do see are some trends that I think are here to stay. Digital transformation. For decades, digital alternatives have emerged for a multitude of printed products and this trend will continue mainly due to: speed in production, cost and ease of access. For this reason, the printed form must claim its value as an object compared to its value as a mere transmitter of information. Closeness to the client. Both physical and virtual. We like to make things easy for our clients and we consider that closeness and personal treatment is key. For this reason, although we have our workshop in Alcobendas (Madrid), we have a meeting space in one of the most central and best connected points of Madrid. Another way to get closer to our clients is video conferencing. Teleworking, whose implementation has been forced by the pandemic, has normalized virtual meetings which makes it possible, together with online shopping, to have access to a global market and be able to serve our clients with "closeness" wherever they are. are. "Low-Cost." Globalization, Asian mass production and digital media, among other factors, have made it possible for a large majority of consumers to access consumer goods at prices that were unthinkable a few years ago. Faced with this reality, there will always be minorities who go against this trend and who value quality, personalized craftsmanship over throwaway mass production. The Vintage Printing Press is an exciting project for all those who believe that paper is still important in our lives, that well-made things and those printed with soul still have a lot to tell. La Imprenta Vintage Paseo de la Habana, 9-11 28036 Madrid info@laimprentavintage.com Instagram: @laimprentavintage www.laimprentavintage.com Media presence: Expansión http://www.expansion.com/directivos/estilo-vida/tendencias/ 2015/10/30/563380bce2704e477e8b4666.html La Moraleja Magazine http://www.lamoraleja.com/novedades/shopping-y-aperturas/la-imprenta-vintage,-un-taller-de-imprenta-artesanal-en-alcobendas ~2538 Zankyou https://www.zankyou.es/p/la-imprenta-vintage-es-magia-artesana-para-dar-un-toque-de-distincion-a-tus-invitaciones-de-boda https: //www.zankyou.es/p/mi-visita-a-el-bosque-encantado-con-the-wedding-experience

 

 
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