Pencils Back in Stock (Plus Noodling!) –
First, Lost Art Press pencils are back in stock. Made in the USA to our specifications, these pencils are robust shop companions and come in a nicely fitted box.
Second, here’s why they’re back in stock, despite these dark days.
When I got my first taste of corporate publishing in 1996, I learned all about the print brokers in Hong Kong. These wizards managed every aspect of your book’s production and delivered a very high-quality print job – plus they did it for half the price of any domestic printer.
The only disadvantage to the system was that your book could take six months to make its way from China to your warehouse.
When we started Lost Art Press in 2007, it would have been easy to call my contacts at Regent Publishing Services Ltd. and crank up book production cheaply and quickly. But John and I decided to do everything in the USA. Why? The toolmakers we admire – especially Thomas Lie-Nielsen – manage to manufacture things here. And one morning before sunrise, I watched Thomas lead his employees in stretches and then hand out everyone’s paychecks – thanking each employee as he handed them a check. That image stuck in my craw. Or was it my gizzard?
We have nothing against the Chinese – I promise. But we feel we have a responsibility to help our neighbors. And keeping the money here in the States certainly does that.
OK, back to the pencil story. We’ve had problems getting paper and cotton cover cloth during the last 18 months. But our problems are nothing compared to other publishers. In Europe and the UK, some publishers are completely out of paper and won’t be printing again until next year.
Because we make everything here, we don’t worry about container ships lined up at ports. Sure, things are a little slower than years past, but it’s a small miracle to call up your pencil supplier, order 1,000 and see them arrive – just four weeks later.
To which I say: Thanks, neighbor.
— Christopher Schwarz
