About Us - History

Messrs. Jones and Brooks founded the company in 1876, in the town of Shaw near Oldham to fulfill a local printing need as a consequence of improving communications and literacy. Our first premises happened to be in the first purpose built Cotton Mill in the country and there was great potential to provide a printing service for the local cotton industry. The first items included Church Magazines, Street Directories, Delivery Books and Draw Tickets. As almost all transactions then were by hand, there was a large demand for ledgers, so the craft of bookbinding was a major part of business. Later ration books were produced in huge quantities.

Business prospered until the decline of the Cotton Industry in the 1950's. It was recognised that the new National Health Service was a possible replacement customer and new printing machines from America were purchased for this new market. Carbon paper was the accepted but messy and cumbersome method of producing copies in both books and from manual typewriters and Jones and Brooks Ltd were pioneers in introducing carbonless or self copy (NCR) to a grateful Health Service. In the last five years the company has invested heavily in new technology to speed up setting up and running times and is dedicated to providing first class products at competitive prices and reduced delivery times to the customer. The company is still in private ownership and the business is now housed in a spacious, state of the art equipped factory, the Company can boast of a proud, skilled workforce, many of whom have over 25 years of service. This well established firm is now a household name in Pathology Laboratories and Medical Record Departments throughout the UK. In 1998 the company celebrated 100 years as a Limited Company and is looking forward to a bright future through its third Century and into the new millenium