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The Official Emblem of the IAPHC
"The present book of the Psalms, decorated with beautiful capital letters and profusely marked out with rubrics, has been thus fashioned by the added ingenious invention of printing and shaping of letters without any exertion of the pen, and to the glory of God has been diligently brought to completion by Johann Fust, a citizen of Mainz, and Peter Schoeffer of Gernszheim, in the year of the Lord 1457, on the eve of the Feast of the Assumption" (i.e.,August 14). The entire colophon occupies the upper half of the last page of this magnificent book, the page measuring about 11 x 16 inches. The copy from which this reproduction was made is printed on parchment and is in a beautiful state of preservation in the State Library of Vienna, Austria. The body type is black, about 36 point size, the initial is blue, the ornament and the printer's mark are red. The actual size of the emblem is 1½ x 1 inch. Johann Gutenberg obtained financial assistance from Johann Fust, a citizen of Mainz, Germany, for which he mortgaged his printing plant in 1450. As the work on the famous 42-line Bible neared completion, this mortgage was foreclosed, giving Fust possession of most of the equipment and all of the printed work. Among Gutenberg's workmen in 1455 was a capable young man named Peter Schoeffer, who had previously copied books at the University of Paris. When Fust took over the equipment forfeited by Gutenberg, Schoeffer assumed charge; later he married Fust's daughter and became a partner in the business. Hence the combining of their individual coats-of-arms. The device on the right-handed shield is that of Schoeffer and that on the left, of Fust. History does not inform us of the significance of the two characters, which are believed to be Greek letters, X, which is called chi, and the inverted V, lambda. There has been considerable speculation as to the meaning of the stars on the right-hand shield. Some think they denote seniority; others believe they represent Schoeffer's three sons, because upon the death of the first son the bottom star was changed to a flower (1521). The two shields hung on a branch may denote the alliance of the Fust and Schoeffer families by marriage. At the second International convention held in Chicago in 1921, the emblem committee made a comprehensive report on the historical background and authenticity of the Fust and Schoeffer printer's mark. But it was not until the Grand Rapids convention in 1942 that a resolution was formally passed making the 1457 version our official emblem or insignia. The resolution provided that the emblem may be used with or without the border, but that the exact proportions and details of the design should always be preserved. It discouraged the use of artists' conceptions of the emblem, which are often distorted and inaccurate in rendition. The emblem should be printed in a bright vermilion (PMS 185) whenever possible, as that is the color of the original used in the Psalter. Reproduction proofs of the emblem will be furnished by Headquarters at the request of any club officer. To insure the use of only the correct design, it is suggested that all other cuts that are inaccurate in detail should be destroyed and that only the official version be used. The official emblem should be prominently displayed in Craftsmen's club literature, stationery, and by means of decals on windows, doors, clothing, and other promotional items. It is the mark of a true Craftsman. |
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The Official Emblem of The International
Association of Printing House Craftsmen, Inc., depicts the combined
coats-of-arms of Johann Fust and Peter Schoeffer. It was the first imprint used
in a book printed from movable type, appearing as early as 1457 in Fust and
Schoeffer's Psalter. Different versions of this design appeared at later dates,
but the design of 1457, illustrated above, is our official emblem. It was the
first book to have a printed date and the first book with a printer's mark. The
inscription is in Latin and reads as follows: