Robert Smail’s Printing Works

Managed by the National Trust for Scotland, Robert Smail’s Printing Works is the oldest working commercial letterpress printers in the UK, and a living museum of Victorian history. Situated in the heart of Innerleithen, Robert Smail’s Printing Works is an operational letterpress printers and an important part of Scotland’s industrial heritage. Between 1866 and 1986, newspapers, business cards, stationery for local traders, and letterheads all passed through the inky presses of this thriving business. The National Trust for Scotland purchased the printing works in 1986 and has kept it as a genuine working printers. The printing presses, some of which date back to the Victorian era, can be seen in action; shelves of type line the walls, revealing the changing fashions for typefaces, and fifty-two giant guard-books showcase almost every item printed by the family firm.