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Milestones in the 150-year history of the Government Printing Office.

Created by leejolie on May 27, 2011

Last updated: 07/13/11 at 01:03 PM

• GPO celebrates 150th anniversary.
  Mar 4, 2011

  GPO opens an exhibit this summer to celebrate its 150th anniversary. The exhibit features a copy of an original manuscript of the Emancipation Proclamation, on loan from the Library of Congress.

• Bill Boarman becomes 26th Public Printer.
  Jan 3, 2011

  Boarman started at GPO as a printer apprentice in the 1970s. He left to become a labor leader and returned to GPO 35 years later to become the agency head.

• Smart cards for federal agencies.
  2007

• E-passports printed.
  2006

  A microchip is inserted in the passport, and GPO makes the shift from producing paper products to electronic ones.

• Information put online.
  1994

• Congressional Record and Federal Register printed on 100% recycled paper.
  1991

• Computer typesetting begins.
  1967

  The Linotron machine replaced machine typesetting and was GPO's first computer typesetting machine.

• Covers for WWII surrender documents.
  1945

  A GPO bookbinder creates the covers for the surrender documents that ended World War II.

• New building at GPO.
  1940

  The GPO has a total of four buildings. One of the new buildings replaced the original GPO building and the other was a paper warehouse adjacent to Union Station. Since 1940, GPO has retained the same physical appearance.

• Daily publication of Federal Register begins.
  1936

• GPO starts to print passports.
  1920

• Produce ink and marble paper.
  1917

  With the beginning of World War I, GPO did not have access to import materials and started producing some of its own inks and marble paper.

• Horseless carriages deliver publications.
  1910

  The horse-drawn wagon is retired to deliver documents to Capitol Hill.

• Linotype typesetting introduced.
  1904

  The arrival of Linotype machines at GPO increased work production from minutes-per-line to lines-per-minute for typesetting.

• Printing Act of 1895 passed.
  1895

  The act made GPO responsible for the printing of all three branches of the government, and for the dissemination of government publications for sale and for deposit in congressionally designated libraries nationwide, according to the GPO website.

• Head of GPO is called Public Printer.
  1878

• Printing of Congressional Record begins.
  1873

• First Bullock press purchased.
  1866

  This was an example of the "cutting edge technology" at the time.

• GPO opens for business.
  Mar 4, 1861

  The GPO building is still located in its original corner of North Capitol and H streets. At the time, it was the largest printing press in Washington.

• GPO created.
  Jun 23, 1860

  President James Buchanan signed a resolution to create the Government Printing Office.