KWAME NKRUMAH UNIVERSITY OF SCIENCE AND TECHNOLOGY

COLLEGE OF ARTS AND BUILT ENVIRONMENT

FACULTY OF ARTS

DEPARTMENT OF PUBLISHING STUDIES

A CATALOUGE OF PRINTING PRESSES IN KUMASI

A Thesis Report submitted to the Department of Publishing Studies, Faculty of Arts,

College of Arts and Built Environment, Kwame Nkrumah University of Science and
Technology in partial fulfilment of the requirements for the award of Bachelor of Arts
(Honour) Degree, Publishing Studies.

May 2016
DECLARATION

We declare that this project was done and written by us under supervision. It has not been
partially or wholly plagiarized or presented by anybody for the award of B.A. Degree in
any department or institution. We take responsibility for any error found in it.

ABDALLAH, Mardiatu 7289412 ………………………………………..

AMOAKO MENSAH, Oduro 7291612 ………………………………………..

ANOKYEWAA, Valentina 7281812 ………………………………………..

DANYANSAH, Ellen Tweneboah Kodua 7284212 ………..………………………………

FREMPONG, Dominic 7284412 ………………………………………..

SOWAH, Amos Adjei 7297212 ………………………………………..

I declare that this project was written under my supervision and that the students have my
permission to present it for assessment.

…………………. .………………………………

DATE MR ADOLPH HILARY AGBO

(SUPERVISOR)

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AKNOWLEDGEMENT
We express our gratitude to the Almighty God for being with us throughout this research
period and the entire university education.

We also express our profound indebtedness to our supervisor, Mr Adolph Hilary Agbo for
being a guide to us throughout this period of arduous research. We salute him with a
statement that, we shall never forget the mentoring and coaching we have been through
under his tutelage.

Furthermore, we express our heartfelt appreciation to our parents and loved ones Never can
we rule them out of our good books.

Lastly, we say a big thank you to all the printing presses in Kumasi, who responded to our
interviews. This research could not have been complete without your willing response.

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DEDICATION
This work is dedicated to our families for their investment and encouragement in our
education.

iv
Contents

DECLARATION......................................................................................................................................ii
AKNOWLEDGEMENT ..........................................................................................................................iii
DEDICATION ....................................................................................................................................... iv
Contents ..........................................................................................................................................v
LIST OF TABLES ................................................................................................................................. viii
LIST OF FIGURES ................................................................................................................................. ix
CHAPTER ONE................................................................................................................................... 10
INTRODUCTION ................................................................................................................................ 10
1.0 Introduction............................................................................................................................ 10
1.1 Background of study............................................................................................................... 10
1.2 Problem Statement ................................................................................................................ 13
1.3 Objectives of the study .......................................................................................................... 14
1.4 Significance of the study ........................................................................................................ 15
1.4.1Nation ............................................................................................................................... 15
1.4.2 Membership of Association ............................................................................................ 15
1.4.3 Clients, Researchers and Students .................................................................................. 15
1.4.4 Department of Publishing Studies................................................................................... 15
1.5 Scope of the study .................................................................................................................. 16
1.6 Methodology .......................................................................................................................... 16
1.7 Limitations of the study ......................................................................................................... 17
1.8 Definition of Terms................................................................................................................. 17
1.9 Organisation of Work ............................................................................................................. 18
CHAPTER TWO.................................................................................................................................. 19
LITERATURE REVIEW ........................................................................................................................ 19
2.0 INTRODUCTION ...................................................................................................................... 19
2.1 Factors that affect the location of businesses ....................................................................... 19
2.2 Registration of businesses...................................................................................................... 22
2.3 Membership of association .................................................................................................... 23
2.4 Area of Specialisation ............................................................................................................. 24

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 2.5 Employment ........................................................................................................................... 25
2.5.1 Employment ratio............................................................................................................ 25
2.5.2 The structure of the printing industry ............................................................................. 27
2.5.3 Employment statistics ..................................................................................................... 28
2.6 Classification of businesses .................................................................................................... 29
2.7 Printing machine .................................................................................................................... 30
2.7.1 Printing machines today .................................................................................................. 31
CHAPTER THREE ............................................................................................................................... 33
METHODOLOGY ............................................................................................................................... 33
3.0 Introduction............................................................................................................................ 33
3.1 Scope of study ........................................................................................................................ 33
3.2 Sampling technique and sample size ..................................................................................... 34
3.3 Data collection method .......................................................................................................... 34
3.4 Data gathering tools ............................................................................................................... 34
3.5 Mode of analysis .................................................................................................................... 35
3.6 Limitations .............................................................................................................................. 35
CHAPTER FOUR................................................................................................................................. 36
FINDINGS AND DISCUSSIONS ........................................................................................................... 36
4.0 Introduction............................................................................................................................ 36
4.1.1 List of the printing presses in Kumasi.................................................................................. 36
4.1.2 Locating the printing presses .......................................................................................... 37
4.1.3 Year of establishment ..................................................................................................... 39
4.1.4 The registration status of the printing presses in Kumasi............................................... 40
4.1.5 Membership of association ............................................................................................. 41
4.1.6 Area of speciality ............................................................................................................. 44
4.2.1 The number of people employed in the printing presses of Kumasi .................................. 44
4.2.2 The gender ratio .............................................................................................................. 46
4.2.3 Gender ratio in the departments of the printing industry .................................................. 47
4.2.4 Printing machines ............................................................................................................ 49
4.2.5 The Classification of Businesses ...................................................................................... 51
4.3 The choice of location of presses in Kumasi .......................................................................... 53

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CHAPTER FIVE ................................................................................................................................... 56
CONCLUSION AND RECOMMENDATIONS ........................................................................................ 56
4.0 Introduction............................................................................................................................ 56
5.1 Conclusion .............................................................................................................................. 56
5.2 Recommendations ................................................................................................................. 57
BIBLIOGRAPHY.................................................................................................................................. 59
APPENDIX ........................................................................................................................................ 61

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LIST OF TABLES
Table 2.1: Employment ratio of major sectors in Ghana…………………………………14

Table 2.2: Employment ratio of some printing presses in Ghana………………………...15

Table 2.3: Various sections in the Printing Industry……………………………………...16

Table 2.4: Classification of Business……………………………………………………...18

Table 2.5: List of Some Heidelberg Machines……………………………………………19

Table 4.1: Location of Printing Presses…………………………………………………...24

Table 4.2: Identified Associations of the Printing Presses……………………………….28

Table 4.3: Relationship between year of establishment and association………………...30

Table 4.4: Printing Machines……………………………………………………………...36

Table 4.5: The Choice of location of Presses in Kumasi…………………………………41

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LIST OF FIGURES
Figure 4.1: Phrases attached to names of presses…………………………………………24

Figure 4.2: Year of Establishment………………………………………………………...26

Figure 4.3: Registration of Presses………………………………………………………..27

Figure 4.4: Employment Gender Ratio…………………………………………………...34

Figure 4.5: Total Recorded employees grouped by departments………………………....35

Figure 4.6: Printing Machines…………………………………………………………….38

Figure 4.7: Classification of Presses………………………………………………………39

Figure 4.8: The Choice of Location……………………………………………………….41

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CHAPTER ONE

INTRODUCTION

1.0 Introduction
This chapter gives a background information about the topic to the researchers, what
the research seeks to achieve also known as the objectives of the study, the problem
statement, the significance of the study, the scope of the study, limitations of the study,
definition of terms and the organisation of the study.

1.1 Background of study

Printing in Ghana dates back to the early missionaries in the country. From then till

now, there has been a tremendous increase in the volume of printing work done in the

country. As far back as 1851, the Methodist Missionary had established a printing

house at Cape Coast which was also made use of by the Basel Missionary.

A man of Abura Dunkwa in the Central Region, Hutton Brew, was the first African to

establish a printing press in Ghana. He started operation of his press in 1874. The early

1900s and the late 1930s saw a tremendous increase in the volume of printing work

done in this country. This was due to the increase in industrial, commercial, and other

activities of the government and also developments in education and health. Since then,

printing has become an important aspect of the publishing industry in Ghana. However,

most of these Printing Houses are concentrated in the nation’s capital-Accra and

Kumasi in the Ashanti Region. (Yeboah et al, 2015)

According to (Appiah, S.E. et al, 2002) cited in (Fosu et al, 2009), The growth of the

Printing Industry in Ghana has led to the springing up of more printing presses in the

country without any proper directory. There is therefore a need to catalogue the

printing presses in Kumasi, which is the capital town of the Ashanti Region of Ghana.
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Kumasi is known as the second hub of printing in Ghana. It recorded 107 presses

operating with the offset technology. The naming of these presses followed no

particular pattern such that press owners could name their presses based on the names

or abbreviation of the owners, the kind of job, product or service they offer, the

location of the business or a name attached to an institution or religious organisation.

All the presses are categorised into general printing as their area of specialization

Location of a printing press is the permanent place or space occupied by the printing

press, where all activities in the production workflow are carried out. Asafo is the hub

of printing in Kumasi. It recorded the highest number of printing presses followed by

Adum, Ash- town and Krofrom. Generally, finding some of the printing presses were

not difficult because they are clustered especially those printing presses at Asafo. The

longest distance between presses is estimated as 3-5minutes walk from each other. The

choice of location of printing presses in Kumasi is greatly dependent on factors like

raw materials, labour supply, power supply, customers, site cost and other factors such

as monopoly.

Out of the 107 located printing presses, 95 were established in the 2000’s. The

remaining 12 of the 107 printing presses were established in the 1900’s. 106 of these

printing presses are registered with the Registrar General Department. Whiles the

remaining one stands out as a newly established press house.

Sixteen (16) out of the 107 presses identified belonged to the GPPCA , the official

mouthpiece of printers in Ghana whiles 91 belong to other associations not recognised

by the GPPCA such as the Printers Association and Printers Fun Club.

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The printing press employs manpower in carrying out its operations. It has a total of

1,027 workers.

The Economically active population (15years to 64 years) in Kumasi which consist of

employed and unemployed is 769,381 representing 66.5% of the total population in

Kumasi. The unemployed has a population of 66,108 representing 8.6% whiles the

employed has a population of 703,273 representing 91.4%. (Service, 2010 Population

and Housing Census, District Analytical Report, 2014).

According to a research consultant, Gabriel Kofi Ayiglo in a paper titled Local Printers

Initiate Campaign against High Import – taxes on raw materials to Joy Business on

29th September, 2009 concluded that there is a reduction in the number of people

employed in the printing industry. The paper explained that it sampled about 165

printing presses in Kumasi and Accra. The analysis of the paper revealed that 2,650

jobs were lost between 2008 and 2013. (Ayiglo, 2014)

The 2,650 jobs lost between 2008 and 2013, when extrapolated to cover more printing

presses in Kumasi and Accra, the figure would be even bigger. The years 2011, 2012

and 2013 saw a major power crises “Dumsor” that affected the rate of productivity and

employment in the Ghanaian Industries.

Out of the 1,027 people employed in the printing industry, 798 constitute males and the

remaining 229 are female. This shows the level of male dominance over female in the

printing industry.

The Press department is the highest employing department in the printing industry of

Kumasi. It employs more male than female followed by the Post press department and

finally the pre – press which are also male dominated.

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Various printing machines are employed by the presses aside manpower to carry put its

daily activities. Some of which include Kord 64, GTO, MO, AB DICK, TOK,

PLATEN, ADAST, T – OFFSET, AM, RISOGRAPH, SORMZ, RYOBI,

PRITMASTER, ROMAVOR, SM, KORDZ with KORD 64 being the highly employed

as a result of its limited floor space, cost of maintenance and the limited skills needed

to operate.

According to NBSSI under the ministry of trade, businesses are classified according to

their workforce, 1- 9 fall under micro, 6 – 29 fall under small, 30 – 99 fall under

medium and 100 upwards fall under large category. Out of the 107 businesses

identified by the researchers, 63 of them fall under the micro category, 41 businesses

fall under the small category, 3 businesses fall under the medium category of the total

number of businesses.

The choice of location of printing presses in Kumasi is greatly dependent on factors

like raw materials, labour supply, power supply, customers, site cost and other factors
such as monopoly.

This is a summary of the study. The following chapters give detailed information on the
study through review of other related literature, methodology, findings, conclusion and
recommendation.

The map of Kumasi, showing the concentration of the printing presses is attached to the
report at the appendix.

1.2 Problem Statement

The Printing Industry of Ghana like any other country plays a significant role in the

economic, social and cultural development of the country. Printing Presses are

springing up in their numbers as the days go by. This is because investors and business
13
minded people think that the printing press is a lucrative venture, where they can easily

invest and get returns in hundred folds. However most of the presses are said to be

difficult to identify since most of them are alleged not registered and therefore evade

tax thereby making the contribution of the industry to the economy not recognised.

This has caused the GPPCA (Printers and Paper Converters Association) to lose count

of these presses which in turn is affecting the growth of the industry. It is therefore in

the interest of researchers to catalogue the various presses in Kumasi more specifically

offset printing.

1.3 Objectives of the study

To find out the list of printing presses in Kumasi

 Location of the press or address

 Year of establishment

 Whether they are registered with any association and the Paper and Printers
Convention

 Specialisation

To find out the number of people employed in the press houses

 The gender ratio at the press house

 The number of people employed in the various sections at the press house

 The classifications of the press houses

To find out the areas where the most presses are concentrated

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1.4 Significance of the study
The catalogue of printing presses would help all stakeholders in the printing industry to
know the current state or position of the industry.

1.4.1Nation
The study would help the government to know the contribution of the printing industry
to the employment issues in the country.

The study again would also help the government to know the revenue the printing
industry generates in terms of tax payment. This would also in turn inform the
government of the amount of budget it needs to set aside for the industry.

Again the study if view as marketing tool will aid in the formulation of policies and
strategies that can correlate sales volume with the ever increasing demand for printing
products.

1.4.2 Membership of Association

This study would inform associations in the industry like the GPPCA the total number
of presses i.e., those registered with them and those which are not. The association
could use this opportunity to bring all other presses on board by convincing and
persuading them the need or benefits to join from the association. This would help
promote the industry when most presses are united and work to achieve a common
goal.

1.4.3 Clients, Researchers and Students

The study would help customers or clients to know where to send their works. It would
also give them the area of specialisation of the presses and the types of machines used.
This would make customers choose competent and professional printers for their
works.

Researchers and students would easily identify presses whenever any research is to be
conducted or if any information is to be gathered about the industry through the help of
this study.

1.4.4 Department of Publishing Studies

The study would serve a great purpose to the Publishing Studies Department of
KNUST. This is because students are sent on industrial attachments yearly to practice

15
all that they have been thought. Therefore the study would help the department to easily
identify presses with the types of machines used and area of specialisations.

1.5 Scope of the study

There are numerous printing presses in Ghana; some print using the digital machine
whiles others go the traditional way thus the Offset Printing method. The focus of this
study is on listing or cataloguing the printing presses that operates using the Offset
Printing Principle. Such printing presses are established all over the country. Data from
the Ghana Statistical Service (GSS) indicated that majority of the printing presses are
located in the Greater Accra Region , followed by the Ashanti Region with only a few
located in the other regions of Ghana. This research should have considered the
printing presses country - wide, but due to time and resource constrains, the study
looked at the printing presses in the Ashanti Region, precisely Kumasi only. The study
included all printing presses, those listed or not listed by the Ghana Printers and Paper
Convertors Association (GPPA). Some of the areas in Kumasi where the research
covered were “Fante Newtown”, “Ashanti town” (Ash town), “Asafo” and others are
“Krofom”, “Suame”, “Adehyeman”, “Ejisu”, “Ahinsan”, “Buokrom”, “CPC”, “Adum”,
“Accra Town”, “Asuoyeboah”, “Breman UGC”, “Roman Hill”, “Akwatia Line”,
“Bompata”, “Manhyia”, “Oforikrom”.

1.6 Methodology
The insight to the study could not only be adequately gained by the use of a single data
collection technique. Therefore various methods were employed to gather data
primarily and secondarily. Primary data was obtained by the use of structured
interviews, Non – participant Observation and Snowball tools of data collection with
the various managers of the listed printing presses. The structured interview was
employed to ensure that accurate and valid analysis was made. The Observation were
also conducted as a supplement to the structured interviews to seek in-depth
information, clarifications and to answers to questions raised in the structured
interviews. Secondary data on the other hand were obtained from the Ghana Printers

16
and Paper Convertors Association (GPPA), works of others in the form of books and
articles.

1.7 Limitations of the study

This study was meant to be a direct and interactive conversation between the
researchers and the managers of the various press houses, but it sometimes proves
unsuccessful as some of the mangers delegated the whole process to their secretaries
and most of the questions were not answered since their delegates are not well
informed about the information of the presses. The failure of the managers to talk to the
researchers was also their biggest challenge. The fear of exposing the Non-tax payers
amongst printing presses by the researchers was yet another challenge regarding our
data collection.

1.8 Definition of Terms

General printing involves making impressions on every substrate ranging from paper to
wood, textiles and even on the walls. In the printing industry, general printing includes
screen printing, flexography, offset printing and digital.

Printing Machine is any machine built base on a particular printing technology eg.
Gravure, offset, letterpress etc and used to print on substrate.

Printing Industry is defined as: "Those presses engaged primarily in commercial

printing, business forms, book printing, prepress services, quick printing and blank
books and binders

Offset printing is an indirect lithographic printing technology. Non- printing areas of

printing plate are practically on one level with printing areas. Printing areas of plate are
ink accepting and water repellent. The non- printing areas of the plate are ink repellent
and water accepting. (Kipphan, 2001)

GHAPPCA Ghana Printers and Paper Converter’s Association (GPPCA), formed in

January, 1980. It is the official mouthpiece of printers as well as industries using paper
and paper products as their raw materials in Ghana. (Kotowich, 2013)

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1.9 Organisation of Work
This thesis report is presented in five chapters. Below is an outline of how the report is
organised:

Chapter One (Introduction)

I. Background Introduction
II. Problem Statement
III. Objectives of the Study
IV. Significance of the Study
V. Scope of the Study
VI. Methodology and Organisation of Work
VII. Definition of terms

Chapter Two (Literature Review)

I. Review of Related Literature to the Topic

Chapter Three (Methodology)

II. Description of the Study Population

III. Sampling Procedure
IV. Data Collection Methods
V. Mode of Data Analysis

Chapter Four (Research Findings)

I. Findings and Discussion of Research Findings

Chapter Five (Conclusion)

II. Summary of Findings

III. Recommendations
IV. Conclusion

References

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CHAPTER TWO

LITERATURE REVIEW

2.0 INTRODUCTION
This review of literature seeks to identify the various factors that affect the choice of
location for a business establishment, registration of business, association in the
printing industry, area of specialization, employment and gender ratios in the Ghanaian
industry, classification of businesses and how far the printing industry has evolved in
terms of machinery.

2.1 Factors that affect the location of businesses

A business location is where the main business transactions are executed and its records
are stored. It is necessary to have a place of business filed to the secretary of state for
establishing the business. (BusinessDictionary.com) Therefore, the location of a
business is the place where it is situated.

There are a number of factors that need to be considered in choosing a location for a
business. One of the earliest decisions any entrepreneur has to make is where to locate
his or her business. In order to do this, he or she has to make a careful assessment of
costs. The ideal location would be one where costs are minimized. The entrepreneur
would need to look at the benefits which each area had to offer as well as any
government help which might be available. (Business case studies, 1995-2016)

In a small country such as the Netherlands, extra attention has to be paid to allocating
the limited space available for the various functions (living, working and recreation).
The government plays an important role in ensuring the good distribution of this space.
This applies both to government at the local authorities and national level. The location
choice of enterprises is an important factor when considering the spatial function of
work. (Noort, 1999).

Location of facilities for operations is a long-term capacity decision which involves a

long term commitment. It deals with the questions such as;

 Where our main operations should be based?

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  If there is the need for expansion, where should a plant be sited?

An improper location of plant may lead to waste of all the investments made in plant
and machinery equipment, hence, location of plant should be based on
 The company’s expansion plan and policy.
 Diversification plan for the products.
 Changing sources of raw materials and many other factors.
(R Dan Reid, 2011)

The choice of a location should be made after considering such factors as;

Proximity to raw materials: How closer a business is to raw materials makes a great
impact in the workflow of the business. It cuts down transportation cost for raw
materials. Raw materials such as paper, inks and plates are heavy and bulky which will
incur more cost to transport to the press. The closer the raw materials is to the press, the
earlier it can solve any emergency need of raw materials.

Availability of labor: Proximity to an ample supply of qualified labor is important in

many businesses, especially those that are labor intensive. The company needs to
consider the availability of a particular type of labor and whether special skills are
required. The press seeks to look out for experienced and workers with technical
knowledge on how to operate machines in the press. In this place, the best place to get
one is at where most of these individuals are concentrated.

Transportation: Manufacturing plants use transportation facilities to ship raw materials

to the plant and finished products to customers. The producer chooses among several
alternatives such as trucks, railroads, ships, and airplanes. Availability of numerous
alternatives results in increased competition and lower rates for transportation users.
Customers must be able to get to service facilities by either public transportation or
private automobile. If cars are the primary method of transportation, then adequate
parking must be provided.

Proximity to customers: Locating near the market they serve is often critical for many
organizations, particularly service firms. To capture their share of the business, service

20
firms need to be accessible to their customers. For this reason, service firms typically
locate in high-population areas that offer convenient access

State and local taxes: The state as well as local authority imposes taxes on factories,
equipment, and inventories. Sales taxes and income taxes are also imposed. These
taxes, which vary considerably from country to country, should be considered in
making the location decision. Some locations attempt to entice manufacturers and
service businesses into their areas by granting low taxes or temporary exemptions from
taxation say five years tax holiday. Location of industries in rural areas is mostly based
on tax exemptions and low utility bill payment. This opportunity is given by the state to
industries in THE FREE ZONE ACT, 1995.

An Act to enable the establishment of free zones in Ghana for promotion of economic
development; to provide for the regulation of activities in free zones and for related
purposes.

This is to create economic and social development in those areas in terms of

employment and standard of living. Also this is to enable distribute industries around
the country and by extension, distribution of wealth.

Community living conditions: The success of a company at a particular location can be

affected by the extent to which it is accepted by the local community. Many
communities welcome new businesses, viewing them as providing sources of tax
revenues and opportunities for jobs, and as contributing to the overall well-being of the
community. The quality of life of inhabitants also have effect on location of one’s
business as measured by its school and colleges system, cultural programmes, fire and
police protection, climate, income levels of its residents and community attitudes
toward the new facility. This goes to affect the pricing of the product produced.
However, communities do not want businesses that bring pollution, Noise, and traffic
and that lower the quality of life.

Energy: The availability of inexpensive power supplies is a major consideration in

plant location for certain industries. While all production facilities are affected by both
the availability of adequate energy resources and their costs, factories producing goods
tend to be more affected than service industries. Consistency of energy supply is a
prime concern to production facilities. The printing industry is a manufacturing
21
industry and consumes much energy due to the huge machines used. (R Dan Reid,
2011)

Facility location is a very critical choice and therefore should be made carefully. The
presses before locating at a particular area needs to consider carefully the factors given
above. This will help the presses cut down cost of production to make them competitive
on the market.

2.2 Registration of businesses

Ghana like any other country requires its firms to register with the appropriate bodies.
This help in the evaluation of the number of firms that are established in the country.
Section 24 of the Ghana Investment Promotion Centre Act provides that an investor is
required as a first step to incorporate or register his business in Ghana under the
relevant law. This may involve granting of licensing and other documentary certificates
before commencement of business operation.

A registered business is one that legally exists and it is recognized by law. It is one that
enjoys privileges that an unregistered business cannot enjoy. (Iwouha, 2014)

There are usually government agencies or departments that are responsible for business
registration in Ghana as well as other countries. They may have different names but
perform similar duties.

In Ghana, it is called the Registrar General’s Department. (Business, 2016) In Nigeria,

business registration is handled by the Corporate Affairs Commission. In Kenya, this
function is handled by the Registrar General’s Office under the Attorney General’s
Office and Ministry of Justice. (Iwouha, 2014)In South Africa, it is the Companies and
Intellectual Properties Commission that takes care of business registration. (Iwouha,
2014) The Local Chamber of Industry and Commerce is in charge of business
registration in Germany. (www.learn4good.com/settingup-business/germany-
registering-a-company.htm)

Registration of all sorts of companies in India is overseen by the Registrars of

Companies (ROC), appointed under Section 609 of the Companies Act 1956. (2014)
(www.startuptimes.in/2014/08/14-steps-to-register-startup-companyin.html?m=1)
22
Registration of business is relevant to the business because it gives a unique identity to
the company, it is easier to get bank credit and investment from investors and it is also
important for continuity sake. A registered business pay tax to the government and
these taxes are used for developmental projects in the country. (Iwouha, 2014)

2.3 Membership of association

An association is a group of people (called members) who come together for a common
purpose. The motive for people to come together is to combine their energy and share
resources to create or provide services and programmes which they desire for
themselves or to give others. (Isaac, 2012)

There are many associations in Ghana. Some of them are identified below;

The Pharmaceutical Manufacturers Association established on the 16th of March 1999.

It is the association pharmaceutical manufacturing companies in Ghana. Currently,
there are 32 members of the association. Their primary objective to identify all
problems and promote the interest of all pharmaceutical manufacturing industries in
Ghana. (www.pmaghana.org/about.htm)

The Ghana Book Publishers Association (GBPA) is a non-profit making, trade

association of publishers in Ghana. It has been in existence since 1975 and it is the only
collective voice of book publishers in Ghana. GBPA provides a forum where publishers
gather to deliberate on various issues affecting the industry at large.
(www.secghana.gov.gh/)

The Association of Ghana Industries (AGI) is a voluntary business association of over

1200 members, made up of small, medium and large scale manufacturing and services
industries. The main objective of the association is to be the leading voice of
manufacturing industries in the country. (Association of Ghana Industries, 2016)

Lastly are the Ghana Printers and Paper Converter’s Association (GPPCA), formed in
January, 1980. It has been the official mouthpiece of printers as well as industries using
paper and paper products as their raw materials in Ghana. The main objective of the

23
GPPCA is to help the printing industry to grow and develop to the benefit of both the
individual and the industry. The association has an active membership of 127, made up
of large, medium and small scale printing and allied
industries.(www.ghanaprinters.com)

Many industries and individuals join associations because of the benefits they will
derive from it. The basic function of any association is to provide valuable
information, appropriate training and access to materials that are not easily obtained by
an independent producer. Other benefits include a common voice to government,
access to group insurance policies, access to resources and education opportunities.
(Kotowich, 2013)

It is therefore relevant for producers, manufacturers and employees to join industry

associations to enjoy the benefits which comes with them.

2.4 Area of Specialisation

Specialization increase productivity and efficiency in the production of certain printing
products since the press gains proficiency in production of specialized products. This
enumerable help people to identify the kind of press house to consult when working on
a particular job. ( Turkson, J.K., 1997)

Specialization is the act of devoting or concentrating an organizations resource to a

particular area of study or an activity. In economic and more practical sense, the social
phenomenon of individuals or firms are not equal due to possession of different factor
intensities and endowments. This makes it imperative for firms to concentrate their
product effort on a specialized or limited range of task. This entails concentration on a
narrow range of activity or skill where a press adapts based on its mission, vision and
goals for effective and efficient performance. The area of specialization of a particular
press depends on its corporate objectives, its market, the resources (human and capital)
it possesses. The area of specialization in the printing industry are numerous, some of
which are security printing, screen printing, educational printing, general commercial
printing, religious printing, among others. (Fosu et al, 2009)

24
2.5 Employment
Employment is an agreement between an employer and an employee that the employee
will provide certain services on the job and in the employers designated work place, to
facilitate the accomplishment of the employers’ organization goal and mission, in
return for compensation. (Heathfield, 2014)
Employment is defined as the persons of working age who are engaged in any activity
to produce goods or provide services for pay or profit, whether a work during the
reference period or not at work due to temporary absence from a job or working –time
arrangement. (Group, 2016)
Employment in the printing industry therefore can be defined as the agreement between
individual employees and an employer to provide certain services on a job to facilitate
the accomplishment of the organizational goals and mission in return for compensation.
The printing industry employs individuals such as printers, designers, collators, plate
makers, binders as well as other stakeholders to provide services such as posters,
banners, stickers, books, newspapers and all other printed materials to its customers.

2.5.1 Employment ratio

Employment to population ratio is the proportion of a country’s population that is
employed.
In Ghana, the working force or employment age ranges from 15years to 45 years.
(Organisation, 2013) The American employment ratio ranges from 24 to 74years.
Comparatively, from the ratios, more of the American population is engaged in the
working force as compared to Ghana.

The ratio of employment with respect to gender has become an issue in employment.
Gender diversity has increased significantly in the 21st-century workforce as more
women have entered the workplace. In some cases, statistics support the notion of
evolving gender equality. Other statistics shows that some work is still necessary to
give equal opportunities to men and women across all levels and job types. While it’s
closing, a wage gap persists between men and women in the workplace. (Kokemuller,
2016)

25
The industries in Ghana, of which the printing industry is of no exception, employ
fewer women and are particularly vulnerable to masculine stereotypes that make it even
more difficult for women to excel.

Women continue to be highly over represented in clerical, service and professional

occupations, while men tend to be over represented in craft, operators and laborer jobs
as presented in the table below by the Ghana statistical agency. (Catalyst, 2015)

It should be noted, that the Ghanaian printing industry does not stand on its own but
rather is categorized among other industries in the Ghana statistics document unlike
Australia, Canada, Germany, China and the USA where printing is given major
attention alone as an industry. Meanwhile like other countries, the printing industry is
seen as an avenue capable of reducing youth unemployment, due to the diverse nature
of jobs carried out, in the printing industry. (Service, Ghana Statistical Service,
Analysis of Demographic Data Vol.1, 1995, 2000)

Table 2.1 Employment ratio of major sectors in Ghana

Major sector Sex 1960 1970 1984 2000

Agriculture Female 58.4 54.5 56.0 52.0
Male 63.9 59.1 66.4 54.3
Industry Female 10.6 15.5 11.2 13.3
Male 17.9 16.2 14.3 17.5
Service Female 31.0 30.0 29.6 34.7
Male 18.2 24.7 20.2 28.2
Source: Ghana Statistical Service, Analysis of Demographic Data Vol. 1 1995
Ghana Statistical Service: 2000 Population and Housing Census

From table 2.1 above, the Agriculture and Industry section which involves more of
menial works and operations such as the operation of machine, carriage of heavy duties
and crafty works employ more of men as compared to women. Activity that tends to
render services is highly carried out by women.

26
In the United States of America, women are dominated in the service rendered areas or
probably areas that require less effort whiles men are dominated in the industries which
involves cumbersome works. For instance, the secretariat section with an employee
population of 2,768,000 has 95.3% of its population being females whiles industries
such as the construction industry employs 0-1% female out of 122,000 employees.

Greater Accra region, the capital of Ghana, is identified as the hub of printing in Ghana
followed by Kumasi and Cape Coast.

A study carried out in the printing hub of Ghana revealed that more men as compared
to women are employed in the daily operations. Abraham Boakye- Amponsah and
Ebenezer Kofi in their study of Barriers of Advancement in the Ghanaian Printing
Industry attributes the cause of this to the fact, that generally females are not interested
in working in the printing Industry due to the vigorous nature of the machines used and
also their disinterests might have been stimulated by the dwindling fortunes of the
industry (Abraham Boakye - Amponsah and Ebenezer Kofi Enninful, 2014)

Table 2.2 Employment ratio of some printing presses in Accra

Gender frequency Percentage
Male 69 92
Female 6 8
Total 75 100
(Abraham Boakye - Amponsah and Ebenezer Kofi Enninful, 2014)

In the table 2.2, out of the total number of 75 employees, the number of males out
numbers their female counterparts by 69 (92%).This demonstrates that the printing
industry in Ghana is a male dominated sector

2.5.2 The structure of the printing industry

The printing industry generally has three major departments which include the
prepress, post press and press. The post-press section includes activities such as
collating , binding, laminating, folding, trimming, packaging carries out on the printed
material before distribution whiles pre-press involves activities carried out before the

27
actual printing such as designing, platemaking, make ready, film – making. Some
presses in Ghana in their daily operations carry out all the services rendered in the
printing industry thus pre-press, post press and press whiles others are limited to one.
The table below shows a data collected from some presses in Accra and services
rendered. (Abraham Boakye - Amponsah and Ebenezer Kofi Enninful, 2014)

Table 2.3 Various sections in the printing press

Service provided frequency Percentage

Prepress only 5 28
Press only 7 39
Post press only 2 11
Two or more task 4 22
Total 18 100

On services provided by these printing presses, there is a strong correlation between

printing presses and services rendered. From table 2.3, (39%) of these printing presses
were engaged in only press services, (28%) were offering pre-press services such as
typesetting, graphic designing, colour separation, plate making and 4 (22%) of them
were also engaged in two or more services. The post press services was identified as
the least services rendered accounting for 4 (11%) of the distribution. From the above
statistics it can be deduced that prepress and printing, which are vital lithographic
printing processes are the most services offered by the printing presses in Accra.

2.5.3 Employment statistics

According to an estimate, the printing industry in India provides direct employment to
more than 700,000 people and indirect employment to over another 450,000.
(Shengqiong, 2012)

In Australia the printing industry is the fourth largest manufacturing industry and the
third largest manufacturing industry and employer worldwide. One of the key factors
driving competition is the number of competitors and the size of the industry. In
28
Australia, printing and related industries (excluding pulp and paper manufacturing) are
approximately 3,800 presses, employing more than 104,000 people. (Commission,
August 2007)

(Klose, 2014) in her research, titled The European printing industry -Facts –
Challenges – Research Needs concluded, that the European printing industry has about
118 000 printing companies employing over 684 000 employees with a turnover of €
88 billion. In Europe,
Germany employs the greater number of people in the printing industry followed by
United Kingdom, Italy, France and Spain with Lithuania, Latvia, Luxembourg and
Cyprus being the least.
The number of printing establishments in the USA ranges between 60,000 - 70,000 (US
EPA, 1994) whiles the printing industry of Ghana has a total of 127 registered presses
as at 2016 (GPPCA,2016).
In relation to the total employment in the printing industry, Asia employs 16,000 more
people in the printing industry than Europe which has 118,000 printing companies.
(EU28, 2011).
Australia employs 104,000 people in 3,800 established printing companies. America is
rated as the third highest with 60,000 printing companies. (US EPA, 1994)

Statistics from the GHAPPCA proves that Ghana has a total of 127 registered presses
as at 2016 with 46 (both Offset and Digital) from Kumasi. The total people employed
are not accessible.
From this deduction, printing is less practiced in Ghana unlike Europe and Asia where
it is highly practiced employing a greater number of people.

2.6 Classification of businesses

Businesses are defined in qualitative and quantitative terms in different parts of the
world. In Ghana, the definition of a small business has remained a matter of opinion.
Experts have used several criteria such as the size of the workforce and the volume of
sales to define small enterprises. Differences exist in size, type of enterprises (service
,trade ,manufacturing sectors of activities), location (urban, rural, small localities),
types of technologies (modern, traditional), links to the economy, financing, input
29
supply , reasons for startup , products organization. This diversity often corresponds to
the differences in constraints encountered by small – scale enterprises in their
development. The European Union defines small enterprises as those employing less
than 50 and not earning more than 7million euro annual turnovers. The American small
business act of 1953 defines a small business as one which is independently owned and
operated and not dominant in its field of operation.

The National Board for Small Scale Industries (NBSSI) under the Ministry of Trade
and Industry classifies businesses in Ghana, uses size of the workforce and capital
investment classifies businesses in Ghana as follows:

Table 2.4 Classification of businesses

MSME WORKFORCE INVESTMENT ($) INVESTMENT (GHS)

Micro 1-9 Up to 10000 dollars Up to38,400 cedis
Small 6-29 Up to 100000 dollars Up to 384,000 cedis
Medium 30-99 Up to 1000000 dollars Up to 3,840,000 cedis
Large 100 or above Over 1000000 dollars Over 38,400,000 cedis

2.7 Printing machine

The printing industry is one of the keys to mankind’s survival and civilization through
technological prowess with the help of printing machines. A printing machine could be
electrical or mechanical device that aids in the transmission or modification of energy
to perform or assist in the performance of human tasks to produce publications.
The printing machine allowed for books to be made more quickly and cheaply, and the
effects of that are far-reaching. It allowed for increased literacy, a revival of classical
texts, a scientific revolution and a few socio-political upheavals by way of pamphlets
and fliers. In addition, the invention of the first printing machine led to the invention of
other, better printing machines.

The first printing machine was actually a printing press, so named because it pressed
movable metal type onto paper. It was invented by the stone-cutter and goldsmith

30
Johannes Gutenberg around 1440 in Germany. This was not the world's first instance of
printing; woodblock prints came to Europe with Marco Polo around the 12th century.
Several other attempts were made to perfect the printing process in Europe at around
the same time, but Gutenberg's was the most significant contribution.

2.7.1 Printing machines today

With the advancement in printing, since the 1870s when Offset Printing was developed,
it has led to the introduction of several machines to aid the printing process. There are
so many manufactures of Offset Printing Machines. Some are Goss International,
Hewlett – Packed, Presstek, Manroland, Bauer, Koenig, Heidelberg, and Zhejiang
Weigang Machinery. Heidelberg Druckmaschinen AG is known as the major
manufacturers of Offset and other related printing machines sold globally. The
company has a worldwide market share of more than 47% in this area and is the largest
global manufacturer of printing presses. (Druckmaschinen, 2010/2011) Heidelberg
Platen press (Letterpress) is the first manufactured machine by Heidelberg in 1959. The
following are some of the machines manufactured by Heidelberg.

Table 2.5 List of some Heidelberg machine.

Name of Printing Machines Year Manufactured
GTO 46 1980
Kord 64 1985
GTO 52 1972
Heidelberg MOVPH 1990
Heidelberg SM 52 1999
SM 74 -2p 2001
Printmaster QM 46 2003
PM 46 – 2 2004
SM 102 2006
Dymatrix 105 CS 2009
SpeedmasterXL 106 2012

The machines are employed in the daily operations of the printing industry in print
production right from the pre-press to the post-press. The choice of printing machines
31
in a particular printing house depends its area of specialization thus whether
lithography, screen printing, flexographic or digital. A press can have more than one
printing machines of different kinds and types in order to speed up the production
workflow.

32
CHAPTER THREE

METHODOLOGY
3.0 Introduction

This chapter explains the methods and approaches the researchers used in gathering
data for the research. It shows the type of research approach that was used; both the
Qualitative and Quantitative approaches. It deals with data collection and covers how
data is derived from primary and secondary sources. The primary source data collection
considered Surveys.

Herbet Mc. Closky (1969) defined survey “as any procedure in which data are
systematically collected from a population or a sample thereof through some form of
direct solicitation, such as face to face interviews, telephone interviews or mail
questionnaires”. Survey research is also defined as a method of descriptive research
used for collecting primary data based on verbal or written communication with a
representative sample of individuals or respondents from the target population. A
survey when conducted helps uncover answers, evoke discussions, base decisions on
objective formation and also provides a snapshot of attitudes and behaviour which
serves as a baseline to measure and establish a benchmark from which results could be
compared overtime.

The secondary data also considered works done by others in the form of books, articles
and electronic sources. It also examines the study population, sampling unit and
challenges encountered in the collection of data. The methodology was conducted in a
period of three months thus from January to April 2016. Lastly, the chapter also talks
about how the data gathered was recorded, presented and analysed with tables and
charts where necessary.

3.1 Scope of study

According to Basha and Harter (1980) “a population is any set of persons or objects
that possesses at least one common characteristic.” The study population was limited to
printing presses in Kumasi.

33
3.2 Sampling technique and sample size
Sampling entails gathering information from only a fraction of the population or
phenomenon under study (Walliman, 2002). The researchers identified one hundred
and seven (107) printing presses from the population as the sample size with the help of
the list of registered members from GHAPPCA, a map of Kumasi and snowball data
collection method. All printing presses, either small or large were engaged in
conducting the research.

A sample size, that is greater than 30, can be used as the outcome of the research to
make a generalization to the population (Opoku-Amankwa, 2002). Therefore the 107
printing presses identified by the researchers were used to make generalizations.

3.3 Data collection method

For the purpose of this study, both Qualitative and Quantitative Methods of data
collection were used. According to (Saunders M., (2007), Qualitative data refers to all
Non-numeric data that have not been quantified. That is data in the form of words and
not in figures.

Quantitative data on the other hand inquiries the use of numerical and statistical
processes to answer specific questions (Wholey, 2004) it is based on the idea that social
phenomena can be quantified, measured and expressed in numerical terms that can be
analysed by statistical methods.

3.4 Data gathering tools

Primary data is the data collected by the researchers themselves. The Primary data
gathering tool consisted of a structured interview based on the objectives of the study
with the various managers of the identified printing presses in Kumasi. Where
necessary, the researchers made a non – participant observation to supplement the
structured interviews in order to seek in-depth information, clarifications and answers
to questions that arose in the structured interviews. The map of Kumasi was obtained to
locate the individual suburbs of Kumasi. The researchers travelled to the suburbs found
34
on the Kumasi map to locate the printing presses. The snowball method, a technique for
locating informants by asking others to identify individuals or groups with special
understanding of a phenomenon (Opoku-Amankwa, 2002). It was also used to identify
printing presses. Once the researchers were able to locate one press, they made enquires
on other presses located around the identified press.

Secondary data collection was obtained through existing literatures and documents. The
sources of the Secondary data collection included books and articles. The media data
for data collection was from an electronic source such as the internet. The Literature
Review was substantially based on the secondary data.

3.5 Mode of analysis

The data collected was analysed both qualitatively and quantitatively. Statistical tools
such as Microsoft Word, Microsoft Excel and R Statistical software were used in
analysing and presenting the findings in numerical terms. The data was also discussed
in a descriptive manner where necessary, tables, charts and graphs were used to clarify
and give in depth understanding to the findings.

3.6 Limitations
The respondents’ unavailability for the interview affected the speed of the work. Most
of the managers of the press houses were not willing to speak to the researchers. The
researchers were denied information from the GPPCA

35
CHAPTER FOUR

FINDINGS AND DISCUSSIONS

4.0 Introduction
The data was compiled, analysed and interpreted for concrete decisions to be made on
the printing presses in Kumasi. Relationships, measurements, and comparisons of data
collected were made to draw up conclusions. The researchers analysed the data
according to the objectives of the study. The analysis of data in details shows the
relevance of the study, justification and its contribution to the addition of existing
knowledge in the printing industry.

4.1.1 List of the printing presses in Kumasi

Kumasi, which is the capital town of the Ashanti Region of Ghana, is known as the
second hub of printing in Ghana after Accra. This may be due to the high commercial
and industrial activities that take place in the town.

The listing of the printing presses in Kumasi was done by writing down their names,
location or address. The presses in Kumasi had special names that are interesting which
at a glance one would want to know the meaning of the names out of curiosity. On
observation, the researchers identified that the naming of the presses in Kumasi were
based on the names or abbreviation of the owners, the kind of job, product or service
they offer, the location of the business or a name attached to an institution or religious
organisation.

The researchers listed a total of 107 presses. 29 of the presses identified had the phrase
“printing press” attached to their names, representing 27.1% whiles 8 presses had
“prints” attached to their names which is equivalent to 7.5%. 6 presses had the phrase
“publications” representing 5.6%. Presses with the phrase “publications” attached to
their names are in-house presses established to provide the printing needs of a
particular publishing firm. The remaining 64 presses representing 59.8% had graphics,
image or company limited attached to their names to make them stand out in the
industry.

36
It can be said that in the printing industry, the naming of printing press is highly
subjective. This is because the naming of the presses did not follow any principle but
based on the discretion of individual owners. The chart below explains it further.

PHRASES ATTACHED TO NAMES OF PRESSES

Printing Press
27.1%

Other names
59.8% Publications
Prints 5.6%
7.5%

Figure 4.1 Phrases attached to names of presses

4.1.2 Locating the printing presses

Location of a printing press is the permanent place or space occupied by the printing
press, where all activities in the production workflow are carried out.

The researchers found out that Asafo is the hub of printing in Kumasi. It recorded the
highest number of printing presses with a frequency of 49 representing 45.79%,
followed by Adum with a frequency of 14, representing 13.1%. Ash- town and
Krofrom with frequencies of 5 representing 4.7%. The remaining twelve (12) locations
recorded a press each representing 0.9% each.

37
Table 4.1 Location of Presses

Location Number of presses Percentage

Asafo 49 45.79
Adum 14 13.1
Stadium 1 0.9
Ejisu 6 5.6
Accra Town 1 0.9

Atonsu 1 0.9
Buokrom 1 0.9
Manhyia 2 1.9
Breman 1 0.9
Asuoyeboah 1 0.9
Fante – Newtown 4 3.74
Roman –Hill 1 0.9
Ash – town 5 4.7
Suame 2 1.9
KNUST 2 1.9
Krofroum 5 4.7
Bompata 2 1.9
Ahinsan 2 1.9
Bomso 1 0.9
Asokwa 1 0.9
NewTafo 2 1.9
Akwatialine 1 0.9
Adehyeman 1 0.9
Oforikrom 1 0.9
TOTAL 107 100

38
Generally, locating some of these printing presses were not difficult because they are
clustered especially those printing presses at Asafo. Printing presses located in the other
suburbs were difficult to find because they were not closely situated. Locating the
presses was done by making enquiries from other presses located around the identified
press.

In Asafo for instance some presses are clustered to the extent, that they even shared
walls while others sat on top of each of other. The longest distance between presses is
estimated as 3-5minutes walk from each other.

Presses located closely to each other enjoy benefits such as economics of scale;
consulting or benchmarking to improve standards and increase their productivity.
Printing presses which are not clustered stand to gain monopoly.

Some of the respondents made it clear to the researchers that their press had more than
one location. The researchers also recognised this on observation. Unfortunately for the
researchers, the data gathered did not record presses with different locations. However,
it was observed that presses like Classic Graphics, Ashmetro, Dan Grapher Prints and
Universal Press had more than one location. This is attributed to inadequacy of space to
house the various sections of the printing house. Another factor that contributes to
multiple location is increase in customer base. The researchers were informed by a
couple of presses that they try to get located in Asafo which is the printing hub of
Kumasi even if they are located elsewhere. This is to compete for customers with the
presses located at Asafo.

4.1.3 Year of establishment

The researchers recorded the year of establishment of the located or identified printing
presses in Kumasi. 95 out of the 107 located printing presses were established in the
2000’s representing 88.8%. The remaining 12 of the 107 printing presses were
established in the 1900’s representing 11.2%.

39
 Year of establishment

11%

1900's
2000's

89%

Figure 4.2 Year of Establishment

Comparatively, the presses established in the 2000’s outnumbers those in the 1900’s.
This indicates that the printing industry has developed in terms of growth in numbers
from the 1900’s to the 2000’s and it is still growing. Above is a graphical
representation.

4.1.4 The registration status of the printing presses in Kumasi

Section 24 of the Ghana Investment Promotion Centre Act, 1994 (Act 478) provides
that an investor is required as a first step to incorporate or register his business in
Ghana under the relevant law. Registration of a business defines the authenticity of the
business legally.

The researchers asked this question to find out whether the printing presses in Kumasi
are registered with the Registrar General Department or any other association. Out of
the 107 presses located in Kumasi, the researchers found 106 printing presses registered
representing 99.06% with the Registrar General Department. The unregistered press
had a 0.93%. This is represented in the pie chart below.

40
 Registeration of presses

0.93%

Registered Press
Unregistered Presses

99.06%

Figure 4.3 Registration of Presses

The researchers observed that these presses had a notice of CERTIFICATE OF

REGISTRATION boldly posted on their walls. The registered presses pay taxes which
serve as a form of revenue to the government for development projects and social
intervention.

Although one could not operate a business without registering it, the researchers
identified one press which has not registered yet operates. The reason could be
attributed to the fact that this particular press is located in an area which is not
proximate to a business centred area where the taskforce could easily spot them out. An
interview with the press owner revealed that the business commenced recently and that
it needs to gain grounds before it is registered which is contrary to the business law.

Printing Presses in Kumasi can be said to be law abiding and patriotic since 106 out of
the 107 printing presses identified are registered and pay taxes.

4.1.5 Membership of association

The GPPCA (Ghana Printers and Paper Convertors Association) is formally recognised
as the association that holds the printing industry and its related stakeholders and also
41
serves as its mouthpiece. Data obtained by researchers from the field revealed that there
exist more associations other than the GPPCA. Such associations include the
PRINTERS ASSOCIATION and PRINTERS FUN CLUB. Whiles some presses
belonged to at least one of the aforementioned associations, others belonged to none.

Table 4.2 Identified associations of the printing presses

Association Number of Presses Percentage

No Association 91 85.5
GPPCA 7 6.5
Printers Association 8 7.5
Printers Fun Club 1 0.9
TOTAL 107 100

From the table above, 91 of the total presses listed joined no association. This group of
presses represented 85.5% of the total number of presses listed whiles the remaining
14.95% were members of the GPPCA, PRINTERS ASSOCIATION OR THE
PRINTERS FUN CLUB.

The GPPCA which is formally identified as the printers association represented only
6.5% out of the 14.95%. The Printers Association represented 7.5% with 8 members.
The Printers Fun Club also represented 0.9% with just a single press.

The presses responded to why they do not join any associations as they do not benefit
from the associations in anyway. According to them, the GPPCA which was once the
mouth piece of all printers in the country and vibrant in supporting printers by
subsiding materials is not active anymore. The association has become a white elephant
and therefore there is no need to waste time and resources to join.

An interview with Mr Kwadwo Acheampong who is the CEO of Classic Graphics

attributed his reason for not belonging to any association to inadequate knowledge
about the GPPCA. He said “I have no knowledge of the GPPCA. I only know of a
local printers association which I have decided not to join because I see no contribution
they make to improve the nature of the industry as at now. We still pay high tax on

42
imported printing materials and government is still printing outside the country. I
cannot waste my time and resources on these associations”.

The researchers met Mr Hagan, the manager of NEW ERA PRESS, the current president
of the GPPCA branch in Kumasi, who described the statement made by Mr
Acheampong as vague. “How can one know the contribution of an association if one is
not part of it? The association has been struggling since 2004 fighting for the interest of
its members. These include reduction of taxes and subsidies on raw materials. It has
also been challenging the government to print text books in the country. Now, a bill has
been passed by parliament to print textbooks in Ghana, he said”. He also added that
such contracts will only be awarded to recognised association like the GPPCA.

The printer’s fun club and Printers association are also formed by presses that are
clustered. Members of these associations belong not to the GPPCA due to the lack of
knowledge about it. The sole aim of this association is to ensure unity among printers,
organise printers for communal labour and to seek the welfare of its members.
Although these associations are necessary in seeking the welfare of the printers, their
ability to voice out their grievances with the government is not possible since they are
not recognised as such.

Belonging to an association in the printing industry is very necessary to the individual

printers and the industry at large. Therefore every printer should join the GPPCA which
is the mouth piece of all printers to the government.

The researchers through a careful observation of the data gathered, found out that there
exist a relationship between the year of establishment and membership of association.
Presses that belongs to the GPPCA were those established in the 1900s whiles those
established in 2000s did not belong to any association or Printers Association and
Printers Fun Club. This shows that the old presses established in the1900’s enjoyed the
benefits of the GPPCA during its active years and that was why they joined the
association. The new presses established in the 2000’s do not join GPPCA because it
has been inactive in providing its benefits to its members recently. The relationship
between year of establishment and association is shown below.

43
Table 4.3 Relationship between year of establishment and association.

Number Name of press Year of establishment Association

1. Kumasi Catholic Press Ltd 1972 GPPCA
2. Bragningo press 1998 GPPCA
3. Ken-Yeb 1997 GPPCA
4. Design Press 1989 GPPCA
5. UPK 1961 GPPCA
6. New Era 1947 GPPCA
7. Cita Press 1971 GPPCA

4.1.6 Area of speciality

General printing involves making impressions on every substrate ranging from paper to
wood, textiles and even on the walls. In the printing industry, general printing includes
screen printing, flexography, offset printing and digital.

All the One hundred and seven (107) printing presses located by the researchers chose
general printing as their area of specialization. These printing houses defined their
general printing as the ability to print on anything that can be classified as paper.
Although all presses classified themselves as general printers, they are still distinct
from each other. Some specialized in printing of posters and flyers whiles others
concentrated on the printing of receipt or exercise books. The printing presses engage
in all these activities to widen their capabilities to be competitive in terms of customer
base. Competition has come to stay in the printing industry making the industry
develop in terms of the quality of works produced.

General printing has become the competitive edge in the industry. Once a press is into
general printing, it means whatever work it is; the press would be able to produce. This
is because without “general printing” as the area of specialization, jobs are difficult to
come by.

4.2.1 The number of people employed in the printing presses of Kumasi

The printing press employs manpower in carrying out its operations. The 107 printing
presses in Kumasi identified by the researchers employ a total number of 1,027
workers.
44
These total workers include both casual and permanent workers. The researchers could
not make a distinction as to whether a worker is permanent or casual. This is because,
most of the respondent or presses believe both permanent and casual staff could be
classified as one.

The Economically active population (15 to 64 years) in Kumasi which consist of

employed and unemployed is 769,381 representing 66.5% of the total population in
Kumasi. The unemployed has a population of 66,108 representing 8.6% whiles the
employed has a population of 703,273 representing 91.4%. (Service, 2010 Population
and Housing Census, District Analytical Report, 2014).

The data collected by the researchers revealed that 1,027 people are employed by the
printing industry in Kumasi. This figure represents 0.13% of the total number of people
employed.

Statistics again showed that the number of people employed in the manufacturing
industry in Kumasi has a total of 95,445 workers representing 13.6% of the population.
(Service, 2010 Population and Housing Census, District Analytical Report, 2014)

The printing industry as part of the manufacturing industry employs 1,027 workers
representing 0.15% of the total population.

From the above statistics, it could be said that Kumasi is highly employed representing
91.4% as compared to the unemployed figure that represents 8.6%. The printing
industry contributes 0.13% to the employed figure of 91.4%.

According to a research consultant, Gabriel Kofi Ayiglo in a paper titled Local Printers
Initiate Campaign against High Import – taxes on raw materials to Joy Business on
29th September, 2009 concluded that there is a reduction in the number of people
employed in the printing industry. The paper explained that it sampled about 165
printing presses in Kumasi and Accra. The analysis of the paper revealed that 2,650
jobs were lost between 2008 and 2013. (Ayiglo, 2014)

It can be said that (from the 1,027 workers identified by the researchers from the 107
printing press representing 0.13% of the total employed of 91.4% in Kumasi) there is a
reduction of the number of people employed in the printing industry.

45
The 2,650 jobs lost between 2008 and 2013, when extrapolate to cover more printing
presses in Kumasi and Accra, the figure could even be bigger. The years 2011, 2012
and 2013 saw a major power crises “Dumsor” that affected the rate of productivity and
employment in the Ghanaian Industries. The printing industry was not left out of this
crises. Presses had to alter their working hours to suit the prevailing power situation.
According to Mr Paul Kwadwo Acheampong, the Manager of Classic Graphics in
Asafo, said that he laid 27 workers off during that season. This is because the
productivity of the presses reduced drastically and he could not pay all his workers.

A sample size, that is greater than 30, can be used as the outcome of the research to
make a generalization to the population (Opoku-Amankwa, 2002). With Kumasi being
the second hub of printing in Ghana and has a sample size of more than 30, it can be
generalized that, the Ghanaian printing industry is lagging behind in terms of
employment as compared to India which provides direct employment to more than
700,000 people and indirect employment to over another 450,000. (Shengqiong, 2012)

4.2.2 The gender ratio

Out of the 1,027 people employed in the printing industry, 798 constitute male
representing 77.7% and the remaining 229 representing 22.3% of the total workers are
female. This shows the level of male dominance over female in the printing industry.
This is due to a variety of factors.

Most of the work in the printing industry requires physical energy and are very tedious.
This serves as a major deterrent to female. An interview with Mr Joe Michelle of Vytal
Press revealed that, when women are employed, it leads to amorous relationship
between employees which affect productivity negatively. The maternal leave benefits
enjoyed by women after child birth deters managers from employing them because they
enjoy monthly salaries and benefits, although not working, which is seen as a loss to
the business.

A study carried out in the printing hub of Ghana revealed that more men as compared
to women are employed in the daily operations of the printing industry. Abraham
Boakye- Amponsah and Ebenezer Kofi in their study of Barriers of Advancement in the
Ghanaian Printing Industry attributes the cause of this to the fact, that generally
females are not interested in working in the printing Industry due to the vigorous nature

46
of the machines used and also their disinterests might have been stimulated by the
dwindling fortunes of the industry (Abraham Boakye - Amponsah and Ebenezer Kofi
Enninful, 2014)

The printing industry is a manufacturing industry which employs more men than
women based on the perception that, men are for tedious and energetic works as it is in
the manufacturing industry while women are for service and clerical office duties. The
chart below shows the level of male dominance over female in the printing industry.

Employment gender ratio

Females
22.3%

Males
77.7%

Figure 4.4 Employment Gender Ratio

4.2.3 Gender ratio in the departments of the printing industry

The various sections which include prepress, press and post press have distinct gender
ratios. The prepress which includes activities like platemaking, designing, film -
making, to mention few employs 243 workers with 159 being male representing 65.4%
and 84 female which is equivalent to 34.6% of the total workers.

The press section requires extra energy to undertake its activities. Out of 424 workers
employs 419 male representing 98.8% and 5 female which is 1.2% of the total figure.

The last section, the post press, which has most of its activities being less tediuos, also
employs more male than female. Out of the 360 workers in the post press section,
males constitute 224, which is equivalent to 62.2% with females representing 136
which is equivalent to 37.8%.
47
Figure 4.5 Total recorded employees, grouped by departments

From the figure above, Males dominate in all the departments of the printing industry.
Females recorded 136 at the post press. There is a perception that Females dominate the
Post press section of the industry. Interestingly, from the findings Males still dominate
with 62.2% to 37.8% of Females.

It could be said that women in the printing industry are mostly found in the pre – press
and post press sections of the industry. Comparatively women are found more in the
post press (136) than the pre – press (84).

From the statistics above, it can be deduced that, the printing industry which is
classified as a manufacturing industry employs more males as compared to females.
This is because women continue to be highly over represented in clerical and service
occupations, while men tend to be over represented in craft, operators and menial jobs
(Catalyst, 2015) of which the printing industry is of no exception.

48
4.2.4 Printing machines
The Printing machines have undergone severe transformations in terms of technology
since its invention. It has transformed from the simple platen to the complex 16 units
offset machines. The various types of machines gathered by the researchers are shown
in the table below;

Table 4.4 Printing Machines

Name of Printing Machine Number of Printing Percentage %

Machine in Kumasi
Kord 64 61 30.05
GTO 43 21.18
MO 37 18.23
AB DICK 20 9.85
TOK 19 9.36
PLATEN 9 4.43
ADAST 2 0.99
T – OFFSET 2 0.99
AM 2 0.99
Name of Printing Machine Number of Printing Percentage %
Machine in Kumasi

RISOGRAPH 2 0.99
SORMZ 2 0.99
RYOBI 1 0.49
PRINTMASTER 1 0.49
ROMAVOR 1 0.49
SM 1 0.49
KORDZ 1 0.49

From the table above, Kord 64 is mostly used in Kumasi. The researchers gathered 61
of Kord 64s which represents 30.5% followed by GTO. There are two types of GTO
machines (52 and 46) but the researchers collected the data without making that

49
distinction. The researchers gathered 43 GTO machines representing 21.18% of the
total machines.

KORD 64 was manufactured in the year 1985. GTO was also manufactured in the year
1972. Thirty-one and Forty – four years respectively on, presses in Kumasi largely
depend on these printing machines for production. Printing presses in Kumasi prefer
these machines because of their sizes, floor space, cost and maintenance cost.

The Kord 64 has a size of “18 x 25¼” and can print A2 paper size at a time which
makes it efficient and effective. GTO has a size of “14 x 20¼” and can print A3 at a
time but it has one colour unit and two colour units unlike Kord 64 which has just one
colour unit.

Both printing machines use limited floor space. Thus they occupy just a small space in
the press house. Presses in Kumasi are classified as 59% Micro, 38% Small, 3%
Medium and 0% large which induce that the presses have limited space in terms of
accommodation. This is why Kord 64 and GTO recorded the first and second machines
respectively in Kumasi.

The cost of Kord 64 and GTO and its maintenance is relatively cheaper compared to
the Speed masters.

MO recorded the third most preferred printing machine with 37 machines representing
18.23%. This is also preferred for its size (“19 x 25¼”), two colour units, and floor
space.

Platen or letterpress is the first manufactured printing machine by the Heidelberg’s in

1959. Thus it is the oldest of all printing machines. In Kumasi, the researchers gathered
9 of them which represents 4.43%. Some of the presses still use it for special foil
stamping and numbering. Others kept it for sentimental attachments and a collection of
antique items.

Heidelberg SM (6 colour units) recorded 1 machine in Kumasi. This is because of its

large floor space and cost of purchase and maintenance which needs highly skilled
engineers. The bar chart below gives a clear representation of the printing machines.

50
Figure 4.6 The Printing machines
30.05%

21.18%

18.23%

9.85%

9.36%

4.43%

0.99%

0.99%

0.99%

0.99%

0.99%

0.49%

0.49%

0.49%

0.49%

0.49%
4.2.5 The Classification of Businesses
According to NBSSI under the ministry of trade, businesses are classified according to
their workforce, 1- 9 fall under micro, 6 – 29 fall under small, 30 – 99 fall under
medium and 100 upwards fall under large category.

Out of the 107 businesses identified by the researchers, 63 of them fall under the micro
category representing 59%, 41 businesses fall under the small category which is
equivalent to 38%, 3 businesses fall under the medium category which represents 3%
of the total number of businesses. There was no business that fell under the large
category according to the data collected by the researchers. The chart below shows the
various businesses sizes and the number of people employed.

51
 Classification Of Presses
70
59%
60

50

38%
40

30

20

10
3%
0%
0
Micro Small Medium Large

Classification Of Presses

Figure 4.7 Classification of presses

As stated early on, classification of the presses is based on the workforce of the presses.
There are more Micro presses (1 – 9) in Kumasi with 59% followed by Small presses
(6 – 29) with 38%. The Medium presses (30 – 99) recorded 3% whiles the Large
presses (100 and above) recorded 0. This shows that the presses in Kumasi does not
employ so many people. This also justifies the poor performance of the printing
industry in the employment figure of Kumasi.

4.2.5.1 Relationship between business size and machines

The number of machines determines the number of people employed and business size.
A micro size business requires few machines hence few employees are needed to
operate whiles a small, medium and large business requires more machines hence more
hands are needed.

Form the data collected, the researchers also realised some of the presses had few
machines but many workers. Reference to presses like (Pregee Printing Press, C&S
Printing Press and Salve Printing Press), they had many workers but used single
machines each. These kinds of presses deal more in post press activities than running
impressions. In this case more hands are needed in folding, collating, binding etc.

52
4.3 The choice of location of presses in Kumasi
The choice of location of printing presses in Kumasi is greatly dependent on factors
like raw materials, labour supply, power supply, customers, site cost and other factors
such as monopoly.

Table 4.5 The Choice of location of Presses in Kumasi

Choice of Location Number of Presses Percentage %

Raw materials 14 9.33
Labour Supply 12 8
Power Supply 9 6
Customers 100 66.67
Site cost 6 4
Others 9 6
Total 150 100

T h e ch oi ce of l ocati on
66.67
9.33

6
4

RAW LABOUR POWER SUPPLY CUSTOMERS SITE COST OTHERS

MATERIALS SUPPLY

Figure 4.8 The Choice of Location

53
Raw materials

Some of the printing presses factored the availability of raw materials in choosing a site
for their press houses. From the data collected, 14 presses named raw materials as the
reason for their choice of location. They explained further that, siting their presses close
to the source of paper, ink and other materials for their work help reduce the cost of
transporting them to the press. In cases of emergencies, the presses can access the raw
materials easily without wasting time. Nearness to raw materials also reduces operation
cost.

Labour supply

Every business depends on labour to carry out their operations. From the data collected,
12 presses’ choice of location was influenced by availability of labour. For instance, in
Asafo where most of the presses are clustered, a press needs not to go outside the
vicinity in search for labour. Labour is readily available. This makes the press efficient
and effective to meet deadlines.

Power supply

We recorded 9 presses who considered or factored power supply in choosing their sites.
In places like Asafo and Adum, power supply is relatively better compared to other
areas, they explained. The reason being that, Asafo and Adum are noted as business
centres and are heavily dependent on power for their operations.

Customers

From the data, it is clearly seen that most of the presses consider customers in selecting
a location for their businesses. Out of the total of 107 presses, a whopping 100 of the
presses factored in customers as their reason for the site location. Due to the availability
of customers in Adum and Asafo, it has immensely influenced most presses to be sited
there.

Site cost

Six presses were identified to have considered site cost in choosing their business
location. It is the least among the factors considered. They explained that places where

54
presses are concentrated are very expensive to acquire. This influenced them to locate
away from the printing hub of Kumasi

Other factors

Other presses are located elsewhere not because of the factors mentioned above but
others such as monopoly. These presses want to be the sole providers of printing
services at their respective areas. Some are also situated at the resident of their owners,
so as to avoid rent. An example of such presses is the Catholic printing press which is
located in the church premises at Roman Hill.in this case, the location of the church has
influenced the location of the press.

Furthermore, presses like University Press, Kumasi (UPK), Design Press and NVTI are
in – house presses established to serve the printing needs of their respective institutions.

55
CHAPTER FIVE

CONCLUSION AND RECOMMENDATIONS

4.0 Introduction
This chapter summarises the key findings in this research. It also gives salient
recommendations on the topic.

5.1 Conclusion
Most of the presses are concentrated in Asafo. The naming of the presses identified by
the researchers followed no strict pattern.

Presses in Kumasi sprung up in the 2000’s as compared to the 1900’s. 99.06%. These
presses are registered with 6.5% being members of the GPPCA. This is an indication
that the GPPCA has failed in its objective, which is to increase in its membership. Most
of the presses are classified under the general printing category.

The Printing Industry in its daily operations employ 1027 workers which includes both
permanent and casual workers contributing up to 0.15% out of the 91.4% of the
economically active population in the Kumasi metropolis. These presses employ more
male than female in their various sections thus the pre-press, press and post press.

The leading Heidelberg offset printing machine employed by these presses is Kord 64
as a result of its high performance, limited space occupation, minimum maintenance
cost and minimum skills needed to operate the machine.

Most of the presses assessed are considered micro, Small and Medium Scale. Micro
recorded the highest workforce under the classification of business showing that most
of the presses employs between 1 – 9 workforces. This is because the business size is
determined by the number of people employed.

All presses considered certain factors in choosing their business sites base on how
beneficial it will be to their business, customers and the owners themselves. Some of
the presses gave more than one factor as the main reason for locating whiles some gave
only one.

56
From the analysis, we can clearly see that presses are much concerned about their
ability to reach their target audience in choosing a location for their businesses. 66% of
the listed presses located at Asafo attributing the reason to their ability to reach their
target audience. Other factors such as proximity to resources, site, labour and power
were not given much consideration.

5.2 Recommendations
Power delivery to Asafo and Adum which presses are most concentrated should be
prioritized over other areas by the Electricity Company of Ghana in order to support
business operations.

The Ghana Printers and Paper Convertors should organise timely educational
programmes for printers to create awareness of their existence and the benefits
associated with becoming a member.

Registration of printing presses should be renewed on yearly basis to ensure easy

tracking of the operation of presses.

Women should be given more opportunity in the printing industry to exhibit their skills
in areas like the prepress and post press where activities are less tedious.

The GPPCA should collaborate with the government to minimize imported duties on
printing machines and raw materials. This will help expand businesses in the printing
industry as well as an increase in the number of people employed so as to increase
productivity.

The government should bring back subsidies on paper imported by printers into the
country and the GPPCA should enforce regulations to ensure the subsidies are not
abused.

Presses should consider all the various factors of choice for location very relevant.
Managers and owners of any upcoming printing press should consider the following
procedure in making location decisions.

As with capacity planning, managers need to follow a three-step procedure when

making facility location decisions. These steps are as follows:

57
Step 1: Identify Dominant Location Factors. In this step managers identify the location
factors that are dominant for the business. This requires managerial judgment and
knowledge.
Step 2: Develop Location Alternatives. Once managers know what factors are
dominant, they can identify location alternatives that satisfy the selected factors.
Step 3: Evaluate Location Alternatives. After a set of location alternatives have been
identified, managers evaluate them and make a final selection. This is not easy because
one location may be preferred based on one set of factors, whereas another may be
better based on a second set of factors. (R Dan Reid, 2011)

58
BIBLIOGRAPHY
1 Abraham Boakye - Amponsah and Ebenezer Kofi Enninful. (2014). Barriers of
Advancement: Ghana's Printing Industry. International Journal of Innovative
Research and Development, 805, 807, 809.

2 Appiah, S.E. et al. (2002). A directory of printing presses in Accra. Unpublished

Thesis.

3 Association of Ghana Industries. (2016, May 7th). Retrieved from

fortuneofafrica.com/Ghana/association-of-ghana-industries-agi/

4 Ayiglo, G. K. (2014, September 29). Joy Business. Retrieved from My Joy Online:

5 Baafi, A. B. (2010, February 25). Ghanaweb. Retrieved May 15, 2016, from
http:mobile.ghanaweb.com

6 Business case studies. (1995-2016, January). Retrieved May 8, 2016, from Business
casev studies: http://www.business case studies .co.uk

7 Business, D. (2016). (www.doingbusiness.org. Retrieved from

(www.doingbusiness.org/data/exploreeconomies/ghana/starting-a-business/).

8 Catalyst. (2015, October). Women in Male - Dominated Industries and Occupation.

USA and Canada.

9 Commission, S. D. (August 2007). Report on Review of Goal Print In the

Department of Public Works.

10 Doing Business. (2016). Retrieved April 28, 2016, from World Bank Group:
http://www.doingbusiness.org

11 Druckmaschinen, h. (2010/2011). annual report.

12 Fosu et al. (2009). A Catalogue of Printing Presses in Greater Accra Region.

Accra.

13 GhaPPCA. (2008). Ghana Printers and Paper Converters Association. Retrieved

April 28, 2016, from Ghana Printers and Paper Converters Association:
http://www.ghanaprinters.com

14 Group, T. W. (2016). Employment In Industry.

15 Heathfield, S. M. (2014, December 16). Elements Of Workplace and organization.

16 Isaac, L. (2012). Retrieved from www.leoisaac.com/boards/boards12.htm

17 Joe, E. K. (2002, August 29). Ghana web.

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18 Klose, B. (2014, April). The European Printing Industry - Facts - Challenges -
Research Needs.

19 Kokemuller, N. (2016). Male vs Female Statistics in the Workplace in America.

Houston , Texas, USA.

20 Kotowich, E. (2013, April 15th). The benefits of joining an industry association.

Retrieved from www1.agric.gov.ab.ca

21 Learn4Good. (2003). Retrieved April 28, 2016, from Learn4Good Ltd:

http://www.learnforgood.com

22 Noort, E. A. (1999). Location Choice of SMEs. Holland.

23 Opoku-Amankwa, K. (2002). Mastering the skills of Research Report Writing.

Ghana: Granico Print Professionals.

24 Organisation, I. L. (2013). Labour & Social Protection Indicators. Ghana.

25 R Dan Reid, N. R. (2011). Operations Management an Integrated Approach.

George Hoffman.

26 Saunders M., L. P. ( (2007). Research Methods for Business Students. 4th edition.
London.

27 Service, G. S. (1995, 2000). Ghana Statistical Service, Analysis of Demographic

Data Vol.1. Gnana.

28 Service, G. S. (2014). 2010 Population and Housing Census, District Analytical

Report. Kumasi.

29 Shengqiong. (2012). China.

30 Wholey, J. S. (2004). Handbook of Practical Program Evaluation. San Francisc.

31 Yeboah et al. (2015). Capacity Building In the Printing Industry: Opportunities and
Challenges (The Ghananian Experience). Kumasi: Unpulished Thesis.

60
 APPENDIX A

Name of press loc. Yr. Of Reg. Status Mem. Ass. Area of specialty
est. Yes/no
1. Alpha and Omega Asafo 2002 Yes No General printing
2. Chrisline printing Asafo 2014 Yes No General printing
press
3. Gyamfi and sons Asafo 2012 Yes No General printing
publication
4. Kingmidas Printing Asafo 2015 Yes No General printing
Press
5. Fransevert Printing Asafo 2012 Yes No General printing
Press
6. Frankof Prints and Asafo 2014 Yes No General printing
Trading
7. Nabaf Victory Asafo 2006 Yes No General printing
Publishers
8. Holy Light Asafo 2009 Yes No General printing
Publishing
9. International Image Asafo 2012 Yes Printers Fun General printing
Print Club
10. NiiNai Creation Asafo 2015 Yes No General printing
11. Daasebre Printing Asafo 2006 Yes No General printing
Press
12. King Bernard Asafo 2013 Yes No General printing
13. Adom Printing Press Asafo 2016 Yes No General printing
14. Fathers Printing Asafo 2001 Yes No General printing
Press
15. Dan Grapher Prints Asafo 2001 Yes No General printing
16. Fame and Fortune Asafo 2003 Yes No General printing
Press
17. Best Brain Asafo 2000 Yes No General printing
Publishers
18. Living Water Press Asafo 2009 Yes No General printing
19. Shalorm Press Asafo 2006 Yes No General printing

61
Name of Press Loc. Yr of Reg. Status Mem. of Area of specialty
est. Yes/No Ass.
20. Ospra Ventures Asafo 2007 Yes No General printing
21. Walabus Press Asafo 2014 Yes No General printing
22. CSN Asafo 2009 Yes No General printing
23. Hannob Press Asafo 2015 Yes No General printing
24. Jokwat Asafo 2005 Yes No General printing
25. Ramongee Asafo 2014 Yes No General printing
Publishers
26. Gasbine Graphics Asafo 2006 Yes No General printing
27. Classic Graphics Asafo 2006 Yes No General printing
28. Collins Enterprise Asafo 2012 Yes No General printing
29. DOFYARK Asafo 2012 Yes No General printing
Ventures
30. Labaf Asafo 2006 Yes No General printing
31. Nash Graphics Asafo 2005 Yes No General printing
32. GEOSAKA Asafo 2012 Yes No General printing
Multiprints
33. NUUT Printing Press Asafo 1996 YES No General printing
34. Limed Publications Asafo 2009 Yes No General printing
35. Hen-Oforious Asafo 2009 Yes No General printing
Printing Press
36. Christian Publication Asafo 2013 Yes No General printing
37. Humble Gate Asafo 2011 Yes No General printing
38. Click Printing Press Asafo 2011 Yes No General printing
39. Sun Star Image Asafo 2010 Yes No General Printing
40. Picos Prints Ltd Asafo 2010 Yes No General printing
41. Clettony Co. Ltd Asafo 2010 Yes No General printing
42. Bistanding Asafo 2013 Yes No General printing
Enterprise
43. Hackensack Prints Asafo 2006 Yes No General printing
44. I. K. Publications Adum 2005 Yes Printers General printing
Co. Ltd Association
45. Nana Art Studio Adum 2010 Yes No General Printing
46. AfricoGrafix Adum 2011 Yes No General printing
47. Rambat Impression Adum 2009 Yes No General printing

62
Name of Press Loc. Yr. of Reg. Status Mem. Of Area of specialty
Est. Yes/No Ass.
48. Universal Printing Adum 2011 Yes No General printing
Press
49. Pioneer Adum 2006 Yes No General printing
50. Benstel Prints Adum 2006 Yes No General printing
51. Youngstar Stadium 2016 Yes No General printing
Publications
52. Cosco Printing Press Adum 2001 Yes Printers General printing
Association
53. Eric Press Adum 2009 Yes No General printing
54. Bostak Printing Press Adum 2014 Yes Printers General printing
Association
55. Gobid Printing Press Ahisan 2006 Yes Printers General printing
Association
56. Jasap Modern Ejisu 2012 Yes Printers General printing
Printers Association
57. Stoppa Printing Ejisu 2014 Yes No General printing
58. Lubek Printing Press Ejisu 2008 Yes No General printing
59. Boisen Press Accra 2006 Yes No General printing
Town
60. Catas Printing Press Ejisu 2013 Yes No General printing
61. Ayala Printing Press Breman 2015 No No General printing
UGC
62. Prof Quarms Asuoy- 1999 Yes No General printing
eboah
63. Glory Printing Press Fante 2009 Yes No General Printing
Newtown
64. Kumasi Catholic Roman 1972 Yes GPPCA General printing
Press Ltd Hill
65. Bragnigo Akwatiali 1998 Yes GPPCA General printing
ne
66. Geogee Manhyia 2012 Yes Printers General printing
Association
67. Gigne Printing Manhyia 2000 Yes No General printing
Works
Loc. Yr. of Reg. Status Mem. Of Area of specialty
Name of press est. Yes/no ass.

63
68. Ken- Yeb Ash-town 1997 YES GPPCA General printing
69. Hanob Press Ash-town 2014 Yes No General printing
70. Ginbad Ash-town 2009 Yes No General printing
71. Three Angels Adehyem 2002 Yes No General printing
Message an
72. NVTI Suame 1975 Yes Printers General printing
Association
73. Design Press KNUST 1989 Yes GPPCA General printing
74. Adu Press Krofroum 2009 Yes No General printing
75. Good shepherd Krofroum 2004 Yes No General printing
Printing Press
76. Hannob Printing Krofroum 2003 YES No General printing
Press CPC
77. Formic Printz Fanate- 2010 Yes No General printing
newtown

78. Ben-Abe Enterprise Fante 2013 Yes No General printing

Newtown
79. Vytall Prints Fante- 2005 Yes Printers General printing
Newtown Association
80. Klassic Series Bompata 2009 Yes No General printing
Publications
81. New Era Printing Press Bompata 1947 Yes GPPCA General printing
82. Ride-On Printing Press Ash-Town 2015 Yes No General printing
83. Johnsterns Krofroum 2002 Yes No General printing
84. Lordfiko Printing Krofroum 2004 Yes No General printing
85. Rakus Press Ejisu 2005 Yes No General printing
86. Maple Press Ejisu 2016 Yes No General printing
87. Gobit Press Ahinsan 1995 Yes No General printing
88. Benson Print Ahinsan 2014 Yes No General printing
89. Albek Press Asafo 2014 Yes No General printing
90. Ausapp Printing Asafo 1998 Yes No General printing
House Ltd
91. Waama Ark ventures Asafo 2012 Yes No General printing
92. Citizen Publications New 2012 Yes No General printing
Tafo
93. Abura Printing Adum 2012 Yes No General printing
Works

64
 94. Ash-metro Prints Bomso 1992 Yes No General printing
95. Bethesda Printing Asafo 2000 Yes No General printing
Press
96. Ink Direct Adum 2006 Yes No General printing
97. Meggys Impressions Asokwa 2007 Yes No General printing
98. Citizen Publications New 2012 Yes No General printing
Tafo
99. Abura Printing Adum 2012 Yes No General printing
Works
100. Ash-metro Prints Bomso 1992 Yes No General printing
101. Bethesda Printing Asafo 2000 Yes No General printing
Press
102. Nhyira Printing Press Ash-town 2001 Yes No General printing
103. Alex Brothers New 2006 Yes No General printing
Printing Press Ltd Tafo
104. C & S Printing Press Atonsu 2008 Yes No General printing
Ltd
105. Hi-tech Printing Oforikro- 2009 Yes No General printing
Press m
106. University Printing KNUST 1961 Yes GPPCA General printing
Press(UPK)
107. Oftess Printing Adum 2009 Yes No General printing
Works
TOTAL 106 94

NB: Abbreviations of words

LOC. – Location

EST. – Establishment

REG. – Registration

ASS. – Association

MEM- Members

65
 Total Number Units in the press Total Type of Machines Business size
Name of press Male Fema Pre- P Press Post - P Micro Small Medium
le
M F M F M F
1. Alpha and Omega 13 4 4 1 7 0 2 3 17 MO,SORMZ(2),GTO(2) 
2. Chrisline printing 2 0 2 0 0 0 0 0 2 T-OFFSET 
press
3. Gyamfi and sons 7 0 0 0 4 0 3 0 7 GTO,RYOBI 
publication
4. Kingmidas Printing 2 0 0 0 2 0 0 0 2 AB DICK 
Press
5. Fransevert Printing 11 6 0 2 6 0 5 4 17 MO,GTO 
Press
6. Frankof Prints and 9 3 3 3 6 0 0 0 12 MO 
Trading
7. Nabaf Victory 3 0 1 0 2 0 0 0 3 KORD 64 
Publishers
8. Holy Light Publishing 4 1 2 0 3 0 0 0 5 KORD 64, 
9. International Image 5 0 1 0 2 0 2 0 5 KORD 64 
Print
10. Nii Nai Creation 3 0 1 0 2 0 0 0 3 MO 
11. Daasebre Printing 4 1 1 0 3 0 1 0 5 PLATEN,TOK 
Press
12. King Bernard 8 0 2 0 4 0 2 0 8 GTO,PLATEN 
13. Adom Printing Press 3 0 0 0 3 0 0 0 3 AB DICK,PLATEN 
14. Fathers Printing Press 7 0 2 0 5 0 0 0 7 KORD64,GTO 
15. Dan Grapher Prints 16 2 10 0 5 0 1 2 18 KORD64(3), 
16. Fame and Fortune 2 0 0 0 2 0 0 0 2 AB DICK 
Press
17. Best Brain Publishers 2 0 0 0 2 0 0 0 2 MO 
18. Living Water Press 4 0 1 0 1 0 2 0 4 KORD64 

66
 Total Units in the press Total Type of Machines Business size
Number
Name of press Male Fem Pre- P Press Post - P Micro Small Medium
ale
M F M F M F
19. Shalorm Press 2 0 0 0 2 0 0 0 2 T-OFFSET 
20. Ospra Ventures 9 1 0 1 8 0 1 0 10 KORD64,GTO 
21. Walabus Press 3 1 0 0 2 0 2 0 4 KORD64 
22. CSN Press 5 0 1 0 2 0 2 0 5 GTO 
23. Hannob Press 3 0 0 0 1 0 2 0 3 KORD64 
24. Jokwat 18 2 3 2 9 0 6 0 20 MO,KORD,KORDZ,GTO,TOK 
25. Ramongee Publishers 2 1 0 0 2 0 0 1 3 AB DICK 
26. Gasbine Graphics 7 3 2 1 4 0 1 2 10 KORD,GTO 
27. Classic Graphics 9 4 2 2 5 0 2 2 13 MO,KORD64,TOK 
28. Collins Enterprise 4 4 0 2 2 0 2 2 8 TOK,AM 
29. DOFYARK Ventures 3 1 1 1 2 0 0 0 4 KORD,ADAST 
30. Labaf 7 3 2 5 3 0 0 0 10 GTO,KORD 
31. Nash Graphics 4 0 0 0 2 0 2 0 4 GTO 
32. GEOSAKA Multiprints 11 0 3 0 8 0 0 0 11 MO,GTO,TOK 
33. NUUT Printing Press 4 1 0 0 4 0 0 1 5 KORD,GTO,AB DICK 
34. Limed Publications 19 1 2 0 5 0 12 1 20 KORD 
35. Hen-Oforious Printing 9 3 0 0 9 0 0 3 12 KORD,TOK,GTO 
Press
36. Christian Publication 5 0 2 0 3 0 0 0 5 GTO 
37. Humble Gate 4 1 1 1 3 0 0 0 5 AB DICK,TOK,GTO 
38. Click Printing Press 4 1 2 0 2 0 1 0 5 TOK 
39. Sun Star Image 3 0 0 0 2 0 1 0 3 KORD64 
40. Picos Prints Ltd 2 1 0 1 2 0 0 0 3 KORD64 
41. Clettony Co. Ltd 7 1 1 1 5 0 1 0 8 TOK,MO,GTO 
67
 42. Bistanding Enterprise 2 0 0 0 1 0 1 0 2 KORD64 
43. Hackensack Prints 1 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 1 KORD64 
Total Units in the press Total Type of Machines Business size
Number
Name of press Male Fem Pre- P Press Post - P Micro Small Medium
ale
M F M F M F
44. I. K. Publications Co. 55 13 3 8 12 0 40 5 68 KORD64(3),GTO,MO 
Ltd
45. Nana Art Studio 4 0 0 0 3 0 1 0 4 GTO 
46. Africo Grafix 12 5 2 1 5 0 5 4 17 KORD,GTO,MO 
47. Rambat Impression 14 6 2 4 7 0 5 2 20 KORD64,GTO,MO 
48. Universal Printing 12 3 2 1 10 0 3 0 15 MO,KORD,GTO 
Press
49. Pioneer Printing Press 6 2 2 0 2 0 2 2 8 KORD,TOK,MO 
50. Benstel Prints 5 2 1 1 2 0 2 1 7 MO,KORD 
51. Youngstar 8 2 2 1 3 0 1 3 10 KORD,GTO 
Publications
52. Cosco Printing Press 7 3 1 2 2 0 2 3 10 TOK,GTO,KORD 
53. Eric Press 8 1 2 0 3 0 3 1 9 KORD,KORD,MO 
54. Bostak Printing Press 6 2 1 1 2 0 3 1 8 KORD,MO 
55. Gobid Printing Press 6 0 0 0 6 0 0 0 6 AB DICK,ROTARY,KORD 
56. Jasap Modern 4 3 2 1 3 0 0 1 7 AB DICK,KORD 
Printers
57. Stoppa Printing 8 2 2 2 4 0 2 0 10 KORD,MO,PLATEN 
58. Lubek Printing Press 7 3 0 2 3 0 4 1 10 KORD 
59. Boisen Press 16 0 4 0 7 0 5 0 16 MO(2) 
60. Catas Printing Press 4 0 0 0 2 0 2 0 4 KORD64 
61. Ayala Printing Press 2 0 1 0 1 0 0 0 2 TOK 

68
 62. Prof Quarms 16 0 4 0 6 0 6 0 16 MO(2),GTO(2) 
63. Glory Printing Press 2 0 0 0 2 0 0 0 2 AB DICK 
64. Kumasi Catholic Press 17 5 2 2 14 0 2 3 22 KORD64,AB DICK,PLATEN 
Ltd
65. Bragingo 6 0 0 0 3 0 3 0 6 KORD64 
66. Geogee 4 2 0 2 2 0 2 0 6 KORD64,AB DICK 
67. Gigno Printing Works 2 1 0 0 2 0 0 1 3 PLATEN,GTO 
Total Units in the press Total Type of Machines Business size
Number
Name of press Male Fem Pre- P Press Post - P Micro Small Medium
ale
M F M F M F
68. Ken- Yeb 2 0 0 0 2 0 0 0 2 KORD 
69. Hanob Press 3 0 0 0 2 0 1 0 3 KORD 
70. Ginbad 6 2 2 1 4 0 0 1 8 KORD64,AB DICK 
71. Three Angels 4 0 1 0 3 0 0 0 4 GTO,TOK 
Message Printing
Press
72. NVTI Kumasi 4 0 0 0 4 0 0 0 4 AB DICK,GTO,PLATEN 
73. Design Press 7 7 2 2 3 0 2 5 14 KORD64,MO 
74. Adu Press 7 7 2 2 5 0 0 5 14 AB DICK 
75. Good shepherd 14 3 3 0 6 0 5 3 17 GTO,MO 
Printing Press
76. Hannob Printing Press 2 1 0 0 1 0 1 1 3 TOK 
77. Formic Printz 6 0 2 0 2 0 2 0 6 KORD,TOK 
78. Ben-Abe Enterprise 3 1 1 0 2 0 0 1 4 GTO 
79. Vytall Prints 8 0 2 0 2 0 4 0 8 GTO,KORD64 
80. Klassic Series 8 3 2 1 4 0 2 2 11 KORD(2) 
Publications
81. New Era Printing 13 5 4 1 5 0 4 4 18 TOK(2),GTO,MO 
69
 Press
82. Ride-On Printing Press 5 1 0 0 5 0 0 1 6 AM 
83. Johnsterns 0 1 0 1 0 0 0 0 1 ADAST 314,ROMAVOR,AB DICK 
84. Lordfiko Printing 4 1 2 0 2 0 0 1 5 RISOGRAPHY 
85. Rakus Press 3 0 0 0 3 0 0 0 3 KORD 64, 
86. Maple Press 5 0 1 0 3 0 1 0 5 MO 
87. Gobit Press 8 5 2 1 4 0 2 4 13 GTO,MO,TOK,PLATEN 
88. Benson Prints 9 6 2 2 4 0 3 4 15 KORD 64,MO,AB DICK 
89. Ishmeal Adams Pres 6 0 2 0 4 0 0 0 6 GTO,MO 
Total Units in the press Total Type of Machines Business size
Number
Name of press Male Fem Pre- P Press Post - P Micro Small Medium
ale
M F M F M F
90. Ausapp Printing 12 3 3 2 6 0 3 1 15 MO,GTO 
House Ltd
91. Waama Ark ventures 6 2 1 2 4 0 1 0 8 KORD64 
92. Citizen Publications 5 1 1 1 3 0 1 0 6 AB DICK 
93. Abura Printing Works 3 0 0 0 3 0 0 0 3 TOK 
94. Ash-metro Prints 11 2 3 2 4 0 4 0 13 KORD 64,AB DICK 
95. Bethesda Printing 7 3 1 2 4 0 2 1 10 KORD 64,MO 
Press
96. Ink Direct 8 1 1 1 3 0 4 0 9 AB DICK 
97. Meggys Impressions 14 2 2 0 6 0 6 2 16 MO,KORD 64 
98. Nhyira Printing Press 7 2 0 0 5 0 2 2 9 AB DICK, KORD 64 
99. Alex Brothers Printing 11 7 5 0 6 1 3 3 18 KORD 64 
Press Ltd
100. C & S Printing Press 8 12 2 2 3 1 3 9 20 GTO 
Ltd
101. Hi-tech Printing 10 1 5 0 5 0 0 1 11 GTO, MO 
70
 Press
102. University Printing 27 10 5 3 11 1 11 6 37 Hiedelberg 
Press(UPK) SM(6UNITS),KORD64,printmast
er,Platen,MO1,MO2,Rexograph
103. Oftess Printing Works 22 12 7 1 12 0 3 11 34 GTO, KORD 64 
104. Pregee Printing Press 8 4 2 0 6 0 0 4 12 GTO 
Ltd
105. Salve Printing Press 13 10 2 2 10 0 1 8 23 MO, KORD 
Ltd
106. St Mary’s Printing 8 7 2 2 4 2 2 3 15 GTO, MO, KORD 
Press
107. Cita Press 8 6 2 2 6 0 0 4 14 KORD 64, GTO 
TOTAL 798 229 159 84 418 5 225 136 1027 63 41 3

71
 APPENDIX C

Raw materials Labour supply Power supply Customers Site cost Other

1. 

2. 

3. 

4. 

5.  

6.  

7.  

8.  Space close to concentrated area

9.   

10.  

11.  

12.  

13. 

14. 

15.  

16. 

72
17. 

Raw Labour supply Power supply Customers Site cost Other

materials

18. 

19.  

20. 

21. 

22.  

23. 

24. 

25.  

26.   Accommodation

27.    Familiarity

28.  

29.  

30.  

31.  

32.   

73
33.  

34.  

35.  Monopoly

Raw materials Labour supply Power supply Customers Site cost Other

36. 

37.  To avoid concentration

38.  

39.  

40. 

41. 

42. 

43.  

44.  

45. 

46. 

47. 

48. 

74
49. 

50. 

51. 

52. 

53. 

Raw materials Labour supply Power supply Customers Site cost Other

54. 

55. 

56. 

57. 

58.  

59.  

60.  

61.  

62.  

63.  

75
64. 

65.  Missionary press, Accommodation

66.  

67. 

68. 

69. 

70. 

71. 

Raw materials Labour supply Power supply Customers Site cost Other

72. 

73. 

74. Training students, in house purpose at KNUST.

75. 

76. 

77. 

78. 

76
79. 

80. 

81. 

82. 

83. 

84. 

85. 

86. 

87. 

88. 

89. 

Raw materials Labour supply Power supply Customers Site cost Other

90. 

91. 

92.  Monopoly

93. 

77
94. 

95. 

96.  

97.  

98. 

99. 

100.  

101. 

102. 

103. 

104. 

105. 

106. 

107. Monopoly

TOT 14 12 9 100 6 9
AL

78
 BIO DATA OF RESEARCHERS

Name: Mardiatu Abdallah

Contact: 0244235644/0577433119

Email: abdallahmardiatu@gmail.com

Next of Kin: Radiatu Abdallah

Contact: 0540921471

Name: Oduro Amoako Mensah

Contact: 0501361325

Email: faroyad@rocketmail.com

Next of Kin: Ofori Amoako Mensah

Contact: 0546168023

Name: Valentina Anokyewaa

Contact: 0501361060

Email: valanokyewaa@gmail.com

Next of Kin: Ursula Adwoa Konadu

Contact: 0541173880

1
 BIO DATA OF RESEARCHERS

Name: Ellen Danyansah Tweneboah Kodua

Contact: 0247413680/05011361081

Email: ellendanyansah@gmail.com

Next of Kin: Josephine Danyansah

Contact: 0544821484

Name: Dominic Frempong

Contact: 0549799223

Email: dominicfrempong@yahoo.com

Next of Kin: Cynthia Frempong

Contact: 0244420581

Name: Amos Adjei Sowah

Contact: 0247203111 / 0501362131

Email: Ajsowah2@gmail.com

Next of Kin: Evans Akuetteh Sowah

Contact: 0204062183