"The story of the development of printing and of newspapers in New Jersey is much the same as in other parts of the country, and hence, while the theme here discussed is nominally local, it actually represents the experience of nearly every other Province and State in our Union."—William Nelson, "Some New Jersey Printers and Printing in the Eighteenth Century." Proceedings of the American Antiquarian Society, 1911. (PDF, 10.6MB) External

Early New Jersey printers typically started their careers as apprentices and journeymen before establishing shops of their own, unless they were fortunate enough to inherit an established family printing shop.  As a result, many of New Jersey's earliest printers trained with established printers, such as Benjamin Franklin and William Bradford, whose businesses were located in the commercial centers of Philadelphia and New York.

The abundance of newspapers already available from New York and Philadelphia meant that for much of the 18th century, few communities saw the need for local New Jersey papers. The events surrounding the American Revolution, however, created a commercial opportunity for increasing the production of accurate and up-to-date information across the colonies. In 1787, New Jersey became the third state to join the union, and the new government was in need of local printers and presses for the creation and dissemination of official government documents.

Early publications largely consisted of almanacs, orations, sermons, and the acts and minutes of New Jersey Government meetings. As the 19th century progressed, new presses and publishers emerged throughout the state, and locally printed literary works appeared more frequently in the New Jersey market.

Centers for higher education created an additional need for printed materials. New Jersey's colleges and universities, such as Queens College (now Rutgers University) and the College of New Jersey (now Princeton University), were crucial to the development and diversification of New Jersey's printing history.

Notable New Jersey Printers and Publishers

Below we have outlined just a few of the important printers and publishers from New Jersey, from the 18th to 20th centuries.