The first mechanized printing press was designed and built in 1440, by Johannes Gutenberg. Gutenberg’s first printed work on that press was a 42-line Bible, ushering in the first days of mass-produced type in Europe. We have to assume that Gutenberg’s press run on that first Bible wasn’t perfect and the paper or blackletter type shifted as it printed. If this happened at least ten percent of the times he printed a page, he likely tossed out four or five pages as spoils for that single Bible.
Fast forward to 2026 and we’re still using some of the same basic concepts for printing over 12,000 newspapers in our pressroom each week. Dave, Chris, and Trent work diligently to fine tune the registration, adjust the viscosity of the ink, maintain a press speed that doesn’t stretch the paper, and anything else that can improve the print quality while reducing our waste.
Having said that, just as Gutenberg would have had printing spoils, it is inevitable that we will have spoils every time print. A lot of our readers may not know that we print four different newspapers on our press in Huron – all of which are available to purchase or subscribe to in our office. The number of starts and stops also increases the number of spoils we’ll produce – it’s the nature of the beast even if we tame it.
So, what do we do with all those spoils?
The majority of our spoils leave our facility for one of two destinations: the Beadle County Humane Society or the Mason City Recycling Center. Kim Davis was an animal advocate and a strong supporter of the humane society, establishing the partnership we have to provide papers each week that are shredded and used as bedding for their pets.
The majority of our remaining spoils are collected in a trailer and head out to Iowa where they are recycled for residential and commercial insulation.
We also have end rolls of paper we sell at our office as a result of rolls running short enough that we need to replace them before they run out on a long press run. Pulling the rolls off early reduces waste and time lost from stopping and starting again. The proceeds from selling our end rolls are used to give back to the community through donations to local groups, schools, and events.
We know the printing process isn’t perfect, but we feel it’s important to make it as sustainable as possible, while looking for new ways to improve as we move forward.
I would like to acknowledge the work of Michael, AJ, Kari, Shannon, and Tony in our mailroom who help to reduce, manage, and sort our spoils and assist in loading them for the Humane Society each week.
Thank you to everyone who reads, subscribes, and supports local journalism and local printing.
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