Commuters headed toward the Hoboken train station often stop to admire the collection of industrial artifacts in the window of Terminal Printing, the 92-year-old business on River Street two blocks from the terminal. The window displays a collection of stamps and block letters from the print jobs of yesteryear, done at the request of everyone from the New York Yankees to Esso to the city of Hoboken.
Over the years, the company has printed BINGO boards, stationery, and invitations (including one for Frank Sinatra’s parents’ 50th anniversary soiree). Now that businesses can print from a computer, the company has adapted to the changing technology. But it’s time to move on.
The business was cleaning up last week to move to larger quarters in Belleville where they already are partners in another printing company. Former North Bergen resident Virginia Bado, 84, the daughter-in-law of late company founder John Bado, doesn’t know who’s coming in next when they sell the building, but she has enjoyed the changes she’s seen in her decades working there.
History
The first location was directly across from the terminal, hence the name. John A. Bado, Sr. founded Terminal Printing in 1924 after coming to America from Italy at age 12 and working in various print shops. The company landed some big accounts, including doing all of the printing for the New York Yankees and for various city agencies.
Bado’s son, John Jr., took over the company when Bado passed away in 1962. John Jr. met Virginia, who still works there, in 1951 when the two used to vacation at Cupsaw Lake in Wannaque with their families. At the time, Virginia lived in Brooklyn and John Jr. lived in North Bergen.
Once the pair married in 1953, Virginia began working in the office. The pair had three sons and a daughter. When Virginia’s husband John Jr. passed away in 1995, son John III took over the company. He owns it today.
The company has adapted to changes in technology. Large printing presses and linotype machines were exchanged for computers and printers, although Virginia still types some purchase orders on a typewriter. “I have [a computer] at home but I don’t do much on it,” she confessed. “You know, I’m 84 years old. Forget it.”
And they still get print work, including for the Rutherford Police Department, a newsletter for the Hoboken Family Alliance, and the New York Women’s Bar Association.
Virginia has fond memories of her decades at the company, memories she shared last month as they prepared to pack up.
“We had the only linotype machine in Hoboken,” she said, referring to a giant machine in which workers would type letters. “I think the man who invented it went crazy.”
They have printed funeral home prayer cards and programs. They are still asked to do jobs such as mass mailings and business cards – hence the need for bigger, modern quarters.
Virginia said that larger space in Hoboken is just too expensive, and parking is difficult near where she is.
“We thank our customers for their business and support,” she said. “We hope to continue doing business with them.”