Mazhab-Jafari, an expert, told the panel that a most recent work on the subject was authored in Russian 40 years ago and was lately translated into Persian. Entitled "A history of lithography in Iran," the book has been translated by Parvin Monzavi 40 years after original publishing, according to the expert.

 

The expert termed the publication notable in that it gives an account about a section of print history in Iran, regardless of several technical and writing shortcomings facing the whole work.

 

Concerning the history of print industry, the expert said an emergence of print industry could be traced back to eighth century China.

 

Mazhab-Jafari also singled out Syria and Egypt as two early hubs of print industry where banknotes and prayer books were printed and published.

 

The first traces of print industry in Iran, according to the expert, date back to the Mogul era. Dubbed 'Chau,' the fledgling technology was exploited in 1314 for issuing of paper money but the technology soon turned a vestige of times after the Iranian people got more acquainted with metal coins.

 

A first typography printing press, according to Mazhab-Jafari, was imported into the country about 2 hundred years ago, only giving out its first output two years later. The newcomer however gave way to lithography printing press awhile later on account of apathy by people.

 

Another panelist to discuss the issue was Qolami Jalisa who discussed several deficiencies befallen the existing historical documents of national print history.

 

The expert said there are a limited number of resources available in the field of print industry, and at the same time, the field faced poor expertise and slack involvement by expert individuals.

 

The expert blamed the issue on a shortage of historical resources on developments of print industry in Iran.

 

Qolami Jalisa then singled out an index of newspapers published ever in Iran as a resource in this regard, adding that the index was compiled by a group of Iranian historians and indexers.

 

The expert noted however that a wide gap still lingers in the field too wide for Iranian authors to fill as they find few resources to build up upon.

 

Qolami noted that it was not until 1650 that any book printing activity was carried out in Iran. That year "Abbas Mirza (then prince) came in close brush with print industry during a trip to Russia and subsequently he dispatched a number of Iranian youths to the country to get familiar with the industry. It was only then that the print presses and know-how gradually crossed into Iran," the expert said.

 

The print industry panel was also informed by Ali Buzari whose lecture was about methods of illustration in typography and lithography in Qajar era.

 

The expert said of 55 lithography-style books available, only six volumes were illustrated with a book titled "Mokhtarnama" being a first lithographically illustrated publication.

 

Buzari said the book contains eight pictures which prove landmark as they have been printed on wood.

 

The expert then made mention of a book titled "Tufan al-Boka" as an 1890-print lithography-style work with precious illustrations.