The History of Qalam Press Printing Companies, 1948-1969

Abstract

After the second world war, many Malay printing companies were formed to enliven the printing and newspaper industry in Malaya. Qalam Press was one of the Malay private printing companies established by Syed Abdullah bin Hamid Al-Edrus (Edrus), who played an important role in the publication of magazines, novels and religious works during the period stated. Qalam Press also has various strategies and ways to make the publications relevant and competitive compared to other printing companies. However, the publishing company also faced conflicts and problems of its own that caused various actions to be taken to resolve the problems mentioned. Thus, this research aims to evaluate Qalam Press's success in positioning themself as one of the leading Malay private printing companies in Malaya from 1948 to 1969. This research is qualitative historical research that also applies oral history methods. Research resources were obtained from the National Archives of Malaysia, IPTA Libraries throughout Malaysia, the National Library of Malaysia, government departments and others. The study found that Qalam Press succeeded in becoming one of the long-lasting Malay private printing companies in the printing industry due to various marketing and management strategies carried out by the company which is seen to help the development of Qalam Press. Keywords: Qalam Press, Malay Private Printing Company, Magazine, Novel, Religious Work.