Register: frequently asked questions

This FAQ concerns the International Register of Private Press Names. Some answers are adapted from the 1982 and earlier editions of The Check-Log of Private Press Names, edited by Elizabeth Koller Lieberman, then Registrar of the International Register of Private Press Names.

These questions are addressed on other help pages:
What is the International Register?
Who are its founders?
What are its original sources?
What qualifies as a private press?
What does not qualify as private?
What status does registration confer?
What is required to register?
What is a prop card?

These questions are addressed below:
Can I register my name so no one can use it commercially?
Can I register my name without joining Briar Press?
Is my press name automatically registered when I join Briar Press?
How are the names in the Register sorted?
May I use the name of a press that is now defunct?
May I change my press name after it is registered?
May I print my prop card on someone else's letterpress?
Does my prop card need to be letterpress printed?
What is an 'unconfirmed' press name?

Can I register my name so no one can use it commercially?

Inclusion in the International Register confers moral rather than legal status. The Register does not have and does not desire legal status. In other words, we have no jurisdiction over the registration of names for business purposes, since these names are regulated by state and local governments.

Can I register my name without joining Briar Press?

Yes you can. You’ll need a Briar Press user name to change your address, printer’s statement, or photo at a later time, but if you simply want to register your private press name without joining Briar Press, just use this form.

Is my press name automatically registered when I join Briar Press?

No: joining Briar Press by creating a user name is not the same as registering your private press name. The International Register has been in existence since 1960; if you think you may have registered your press name years ago, just search or browse the names to see if your press name appears in the list. (Note that names are sorted by principles described below.)

How are the names in the Register sorted?

Variations in the terms Press, Private Press, at the Sign of, House, etc., do not constitute different press names. Accordingly, names in the Register are sorted by the first significant letter: for example, the House of Smith Press would appear under ‘S’ and not ‘H’. Likewise, personal names used as press names are listed under the first letter of the person’s last name: thus, the Jane Smith Press would appear under ‘S’ and not ‘J’.

May I use the name of a press that is now defunct? May I change my press name after it is registered?

The fact that a press is now defunct does not make its name available for use by another press. For historical purposes, records for press names used in the past will be maintained. If your press name has changed, please register the new name.

May I print my prop card on someone else’s letterpress? Does the prop card need to be letterpress printed?

If you have just acquired your first letterpress and are eager to register a press name, you are most welcome to do so. The prop card is evidence that your print shop actually exists; having it printed somewhere else or by someone else defeats its purpose. Likewise, prop cards that are not printed on a letterpress can hardly serve as evidence of the existence of a letterpress shop.

Less than perfect printing is not spurned, especially from beginning props. Just do the best you can when you print your first prop card. After you register your press name online, we will hold it for thirty days in expectation of the receipt of your prop card; if thirty days is not enough for you to print your prop card, you can simply re-register your name again and you’ll have another thirty days.

What is an ‘unconfirmed’ press name?

If a press name is marked ‘unconfirmed,’ Briar Press is awaiting receipt of the prop card for the press in question. If no prop cards are on file, the press name is considered unregistered.