A ‘Royal Charter’ is an instrument of incorporation, granted by Her Majesty The Queen, which confers independent legal personality on an organisation and defines its objectives, constitution and powers to govern its own affairs. Royal Charter printing requires precision and expertise, particularly due to the traditional requirement of vellum as the printing material. Royal Charters are traditionally required to be printed on vellum as it is more durable than paper and able to bear the weight of the Great Seal, which signifies The Sovereign’s grant. Lithographic printing onto a vellum (calfskin) material is quite challenging as the material thickness varies from sheet to sheet (and sometimes even across the same sheet).
This most prestigious of printed documents demonstrates the versatility of Formara’s production team and their ability to adapt to pretty much any challenge placed on them.
Back in the 1980s Her Majesty’s Stationery Office (HMSO) was in many ways the ‘Print Management’ arm of Government. It was through this organisation that
The Privy Council Office (now part of the Cabinet Office) commissioned the print production of Royal Charters. HMSO selected Formara as the printer of choice due to their ability to adapt production processes to specific customer requirements.
With HMSO being wound down in the 1990s, The Privy Council Office moved to procure the service directly with Formara. We have been producing these historic documents ever since, with our expertise in Royal Charter printing continuing to be a key factor in our longstanding relationship. We continue to produce these prestigious documents to this day.
In more recent years the Privy Council Office has also commissioned Formara to print the Sheriffs Roll, which is ‘pricked’ by The Queen each year to appoint High Sheriffs to act in each county of England and Wales. Although now printed on high quality paper rather than vellum, the production of a continuous Roll more than 25 feet in length presents a different set of challenges.
However, we think it is fair to say that all our customers are treated like royalty and we endeavour to uphold the same levels of service and quality for every single one of our customers.
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