The King's Printer (known as the Queen's Printer during the reign of a female monarch) is typically a bureau of the national, state, or provincial government responsible for producing official documents issued by the King-in-Council,

Ministers of the Crown Minister of the Crown is a formal constitutional term used in Commonwealth realms to describe a minister of the reigning sovereign or viceroy. The term indicates that the minister serves at His Majesty's pleasure, and advises the sovereign or ...

, or other departments. The position is defined by

letters patent Letters patent ( la, litterae patentes) ( always in the plural) are a type of legal instrument in the form of a published written order issued by a monarch, president or other head of state, generally granting an office, right, monopoly, titl ...

under the

royal prerogative The royal prerogative is a body of customary authority, privilege and immunity, recognized in common law and, sometimes, in civil law jurisdictions possessing a monarchy, as belonging to the sovereign and which have become widely vested in th ...

in various

Commonwealth realm A Commonwealth realm is a sovereign state in the Commonwealth of Nations whose monarch and head of state is shared among the other realms. Each realm functions as an independent state, equal with the other realms and nations of the Commonwealt ...

Canada

Federal

The King's Printer for

Canada Canada is a country in North America. Its ten provinces and three territories extend from the Atlantic Ocean to the Pacific Ocean and northward into the Arctic Ocean, covering over , making it the world's second-largest country by tot ...

, so titled as to distinguish it from the equivalent position in each of the Canadian provinces, is the individual in

Ottawa Ottawa (, ; Canadian French: ) is the capital city of Canada. It is located at the confluence of the Ottawa River and the Rideau River in the southern portion of the province of Ontario. Ottawa borders Gatineau, Quebec, and forms the core ...

responsible for the

publishing Publishing is the activity of making information, literature, music, software and other content available to the public for sale or for free. Traditionally, the term refers to the creation and distribution of printed works, such as books, newsp ...

and

printing Printing is a process for mass reproducing text and images using a master form or template. The earliest non-paper products involving printing include cylinder seals and objects such as the Cyrus Cylinder and the Cylinders of Nabonidus. The ea ...

requirements of the King-in- federal-Council. The

Minister of Public Works and Government Services The minister of public services and procurement (french: ministre des services publics et de l’approvisionnement) is the minister of the Crown in the Canadian Cabinet who is responsible for overseeing the Government of Canada's "common service ...

is empowered by the Department of Public Works and Government Services Act to appoint the King's Printer for Canada on behalf of the sovereign.

Provincial and territorial

Alberta

The

Alberta Alberta ( ) is one of the thirteen provinces and territories of Canada. It is part of Western Canada and is one of the three prairie provinces. Alberta is bordered by British Columbia to the west, Saskatchewan to the east, the Northwest Ter ...

King's Printer is the position, created in 1906, that oversees the administration of Crown copyright in the province, as well as publishing and distributing copies of legislation, regulations, and related material, including the '' Alberta Gazette'', in both

hard copy ''Hard Copy'' is an American tabloid television show that ran in syndication from 1989 to 1999. ''Hard Copy'' was aggressive in its use of questionable material on television, including gratuitous violence. The original hosts of ''Hard Copy'' ...

and electronic forms. Such print and digital media is also distributed by the King's Printer to libraries around Alberta, as well as being sold at a dedicated bookstore in

Edmonton Edmonton ( ) is the capital city of the Canadian province of Alberta. Edmonton is situated on the North Saskatchewan River and is the centre of the Edmonton Metropolitan Region, which is surrounded by Alberta's central region. The city ancho ...

and via the

Internet The Internet (or internet) is the global system of interconnected computer networks that uses the Internet protocol suite (TCP/IP) to communicate between networks and devices. It is a '' network of networks'' that consists of private, pub ...

. The King's Printer themself is appointed by the

Lieutenant Governor of Alberta The lieutenant governor of Alberta () is the viceregal representative in Alberta of the . The lieutenant governor is appointed in the same manner as the other provincial viceroys in Canada and is similarly tasked with carrying out most of the m ...

-in- Council.

British Columbia

British Columbia British Columbia (commonly abbreviated as BC) is the westernmost province of Canada, situated between the Pacific Ocean and the Rocky Mountains. It has a diverse geography, with rugged landscapes that include rocky coastlines, sandy beaches, ...

, the office of the King's Printer and Comptroller of Stationery for British Columbia is a branch of the province's Procurement and Supply Services department, and not only supplies paper and electronic copies of all legislation, regulations, and related materials, including the ''

British Columbia Gazette British may refer to: Peoples, culture, and language * British people, nationals or natives of the United Kingdom, British Overseas Territories, and Crown Dependencies. ** Britishness, the British identity and common culture * British English, ...

'', but also operates a book and gift store called Crown Publications, and provides to the public printing, copying, and binding services. Once legislation has been granted

Royal Assent Royal assent is the method by which a monarch formally approves an act of the legislature, either directly or through an official acting on the monarch's behalf. In some jurisdictions, royal assent is equivalent to promulgation, while in other ...

, the Clerk of the Legislative Assembly must provide to the King's Printer a certified copy of the new law, as well as the journals of all sessions of the legislature.

New Brunswick

A King's Printer for New Brunswick is appointed by the

Lieutenant Governor of New Brunswick The lieutenant governor of New Brunswick (, in French: ''Lieutenant-gouverneur'' (if male) or ''Lieutenante-gouverneure'' (if female) ''du Nouveau-Brunswick'') is the viceregal representative in New Brunswick of the , who operates distinctly wit ...

on the advice of their Executive Council, and thereafter publishes the regulations, acts of the provincial parliament, and '' The Royal Gazette'', and supplies them to libraries across the province and for sale to the public.

Manitoba

King's Printer for Manitoba was established in 1870 at the founding of Manitoba. The current King's Printer is the Deputy Minister of Finance, however the function is delegated to the Communications and Engagement Division of

Manitoba Finance Manitoba Finance () is the department of finance for the Canadian province of Manitoba. The Minister of Finance (; originally Provincial Treasurer) is the cabinet minister responsible for the department, as well as for managing the province's f ...

. Under the Queen's Printer Act of Manitoba, the King's Printer has three roles: * it is the official source of Government of Manitoba statutory publications including acts and regulations, the Manitoba Gazette, and the CCSM (Continuing Consolidation of the Statutes of Manitoba); * it is responsible for arranging or entering into contracts on behalf of the government with respect to publishing, advertising and communication services; and * it holds all Crown copyright in the province, including provincial logos and marks, with most material available for use under open use license In these roles, the King's Printer of Manitoba, represented by the Communications and Engagement Division, continues a 150-year tradition of communicating the work of the Manitoba government to the public.

Ontario

The King's Printer for Ontario holds Crown copyright in that province, and all material hence bears the mark ''© King's Printer for Ontario''. The department must, by law, print the ''

Ontario Gazette The ''Ontario Gazette'' (French: ''La Gazette de l’Ontario'') is the official publication of the Government of Ontario, Canada, first published in 1868. Publications are available online, as far back as January 2000. Prior publications are found ...

''.

Prince Edward Island

The

Lieutenant Governor of Prince Edward Island The lieutenant governor of Prince Edward Island () is the viceregal representative in Prince Edward Island of the , who operates distinctly within the province but is also shared equally with the ten other jurisdictions of Canada, as well as the ...

appoints a King's Printer for the province, who is an officer of the Department of the Provincial Treasury and is overseen by the minister of the Crown for that department. The King's Printer is required by law to publish the ''Royal Gazette'', as well as copies of all legislation, journals of the legislature, and other material printed as the cost of the King in Right of Prince Edward Island.

Saskatchewan

The Office of the King's Printer in

Saskatchewan Saskatchewan ( ; ) is a Provinces and territories of Canada, province in Western Canada, western Canada, bordered on the west by Alberta, on the north by the Northwest Territories, on the east by Manitoba, to the northeast by Nunavut, and on t ...

is based in Regina and has the duty of publishing and distributing official copies of all legislation, regulations, and related material, including the ''

Saskatchewan Gazette Saskatchewan ( ; ) is a province in western Canada, bordered on the west by Alberta, on the north by the Northwest Territories, on the east by Manitoba, to the northeast by Nunavut, and on the south by the U.S. states of Montana and North Dako ...

'', and any other publications ordered by the

Lieutenant Governor of Saskatchewan The lieutenant governor of Saskatchewan () is the Viceroy, viceregal representative in Saskatchewan of the , who Monarchy in Saskatchewan, operates distinctly within the province but is also shared equally with the Canadian federalism, ten other ...

-in- Council. The King's Printer also holds Crown copyright on behalf of the King in Right of Saskatchewan, and has the ability to release, in exceptional circumstances, such copyright on a one-time basis. The Queen's Printer themself is appointed by the

-in- Council. Once legislation in has been granted Royal Assent, the Clerk of the Legislative Assembly must provide to the King's Printer a certified copy of the new law, as well as the journals of all sessions of the legislature.

Yukon

In Yukon, the King's Printer has been in existence since 1976. It performs its basic function as a legislative printer, comptroller of stationery, printer for the departments, publisher of The Yukon Gazette, and printer of the proceedings of the Legislative Assembly.

United Kingdom

The holder of the letters patent has the nearly exclusive right of printing, publishing and importing the

Authorized Version of the Bible The King James Version (KJV), also the King James Bible (KJB) and the Authorized Version, is an Bible translations into English, English translation of the Christian Bible for the Church of England, which was commissioned in 1604 and publis ...

and

Book of Common Prayer The ''Book of Common Prayer'' (BCP) is the name given to a number of related prayer books used in the Anglican Communion and by other Christian churches historically related to Anglicanism. The original book, published in 1549 in the reign ...

within the United Kingdom's jurisdiction. There are three exceptions which apply to this right. One is that the office of King's Printer only extends to

England England is a country that is part of the United Kingdom. It shares land borders with Wales to its west and Scotland to its north. The Irish Sea lies northwest and the Celtic Sea to the southwest. It is separated from continental Europe b ...

Wales Wales ( cy, Cymru ) is a Countries of the United Kingdom, country that is part of the United Kingdom. It is bordered by England to the Wales–England border, east, the Irish Sea to the north and west, the Celtic Sea to the south west and the ...

and

Northern Ireland Northern Ireland ( ga, Tuaisceart Éireann ; sco, label= Ulster-Scots, Norlin Airlann) is a part of the United Kingdom, situated in the north-east of the island of Ireland, that is variously described as a country, province or region. Nort ...

. Within

Scotland Scotland (, ) is a country that is part of the United Kingdom. Covering the northern third of the island of Great Britain, mainland Scotland has a border with England to the southeast and is otherwise surrounded by the Atlantic Ocean to the ...

the rights to the King James Bible are administered for the Crown by the

Bible Board The Bible (from Koine Greek , , 'the books') is a collection of religious texts or scriptures that are held to be sacred in Christianity, Judaism, Samaritanism, and many other religions. The Bible is an anthologya compilation of texts of a ...

, which holds the office of His Majesty's sole and only Master Printers and which licenses the printing of the Bible, New Testament and Book of Psalms. The other two exceptions are that separate sets of letters patent grant the

Oxford University Press Oxford University Press (OUP) is the university press of the University of Oxford. It is the largest university press in the world, and its printing history dates back to the 1480s. Having been officially granted the legal right to print books ...

and

Cambridge University Press Cambridge University Press is the university press of the University of Cambridge. Granted letters patent by Henry VIII of England, King Henry VIII in 1534, it is the oldest university press A university press is an academic publishing hou ...

the right to print and distribute the Authorized Version of the Bible and the Book of Common Prayer regardless of who holds the office of King's Printer. In 1767 Charles Eyre received a patent as the King's Printer and from 1787

Andrew Strahan Andrew Strahan (1749–1831) was an MP and printer who served as the King's Printer. Biography Andrew Strahan was the youngest son of William Strahan (1715–1785), and carried on his father's business with success, becoming one of the joint ...

operated with Eyre in the same role. Following Strahan's retirement in 1819 his nephews Andrew and Robert Spottiswoode continued to work as the King's Printer and were later to run the firms Spottiswoode and Co. and

Eyre & Spottiswoode Eyre & Spottiswoode was the London-based printing firm that was the King's Printer, and subsequently, a publisher prior to being incorporated; it once went by the name of Spottiswoode, Ballantyne & co. ltd. In April 1929, it was incorporated as E ...

. From 1875 George Edward Eyre and William Spottiswoode were "printers to the Queen's most excellent majesty for Her Majesty's Stationery Office". In 1901 after the accession of King Edward VII the firm of Eyre & Spottiswoode was "re-appointed King's Printer". The current holder of the office of King's Printer is Cambridge University Press. The Controller of HMSO is appointed by Letters Patent to the office of King's Printer of Acts of Parliament. Section 92 of the

Scotland Act 1998 The Scotland Act 1998 (c. 46) is an Act of the Parliament of the United Kingdom which legislated for the establishment of the devolved Scottish Parliament with tax varying powers and the Scottish Government (then Scottish Executive). It was on ...

establishes the office of King's Printer for Scotland, and provides for it to be held by the King's Printer of Acts of Parliament. The King's Printer for Scotland is responsible for administering Crown copyright in Acts of the Scottish Parliament, Scottish subordinate legislation and works made by the Scottish Administration.

References

{{Canadian monarchy State publishers Printers Monarchy in Canada Law of the United Kingdom