A set of printing blocks for the printing of textured background

This set of printing blocks were used for the printing of textured backgrounds for invoices and certificate etcs, and belonged to Kuon Ying Press (冠英印务局) a printing business in Kampar—a town in Perak, Malaysia. Kuon Ying Press was established in the 1920s and printed a variety of materials ranging from cinema tickets to wedding invitation cards for the local community. Kuon Ying Press also served as a half-way house for immigrants from the founder’s hometown in China (Heshan, Guangdong) who stayed at the shop while they search for jobs in Malaya. The shop remained in operation during the Japanese Occupation and might have printed for the Japanese army as well.

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