"James Bell and Sons" printing firm was originally started in 1943 by James Bell who, after working in the munitions industry during the 1939-45 war, began supplying small, hand-produced posters and advertisements to local,independent cinema owners.

After the war the part-time enterprise had secured sufficient customers within the cinema and theatre industry for James to give it his full-time attention. Initially he produced the printed material on a long table situated in the front room of the family home, however as work continued to increase he decided to rent a small workshop in Chapel Street, Hamilton. Although this was a step in the right direction, he was not yet successful enough to afford premises that contained luxuries such as lighting or heating. Fortunately the business continued to expand, and James was soon able to move to bigger, brighter, and warmer premises next door while, at the same time, hiring his first employee - his brother John who was called upon to assist in the evenings. James’s wife, Janet, was increasingly roped into lending a hand, while his son, who was also named John, moved straight from school into the rapidly growing family business.

In 1949, the company waved goodbye to the painstaking process of hand-production and purchased its first printing machine. However, just as today, printing technology was evolving rapidly and, the following year, the original machine was replaced with one which, in addition to being much larger, could also print in two colours. The investment in technology paid off and, before long, the business had again outgrown its premises and a new site was found in Hamilton’s railway yard, where the Brandon Street Bus Station is now situated. A large wooden building was erected into which was installed a large two colour machine and a Heidelberg printing platen for producing programmes and leaflets etc. In 1952, just as James’s other son, James Jnr, left school and joined the firm, the loft of the family home was converted into a secondary workshop, one that quickly became filled with the equipment necessary for setting the printing jobs. This workshop was used to set and lock the type into a "chase", which was then carried down to the Brandon Street premises for the final printing process. At this time James Bell and Sons were producing posters for many of the well-known Glasgow theatres and were so busy that the staff were working between 64 and 68 hours every week.

By 1955 the company had become known and respected throughout Lanarkshire and Glasgow, but in order to maintain and develop their reputation they purchased an additional two-colour printing machine and added an extension to the existing building. Unfortunately, the momentum of the company’s expansion was halted between 1954 and 1958, when both John and Jim gallantly answered their call-up for National Service. Upon their return in April 1958, James and John discovered that, as a result of television’s increasing popularity, theatres and cinemas were suffering a decline in attendances, and therefore required less printing work. Initially it appeared that the business would no longer be able to afford three full time wages but,fortunately, there was a commercial printing business for sale in Hamilton - Dick the Printers. After intense discussion, regarding the financial concerns and professional implications of moving into the unknown territory of producing commercial stationery, the Bells purchased the printing business on Cadzow Street in 1959. The inherited machinery was used until 1964, when John and Jim decided it was time to progress into "litho" printing. It was obvious to John and Jim that the future of the printing industry lay in "litho printing" and that the days of bulky, "moveable" letterpress typesetting were numbered. In its place was a thin aluminium plate which could be stored in an envelope, which allowed jobs to be reprinted very quickly without the time-consuming process of typesetting. Additional litho machines were purchased and contracts were negotiated with prestigious firms such as Rolls Royce, Honeywell and Terex. However, the Bells’ experience with the theatre industry had taught them to avoid placing all their eggs in one basket so, in addition to producing parts lists, parts manuals, and other short run litho printing for these major companies, James Bell and Sons also secured regular trade printing from a wide range of clients, including Office Supplies companies.

Over the years James Bell and Sons have attempted various methods of increasing their customer base; from newspaper advertising, to direct mail, to sales representatives on the road. Although each method produced a degree of success, none produced consistent results so, in 1981 - long before Call Centres had been thought of - it was suggested, "tongue in cheek", that they try telesales. The company employed Norma McMorris as a telesales agent and although it took her almost 6 months to get her first order, telesales has proved consistently successful in gaining and maintaining a diverse client base. The telesales department at James Bell and Sons now includes several of the country’s most impressive and elite agents.

In 1984 James Bell and Sons purchased the adjoining building, refurbished it, and let out the upper level, retaining the street level and basement for their printing operations. By then the staff level had risen to sixteen, including Jim’s sons - William and Keith, and John’s sons - Jim and Anthony, who had joined the firm.

Since the 1970’s until the present day, James Bell and Sons have concentrated their sales and marketing efforts on obtaining orders for the most commonly used items of commercial stationery (e.g. letterheads, invoices, delivery notes etc.), while regularly producing one-off and luxury items such as brochures, leaflets, prices lists, Christmas cards etc. Over the years the company has continued to invest heavily in computers for the Sales and Origination departments, as well as regularly updating the equipment and staff training in the printing and finishing departments.

In 1995 John’s son, Jim, left to get married and is now working in one of the local papers in Boston U.S.A.

In July 2000, John and Jim snr. retired, leaving Anthony, Keith and William to continue running the family business, and to face the challenge of competing in the commercial printing industry of the 21^st Century.