Catalogues

Post date: 30-Nov-2012 08:53:01

Strictly speaking, a catalogue is a list of items in categories. Typically, tool and hardware catalogues also have descriptions, pictures and prices. The front cover of this magazine shows a cover from a 1935 catalogue, kindly loaned by Des. Below is a page from the inside, showing a selection of drop handles. (I wish they were available now! The choices of cabinet hardware has reduced dramatically in this area over the years.) 

Catalogue of furniture fittings, from a 1935 catalogue

The quality of the printed catalogue has improved over the decades, with the advent of digital printing and high speed presses meaning that the publication costs have reduced relatively speaking. 

There is obviously a trade-off between quality (and production cost) of the catalogue, and the expected useful life of such a publication (and therefore the return on investment). 

The Lie-Nielsen catalogue is an interesting example of this. Whilst the articles for sale have not changed dramatically in the one and a half years since the catalogue was produced, but the Australian dollar has fallen to almost 2/3rds of its value relative to the US dollar in that period. Therefore, using the catalogue as a guide to pricing is perhaps not all that practical any more. The quality of the publication is such, however, that it will physically last for many, many years more, and yet its value has already diminished substantially from Lie-Nielsenís point of view, one would imagine. 

For this reason, the quality of the paper and inks may not be the highest, particularly if the catalogue is given away, rather than sold. This means that catalogues physically are often designed not to last, as the ink and paper deteriorate. On the other hand, the catalogue may be specifically designed to be a collectors edition, with the print quality being exceptional. 

The introduction of the Internet, with the immediacy of providing up to date information at a very low cost, is also impacting on the availability of printed material. Websites also allow the manufacturer to provide substantially more information about their products than would be cost effective to provide within a printed catalogue, and the information is potentially available to a significantly larger audience. 

Lie-Nielsen Catalogue, 2007

In order to help manage the costs associated with catalogues, some organisations charge for them. In the case of Lee Valley, if you purchase any of their products, you can elect to receive a catalogue for free (excepting postage). However, if you just want a catalogue, there is a fee that is charged. This is a good compromise. 

Charging for catalogues is not restricted to manufacturers either. David Stanley Auctions, for example, charges for catalogues of their forthcoming auctions. Given that they cater for an international audience, it might make sense to use their website. However, only tools that have already sold are displayed there. Catalogue sales are obviously a part of their business. 

It will be interesting to see whether, in the future, we see more printed catalogues, or less.

This article reprinted from the 2008 Benchmark magazine.