The Queen’s landmark reign surpasses her great-great-grandmother Queen Victoria today, at 63 years and 216 days.

However, at least two printers have served longer in their trade. Hastings Printing Company chairman Derek Knoll has been in the industry for an incredible 69 years, while Roland Nelson, chairman at Chorley-based NB Colour Print is not far behind, having clocked up 66 years.

Knoll, who is 83, recently completed PrintWeek’s Q&A profile, when he admitted that he had initially been unsure about his father’s insistence that he took up a print apprenticeship.

“I can now look back and know that printing has given me a good standard of life,” he said, and quipped “Hastings Printing Co reached 100 this year – it might be nice to aim for that personally!”

While Knoll left school at 14, NB’s Nelson was at technical school until he was 16 before embarking upon a five-year print apprenticeship. He subsequently joined the Royal Army Ordnance Corps and served in its printing unit and map printing operation.

He had family connections with the industry, and set up his own printing business in 1959, spurred by the impact of the Master Printers’ strike of that year.

“I pop in most days and still get involved,” the 82-year-old said. “I can remember when you could make money easily in print!”

Both men have seen enormous changes in the industry, with the move from letterpress to litho and digital printing, and from highly specialist manual skills to automation.

Last weekend's newspapers contained a number of special supplements and pull-out commemorative sections to mark the Queen's reign, and today's papers also include several specials with The Sun offering a "giant poster".

Do you know someone who's been in print for longer than the Queen has been on the throne? We'd like to hear about them. Email printweek.newsdesk@markallengroup.com.