Ukraine celebrated the Printer’s Day, in the late May and almost at once the Journalist’s Day. Only a few people know that in May students of KPI can celebrate another date, that is, the foundation of KPI publisher.
KPI publishing business has a long history. After the higher technical educational institution started working it faced with an urgent need to provide students with educational literature. It is also known from the history of KPI that teachers increased the university’s library stock from their own libraries, subscribed novelties from abroad, as well as wrote textbooks, manuals, articles, texts of lectures and so on themselves. Active students who have studied and systematized scientific terminology, organized translation of foreign publications in Russian and Ukrainian languages were involved into increasing institute and faculty stocks, and helped teachers to draw up scientific and educational materials in the full edition. By the early 20-ies of XX century the whole array of publications were published in various publishing houses in Kyiv, but due to rapid growth in editions and titles the question of foundation own publisher was risen acutely. It started to work with minimal equipment - landscape format printing machine, cutting sheet format zincographies and a bit of the old font in May 1922.
First books printed by team of eight employees, were the Professor’s K. K Syminskoho "Commercial-Mechanics" for 12 300 printed sheets of drawings work, "Production of Sahara" and other Professor’s I. A Kukharenko publications, "Technical Handbook", "Handbook for students", "K.P.I. News ..." № 1 and 2, and the magazine "Aviation and Aerostation" etc. To satisfy the needs of the KPI publisher in printed products completely, it had been developing by increasing staff, acquiring additional equipment even so some details for the double landscape format printing machine had to be made in KPI teaching-machine shops
KPI publishing business was an active component of the educational process, it was not interrupted either in hard prewar period, or wavy WWII while KPI evacuation in Ufa, and of course, it revived and gained momentum in the postwar years. There were several changes in repertoire and types of publications, the equipment was replaced, and there were also numerous reorganizations. The only thing that deprived unchanged was the need of the institution in the scientific and educational literature. The staff of the editorial department and printing adjusted to new conditions and forms of work, for example in the 40s of XX century the following publications were published as manual synopsis, and at the beginning of the XXI century - educational complex.
In the modern form publishing functions since June 2001. Nowadays, the tradition of previous generations is actively supported by collective Publishing and printing complex "Polytechnic" "KPI", of course, introducing new ways of working and new technologies. In performing pre-printing treatment (editing) of scientific and educational literature on various subjects, including electronic publications, scientific articles in professional journals, theses and abstracts on paper and in electronic form, which significantly reduces production time; making-up various texts, designing a wide range of printed products.
So, for almost 100 years, publishing remains invariable part of the organization and introduction KPI activity of the educational process. The high level of printed in it publications (compliance with regulations and quality standards in the presentation and organization of material, etc.) confirm, for example, annual Book Chamber of Ukraine reports. The publisher does not stop on achieved and continues to search for new techniques and working methods, expanding the geography of customers, doing everything possible for its products were competitive on Ukrainian book market.