It is run by the Press and Forms Department, Government of West Bengal and employs the convicts of the Alipore Correctional Home and paid-hands for skilled labour that cannot be provided by the inmates.
In fact, the government under the British had no plans to construct a press at all had it not been for the efforts of Dr. Frederic J. Mouat, the newly appointed Inspector-General of Jails.
The small experimental organization proved to be so successful and efficient that soon Dr. Mouat proposed to extend it with the object of establishing a complete printing and lithographic establishment at Alipore to execute by their means all the Government work at present performed elsewhere at considerable cost to the State.
After along argument it was decided that neither Dr. Mouat nor those opposing him were entirely wrong and thus the government decided to ratify Dr. Mouat's proposal with a limitation that only the typographic department be extended so as to execute all the form work that is to be transferred from the Government Gazette Press and to add to it first rate lithographic presses and all other necessary machines.
His retirement was seized upon by those who opposed him to reverse his policy and that which Dr. Mouat had so strived to eradicate soon took precedence over printing.
The other notable change was the transfer of the Forms-store from the Stationery office to Alipore Jail at the recommendation of the committee of 1869.
Being an extension of the Secretariat Press it began to undertake more varied work much of which was unsuitable for the convicts and soon an entirely separate Paid-Division unit was constructed.
About the same time the Forms Department migrated from its temporary home at Dallanda to a new block at Judges' Court Road opposite the jail.
Paper is supplied from the Commerce and Industries Department and the press is equipped to print 10,000 standard and 2000 non-standard forms.