Print Mint (formally The Print Mint, Inc.) was a major publisher and distributor of underground comix based in the San Francisco Bay Area, active primarily during the late 1960s and early 1970s. It was founded in December 1965 by Don Schenker and his wife Alice as a picture-framing shop and retailer of posters and fine art reproductions on Telegraph Avenue in Berkeley, California. The business later expanded into publishing and distribution, becoming a central force in the psychedelic poster and underground comics movements.
History
The Print Mint began as a retailer sharing a storefront with Moe's Books in Berkeley. It soon opened a wholesale division, publishing and distributing psychedelic posters for venues such as The Avalon Ballroom and The Fillmore, featuring artists including Stanley Mouse, Rick Griffin, Alton Kelley, and Victor Moscoso. In December 1966, a second store opened on Haight Street in San Francisco's Haight-Ashbury district, which became a hub for countercultural activity during the 1967 Summer of Love.
Beginning in 1968, and accelerating in 1969, publishing and distribution of underground comics became the company's primary focus. Don Schenker handled organizing, editing, and layout, while Bob and Peggy Rita (who had been offered a partnership in 1967) managed distribution alongside Alice Schenker. The company's main office was at 830 Folger Avenue in Berkeley.
The first comic published by Print Mint was the weekly tabloid Yellow Dog, edited by Don Schenker. The company went on to publish works by notable underground comix artists including Robert Crumb, Trina Robbins, Rick Griffin, S. Clay Wilson, Victor Moscoso, Gilbert Shelton, Spain Rodriguez, and Robert Williams. Titles included Zap Comix, Junkwaffel, Bijou Funnies, and Moondog. They also published one of the first ecologically themed comics, The Dying Dolphin.
Legal issues
The Schenkers were arrested and charged with publishing pornography by the Berkeley Police Department over the publication of Zap Comix No. 4 (1969). The charges were dropped after a related case involving gallery owner Simon Lowinsky resulted in acquittal.
Decline and closure
By 1975, the partnership with the Ritas was dissolved. The Schenkers took the retail store (renamed "Reprint Mint"), while the Ritas retained the wholesale and publishing operations. Print Mint ceased publishing comics in 1978, with its last titles being Lemme Outta Here (edited by Diane Noomin) and The Human Drama (edited by Jim Madow). The retail poster shop continued under the name Reprint Mint until it closed in late November 2016.
Significance
Print Mint was instrumental in the popularity and widespread reach of underground comix in the late 1960s and early 1970s, being among the first publishers to invest heavily in the movement and its distribution. Its experiment with Arcade: The Comix Revue (1975–1976), edited by Art Spiegelman and Bill Griffith, paved the way for the later publication RAW!
