Sign in

Private company

Calico Printers' Association

British textile company

The Calico Printers' Association Ltd was a British textile company founded in 1899, from the amalgamation of 46 textile printing companies and 13 textile merchants. The industry had prospered in the latter half of the 19th century but the fierce competition led to a decline in quality and profit margins. Most of the leading companies in the industry decided to amalgamate in order "to preserve the tradition and standing of calico printing and to produce textiles of a high standard at reasonable prices.2 Wikipedia text CC BY-SA 4.0

Last updated Oct 21, 2026.

Overview

1899Founded1
  • Industryfinishing of textiles, textile and clothing industry1
  • HeadquartersManchester1

See how the biggest companies compare on our leaderboards

Watford Mill from Mellor Rd, New Mills in 1963
Photo: Johnragla, CC BY-SA 4.0, via Wikimedia Commons4

The Calico Printers' Association Ltd was a British textile company founded in 1899, from the amalgamation of 46 textile printing companies and 13 textile merchants. The industry had prospered in the latter half of the 19th century but the fierce competition led to a decline in quality and profit margins. Most of the leading companies in the industry decided to amalgamate in order "to preserve the tradition and standing of calico printing and to produce textiles of a high standard at reasonable prices." The company at its inception accounted for over 80% of Britain’s output of printed cloth.2

The story

In 1941, polyethylene terephthalate was discovered in the research laboratories of the Calico Printers' Association. The new polymer was later developed into the synthetic textile fibre Terylene by ICI.

During the second World War the Calico Printer's Association produced cloth insignia for the armed forces of the UK and other Commonwealth countries like Canada. This was an economical measure to replace melton wool normally used in military insignia production.

The Calico Printers' Association acquired the assets of the United Turkey Red Company Ltd in 1960.

In 1968, the Calico Printers' Association merged with the English Sewing Cotton Company to form English Calico Ltd, which changed its name to Tootal Ltd in 1973.

From Wikipedia’s article on Calico Printers' Association, shared under CC BY-SA 4.0.3

Timeline

  1. 1899Founded Founded1

Sources

The numbers on this page point here. Each one links to the record it came from.

  1. 1
  2. 2
  3. 3
  4. 4