The Scottish Printing Archival Trust was formed in 1988 with the main purpose of 'conserving knowledge and examples of Scotland's book (and other) printing heritage for the benefit of the public and print/media education'. The Trust defines the printing industry in the broadest sense, including letterpress printing, lithography, mechanical composition, stationery manufacture, and processes such as sterotyping/electrotyping, typesetting. The Trust also takes an interest in allied trades, such as bookbinding, ink and paper making, printing machine manufacture and typefounding.

The Trust's objectives are:
• to record information, institute research and acquire material relating to the technological, social, educational and historical development of Scottish printing;
• to make this material available to the public – through exhibitions, publications and otherwise;
• to identify and record existing archive material in Scotland;
• to encourage firms and individuals to deposit items in appropriate institutions/repositories.

Although not responsible for any significant collection itself, the Trust has a small collection of reference material on the printing industry in Scotland, and works with various institutions to ensure that archives relating to the printing and allied trades are not lost. Institutions in which items or collections have been deposited as a result of the Trust's activities include the City of Edinburgh Library, the Edward Clark Collection at Edinburgh Napier University, the National Library of Scotland, Glasgow University Library, and the Modern Records Centre at the University of Warwick. The Trust also maintains links with the present-day printing industry in Scotland.