The Porcupine’s Quill

Tim and Elke Inkster started The Porcupine’s Quill press, commonly referred to as PQL, in 1974 in Erin, Ontario. Their mandate was “to preserve the culture of the printed word by applying our expertise in the art of 20th-century offset printing technology in the creation of high-quality books that look and feel like 19th-century letterpress products.”

The Inksters approached crafting a high-quality book through careful attention to detail and in-house production of almost all aspects of the publications. Tim Inkster, a member of the Association of Registered Graphic Designer of Canada, designed the books. The publication was then printed in-house on a Heidelberg KORD press, an offset printer. Elke Inkster was the bookbinder, creating sewn bindings on a 1905 Smyth Book Sewing Machine.

They were a small press, averaging between 10 to 20 publications a year. They published newer voices, some of whom rose to critical acclaim or were already highly acclaimed including Jane Urqhuart, Elizabeth Hay, Russell Smith, P.K. Page, Margaret Avison, Clark Blaise, Richard Outram, and Helen Humphreys. They also produced two bi-annual serial publications, The Devil’s Artisan: Journal of the Printing Arts and Canadian Notes and Queries.

PQL’s printing and literary achievements received acclaim on a national level. Between 1981-2006, Tim Inkster’s book designs received approximately 43 awards from the Alcuin Society Awards for Excellence in Book Designs in Canada and the Malahat Design Awards. In 1984, PQL won the Leipzig Book Fair Award bronze medal and a silver medal in 1988.

In 2008, the Inkster’s received the Order of Canada for their “important and enduring contribution to Canadian literature”. In 2012, the Inksters each received a Queen Elizabeth II’s Diamond Jubilee Medal. In 2019, they were awarded the Robert R. Reid Medal for Lifetime Achievement in the Book Arts in Canada, also from the Alcuin Society.

The authors they have published have also won awards including the Governor General’s Award, the Trillium Book Award, the Art Directors Club of New York Award of Distinctive Merit, and several IPPYs (Independent Press Book Award).

John Metcalf, a highly regarded short story author and Canadian literary collector, was Senior Editor from 1989 until 2005.

In 2023, the Inksters sold PQL to Gordon Hill Press. As of November, 2024, Gordon Hill Press and The Porcupine’s Quill are imprints of the corporate entity GHP-PQL Inc.

Creation: November 26, 2025

Robert Bringhurst (2008), The Surface of Meaning: Books and Book Design in Canada. Canadian Centre for Studies in Publishing Press.

Bronson, Ariel (n.d.). The Porcupine's Quill: Building Award-Winning Books By Hand Since 1974. Independent Publisher. https://independentpublisher.com/article.php?page=1540

Box 89, File 25, Porcupine’s Quill Press, William Ready Division of Archives and Research Collections, McMaster University Library, Hamilton, Canada.

Canadian Bookbinders and Book Artists Guild (2020). Tim and Elke Inster (sic) recipients of Robert R. Reid Award and Medal. https://cbbagottawa.ca/2020/02/06/tim-elke-inster-recipients-of-robert-r-reid-award/.

The Governor General of Canada. Order of Canada in 2008; Tim Inkster. https://www.gg.ca/en/honours/recipients/146-13178

The Governor General of Canada. Order of Canada in 2008: Elke Inkster. https://www.gg.ca/en/honours/recipients/146-9297

Hill, Jeremy Luke. “Re:Question for Archival Authority Record.” Received by Gillian Dunks, December 2, 2025.

Murphy, Tara Kathleen. The Porcupine’s Quill and the Gaspereau Press: Studies in the History, Philosophy, and Production Values of Two English-Canadian Printer-Publishers (2008). MA Thesis for McGill University. https://escholarship.mcgill.ca/concern/theses/sf268890x