I had the chance to visit the London Centre for Book Arts (LCBA) in the fall of 2015. The center is run by artists Simon Goode and Ira Yonemura and is an open-access studio dedicated to book arts. LCBA provides workshops on everything from bookbinding to foil blocking to letterpress printing. One can take specific workshops or with experience get a studio pass and have access to the studio. I was greeted by center co-founder Simon who gave me the tour of their large and well appointed facilities.
Read moreThe Counter Press
The Counter Press is the east London letterpress studio of graphic designers David Marshall and Elizabeth Ellis. David kindly hosted me for an afternoon visit in the fall of 2015. We compared notes on the state of letterpress in the US and the UK, shared stories about hunting for equipment and type, and learned that we both have platen presses with a common lineage.
Tucked away in a former chocolate factory building, their light-filled and tidy studio is a dream workspace.
Read moreCary Graphic Arts Collection
I recently had the chance to spend the day visiting the Cary Graphic Arts Collection housed at the Rochester Institute of Technology. Located in the western New York city of Rochester, the Cary Graphics Arts Collection is one of the country's finest special collections libraries focusing on graphic arts. With over 40,000 volumes and an impressive collection of personal papers, I had a hard time fitting everything I wanted to see in one day.
Read moreThe Thorniley Collection
The Thorniley Collection is an amazing collection of antique wood and metal type and printing equipment collected by Bill Thorniley during the middle of the twentieth century. The collection is now owned by WCP Solutions, formerly West Coast Paper.
Located off the lobby of an industrial building in Kent Washington, visits to the collection are by appointment only. I had the privilege of accompanying fellow printer, and friend of the Thorniley Collection, Carl Montford. What follows is just a sample of what is on display.
Read moreSchool of Visual Concepts
he School of Visual Concepts is a graphic design school located in the South Lake Union neighborhood of Seattle. They teach all kinds of regular design and technology classes, but also have a wonderful letterpress studio where they teach letterpress printing.
The school moved to a new location in December of 2014. Jenny Wilkson, the manager of the letterpress studio did a beautiful job of planning for the new space. Here’s a peek at what the letterpress studio looks like.
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