Tag: Letter Press

Letter Press Workshop~Chris

When I first heard the words Letterpress, I think of Ben Franklin sitting around printing newspapers in the original 13 Colonies. Little did I know that the letterpress was invented a few centuries earlier in the 14th century. The printing press workshop made me realize how much work had to go into each word, line, and overall work. Each letter had to be properly placed and aligned. If the words did not get checked they may move or be worn down and not ink the paper properly. There are just so many variables that could go wrong. The modern printer makes us take the work of printing for granted. Modern Word allows us to check and change our thoughts and words with an easy strike of the keyboard.

At the workshop, we got to create one thought in each group and print that to a poster. While one thought may sound easy to come up with it took us over fifteen minutes to place and set the words. Having to place each letter while figuring out what to do when the word does not fit or the spacers leave a miniscule gap. The process is tedious and time consuming. Even getting the print onto paper can be challenging. The letter that took so much time setting and placing can be worn down and not print since lead is a soft metal. The ink can be an undesirable color, because to much ink was applied. So much time and effort has to be performed just right or the print will come out wrong.

What I took away from this workshop is how much we take all the behind scene effort of printing for granted. The computer and printer make everything so effortless but that was not always the story. With that said, the amount of work that goes into printing on a printing press allows a person to really take pride in what they have created. The finished product can look so much cooler than anything a printer throws out. When I move back for summer I am finding a place on my wall for the poster that I helped to create.

Letter Press write up Extra Credit Ryan Diepold

Letter Press Write-Up

Going into the letterpress workshop, I was very ignorant of what it was and the entire process of. Listening to the background of the letterpress history, it did bring into light a better appreciation of the entire English language and older texts. Learning what points meant (before, I thought that point was just a term that had no significant meaning) and that many of the terms we use in digital writing derive from this older form.

After working with the press and seeing how it operates, I found that there is a lot more thought and precision needed than I believed would be. I had no clue about leading, the points needed, the spacing, placing things backwards so they come out proper oriented, just to name a few. Adding color (or modifying the color) was something that I found very interesting. Instead of using a lot of color in the center, it required only a tiny amount to modify the color and there were multiple ways to apply the color.

After leaving the workshop, I have a better appreciation not only for written language, but for the whole writing process. Similar to thinking about what words should come next in a paper and which font size to use, individuals who work with these press have an ample amount of patience, skill, and desire for their work, as a single mistake would cause whatever was being worked on to need to be restarted