Heavy Metal Madness: First Day at Letterpress High

Gene Gable

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The promise of the Web was that it would build communities of like-minded people, expand individual expression and bring vast warehouses of knowledge to otherwise barren desktops. While some of those goals may have been met, I’ve found through my involvement with letterpress printing and other topics, that joining Web communities can also be like going back to high school, complete with peer pressure, class systems and insider cliques. And somewhere, if you look hard enough, valuable education.

I didn’t care for high school much the first time around, so I’ve been very hesitant to join in on the daily exchanges of the various mail lists and Web sites devoted to letterpress printing and book arts. From what I can see, like at high school, these groups are mostly populated by friendly, well-meaning folks exchanging information and trying to be helpful. But then there’s always those one or two that are just a little too helpful and can’t let a topic go by without chiming in with their extensive knowledge or somehow managing to drop names or an equipment list as part of their comment. There are inside jokes that you could only get if you’ve been around since the beginning, and an occasional spat between members that gets petty. And don’t we all secretly hate people who sign off their correspondence with a pithy quote or other bit of insight that has nothing to do with the topic at hand?

Collecting is really a form of compulsive obsession, a topic with which I am all too familiar. Many collectors go to great lengths to promote their work and spend a lifetime accumulating information and cool stuff to look at. So if you get past the blowhards, the cheerleaders, and the homecoming queens of the community, there are some wonderful, balanced resources out there for anyone in the graphic arts. My shop, I’m discovering, is pretty common, and my knowledge very rudimentary compared to so many others. I don’t see myself catching the bug heavily enough to devote a Web site to my efforts, and if I don’t start producing some printed matter pretty soon, I think creativepro editor Pam Pfiffner will kick me out of here and I’ll be forced into the ultimate humiliation of having to start a Weblog.

Your Guide to Letterpress on the Web
The best entry point to the world of vintage printing and composition is clearly The Briar Press. Not only is this site incredibly comprehensive and a perfect jumping-off spot to other sites, but it’s very well designed and organized, and to me visually reflects the quality and integrity of the era it covers. And since I’m a sucker for a touching story, I think it helps that the site was designed by Eric Nevin as a gift to his mother, Elizabeth Nevin, who runs the site with him and a host of contributors. You can download free EPS ornaments drawn or converted from old letterpress cuts, and see pictures of many presses and other equipment. You cannot visit this site without learning something, even if it’s only that classic design transcends the medium when put in capable hands (see Figure 1).

Figure 1: The Briar Press Web site was a gift from son to mother, and the sincerity shows in both content and design.

As far as general information sites go, there are several good ones, including the Introduction to Letterpress Printing, the American Amateur Press Association, and the Hand Press Page. These can get you to almost everything else, including suppliers, museums, and other enthusiasts (see Figure 2).

Figure 2: On the Hand Press Website, you can see a photo album of people with their presses. In this case it’s an 1855 Amos dell Orto Albion Press (top), an 1838 R. Hoe Washington Imperial 1 (middle), and an1851 Hopkinson and Cope Albion Press (bottom).

For a little more upscale experience, take a look at the American Printing History Association, where you will find manuscripts with a decidedly academic tone, or visit the Cary Collection from the Rochester Institute of Technology. Cary was director of Continental Type Founders Association, a former president of the American Institute of Graphic Arts, and collector of fine books about the printing arts. His library at RIT is outstanding, and the Web site includes a pretty good collection of downloadable images (for a small fee) from Medieval manuscripts to portraits of famous printers and type designers and documents from the 15th to the 21st century (see Figure 3).

Figure 3: In the Cary Collection at the Rochester Institute of Technology is an ornate 1876 Columbian hand press (top). The American Printing History Association publishes the journal “Printing History,” and takes a sophisticated, academic approach to the subject (bottom).

And while at RIT, jump over to the Goudy International Center for Font Technology and Aesthetics, where you can see some great photos of Frederic Goudy at work in his shop (see Figure 4).

Figure 4: Frederic Goudy at work in his shop, as seen on the Goudy Center Web site.

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