The black art of letterpress

(Updated: Thanks to Ray for pointing me to this article which clarifies the use of "font" vs "typeface"; I've since corrected my use in this post! I think. :-))

I've updated Inkygirl with the cartoon above as well as a typeface survey. I've always been fascinated by how much a typeface can influence a reader/viewer, though I've never been as much of a typeface snob as my friends Justin and John.



My obsession with typefaces overlaps with other obsessions, like writing, office supplies, stationery, and printing processes. Which is why I was so interested in checking out Coach House Press during Doors Open weekend, where interesting buildings (often heritage sites) normally closed to the public open their doors to anyone interested.



Jeff, Ray and I visited quite a few buildings on Saturday, but I found that the most interesting was Coach House Press, near Spadina and Bloor. Publishing fiction and poetry since 1965, the literary press has published books by Michael Ondaatje, George Bowering, Nicole Brossard, Guy Maddin, and hundreds of others.



In 1991, Coach House was split into two separate companies: the printing house Coach House Printing and the book publisher Coach House Press. Sadly, the book publisher declared bankruptcy in 1996. Later the same year, the printing company was moved back into book publishing.



Printer and compositor, Nicholas Kennedy, was in the Type Room, giving demonstrations of a small hand press as well as answering any questions people might have. Nicholas normally works at Trip Print Press, whose site brilliantly describe themselves as "Practitioners of the black art, letterpress."

When I asked Nicholas which typeface he preferred, Courier or Courier New, he looked at me as if I was nuts. Courier, of course! (Yay)



I was curious about letterpress, a topic I have only microscopic knowledge about, so checked out this Wikipedia entry, which said that "letterpress" is a term for printing text with movable type, in which the raised surface of the type is inked and then pressed against a smooth substance to obtain an image in reverse. The term also sometimes refers to the process of making a direct impression of inked media such as zinc "cuts" (plates) or linoleum blocks onto a receptive surface. Johann Gutenberg was one of the first people to use movable type printing individually-cast, reusable letters set in a frame.


Keyboard of an old linotype machine.

Use of letterpress is pretty rare these days. Typesetting is computerised now, and offset printing is much more economical than using cast metal types. Happily, places like Coach House Press and Trip Print Press help keep the art alive. I found conflicting reports online about which process provides the higher quality image, but there's no denying the esthetic appeal of letterpress.

Sources and for more info:

Trip Print Press photos on Flickr

Trip Print Press

Coach House Press

Wikipedia entry on letterpress printing

Doors Open

Video O' The Day:

Veteran graphic design/typography and letterpress teacher David Dabner (London College of Printing) offers interesting insights into the principles of design, creative letterpress and why he thinks computers make students sloppy.






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