Roots of Printing Workshop

PROFESSIONAL DEVELOPMENT FOR THOSE IN GRAPHICS

A FULL DAY WITH TRADITIONAL PRINTING

The Roots of Printing is also valuable for those who have gained an enthusiasm for typography via an interest in computers. See the simplicity of assembling text without a computer!

The workshop explains and demonstrates the main printing processes (offset and letterpress) with emphasis on the traditional methods and design factors. These are explained in terms of the four elements of printing (type/plate, ink, paper/position and pressure).

Participants explore the traditional rules of text assembly including type sizes (point, pica, em, en), leading, kerning and justifying and the linkages from those traditions into today's software. One aim is to help visualise what the software is doing. With metal types, it is all so visible.

When an individual holds a book or paper printed before the advent of computers, it is inspiring to visualise just what was involved in putting those letters, columns and pages together, letter-by-letter. The workshop shows the participant how metal type is set by hand and by machine; how spacing is controlled, both within the line and between lines; how type matter is arranged within the chase.

Because class size is restricted to a maximum of eight, there is close contact with the presenter and the processes. Participants get to set some type by hand and by mechanical composition (Linotype, Ludlow or Monotype), as well as printing the group souvenir poster of the day's work.

If time permits, there is some discussion on proof-reading and correct punctuation, especially the use of the apostrophe, quotation marks, fixed spaces, ligatures, diphthongs and the dash. Is that the same as the hyphen?

Priced at $329 per participant.

Price 2003: still current at Jan. 2010.

FOR MORE PIX, SEE OUR GRAPHIC STUDENTS WORKSHOP PAGE

Call the Museum or email our PD Coordinator. See the Contact page