tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-48867929889956687752024-02-07T18:50:02.509-08:00Lasting ImpressionsGrowing Up in Letterpress:
A memoir of people, places, and memoriesCarolehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/02307495903453367329noreply@blogger.comBlogger61125tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4886792988995668775.post-90970543251293368322013-03-22T17:05:00.000-07:002013-03-22T17:05:41.505-07:00Font Frenzy<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjIvMNwLTHHOb9xc5dRs4L01oZLlqw7FlJ6TghI6Z82kU0g3bLCsZCGB19qwT-XUh4M-SA3FcWIg9SgvTGMCHMQbnOgXNULpb1jSt8-I_KUwtNdl3gkAGkDFld1pp5gkxO5-Oh9QGpSzQeq/s1600/Fat+Face+Font.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="213" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjIvMNwLTHHOb9xc5dRs4L01oZLlqw7FlJ6TghI6Z82kU0g3bLCsZCGB19qwT-XUh4M-SA3FcWIg9SgvTGMCHMQbnOgXNULpb1jSt8-I_KUwtNdl3gkAGkDFld1pp5gkxO5-Oh9QGpSzQeq/s320/Fat+Face+Font.jpg" ssa="true" width="320" /></a></div>
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“Font” is a chameleon of a word – its meaning can change depending on who’s using it. When computer users or graphic designers talk about fonts, they’re referring to different styles of type, or typefaces. Font software packages featuring many kinds of type are available online or at any computer store. <br />
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When a letterpress printer talks about a font though, they’re referring to a complete set of all the necessary metal or wood characters in a typeface (letters, numbers, punctuation, or special characters). The number of each character in a printer’s font is based on frequency of use. In other words, there are lots more e’s than there are q’s .<br />
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A member of our letterpress printing group created a piece that captures a letterpress printer’s idea of “font” perfectly: <br />
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To illustrate the point further: a computer user can easily type, “The queen quickly and quietly quaffed a quart of quince juice.” Not that this is a likely sentence, but it shows there are no limits to the number of times a single character can be used in a computer font. A graphic designer can very easily type a character, “qqqqqqqqqqqqqqqqqqqqqqqqqqqqqqqqqqqqqqqqqq” in any font they choose. In other words, the computer will generate an infinite number of any desired character.<br />
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Not so for the letterpress printer. Because handset letterpress involves putting actual pieces of metal or wood type into a composing stick to form words and sentences, there are only so many q’s. And so many A’s, a’s, and 1’s. That’s how handset typefaces are sold.<br />
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Typefaces are cast according to a font scheme. A good illustration of this is on the website of <a href="http://www.skylinetype.com/">Skyline Type Foundry</a>, a marvelous place to check out and drool over letterpress typefaces by the way. A diagram of <a href="http://www.skylinetype.com/images/Font_Schemes_120129.pdf">Font Schemes</a> explains how many of each character come with any font of type. <br />
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For a more vivid illustration: here’s what one font of Grimaldi, a charming old type face which we recently purchased from Skyline, looks like. You can see the varying numbers of each character in this 5-A, 10-a, 5-1 font of type.<br />
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Some letterpress fonts are larger and some are smaller, but they always have certain numbers of each character in them when they’re purchased new. When fonts are older or secondhand though, some pieces of type may have been mislaid. <br />
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Or in the instance of the very old 4 Line Pica Ornamented type below, some characters may be hard to use. Take a closer look at the two U's. Both are sunken due to a long ago flaw in casting. That means if you print a word with a U in it, you will have to work hard to get a decent impression. <br />
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My husband Bob and I recently experienced a practical lesson in the meaning of font. We purchased a secondhand font of Civilite jumbled in a case. I’ve long admired Civilite, and was thrilled to finally add it to our printshop. But when we sorted out the type, there was one capital A, no capital C, and worst of all, no lower case i’s. What can you write without lower case i? Not even a type case label for Civilite. Our font of type was pretty much useless. <br />
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Happily, my husband went onto the chat room of our printer’s group <a href="http://apa-letterpress.com/">Amalgamated Printer’s Association</a> and asked if anyone could spare a few characters. Two kind printers responded and offered to send the missing letters to us. With these “sorts”, as printers call small quantities of individual letters, we no longer had to be “out of sorts”. I’m not just making a bad pun here (though I am) -- that’s where that expression originated.<br />
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Now we can finally use our font of Civilite. And create a nice type case label. No more font frenzy for us – hooray! <br />
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Carolehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/02307495903453367329noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4886792988995668775.post-18127077240620698742013-03-05T10:14:00.001-08:002013-03-05T13:13:44.412-08:00The Disappearing Newton P. Tucker, Printer<br />
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Two old type cabinets in our basement print shop may have been witness to the mysterious disappearance of a La Crosse printer in 1886.<br />
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In February 2011 I blogged about the La Crosse cases. The January 1886 Inland Printer published an article about the La Crosse case designed by N.P. Tucker, especially manufactured for his business by Marder, Luse of Chicago. The special 2/3rd size condensed cases had three rows of compartments in front, allowing room for capital letters and extra characters in a font of type. <br />
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgAAnlU5LvY_SpfcauZ5J8LoEFxNyVxFfz2SARicAGFwT7JEUT53bhUUzZ1i9gbcJYhctaNSyfTuQyworvT5ASpX3358VvIbCWbIHCroOkzYRi0rI7BHpdY8PGtfWf1wkb32-UZmN2l6GCa/s1600/2_16+LaX+Case+diagram.jpg" imageanchor="1"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgAAnlU5LvY_SpfcauZ5J8LoEFxNyVxFfz2SARicAGFwT7JEUT53bhUUzZ1i9gbcJYhctaNSyfTuQyworvT5ASpX3358VvIbCWbIHCroOkzYRi0rI7BHpdY8PGtfWf1wkb32-UZmN2l6GCa/s320/2_16+LaX+Case+diagram.jpg" /></a><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhPDVTwlQiQdbOxiIDWJtYoyG5jtg3yWt-TMDeNsSDQt1As7izqgoM72bAtVkt5SQ6JqRG4dw-L8s3tMixrHIrIKlFCPhC2TzyTSxek5eElCahRVrIqZYxNPef1MycBleBjmTZjSlQFIowy/s1600/2_16+Inside+LaX+Case.jpg" imageanchor="1"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhPDVTwlQiQdbOxiIDWJtYoyG5jtg3yWt-TMDeNsSDQt1As7izqgoM72bAtVkt5SQ6JqRG4dw-L8s3tMixrHIrIKlFCPhC2TzyTSxek5eElCahRVrIqZYxNPef1MycBleBjmTZjSlQFIowy/s320/2_16+Inside+LaX+Case.jpg" /></a><br />
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You would think an up and coming printer like Tucker would have had it made. In 1883 he was running a successful shop with five presses, specializing in job printing and stationary. An 1885 ad noted that Tucker & Company were “Dealers in Printing Material of All Kinds.” The January 1886 Inland Printer article praised Tucker’s business as a model shop. <br />
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiugloxsYHquVllo6nUlLkYi_yMcaaRc_HQwk0vXHuohhJWrH5LENcB9ubhtPkNyWt9MkpWV-_YYETj7djZl4RNx8vSMOhOgCuWh7tJ36YL1D6P8TZ7s1cygVrbYm39jBWr1UDHDkFK1QBO/s1600/LaXIndustry.jpg" imageanchor="1"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiugloxsYHquVllo6nUlLkYi_yMcaaRc_HQwk0vXHuohhJWrH5LENcB9ubhtPkNyWt9MkpWV-_YYETj7djZl4RNx8vSMOhOgCuWh7tJ36YL1D6P8TZ7s1cygVrbYm39jBWr1UDHDkFK1QBO/s320/LaXIndustry.jpg" /></a><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhnlaoNTeeNKCbJvjLvWM01Bm_0ofXUcFPSkNr3UIOLizssdH5WDnMUC-rFSpvW7VIRs9AE-Cd7ijABKM7f0iKzQA-SUeEM2r9eEbnjnPqTsIM6_3mb85FSYGn0Oed_tBmZo0cURtzU4zSt/s1600/TuckerLaX.jpg" imageanchor="1"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhnlaoNTeeNKCbJvjLvWM01Bm_0ofXUcFPSkNr3UIOLizssdH5WDnMUC-rFSpvW7VIRs9AE-Cd7ijABKM7f0iKzQA-SUeEM2r9eEbnjnPqTsIM6_3mb85FSYGn0Oed_tBmZo0cURtzU4zSt/s320/TuckerLaX.jpg" /></a><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiyuWOH25hf1jZh5nboIDrn-WAv_YKstMOhMt9r1cufamU41faC8oNZ_WMQlMxqzPWjggBZPDdynCgJeSrX9AncXHt4n9arJYIGNkur6xHua4qCWtedp-zscsapNqh6-aJZ386F281gV68F/s1600/2_16+LaX+Case+1886+writeup.jpg" imageanchor="1"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiyuWOH25hf1jZh5nboIDrn-WAv_YKstMOhMt9r1cufamU41faC8oNZ_WMQlMxqzPWjggBZPDdynCgJeSrX9AncXHt4n9arJYIGNkur6xHua4qCWtedp-zscsapNqh6-aJZ386F281gV68F/s320/2_16+LaX+Case+1886+writeup.jpg" /></a><br />
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Perhaps Tucker was overextended. His business was definitely in financial trouble by 1886, when N.P. Tucker suddenly disappeared from La Crosse. His absence was noted in the local La Crosse newspaper, The Chronicle. As the Wisconsin Labor Advocate, October 29, 1886 added, “The disappearance of N.P. Tucker has created considerable talk since the Chronicle made it public.” <br />
Tucker left behind his wife Mary, two young children ages 6 and 2, and a failing print shop. Employees E.L. Spicer and Victor Buschman purchased the shop in September 1886 for $20 on hand with a $900 mortgage.<br />
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi6Kc6haaQAAizR5iDU5anePybqvaje1fLTgOQZxtXIwTRsMirLJ_2Mp_OzFeMWjoK9cMg3kgWuqv-CQyNFouCqaW1dJSPrvxrfifXv5ywCCHHgc94zmVZW3ZP_elTbZFJHD07TK5eW6DJB/s1600/Buschman.jpg" imageanchor="1"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi6Kc6haaQAAizR5iDU5anePybqvaje1fLTgOQZxtXIwTRsMirLJ_2Mp_OzFeMWjoK9cMg3kgWuqv-CQyNFouCqaW1dJSPrvxrfifXv5ywCCHHgc94zmVZW3ZP_elTbZFJHD07TK5eW6DJB/s320/Buschman.jpg" /></a><br />
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But what happened to Newton P. Tucker? Did he end it all by walking into the Mississippi River? Did he hop a barge and cruise down river, lighting out for some distant part of the world? Or was there some more nefarious reason for his disappearance? Mrs. Mary Tucker stayed in La Crosse, continuing to be listed in city directories. In 1901 she first appeared as the widow of N.P. Tucker, continuing this until her death in 1919.<br />
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The firm of Spicer and Buschman righted itself and remained in business for another 82 years until 1968. Though Spicer died in 1939, Buschman continued to work there until his death in 1963, age 96. When Spicer and Buschman closed in 1968, Inland Printing Company purchased the shop, and sold the La Crosse type cabinets to my father, printing hobbyist Gary Hantke. My husband Bob and I inherited them from my father. That ends the story of how the La Crosse type cabinets came into our hands.<br />
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhtOGSqqaibzjOFa5oxpSCcAwTOBCN_Wf0GQ_XZo9_IMTL-JWuzG2Dl1WgCt6Gu0lFpeGwx-3xai8ZVkDtNczOqAfWHpveuVZm6Dgi05h-1tQ_SEn3UjXTOsmOmVUExI7Biq8EelYQp1TY6/s1600/SpicerBuschmanSold.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="320" jsa="true" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhtOGSqqaibzjOFa5oxpSCcAwTOBCN_Wf0GQ_XZo9_IMTL-JWuzG2Dl1WgCt6Gu0lFpeGwx-3xai8ZVkDtNczOqAfWHpveuVZm6Dgi05h-1tQ_SEn3UjXTOsmOmVUExI7Biq8EelYQp1TY6/s320/SpicerBuschmanSold.jpg" width="248" /></a><br />
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiZKNCnw-oe5j36j5JucnTOqEgW4X2H2yslg0mmyRRsWHPahsQtte0_p8iBhcr8oDs-O8JWuvRXgbDw7r8pa_kpk_32DUDtfN60G5zMKOo6iZH-khkJgx2PXAtb5aPBYHeLQfH7dwlW7_pZ/s1600/2_16+LaX+Case+article.jpg" imageanchor="1"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiZKNCnw-oe5j36j5JucnTOqEgW4X2H2yslg0mmyRRsWHPahsQtte0_p8iBhcr8oDs-O8JWuvRXgbDw7r8pa_kpk_32DUDtfN60G5zMKOo6iZH-khkJgx2PXAtb5aPBYHeLQfH7dwlW7_pZ/s320/2_16+LaX+Case+article.jpg" /></a><br />
But what about the story of Newton P. Tucker? That remained a mystery until I discovered genealogical information about him on the Internet. His whereabouts between 1886-1889 were unknown. But in March 1889 he reappeared, marrying 19 year old Edna Georgia Todd in Chicago. The 1900 census showed them living in Wheaton City, Illinois with four children ages 10 to 1. Tucker was listed as a traveling salesman. Perhaps he sold printing materials? Tucker also had another wife, Birdie Lull, at some time before his death in Rock Island, Illinois in 1917. The occupation listed on his death certificate was “printer”. <br />
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So... did any of the three wives know about each other? Did Mary Tucker call herself a widow to avoid talk? Or did Newton P. Tucker truly disappear without a trace? In 1886 Illinois was a world apart from Wisconsin. People could more easily vanish and reappear at will. We will probably never know. But if the type cabinets along our basement wall could talk, they might have an interesting story to tell.<br />
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Carolehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/02307495903453367329noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4886792988995668775.post-73506515362188670312013-02-22T08:47:00.000-08:002013-02-22T08:50:20.737-08:00Kittypot Revivalsby guest blogger Bob Mullen <br />
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I am an enthusiast of old type. I mean really old and cool type. Not the 1950s Brush or the 1930s Kabel or the 1900s Cheltenham, but the good stuff—grand old Victorian curiosities, sexy Art Nouveau and stylish Art Deco faces. My wife Carole and I have collected quite a few of these typefaces and inherited others from her father, Gary Hantke. They’re not easy to find, and usually expensive these days. But there is one way to get them at reasonable cost and without the wear and broken serifs that are often found on the genuine antique. These are the revivals that are being offered by a number of the twenty-first century letter founders of metal type: Skyline, Monumental, Dale Guild, Hill and Dale, etc. <br />
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Probably the first of the revivalists was a retired ATF employee of many years named Steve Watts, who had been in charge of type sales and design. When Watts worked for ATF, he became well acquainted with the vast holdings within their matrix vaults. About 1957 he decided there were certain faces he wanted for his home shop, so he arranged to have special castings of antique faces made from the original matrices at ATF. The company required a minimum order, so in order to get what he wanted, he began offering special subscription castings through his large network of printer friends. Though the demand was not big enough for ATF to go into regular production of these fonts, there was enough demand so Watts could get back his investment. He called them his Kittypot Revivals. <br />
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My father-in-law Gary Hantke corresponded with Watts for several years, and we have in our possession many of the cards and fliers offering kittypot revivals in addition to some of the type. <br />
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The first offering was in 1957, 24 point Cincinnati Initials, an elaborate Victorian initial that had been made by the Cincinnati Type Foundry in the 1880s. Watts offered a 3A font, 58 characters, for $4.40, postpaid. Yeah, postpaid! His second casting was 18 point Original Old Style Italic, an italic face with an oversized a, e, and o that was first shown by Farmer, Little & Co. of New York in 1858. Price: 6A 12a font $9.60; 9A 24a font, $16.80; 18A 120a font, $49.50, all postpaid. At the APA auction last year, not knowing what we were getting, Carol and I bought a barely used large font of Original Old Style Italic for less than the original price. After some typographic sleuthing, we were thrilled to discover what we had. </div>
Altogether Steve Watts offered at least eleven Kittypot Revivals between 1957 and about 1961. They were (as best as we can figure):<br />
1. 24 pt. Cincinnati Initials, circa 1880 <br />
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2. 18 pt. Original Old Style Italic, 1858 <br />
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3. 11 on 12 pt. body Wayside Roman, circa 1906 (ATF) <br />
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4. 18 pt. Pekin, circa 1888 (BB&amp S) <br />
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5. 24 pt. 2-color Cincinnati Initials, circa 1880 <br />
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6. 18 pt. Trocadero (Great Primer Ornamented No. 3). Circa 1850 (Dickinson) <br />
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7. 48 pt. Wedgewood Cameo Ornaments, 20th century <br />
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8. 18 pt. Great Primer No. 8 (also called Cicero, Gentry), circa 1860 (English) <br />
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9. 18 pt. Pacific, circa 1890 (Dickinson) <br />
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10. 12 pt. Oxford Roman and Italic, Circa 1822 (Binny & Ronaldson) <br />
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11.. 48 pt. Munder-Hoyle Corners & Ornaments, 20th century <br />
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In his June 1959 flier, Watts showed all of his first six Kittypot Revivals for sale, and listed everyone who had ordered from him, three pages of names from 30 states, including some very well-known names in letterpress.<br />
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In addition to the eleven Kittypot Revivals shown above, Watts attempted to have 18 pt. Tuscan Floral cast by ATF for his seventh offering, but the company said the matrices were too damaged for them to work with without re-making them. That would have made a price people in 1959 wouldn’t want to pay, $20.00 per font! <br />
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By the early 1960s, Steve Watts’ health was failing, and he was forced to slow down with his printing and his revival castings. He died in 1966 with more projects on his plate, but they were, unfortunately, projects he was never able to complete. Other people followed with revivals: Andy Dunker, Charles Broad and Phoenix/LA type Foundry and more. For them all, we who have a fascination with old typefaces owe a great debt of gratitude. Thank you, Steve Watts. <br />
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Carolehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/02307495903453367329noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4886792988995668775.post-40862367712522672132012-09-14T14:57:00.000-07:002012-09-14T15:18:18.072-07:00Extinct Typefaces
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Can typefaces become extinct, like dinosaurs? Not quite, but they can become hard to find. Computers offer fonts galore. But one of the delights of being a letterpress printer is the ability to use fonts that are available only in metal or wood. Personally I love using typefaces you can’t find in font software or on the Internet. That way nobody will pick up my letterpress printing and say, “Did you do this on your computer?” Ouch! Not the best thing to say to someone who’s spent hours setting slivers of metal type by hand.<br />
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Here are a few of my favorite extinct typefaces. These are creations of the 19th century, though some more modern faces have become extinct, too.<br />
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi7aD4e0cw7oJlpM31DcevbP5h9w7p7YnrV6lKxqdg263kAstnq1SSdApHtRpPJ7LVXfaI86LIyfoZMFmNYq4wOhM1700uVa8D2_WYF17fRE6eZI3zi7k2UNPHvfHSvCI8GdafLTptdtUjv/s1600/6_2+Scribner.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left:1em; margin-right:1em"><img border="0" height="320" width="238" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi7aD4e0cw7oJlpM31DcevbP5h9w7p7YnrV6lKxqdg263kAstnq1SSdApHtRpPJ7LVXfaI86LIyfoZMFmNYq4wOhM1700uVa8D2_WYF17fRE6eZI3zi7k2UNPHvfHSvCI8GdafLTptdtUjv/s320/6_2+Scribner.jpg" /></a></div>
Scribner, illustrated above and at the top of this page, can best be described as eccentric. The wiggly, curlicued letters, designed by the Central Type Foundry of St. Louis in 1883, seem to wander all over the place. Below is a piece we printed that takes advantage of this tendency. <br />
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh7IThcpIivD-KmqQp1zo6NxCk1nY3rJHIRYaI0QA_8lXDeAVOZCZ4WB9rq81UBMU5q8a4xMMENFLakIzPr0tHUeXODaEO1PVB4dnDDknUvyVPR9M2JcN_co63-8KcfQgvYMaSgRyasdnub/s1600/6_30+Flexible.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left:1em; margin-right:1em"><img border="0" height="249" width="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh7IThcpIivD-KmqQp1zo6NxCk1nY3rJHIRYaI0QA_8lXDeAVOZCZ4WB9rq81UBMU5q8a4xMMENFLakIzPr0tHUeXODaEO1PVB4dnDDknUvyVPR9M2JcN_co63-8KcfQgvYMaSgRyasdnub/s320/6_30+Flexible.jpg" /></a></div>
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEizqPjgU9TMHCFZSmkkdlGa_jpU2hVhygGNWx_2hlvYhw0LG2Robm_Fm9Kf1hfY791NACnkNS2AN6Z1b0yNjq4sndkGtDqrZHrYlhdTJ0lneejJLBDRHRgbnzXI4UrLL11d2mNvQvLksP2A/s1600/6_30+Attitudes.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" hea="true" height="245" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEizqPjgU9TMHCFZSmkkdlGa_jpU2hVhygGNWx_2hlvYhw0LG2Robm_Fm9Kf1hfY791NACnkNS2AN6Z1b0yNjq4sndkGtDqrZHrYlhdTJ0lneejJLBDRHRgbnzXI4UrLL11d2mNvQvLksP2A/s320/6_30+Attitudes.jpg" width="320" /></a></div>
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The “Attitudes” piece above is printed in Grolier, an elegant MacKellar, Smiths, and Jordan script from 1887 designed by Herman Ihlenberg. This lovely face is hard to find, sadly. My husband Bob and I have metal fonts of it in 12, 18, and 24 point. Its fragile kerns have held up over time thanks to careful storage and babying. The design is timeless, as beautiful in the 21st century as when it was created. Below is a valentine that shows off some of Grolier’s gorgeous capital letters.<br />
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhvGHG_gVqQBiybDVfzcOsE58irDElZwAHexe9ZKE48Aa_H380bjfXtdwkNwYV36DCn5kZ-G1Ol43VL8jL6_vwU1MOcZtzI0D9gdkaf_oJqxjTUPHLTq1jE9jDCjPvsHb4Amg49UJK99ZZu/s1600/6_2+Grolier.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" hea="true" height="253" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhvGHG_gVqQBiybDVfzcOsE58irDElZwAHexe9ZKE48Aa_H380bjfXtdwkNwYV36DCn5kZ-G1Ol43VL8jL6_vwU1MOcZtzI0D9gdkaf_oJqxjTUPHLTq1jE9jDCjPvsHb4Amg49UJK99ZZu/s320/6_2+Grolier.jpg" width="320" /></a></div>
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi7F71nZ4N7elOoFjXd8AKGhHNelcDtLETngq4IBxHsR45Dn5oI_aAKpLKmT4RuHVdQRYULe2YTVIEJtzkjTZwIKk2PXTMCyeq8ej5SyCtmFUvSgHBiO6xzZ0MHS5npMLaHC4loXZ11lKd0/s1600/3_23+Vertical+Writing.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left:1em; margin-right:1em"><img border="0" height="320" width="233" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi7F71nZ4N7elOoFjXd8AKGhHNelcDtLETngq4IBxHsR45Dn5oI_aAKpLKmT4RuHVdQRYULe2YTVIEJtzkjTZwIKk2PXTMCyeq8ej5SyCtmFUvSgHBiO6xzZ0MHS5npMLaHC4loXZ11lKd0/s320/3_23+Vertical+Writing.jpg" /></a></div>
Vertical Writing is another favorite of mine that you don’t find available very often. Joseph W. Phinney patented it 1898 for the Boston branch of American Type Founders. Designed to look like informal 19th century handwriting, its letters appear to be fully connected and widely spaced. It’s surprisingly legible, and quite charming in an old-fashioned way. <br />
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If you’re sad because you don’t have “extinct typefaces” at your disposal, there’s a way to remedy that. Some of the older fonts are being recast and are available again.<br />
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One of my favorites is Freak, recently produced by Sky Shipley of Skyline Type Foundry <a href="http://skylinetype.com">http://skylinetype.com</a>. This wildly eccentric 1889 gem is pictured below.<br />
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjNn0jPSxogo3vdjZf2BCWG1d3MmA3JstEUyYKtppK1ht36AMOYYPAtfs3TwCrP6sjk1djfEdwlR7Rfuzpg6of5tizeFu5IGjzgBfS2OWGInx1t_HYkqMtOBYZzE-nhdpEjLzlPAcy8IHd1/s1600/Skyline.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left:1em; margin-right:1em"><img border="0" height="249" width="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjNn0jPSxogo3vdjZf2BCWG1d3MmA3JstEUyYKtppK1ht36AMOYYPAtfs3TwCrP6sjk1djfEdwlR7Rfuzpg6of5tizeFu5IGjzgBfS2OWGInx1t_HYkqMtOBYZzE-nhdpEjLzlPAcy8IHd1/s320/Skyline.jpg" /></a></div>
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Yes, fonts are fun, and especially if you’re using one that very few people commonly see. Using extinct typefaces is a big perk of letterpress printing. It’s great to be able to share them with the world!<br />
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Carolehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/02307495903453367329noreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4886792988995668775.post-74103036954512106312012-03-20T11:02:00.018-07:002012-03-20T13:05:26.049-07:00River Rat Printers<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi6frKzaEetxGBVesXBkDZXXhOi6ToK11oemMZ39k8IkSCiWX1KxBUeqsgziwmwD1_4dAErvZ4cz8KFMgpfYYZtONyk5cCiu_fuZpEwzYyxCPCxH5ZELhEwQt26Dx_V7S9sokz9eB1FPIqt/s1600/BruceCut.jpg"><img style="display:block; margin:0px auto 10px; text-align:center;cursor:pointer; cursor:hand;width: 320px; height: 214px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi6frKzaEetxGBVesXBkDZXXhOi6ToK11oemMZ39k8IkSCiWX1KxBUeqsgziwmwD1_4dAErvZ4cz8KFMgpfYYZtONyk5cCiu_fuZpEwzYyxCPCxH5ZELhEwQt26Dx_V7S9sokz9eB1FPIqt/s320/BruceCut.jpg" border="0" alt=""id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5722071783174087090" /></a><br /><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhR_6gvR7rCpJ3-Pyk4Q3AnLWJqy2TEHXhfvhZdnK1NkRSdtKt2wQtLQ0xHhqoB5rQTJXJ-Dr46hy8IaFBMfEkLHJIJni-B7WW_HDrZDxcIqq6WCS7jsDPyBOZ1hbShwF_Hg95zn7v24-x3/s1600/StLcut.jpg"><img style="display:block; margin:0px auto 10px; text-align:center;cursor:pointer; cursor:hand;width: 320px; height: 171px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhR_6gvR7rCpJ3-Pyk4Q3AnLWJqy2TEHXhfvhZdnK1NkRSdtKt2wQtLQ0xHhqoB5rQTJXJ-Dr46hy8IaFBMfEkLHJIJni-B7WW_HDrZDxcIqq6WCS7jsDPyBOZ1hbShwF_Hg95zn7v24-x3/s320/StLcut.jpg" border="0" alt=""id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5722071366725117698" /></a><br />My husband and I have spent most of our lives along the Mississippi River, appreciating both old time letterpress printing and the romance of the steamboat era. We began in La Crosse, Wisconsin, moved downriver to Lynxville, Wisconsin, then to St. Louis, Missouri. We’ve learned that our twin interests are more linked than you might imagine: newspaper printing was the mass media of the 19th century, and riverboats a major form of transportation. The Mississippi was like a super highway in those days, and printers depended on it to deliver presses, type, and paper, and distribute news up and down the river.<br /><br /><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEggKTJ4hZozBwQYCv3xz0UHMnuP0AOFtQ4Z7ANJC30IJbHUiHFKBSa8kh0rPqQTzPNMXieREKuYoPBN1aVc0tJrWtbNpkvoSR2brwZydlOuSVfhdZCTPERS5cEX5CsOXhoRP8A1pLmnVaw9/s1600/ticket.jpg"><img style="display:block; margin:0px auto 10px; text-align:center;cursor:pointer; cursor:hand;width: 320px; height: 218px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEggKTJ4hZozBwQYCv3xz0UHMnuP0AOFtQ4Z7ANJC30IJbHUiHFKBSa8kh0rPqQTzPNMXieREKuYoPBN1aVc0tJrWtbNpkvoSR2brwZydlOuSVfhdZCTPERS5cEX5CsOXhoRP8A1pLmnVaw9/s320/ticket.jpg" border="0" alt=""id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5722071912753264034" /></a><br /><br />As printers interested in history, we’ve done quite a few pieces relating to riverboats. Our first was “A Little Book of Steamboat Puns”, a small booklet of atrocious river puns we made up ourselves. Though the puns were bad, the booklet was nice. We gave a copy to the late John Hartford, musician and river lover, at one of his performances. Years later we met him again, and he actually remembered our booklet. Maybe it was because the puns were so awful.<br /><br /><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiTPvvnO1vvuTUJfyuCFAmGkJEBSsmt7Nb1OZz_oza5HtLrP1umgftQqO32Dp4kUtq97eSvlXUnYms6Z_Nv47Txr4Eua4OEnOVS8tTLwIbiW1scj_4Nv8sL0PlncZNw4VQEMdo2gTBJja8D/s1600/puns.jpg"><img style="display:block; margin:0px auto 10px; text-align:center;cursor:pointer; cursor:hand;width: 240px; height: 320px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiTPvvnO1vvuTUJfyuCFAmGkJEBSsmt7Nb1OZz_oza5HtLrP1umgftQqO32Dp4kUtq97eSvlXUnYms6Z_Nv47Txr4Eua4OEnOVS8tTLwIbiW1scj_4Nv8sL0PlncZNw4VQEMdo2gTBJja8D/s320/puns.jpg" border="0" alt=""id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5722069938798043730" /></a><br /><br />While in St. Louis we became volunteers at the Golden Eagle River Museum, and got to use our riverboat cuts some more. We printed programs, name badges, and bookmarks for the group.<br /><br /><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhyihAMLUBat9IjGYGfTnaVdDVj6TQq36KfRW8GmHajJNluApWPxYfGGGfXj8QA1o77rj0kaEfVtDF32lQoTF3o_JtzaKhz4kz5OIjvNc8uem9fOxzk-f_jMnlh0eL5SiOVJ1V-5ZRtcU6m/s1600/Gld+Eagle.jpg"><img style="display:block; margin:0px auto 10px; text-align:center;cursor:pointer; cursor:hand;width: 320px; height: 257px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhyihAMLUBat9IjGYGfTnaVdDVj6TQq36KfRW8GmHajJNluApWPxYfGGGfXj8QA1o77rj0kaEfVtDF32lQoTF3o_JtzaKhz4kz5OIjvNc8uem9fOxzk-f_jMnlh0eL5SiOVJ1V-5ZRtcU6m/s320/Gld+Eagle.jpg" border="0" alt=""id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5722070651277600786" /></a><br /><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjJG7atc_AHJOb_xBXeBBKsXNx51APUycqfW8QrCvvoM3T4k5ywiR4u0cBPP3uxSCBgSDjikZKDK7LosHgxZcz3ZGVlAPznGoeGnn8AMWTMARjPaV8UMwDfw1qfFjbigN8ouk02EFFPHGfO/s1600/Jimmy.jpg"><img style="display:block; margin:0px auto 10px; text-align:center;cursor:pointer; cursor:hand;width: 320px; height: 251px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjJG7atc_AHJOb_xBXeBBKsXNx51APUycqfW8QrCvvoM3T4k5ywiR4u0cBPP3uxSCBgSDjikZKDK7LosHgxZcz3ZGVlAPznGoeGnn8AMWTMARjPaV8UMwDfw1qfFjbigN8ouk02EFFPHGfO/s320/Jimmy.jpg" border="0" alt=""id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5722070928234043346" /></a><br /><br />We also added to our riverboat cut collection through the generosity of Golden Eagle members. Irv Braun had worked for transportation printer Con Curran, and saved many railroad and riverboat cuts from oblivion when the company switched from letterpress to offset. And James Swift, known to everybody as Jimmy, was a writer and historian for the Waterways Journal, a St. Louis based river magazine. Jimmy bequeathed his collection of river cuts to us. Some of our cuts from Irv and Jimmy are shown below.<br /><br /><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhUAVhSPb_umT1M6qxZ8N5AEO3C-ZK3tH_T6G001Ad8cQSEVaoYib5HjHJASHwLBGRel1icr8c6qNBqOo-VxGBEs3jF4rCZCCgHCKiQOE5irwIg5qHnYfr3-5hhBj_emFBiVLSayln00JIa/s1600/cutdrawer.jpg"><img style="display:block; margin:0px auto 10px; text-align:center;cursor:pointer; cursor:hand;width: 187px; height: 320px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhUAVhSPb_umT1M6qxZ8N5AEO3C-ZK3tH_T6G001Ad8cQSEVaoYib5HjHJASHwLBGRel1icr8c6qNBqOo-VxGBEs3jF4rCZCCgHCKiQOE5irwIg5qHnYfr3-5hhBj_emFBiVLSayln00JIa/s320/cutdrawer.jpg" border="0" alt=""id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5722070206469466754" /></a><br /><br />While in St. Louis, we actually had the opportunity to print on a steamboat. The Bibliographical Society of America hosted a Mississippi River cruise at its 2004 meeting. Bob and I hauled a Baltimorean table top press, paper, and supplies over uneven riverfront cobblestones and onto the boat, where we were offered a small, wobbly table to set up. We wondered if any of the attendees from major libraries and rare book rooms would want to bother printing our little bookmark. To our surprise, we had a long line. People were thrilled to have the opportunity to print something themselves.<br /><br /> <a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiaHazBUygJbnuy39xgFOujucZ5bcJSIxuuJpB16nBtdeQC-i_cSAz1ic7qgvzp670sEAt2VMAWqc7LQbJjNubyVl_LZtyDlX5kqN5547gBx_IqA0ZgLsATFh3RVZ4de_qV4oJTC2ffhQjV/s1600/bkmark.jpg"><img style="display:block; margin:0px auto 10px; text-align:center;cursor:pointer; cursor:hand;width: 320px; height: 125px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiaHazBUygJbnuy39xgFOujucZ5bcJSIxuuJpB16nBtdeQC-i_cSAz1ic7qgvzp670sEAt2VMAWqc7LQbJjNubyVl_LZtyDlX5kqN5547gBx_IqA0ZgLsATFh3RVZ4de_qV4oJTC2ffhQjV/s320/bkmark.jpg" border="0" alt=""id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5722070428383216610" /></a><br /><br />Years later we once again find ourselves printing along the Mississippi River, this time back in our hometown of La Crosse. We’ve come full circle, and we wonder what links between letterpress printing and the river we’ll discover this time around!<br /><br /><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhCBDyF5OAf8pq7dF93qPuLQia-xYwKttY3Ynxd0lCnLnkiVrJS20S3EE6uupgPQ3DX_gewc7X2W-Os1_Lpy2oojElYtfRwUI2zpkdCE3I-C0B1xgI6TNQZwxGE_DRl1Xs5GEAKFpOdCUqe/s1600/Lax.jpg"><img style="display:block; margin:0px auto 10px; text-align:center;cursor:pointer; cursor:hand;width: 219px; height: 320px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhCBDyF5OAf8pq7dF93qPuLQia-xYwKttY3Ynxd0lCnLnkiVrJS20S3EE6uupgPQ3DX_gewc7X2W-Os1_Lpy2oojElYtfRwUI2zpkdCE3I-C0B1xgI6TNQZwxGE_DRl1Xs5GEAKFpOdCUqe/s320/Lax.jpg" border="0" alt=""id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5722069680238492514" /></a>Carolehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/02307495903453367329noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4886792988995668775.post-34089118784671544862011-09-21T05:00:00.000-07:002011-09-21T05:00:16.037-07:00Type Lust: It's A Good Thing!<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg6mVyuLttd5YilK9ikJrmL77QJz0BMDpy5AVBvy1xxErbvCZ-8NG7B04nk7Fqkg3ELOdB1iUAqbxCjPaXYa5u3ZHXRfdGRmiD863qGglF6ORtNK1802ems8P1-2iF4sXWD-CCwj_SkbsTC/s1600/GN+Project.jpg"><img style="display:block; margin:0px auto 10px; text-align:center;cursor:pointer; cursor:hand;width: 320px; height: 210px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg6mVyuLttd5YilK9ikJrmL77QJz0BMDpy5AVBvy1xxErbvCZ-8NG7B04nk7Fqkg3ELOdB1iUAqbxCjPaXYa5u3ZHXRfdGRmiD863qGglF6ORtNK1802ems8P1-2iF4sXWD-CCwj_SkbsTC/s320/GN+Project.jpg" border="0" alt=""id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5654190814704474338" /></a><br />How many fonts of type are enough? 200? 500? 1000? And how many cuts, borders, and ornaments does a person need? For letterpress printers there’s always another typeface, border, or cut just around the corner. It’s truly an addiction, and pretty much incurable. But there’s a lot of fun and camaraderie along the way.<br /><br />My husband Bob and I enjoyed that camaraderie this past weekend at the Great Northern Printers’ Fair in Mount Pleasant, Iowa. This three day affair offers both new and experienced printers the opportunity to actually use any of the machines housed at Printers’ Hall. If you’re new you can ask for coaching on a machine, and you’ll get a printer who’s happy to walk you through the process.<br /><br />On Friday afternoon Bob and I tried out the Reliance hand press, a newly renovated addition to the Printers’ Hall collection. With our older, worn wood type, inexperience with a hand press, and some problems with the alignment of the platen and bed of the press, we had difficulty getting a good impression. Probably with a little more time we could have gotten it right. But we had a great time anyway, and learned something about printing on hand presses in the process. No point in hanging back, you’ve got to jump in and get your hands dirty!<br /><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiXRuENjjrRo-Q5x9B0STWmSLkZ0z8Q6r52no7EkERFQpCM1Z1XdptLjuHN4n9Xkbbyi8h6j8J7HZS1tZo-jlHY2vp_zBRYdLvHavw2G4iHxhH871E_i6fODQFvUkdJ8tUBIWEfZ2IYgyzd/s1600/Bob+at+GN.jpg"><img style="display:block; margin:0px auto 10px; text-align:center;cursor:pointer; cursor:hand;width: 320px; height: 205px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiXRuENjjrRo-Q5x9B0STWmSLkZ0z8Q6r52no7EkERFQpCM1Z1XdptLjuHN4n9Xkbbyi8h6j8J7HZS1tZo-jlHY2vp_zBRYdLvHavw2G4iHxhH871E_i6fODQFvUkdJ8tUBIWEfZ2IYgyzd/s320/Bob+at+GN.jpg" border="0" alt=""id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5654189856524490306" /></a><br /><br />Below are some of the projects that were going on in Printers’ Hall at the Great Northern. All kinds of presses were in action, including the giant Babcock newspaper press. Printers young and old tried their hand at using the various machines. <br /><br /><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgROcgFCMne0w_5nyNh2PJGC0DNLHkhCT2BEdmw9OVYYXhpGPGA49xVUcc7aXwpJm-C4rjbcE6lQh9PQkf3VTX1w9SMwLO69tOsma_jB3xram9Y-3dPAdMwIPzEWqHz8fWwB4LcoG1L6jNp/s1600/Babcock.jpg"><img style="display:block; margin:0px auto 10px; text-align:center;cursor:pointer; cursor:hand;width: 320px; height: 206px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgROcgFCMne0w_5nyNh2PJGC0DNLHkhCT2BEdmw9OVYYXhpGPGA49xVUcc7aXwpJm-C4rjbcE6lQh9PQkf3VTX1w9SMwLO69tOsma_jB3xram9Y-3dPAdMwIPzEWqHz8fWwB4LcoG1L6jNp/s320/Babcock.jpg" border="0" alt=""id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5654194029238335682" /></a><br /><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgTPezAuWO4EC7ou6qLpG4mwgd2JM79RC-y-AeNoyQBIOopHeOFBWoqNHsJ3TDYsPVGB46IpIv3sCVWIxaOuhixCOEz7yUNaRiN80H6VZH517boAPrPNxctsgQRiYpUOGjQoawCcCsEyBRb/s1600/GN+Project+2.jpg"><img style="display:block; margin:0px auto 10px; text-align:center;cursor:pointer; cursor:hand;width: 226px; height: 320px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgTPezAuWO4EC7ou6qLpG4mwgd2JM79RC-y-AeNoyQBIOopHeOFBWoqNHsJ3TDYsPVGB46IpIv3sCVWIxaOuhixCOEz7yUNaRiN80H6VZH517boAPrPNxctsgQRiYpUOGjQoawCcCsEyBRb/s320/GN+Project+2.jpg" border="0" alt=""id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5654193916916319522" /></a><br /><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjU5VFgEtrKqOUPcOxwS4oURgDZxko9l654suR8P5D8bZfeOI8ysL99UMRpmWNZdIcboaNShVk9SR0s8iMW4UgWWWNpIrF10hyv_rtJT-M1HD6EulLaGqZSiUYRMQHJ9HT9BHS7iiqnES-B/s1600/Family+at+GN.jpg"><img style="display:block; margin:0px auto 10px; text-align:center;cursor:pointer; cursor:hand;width: 320px; height: 214px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjU5VFgEtrKqOUPcOxwS4oURgDZxko9l654suR8P5D8bZfeOI8ysL99UMRpmWNZdIcboaNShVk9SR0s8iMW4UgWWWNpIrF10hyv_rtJT-M1HD6EulLaGqZSiUYRMQHJ9HT9BHS7iiqnES-B/s320/Family+at+GN.jpg" border="0" alt=""id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5654189535038957746" /></a><br /><br />The Saturday swap meet was certainly a highlight of the weekend. Eager buyers checked out the rectangle of tables early, looking for treasure. It was a typographical feeding frenzy, true type lust gone wild. What was out there? Would that long sought after typeface, border, or cut be on somebody’s sale table? <br /><br /><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjy1f2g1x251K6tNXHI4Wu22t4kSl_v2OiStXVuF4sAeY0BJ68mOTJnEHwzsf2_ZCudijKncEnMX5nICDjaCrdjctoZYIKbGZ36CbALh1COAUwMrtwBfkirSwejUKBH7EmPAP21lWLw69gW/s1600/Swap+1.jpg"><img style="display:block; margin:0px auto 10px; text-align:center;cursor:pointer; cursor:hand;width: 320px; height: 190px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjy1f2g1x251K6tNXHI4Wu22t4kSl_v2OiStXVuF4sAeY0BJ68mOTJnEHwzsf2_ZCudijKncEnMX5nICDjaCrdjctoZYIKbGZ36CbALh1COAUwMrtwBfkirSwejUKBH7EmPAP21lWLw69gW/s320/Swap+1.jpg" border="0" alt=""id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5654190444202589938" /></a><br /><br />After the first rush the group settled in, making the circuit over and over, buying, selling, talking. As exotic wood type fonts and old specimen books sold, interest in rusty galleys and guess-what-it-is press parts picked up. There was plenty of time to chat, exchange ideas and printing samples, and get to know the other people there.<br /><br /><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj3q4BI-tY_zwUmjL8fnWYMYodduZVJzW0Dh_e5hkA5uF2ZG1ODwRpqwfy_BB8otSkQpjn-DUa37v5IqkHnhxMjultsmuBtpca89FpZ9P1D9B4EPRnGWStCybPfuZ40uunV6SH6avxQ0CMn/s1600/Swap+2.jpg"><img style="display:block; margin:0px auto 10px; text-align:center;cursor:pointer; cursor:hand;width: 320px; height: 214px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj3q4BI-tY_zwUmjL8fnWYMYodduZVJzW0Dh_e5hkA5uF2ZG1ODwRpqwfy_BB8otSkQpjn-DUa37v5IqkHnhxMjultsmuBtpca89FpZ9P1D9B4EPRnGWStCybPfuZ40uunV6SH6avxQ0CMn/s320/Swap+2.jpg" border="0" alt=""id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5654190360069188242" /></a><br /><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj6PYDLSbEgQvhqOU5k8tYCD0LBxFt2fsyxA6q_P8c0C1UsRK4EGdYNdeYl9HYYuYdWpOzPAf9sj6ggtazzkkIOkYqbFVVHNe5FTRCnFnWuk-c0Z5VkergI2bwGMKvvG-T4Fd4AxymFpXxz/s1600/Swap+3.jpg"><img style="display:block; margin:0px auto 10px; text-align:center;cursor:pointer; cursor:hand;width: 320px; height: 193px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj6PYDLSbEgQvhqOU5k8tYCD0LBxFt2fsyxA6q_P8c0C1UsRK4EGdYNdeYl9HYYuYdWpOzPAf9sj6ggtazzkkIOkYqbFVVHNe5FTRCnFnWuk-c0Z5VkergI2bwGMKvvG-T4Fd4AxymFpXxz/s320/Swap+3.jpg" border="0" alt=""id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5654190251406475714" /></a><br />Personally, we had a great time! We met a lot of talented young printers just starting out, and caught up with some of our long-time printing friends at the same time. United in our love for the same fascinating, inky process, time truly flew by. Will we be back next year? You’d better believe it!Carolehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/02307495903453367329noreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4886792988995668775.post-90380865664281346612011-08-31T10:26:00.001-07:002011-08-31T11:18:03.763-07:00Moving A Print Shop: Not For Wimps!<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjHoM-fvg5eSTWcI9vbG5RVoEsQGndlz6ixtNm3a77pz8ePPZu-6lbyBXl6g6yYPR619RnCyaphUv2YDFOytReQ3fI62KRnlxRqVQdRKdj3XPZ5kXtG3LVvERtlgEcBaEf7gHAcRXDUY62T/s1600/IMG_4266.jpg"><img style="display:block; margin:0px auto 10px; text-align:center;cursor:pointer; cursor:hand;width: 320px; height: 214px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjHoM-fvg5eSTWcI9vbG5RVoEsQGndlz6ixtNm3a77pz8ePPZu-6lbyBXl6g6yYPR619RnCyaphUv2YDFOytReQ3fI62KRnlxRqVQdRKdj3XPZ5kXtG3LVvERtlgEcBaEf7gHAcRXDUY62T/s320/IMG_4266.jpg" border="0" alt=""id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5647080274461021282" /></a>
<br /><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEji6RSS7rMTsGUIrSjlOb_C9iqon2tgAZOQ2r1TOcmH3RnsWCJlTPGrcLzW1aL2plX1HrNhtsnjoi_vHH5pkpMbLLJ5PZGTwLMM0z2fd_E4HmCk6SUuP5NpztYHpNiEDZ2y3FsCRPRllDyS/s1600/IMG_4230.jpg"><img style="display:block; margin:0px auto 10px; text-align:center;cursor:pointer; cursor:hand;width: 320px; height: 214px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEji6RSS7rMTsGUIrSjlOb_C9iqon2tgAZOQ2r1TOcmH3RnsWCJlTPGrcLzW1aL2plX1HrNhtsnjoi_vHH5pkpMbLLJ5PZGTwLMM0z2fd_E4HmCk6SUuP5NpztYHpNiEDZ2y3FsCRPRllDyS/s320/IMG_4230.jpg" border="0" alt=""id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5647079114801150386" /></a>
<br /><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhI_OlpxxIQ-9w_W6NUJQq4lRhVz0bglumXLlbGubGd3Q3A0FFd9E2aQ7aYEul9OmLlQ3uiMZN837huCvQxDI1UVuhIuB6ozELJx3pIVU_iwaT5zackqHYQJEnHDRVtrvPvVlPd9OgJQQOL/s1600/IMG_4228.jpg"><img style="display:block; margin:0px auto 10px; text-align:center;cursor:pointer; cursor:hand;width: 320px; height: 214px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhI_OlpxxIQ-9w_W6NUJQq4lRhVz0bglumXLlbGubGd3Q3A0FFd9E2aQ7aYEul9OmLlQ3uiMZN837huCvQxDI1UVuhIuB6ozELJx3pIVU_iwaT5zackqHYQJEnHDRVtrvPvVlPd9OgJQQOL/s320/IMG_4228.jpg" border="0" alt=""id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5647077683322688690" /></a>
<br />Moving a letterpress print shop is not for the faint of heart. It’s not something you undertake lightly, pardon the pun! Yet move a print shop we did, and not just across town but some 450 miles. It was an ordeal to put it mildly, but happily we and the shop emerged unscathed in the end.
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<br />The moving process began with packaging over 600 type cases, cut cases, galleys, and miscellaneous items for transit. We used cardboard and stretch wrap to protect type and cuts from spilling or being scratched up.
<br /><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhY31pECDy-I50V9gM4FyM3MKo2eMLofGhMKR-3K2JqjlqYb_eULFQuXrj8dPCFE5d7ZxYb5VZsETu4csEcdIuKSsJYuzdLL3rHj0RLgSDk7SjpQsNK-xyoDxay6EQAq5reKLCaMKtiskLt/s1600/IMG_4265.jpg"><img style="display:block; margin:0px auto 10px; text-align:center;cursor:pointer; cursor:hand;width: 320px; height: 214px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhY31pECDy-I50V9gM4FyM3MKo2eMLofGhMKR-3K2JqjlqYb_eULFQuXrj8dPCFE5d7ZxYb5VZsETu4csEcdIuKSsJYuzdLL3rHj0RLgSDk7SjpQsNK-xyoDxay6EQAq5reKLCaMKtiskLt/s320/IMG_4265.jpg" border="0" alt=""id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5647079809486851730" /></a>
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<br /><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhdGJmSzI0YzuySSQam7M02aF_Wr8t08OspbB_MbfmFEAgV2tfUbbK_3MHtTcuNd1on4aEgkLTBUgoD8lnb5CnmxbtJf4pO6oGLmiu9OtQVHG6ENCEm4PzzTt8MsChzJGpl861DPwLZ7fMI/s1600/IMG_4302.jpg"><img style="display:block; margin:0px auto 10px; text-align:center;cursor:pointer; cursor:hand;width: 320px; height: 214px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhdGJmSzI0YzuySSQam7M02aF_Wr8t08OspbB_MbfmFEAgV2tfUbbK_3MHtTcuNd1on4aEgkLTBUgoD8lnb5CnmxbtJf4pO6oGLmiu9OtQVHG6ENCEm4PzzTt8MsChzJGpl861DPwLZ7fMI/s320/IMG_4302.jpg" border="0" alt=""id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5647076099082790946" /></a>
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<br />Here’s a shot of my husband Bob hauling type from the basement into a staging area in the garage of our old house. It was a major workout for him, with the obstacles of a narrow stairwell, doors in the way, and a hairpin turn at the top of the stairs.
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<br /><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgxTE-7P6gs6nrjYWKFG3QQXl58rFxLPc632WEP5oFg_5kC_ZeFyDRg8sE8wdpeYd-W34qejF54X-YHDfYB4eS1rK2pXXUJRVqKGvfuYVrwEJ0uJsXvBtGbo7UR-dJwG8rodkqcnBJq_uWy/s1600/IMG_4227.jpg"><img style="display:block; margin:0px auto 10px; text-align:center;cursor:pointer; cursor:hand;width: 214px; height: 320px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgxTE-7P6gs6nrjYWKFG3QQXl58rFxLPc632WEP5oFg_5kC_ZeFyDRg8sE8wdpeYd-W34qejF54X-YHDfYB4eS1rK2pXXUJRVqKGvfuYVrwEJ0uJsXvBtGbo7UR-dJwG8rodkqcnBJq_uWy/s320/IMG_4227.jpg" border="0" alt=""id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5647075165903011154" /></a>
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<br />Over several weeks, the garage filled. A hobby printing friend dismantled our 8x12 Chandler and Price press, 7x11 Pearl press, and Peerless Gem paper cutter for the move. We rented a truck, then a van to haul some of the paper, cuts, and type, then hired professional movers to do the rest.
<br /><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEime5cMW8SOtjf45rZ2Ggbs6gGAOlEwiRLrRtqaOXScgblaRAyz7Nz40qKlLFdHxrtnisn13XzIu2SGk3dTSjUctDKGmbEj1MDA7Blav3cUWbn5gA2ET_xizmpZEVCAJb7hhhqQPSHfDnyS/s1600/IMG_4268.jpg"><img style="display:block; margin:0px auto 10px; text-align:center;cursor:pointer; cursor:hand;width: 320px; height: 214px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEime5cMW8SOtjf45rZ2Ggbs6gGAOlEwiRLrRtqaOXScgblaRAyz7Nz40qKlLFdHxrtnisn13XzIu2SGk3dTSjUctDKGmbEj1MDA7Blav3cUWbn5gA2ET_xizmpZEVCAJb7hhhqQPSHfDnyS/s320/IMG_4268.jpg" border="0" alt=""id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5647075449144678898" /></a>
<br /><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiHlCZcXOQOpFNmlnZaXPgdKjNmm6B6GO3zXgBKkVsalKG-kIyROxhAPr2Yc36pg61vEcB0w7m2_CsrUFtReJNR_YKP0-ZMyh2LJPTbTFbyvz5qydhg0fuzpsB8calbewSYwMoWF-fzDimD/s1600/IMG_4304.jpg"><img style="display:block; margin:0px auto 10px; text-align:center;cursor:pointer; cursor:hand;width: 320px; height: 214px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiHlCZcXOQOpFNmlnZaXPgdKjNmm6B6GO3zXgBKkVsalKG-kIyROxhAPr2Yc36pg61vEcB0w7m2_CsrUFtReJNR_YKP0-ZMyh2LJPTbTFbyvz5qydhg0fuzpsB8calbewSYwMoWF-fzDimD/s320/IMG_4304.jpg" border="0" alt=""id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5647076793381790386" /></a>
<br /><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg6pWuHOPPFJtNb0akSIqJm5F7F3zm-O-Kr3PQSBh6Jft1LV2XiluYGwXB69ulUeVSbHHHb57vAZI_9dOHoBb4-M7bMWJvNjO55jL41vO6rxyhS4QJAoFMltPnaMQ_pTxtTAcC_uavHe0uJ/s1600/IMG_4231.jpg"><img style="display:block; margin:0px auto 10px; text-align:center;cursor:pointer; cursor:hand;width: 320px; height: 214px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg6pWuHOPPFJtNb0akSIqJm5F7F3zm-O-Kr3PQSBh6Jft1LV2XiluYGwXB69ulUeVSbHHHb57vAZI_9dOHoBb4-M7bMWJvNjO55jL41vO6rxyhS4QJAoFMltPnaMQ_pTxtTAcC_uavHe0uJ/s320/IMG_4231.jpg" border="0" alt=""id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5647078851242355634" /></a>
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<br />Moving day came, and we hoped we were ready. Our four movers were big strong guys. They quickly set to work loading the shop and our entire household onto a moving van. The biggest challenge for them was getting our 8x12 C & P press up the stairs. Even stripped down, the press weighed some 500 pounds. I think the sound of it coming upstairs one step at a time (1-2-3... whump!) and shaking the entire house will haunt me for a long time.
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<br /><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhjIskWgeUSwLBTeBD71M4taLigqlSlpy7gUIPthohpXpyYYjIYTOVATrGdngrJdUuuwlSDEyLCA02qgUzabcotxKDzdTDrvauwsulA70OLQqgbCJESByvsBP9eWLEEg1zvjNrFwoUisxf_/s1600/IMG_4320.jpg"><img style="display:block; margin:0px auto 10px; text-align:center;cursor:pointer; cursor:hand;width: 320px; height: 214px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhjIskWgeUSwLBTeBD71M4taLigqlSlpy7gUIPthohpXpyYYjIYTOVATrGdngrJdUuuwlSDEyLCA02qgUzabcotxKDzdTDrvauwsulA70OLQqgbCJESByvsBP9eWLEEg1zvjNrFwoUisxf_/s320/IMG_4320.jpg" border="0" alt=""id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5647076976674244770" /></a>
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<br />Meanwhile at our new house, we had to plan what to put where in the new printshop. Armed with our many measurements and painter’s tape, we arranged and rearranged. We figured once something was in place, we weren’t about to go moving it! We divided our print shop into three areas: the main shop downstairs, a print studio upstairs for designing and proofing pieces, and a paper storage space in the utility room.
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<br /><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi2bKLg18LXb4qcQqXu1CEmraa-yFKQHoe0lbL1WTS5c_OSULdvngq_y-CAT2UGO08c1VZmT7Agwn8pSJMoyBv2MtYm8WjdZmj8oFu5TMDGTfzjyf8x73Ey9-B4cv9FAf5ttyfyytOwsilz/s1600/IMG_4312.jpg"><img style="display:block; margin:0px auto 10px; text-align:center;cursor:pointer; cursor:hand;width: 214px; height: 320px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi2bKLg18LXb4qcQqXu1CEmraa-yFKQHoe0lbL1WTS5c_OSULdvngq_y-CAT2UGO08c1VZmT7Agwn8pSJMoyBv2MtYm8WjdZmj8oFu5TMDGTfzjyf8x73Ey9-B4cv9FAf5ttyfyytOwsilz/s320/IMG_4312.jpg" border="0" alt=""id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5647076194371449250" /></a>
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<br />The movers arriving and the unloading began. We were amazed how smoothly it all went. Most of the type cases were moved from garage to garage.
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<br /><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjudmyJP1fRm2sF4m-eevmJERQw1dnUv4g2-JyNI-l4hqnBl55zvlPSPdhGqji4hIXH96Zv7T8M9MbbvfjzFxz64eTQ1WdU4tNDTK9BBpyHJFU6uDYwC1mu_ucKO1ajX12SfZF-BEjII2o3/s1600/IMG_4314.jpg"><img style="display:block; margin:0px auto 10px; text-align:center;cursor:pointer; cursor:hand;width: 320px; height: 214px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjudmyJP1fRm2sF4m-eevmJERQw1dnUv4g2-JyNI-l4hqnBl55zvlPSPdhGqji4hIXH96Zv7T8M9MbbvfjzFxz64eTQ1WdU4tNDTK9BBpyHJFU6uDYwC1mu_ucKO1ajX12SfZF-BEjII2o3/s320/IMG_4314.jpg" border="0" alt=""id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5647077838537266130" /></a>
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<br />Over the next few weeks, my husband Bob began hauling type cases into the new print shop. It was easier going down with a wider stairway. We arranged, rearranged, unpacked, and fiddled with the new shop and print studio. It was a challenge thinking of how to set up two locations to operate efficiently, and one we’re still fine-tuning.
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<br /><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiiz4VJrxbDeWjwv24aH3iM3cC352Zw4Ut-R0o2qPSTs77a9Seh-qWi00H8tgaeqTsDfSj9lwpDrHpgT66nc7GX0SrypLKfbVQ8qm7TejYDP6hUVMqpnD-engcZIiCPGTy0Lnt3rOwXuMwA/s1600/IMG_4433.jpg"><img style="display:block; margin:0px auto 10px; text-align:center;cursor:pointer; cursor:hand;width: 320px; height: 214px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiiz4VJrxbDeWjwv24aH3iM3cC352Zw4Ut-R0o2qPSTs77a9Seh-qWi00H8tgaeqTsDfSj9lwpDrHpgT66nc7GX0SrypLKfbVQ8qm7TejYDP6hUVMqpnD-engcZIiCPGTy0Lnt3rOwXuMwA/s320/IMG_4433.jpg" border="0" alt=""id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5647073383359132914" /></a>
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<br />But here's our new, red-carpeted print shop, complete with autumn mural, and our upstairs printing studio. We’re finally ready to print, after over three months of moving the shop. And we have promised ourselves NEVER to move again! But all in all, it went well. Hooray, Xanadu Press is up and running!
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<br /><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjzrDGPgoLRX-Al4fk7HxPYojm5CZF2xTuHlJbRBNvMEqZCKnr9Hk6gFfFaTe2iZk-Rbxpb0VhFNAkKTge5-egCFpaHXqPNcz2D992QZR2Q4_myxnf81l3oeYfz_I3ds9FONj82h2ezkBo6/s1600/IMG_4436.jpg"><img style="display:block; margin:0px auto 10px; text-align:center;cursor:pointer; cursor:hand;width: 320px; height: 214px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjzrDGPgoLRX-Al4fk7HxPYojm5CZF2xTuHlJbRBNvMEqZCKnr9Hk6gFfFaTe2iZk-Rbxpb0VhFNAkKTge5-egCFpaHXqPNcz2D992QZR2Q4_myxnf81l3oeYfz_I3ds9FONj82h2ezkBo6/s320/IMG_4436.jpg" border="0" alt=""id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5647074505995197762" /></a>
<br /><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhCXv_13zao40jxTtzSVbexcU2A47z0R_NzWZKi_AdjHb_iD4jUeDjLRBvAlDpVigp8WzfyYeWrQuQAyJpILWd-e_4eYTZbMW1O9Mb2A-sAcobVv3QivvzEoY6xI7Gt2iN_EeqXYH-lONdT/s1600/IMG_4440.jpg"><img style="display:block; margin:0px auto 10px; text-align:center;cursor:pointer; cursor:hand;width: 320px; height: 214px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhCXv_13zao40jxTtzSVbexcU2A47z0R_NzWZKi_AdjHb_iD4jUeDjLRBvAlDpVigp8WzfyYeWrQuQAyJpILWd-e_4eYTZbMW1O9Mb2A-sAcobVv3QivvzEoY6xI7Gt2iN_EeqXYH-lONdT/s320/IMG_4440.jpg" border="0" alt=""id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5647074644553220834" /></a>
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<br />Carolehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/02307495903453367329noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4886792988995668775.post-49602064083803630312011-05-11T05:00:00.000-07:002011-05-14T19:34:43.354-07:00The Perfect Print Shop<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhROUlp2nBx5xoLEIxHIhmkW3FpI7fk-ZjoCD27p8uhyXx7Pli6d81EeyaB-Ti1AobiJv-sl4wfql0xI0oa9Ya_oPakhxFQ9Zn81mGHMIhdhKb8bl75Xn1fBx27QbLio3edyFU8N6bA4csO/s1600/5_11+Older+Dad+in+Printery.jpg"><img style="display:block; margin:0px auto 10px; text-align:center;cursor:pointer; cursor:hand;width: 302px; height: 320px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhROUlp2nBx5xoLEIxHIhmkW3FpI7fk-ZjoCD27p8uhyXx7Pli6d81EeyaB-Ti1AobiJv-sl4wfql0xI0oa9Ya_oPakhxFQ9Zn81mGHMIhdhKb8bl75Xn1fBx27QbLio3edyFU8N6bA4csO/s320/5_11+Older+Dad+in+Printery.jpg" border="0" alt=""id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5594404193182028418" /></a><br />What letterpress printer doesn’t dream about the perfect print shop? I know my father Gary Hantke did. No matter how many fonts of type or ornaments or borders are in any print shop, there’s always that one illusive item that would make it absolutely perfect.<br /><br />But by the end of the 1980’s, my father had assembled a pretty amazing print shop, full of wonderful type, cuts, or other printing paraphernalia. Decades of hard work and patient sorting had given him literally tons of options for printing. <br /><br />Unfortunately in the last two years of his life Dad was too ill to print. His declining health wouldn’t allow him to stand and set type, much less run the printing press. He tried to content himself with immersion in one of his other hobbies, stamps. But more than once Dad told me how much he wished he could print. <br /><br />After my father’s passing in 1990, my husband and I printed a flyer to be given away to those attending the memorial service. A good printer friend, Rich Hopkins of Hill and Dale Press, produced a booklet of his memories of my father that was distributed throughout our APA printing hobbyist group.<br /><br /><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiFAkBqC-IJNOR7JkPDu6Rfl_uqXPBVX3XOoEtFXMXheohtuBFo_gQzS8N-e60dH7fiQs8fhrh6vQnXCHzdKGLiTK4HPsZ5FQOhHrKByv_PUUV1U5RVGMP0MBRDZNa0bdIr4jZPOlk6yVuM/s1600/5_11+Memorial+to+Dad.jpg"><img style="display:block; margin:0px auto 10px; text-align:center;cursor:pointer; cursor:hand;width: 238px; height: 320px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiFAkBqC-IJNOR7JkPDu6Rfl_uqXPBVX3XOoEtFXMXheohtuBFo_gQzS8N-e60dH7fiQs8fhrh6vQnXCHzdKGLiTK4HPsZ5FQOhHrKByv_PUUV1U5RVGMP0MBRDZNa0bdIr4jZPOlk6yVuM/s320/5_11+Memorial+to+Dad.jpg" border="0" alt=""id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5594403991640322050" /></a><br /><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEieDAsUEe_saXk9rAtdnsud1VjGxWxNEecz2hXRjhZnesD15g9hzuKA8oCbArYJCuWJXmbFQ0x8Z3fQByOSi-pATFqBafmWe1yW-qB8zKUJ4lqJI_8d3_9nKt8nCLayyrdBY1MR25ZDRv8i/s1600/5_11+Memorial+to+Dad+inside.jpg"><img style="display:block; margin:0px auto 10px; text-align:center;cursor:pointer; cursor:hand;width: 238px; height: 320px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEieDAsUEe_saXk9rAtdnsud1VjGxWxNEecz2hXRjhZnesD15g9hzuKA8oCbArYJCuWJXmbFQ0x8Z3fQByOSi-pATFqBafmWe1yW-qB8zKUJ4lqJI_8d3_9nKt8nCLayyrdBY1MR25ZDRv8i/s320/5_11+Memorial+to+Dad+inside.jpg" border="0" alt=""id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5594403903421840658" /></a><br /><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEghAIuTXvvWRCZuMuHWqOgHsyTw71jqR6WdnK7-eg5ReTzaFgOYwWlycLuBfajCDVXWff1-BjrB7fynS_Hm_J4GnuunmwL6mg7EWJkItF-oJMCh5sUkyymp2iLDqj1aolNX1-qSqXWmmi-G/s1600/5_11+Memorial+Hill+%2526+Dale.jpg"><img style="display:block; margin:0px auto 10px; text-align:center;cursor:pointer; cursor:hand;width: 155px; height: 320px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEghAIuTXvvWRCZuMuHWqOgHsyTw71jqR6WdnK7-eg5ReTzaFgOYwWlycLuBfajCDVXWff1-BjrB7fynS_Hm_J4GnuunmwL6mg7EWJkItF-oJMCh5sUkyymp2iLDqj1aolNX1-qSqXWmmi-G/s320/5_11+Memorial+Hill+%2526+Dale.jpg" border="0" alt=""id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5594403796918653106" /></a><br />As the months wore on after his death, I wonder how Dad was doing. I missed him terribly. Was he happy? Was he still separated from the printing hobby he loved so much? <br /><br />Then one night I had a dream. In it I saw my father in a huge, beautiful print shop. He was designing printed pieces, happily collaborating with printing friends who had passed on before him ― Emerson Duerr, Jim Eckman, Norman Forgue, and others. <br /><br />The unique thing about this print shop in the dream was that it was absolutely unlimited. No type, cut, ornament, or border was lacking. Anytime a printer needed anything, all he or she had to do was think of the item and it would manifest, ready for use. All the setting and press work was still done by hand. That’s the fun of the hobby, after all. But anything a printer could imagine using ― like ornaments from the Bruce Foundry, or fanciful borders from MacKellar, Smiths, and Jordan ― was available instantly through thought.<br /><br />What a print shop! It made me so happy to think about Dad working there, enjoying the company of his dearest friends. <br /><br />This printing blog was started a year ago, and it’s been a joy to produce. With a long-distance move of the print shop in my husband’s and my near future however (see April 27th blog), I’ll be taking a break until the move is complete, possibly some time in June. By then I’m sure there’ll be lots more to share. <br /><br />I’ll close for now with the printed piece my father always kept posted over his Chandler and Price press. Since the long s characters make it hard to read, here’s the text: “I have been obliged by the sheer Weight of Fatigue to leave my Post, & repair to my Dwelling-house, until I have recovered my usual Composure. All Patrons will find me of a cheerful Demeanor, and in good Readiness for Business or for Consultation upon my Return on the Morrow.” <br /><br /><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg2huuLgPnlRYraISq5a9i-wNQBlcNyGAbqSAdxalZjF5zJGcdkcV7Mz7UFlZTPW1YjGRGPoBIxcjAmi-GIxn9jmQ2Goi0tILrHnwiyIMEQZ_X0OcYROPqJyPgoB6XMbEEn6Ko5ClZVfWVa/s1600/5_11+Sign.jpg"><img style="display:block; margin:0px auto 10px; text-align:center;cursor:pointer; cursor:hand;width: 278px; height: 320px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg2huuLgPnlRYraISq5a9i-wNQBlcNyGAbqSAdxalZjF5zJGcdkcV7Mz7UFlZTPW1YjGRGPoBIxcjAmi-GIxn9jmQ2Goi0tILrHnwiyIMEQZ_X0OcYROPqJyPgoB6XMbEEn6Ko5ClZVfWVa/s320/5_11+Sign.jpg" border="0" alt=""id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5594403423231745810" /></a>Carolehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/02307495903453367329noreply@blogger.com4tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4886792988995668775.post-63449323192087792842011-05-04T05:00:00.000-07:002011-05-04T05:00:00.129-07:00Letterpress for Mother's Day<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg74S28hkHFvsg-xjVVGxigPi9OlxEI9G4lPLoGRB4Xeq21JokWFT0dcWVnz6lsFNZUEW86n0XBcUicOvGzxFEvyBg2QfooVxvSjQytmKhBdQdMIV9Oqz23M2whO_C-aBLC8ZkdWsOMrbOU/s1600/5_3+Mom+and+I.jpg"><img style="display:block; margin:0px auto 10px; text-align:center;cursor:pointer; cursor:hand;width: 209px; height: 320px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg74S28hkHFvsg-xjVVGxigPi9OlxEI9G4lPLoGRB4Xeq21JokWFT0dcWVnz6lsFNZUEW86n0XBcUicOvGzxFEvyBg2QfooVxvSjQytmKhBdQdMIV9Oqz23M2whO_C-aBLC8ZkdWsOMrbOU/s320/5_3+Mom+and+I.jpg" border="0" alt=""id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5594442362723967282" /></a><br />Though not a printer herself, my mother Ruth was always a big supporter of letterpress. She had an eye for good design, too. Often my father Gary Hantke would have her proofread and take a look at a piece he was about to print. Mom would catch the typos and suggest a bit of white space here or there. <br /><br />Mom became good friends with several of the printer’s wives, and enjoyed attending Dad’s annual APA printing conventions. Often she managed to charm free cuts, paper, or ink from vendors at the swap meets. Mom and Dad even took a month long trip to Europe with one of the couples from APA.<br /><br /><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgHi_JMzgC8lwYBoAbQBx-HT20kXuLcMDnKaYLKTegfKXWHOeJso6ahsFfEJX_dP0c03EpKK7-VeI0TbcbXS3qqH2MtEwhpe985B-5nGc5XBHWRfILoSakB44vL5WGtep6OBWypt8XAZr0T/s1600/5_3+Mom+at+Goose.jpg"><img style="display:block; margin:0px auto 10px; text-align:center;cursor:pointer; cursor:hand;width: 320px; height: 125px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgHi_JMzgC8lwYBoAbQBx-HT20kXuLcMDnKaYLKTegfKXWHOeJso6ahsFfEJX_dP0c03EpKK7-VeI0TbcbXS3qqH2MtEwhpe985B-5nGc5XBHWRfILoSakB44vL5WGtep6OBWypt8XAZr0T/s320/5_3+Mom+at+Goose.jpg" border="0" alt=""id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5594441901170574354" /></a><br />She was also a wonderful mother. My sister and I never lacked for attention. She sewed our Halloween costumes, Easter and Christmas dresses, and spring and fall wardrobes. She loved to garden and play the piano, and was an excellent cook whose homemade bread, coffeecakes and pizza were legend. <br /><br />In 1966 Dad printed a lovely poetry booklet for Mother’s Day and gave it to her. All that setting and design work, and he just printed one copy ― for her. I found it with some of her papers after she died. <br /><br /><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiRLHTMPrnXL_UZGXaCPS_TQuNKwAI7vuPBn9ma8p19g0fXURswnWMedOiAEqPeGXeLU8hhz3vqtEfRnxW3TQUvwUvdKl1Ki4GcTCkHmGhDtJgJKW-ZglNTYJkfiiKIQ3ypl4ZgrcDkwYWF/s1600/5_4+Heaven+for+Mothers1.jpg"><img style="display:block; margin:0px auto 10px; text-align:center;cursor:pointer; cursor:hand;width: 320px; height: 194px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiRLHTMPrnXL_UZGXaCPS_TQuNKwAI7vuPBn9ma8p19g0fXURswnWMedOiAEqPeGXeLU8hhz3vqtEfRnxW3TQUvwUvdKl1Ki4GcTCkHmGhDtJgJKW-ZglNTYJkfiiKIQ3ypl4ZgrcDkwYWF/s320/5_4+Heaven+for+Mothers1.jpg" border="0" alt=""id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5594441382610869538" /></a><br /><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhp22kMrYiHosffS69V1w-GD2m_JNz5vHO1htBl76naZGn1tC7p4AE9P4zrqRQkQuhiGpe40H6jFHMFASw2MdgDKIrEQm0oFdUbHCufkxrwP13FY_mWt19igoYrj9ETOJSRyc82Y7nxEQqs/s1600/5_4+Heaven+for+Mothers2.jpg"><img style="display:block; margin:0px auto 10px; text-align:center;cursor:pointer; cursor:hand;width: 320px; height: 194px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhp22kMrYiHosffS69V1w-GD2m_JNz5vHO1htBl76naZGn1tC7p4AE9P4zrqRQkQuhiGpe40H6jFHMFASw2MdgDKIrEQm0oFdUbHCufkxrwP13FY_mWt19igoYrj9ETOJSRyc82Y7nxEQqs/s320/5_4+Heaven+for+Mothers2.jpg" border="0" alt=""id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5594441229720243762" /></a><br />After my mother’s death in 2008, my husband and I printed a memorial piece in her honor. The type was Murray Hill, her favorite typeface, and the quote was surrounded by a border of flowers and musical notes. <br /><br /><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhJoYiFuBWTZwPXouAw0cGCtTyG9kb-ofk1DUwnCNfy8Duc5dcBGQ-e5Fmgo6KTabEmGV2ch6vTlfikd7-KIkfGKjbBkhzh40nYa_N4D5Irb0-Kr1R8CMiOwhFgTni-W-gXjs5wJF1HeiEY/s1600/5_4+Mom+Memorial+front.jpg"><img style="display:block; margin:0px auto 10px; text-align:center;cursor:pointer; cursor:hand;width: 320px; height: 221px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhJoYiFuBWTZwPXouAw0cGCtTyG9kb-ofk1DUwnCNfy8Duc5dcBGQ-e5Fmgo6KTabEmGV2ch6vTlfikd7-KIkfGKjbBkhzh40nYa_N4D5Irb0-Kr1R8CMiOwhFgTni-W-gXjs5wJF1HeiEY/s320/5_4+Mom+Memorial+front.jpg" border="0" alt=""id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5594440663795824226" /></a><br /><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgMsWga-Qc8Z8NCoLZMDBfqVwNLBZjaOJfD0v7vvumfmWcRADnLOI4g5dExEncq1norj3ZmLPPsXZXGIy1Nl96i_hetcmohV5syHYewHhAaa0UXngqYj7nAHUN-Hb-mJZEa7hwQmrUBSSAh/s1600/5_4+Mom+Memorial+back.jpg"><img style="display:block; margin:0px auto 10px; text-align:center;cursor:pointer; cursor:hand;width: 320px; height: 212px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgMsWga-Qc8Z8NCoLZMDBfqVwNLBZjaOJfD0v7vvumfmWcRADnLOI4g5dExEncq1norj3ZmLPPsXZXGIy1Nl96i_hetcmohV5syHYewHhAaa0UXngqYj7nAHUN-Hb-mJZEa7hwQmrUBSSAh/s320/5_4+Mom+Memorial+back.jpg" border="0" alt=""id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5594440524207901858" /></a><br />I miss you, Mom! Thank you for all you taught me and gave me. And Happy Mother’s Day. Love, Carole<br /><br /><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjBBHM0d4wYyV5KQtic73Nfy8oypXKBgqd6H_PxOSZIzeRsLOoCXtYTTIYJSL8lUFnQEMbD5CQhNQvQy0F2sNBAItCRcz-pyMGjbB6WA3wdbwm2QDHDxbg8OVDhaTrN-MqS9a1rcXGbfMI7/s1600/5_3+Mom+and+I+Garden.jpg"><img style="display:block; margin:0px auto 10px; text-align:center;cursor:pointer; cursor:hand;width: 238px; height: 320px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjBBHM0d4wYyV5KQtic73Nfy8oypXKBgqd6H_PxOSZIzeRsLOoCXtYTTIYJSL8lUFnQEMbD5CQhNQvQy0F2sNBAItCRcz-pyMGjbB6WA3wdbwm2QDHDxbg8OVDhaTrN-MqS9a1rcXGbfMI7/s320/5_3+Mom+and+I+Garden.jpg" border="0" alt=""id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5594442125917347250" /></a>Carolehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/02307495903453367329noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4886792988995668775.post-38528224515247090302011-04-27T05:00:00.000-07:002011-04-27T05:00:10.473-07:00Moving A Print Shop -- Oh, No!<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhoBvwR3ceKSf5wqy4BEUvUngVAiK6JB0J7tRdHa1XxYhxrAQGGgefW9utOqzX5PmVf1KOpv8tAJlHvJ5yb300SzUC-8qlYpHoRu_0R1YvXmSRqXFbU5p9lsSAkLTSmXwdQMIliT95iVZRQ/s1600/4_27+Garage+Staging+Area.jpg"><img style="display:block; margin:0px auto 10px; text-align:center;cursor:pointer; cursor:hand;width: 320px; height: 290px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhoBvwR3ceKSf5wqy4BEUvUngVAiK6JB0J7tRdHa1XxYhxrAQGGgefW9utOqzX5PmVf1KOpv8tAJlHvJ5yb300SzUC-8qlYpHoRu_0R1YvXmSRqXFbU5p9lsSAkLTSmXwdQMIliT95iVZRQ/s320/4_27+Garage+Staging+Area.jpg" border="0" alt=""id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5596935612234418498" /></a><br />Have you ever done something you hope you’ll never have to do again? Moving a print shop is like that. As my husband and I plan the cross-country move of our print shop from Missouri to Wisconsin, we are dreading it. Transporting a print shop is not for the faint of heart. It takes a sturdy soul to haul tons of metal type and cast iron machinery across the country.<br /><br />Nineteen years ago my husband and I moved my father’s print shop from Wisconsin to St. Louis. Dad’s basement print shop was average in size, but jam-packed. Every nook and cranny held more boxes of stuff, especially type from the Duluth print shop Dad had bought out a decade ago. We hauled goodies out of that print shop until we were ready to drop. <br /><br />It took two U-Haul trucks, both grossly overloaded, to handle all the type, machinery, paper, cuts, leads and slugs, and miscellaneous. On one of the runs we hit a torrential rainstorm, worrisome since the truck had been unevenly loaded and one side rode five inches below the other! Thankfully we made it safely, and to our great relief some printing friends showed up to help us unload the truck.<br /><br /><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj9Ula_y9U_blcgDMikSq5-j-n_asYTovYMED_DQrPUkgDQoLWxA5Hzs_DRcTWMviA_Fcfk-0cmNGLKdQAdOn4BkRp1-30g7UnG7A54KIl27wCP3pI5kjIFirIDqIcOkaktjivblRZm-Fto/s1600/4_27+Help+with+Cutter.jpg"><img style="display:block; margin:0px auto 10px; text-align:center;cursor:pointer; cursor:hand;width: 320px; height: 247px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj9Ula_y9U_blcgDMikSq5-j-n_asYTovYMED_DQrPUkgDQoLWxA5Hzs_DRcTWMviA_Fcfk-0cmNGLKdQAdOn4BkRp1-30g7UnG7A54KIl27wCP3pI5kjIFirIDqIcOkaktjivblRZm-Fto/s320/4_27+Help+with+Cutter.jpg" border="0" alt=""id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5596935502974305218" /></a><br />Getting the print shop installed in our basement took several weeks. The garage became our staging area. Each type case had to be hauled downstairs individually. The presses and cutter had been taken apart to make them easier to move, but were still unbelievable heavy. I remember dragging Chandler and Price press pieces down the basement steps. It was like hefting brontosaurus bones!<br /><br />Gradually our St. Louis print shop assumed its current shape. But my husband and I never forgot the ordeal of moving. Over the past nineteen years, we’ve made conscious efforts to reduce the tonnage of the shop. At just about every printers’ gathering we’ve pushed out huge quantities of heavy types like Cheltenham Bold and Franklin Gothic, peddling them for little fonts of old display faces. We’ve sold paper piled high on hand trucks, excess leads, slugs and galleys, and small machinery. We’ve recycled junk type to our local area type founders. The 1100+ fonts we brought to St. Louis now number about 900. Still, there’s more than a ton of print shop to move. Good grief!<br /><br />Now piles of type cases are stacking up in our garage as we prepare for the big move. Since we’re now nineteen years older, we’ll be hiring help. No sense throwing your back out and hardly being able to walk! But we’ll be doing some of the work ourselves, too. And the ever-useful garage is acting as our staging area again. <br /><br />We are excited about our new Wisconsin printery, but will be ever so relieved once the heavy stuff has been hauled in and we’re settled again. Moving a print shop ― it’s certainly not for wimps! <br /><br /><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEivEpqxqrzsZDffJdyy04t8YCvr3cCRekNTx0GhyphenhyphenSFdn2I3w7X3A6zqKgTe2K0ttzLd4G0We5Nv3zmwM0ezmKkKrThzUvzvNpSd9KsgD5jCscbl0IP7gLy51uOA8i9MV4Rfm7a1vT_H_KmE/s1600/4_27+Too+Much+Paper.jpg"><img style="display:block; margin:0px auto 10px; text-align:center;cursor:pointer; cursor:hand;width: 320px; height: 207px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEivEpqxqrzsZDffJdyy04t8YCvr3cCRekNTx0GhyphenhyphenSFdn2I3w7X3A6zqKgTe2K0ttzLd4G0We5Nv3zmwM0ezmKkKrThzUvzvNpSd9KsgD5jCscbl0IP7gLy51uOA8i9MV4Rfm7a1vT_H_KmE/s320/4_27+Too+Much+Paper.jpg" border="0" alt=""id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5596935373360100562" /></a>Carolehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/02307495903453367329noreply@blogger.com3tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4886792988995668775.post-11158726055806432792011-04-20T05:00:00.000-07:002011-04-20T05:00:09.367-07:00Favorite Wood Type Faces<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiLOafuWC6X92VgdAeH-kAD3aEXIYe5aR1k2niEO-1Us72qI9oLbpCGKCc_rmAxH7rdS3XisMqWaKdqWuotkOMnm09ihYSSbPdUa181Q-ZVIas9PwOZ47rDIFZzQpy655uQOs851hNL6Mef/s1600/4_20+Wood+Type+Piece.jpg"><img style="display:block; margin:0px auto 10px; text-align:center;cursor:pointer; cursor:hand;width: 240px; height: 320px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiLOafuWC6X92VgdAeH-kAD3aEXIYe5aR1k2niEO-1Us72qI9oLbpCGKCc_rmAxH7rdS3XisMqWaKdqWuotkOMnm09ihYSSbPdUa181Q-ZVIas9PwOZ47rDIFZzQpy655uQOs851hNL6Mef/s320/4_20+Wood+Type+Piece.jpg" border="0" alt=""id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5595524815189280994" /></a><br /><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjlpjGMChTBrdpE8eVyZBA4ocovtPd9kWEgVRWYR6RvSjJS4Xpi7qeOYSOtMCD-_9oN20uPDlfVlnzie_NSBKfQawCCL1k9eeKUelkO8Tn2Q1zXeguB2J8r8SwXeSCYy4JyetnMD1yyrTO5/s1600/4_20+Wood5.jpg"><img style="display:block; margin:0px auto 10px; text-align:center;cursor:pointer; cursor:hand;width: 320px; height: 185px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjlpjGMChTBrdpE8eVyZBA4ocovtPd9kWEgVRWYR6RvSjJS4Xpi7qeOYSOtMCD-_9oN20uPDlfVlnzie_NSBKfQawCCL1k9eeKUelkO8Tn2Q1zXeguB2J8r8SwXeSCYy4JyetnMD1yyrTO5/s320/4_20+Wood5.jpg" border="0" alt=""id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5595525724597045842" /></a><br /><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhrqAJ6sKja2Wx2DnnIsKeN5B7U94yeP0pw2c_DkWFGspPA5-QFi5goOxPhb2XOJA3ujMe19UhV7ezOKGdikfSWCX7x8YHmSPBekXJ3eBnJouN4QFKMe_peLL4pAk8tjLg0krsTtv7X5BCb/s1600/4_20+Wood6.jpg"><img style="display:block; margin:0px auto 10px; text-align:center;cursor:pointer; cursor:hand;width: 320px; height: 214px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhrqAJ6sKja2Wx2DnnIsKeN5B7U94yeP0pw2c_DkWFGspPA5-QFi5goOxPhb2XOJA3ujMe19UhV7ezOKGdikfSWCX7x8YHmSPBekXJ3eBnJouN4QFKMe_peLL4pAk8tjLg0krsTtv7X5BCb/s320/4_20+Wood6.jpg" border="0" alt=""id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5595525507133198498" /></a><br />It’s hard to pick a favorite wood type because it’s all so fascinating! Most wood type is old, a relic of a time when casting large sizes of metal type was difficult to achieve without bubbles or other imperfections in the molten lead. To add to the challenge, large metal type was heavy and hard to manipulate in forms. Specialized manufacturers of wood type sprang up and did a booming business throughout the 19th and early 20th century.<br /><br />One of my favorite wood types, Gothic Flourish, is shown below. It was manufactured by Hamilton Wood Type circa 1892. I love the odd squiggly letters with long tails that extend into each other. <br /><br /><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjGPPDLaMkUML0_Sj1BEJiMFfggvJlyOuEs02EFMeEphGuvpavKN9noieI7pYAymk-I0iR8GqyvDsUB9GHVFRcL4rRKuuh9RBgsOpho2lowaz09JLQR-G_YLz9WhJJfmHvLv3S9yVg3Nx2I/s1600/4_20+Wood1.jpg"><img style="display:block; margin:0px auto 10px; text-align:center;cursor:pointer; cursor:hand;width: 320px; height: 163px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjGPPDLaMkUML0_Sj1BEJiMFfggvJlyOuEs02EFMeEphGuvpavKN9noieI7pYAymk-I0iR8GqyvDsUB9GHVFRcL4rRKuuh9RBgsOpho2lowaz09JLQR-G_YLz9WhJJfmHvLv3S9yVg3Nx2I/s320/4_20+Wood1.jpg" border="0" alt=""id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5595526394589122370" /></a><br />Another favorite is the Tuscan Antique that makes up the words “Amazing Hours” shown on the poster below. There were many varieties of Tuscan manufactured in wood ― this one dates back to 1859.<br /><br /><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjRyy8v0mX8C6vkWQeaHTekRZbAxy28Hrd6-vg4Ho3yuSA5Qhzxd47rZp2V-mOtQR3YC6jd1JnJ6mrU7h8dzB0T1SsDeRv8QkNardM6T7rUvTb1-VQXoOJyWxIjZlFD-V2UVxJ3wPvr0wYG/s1600/4_20+EIU+Poster.jpg"><img style="display:block; margin:0px auto 10px; text-align:center;cursor:pointer; cursor:hand;width: 240px; height: 320px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjRyy8v0mX8C6vkWQeaHTekRZbAxy28Hrd6-vg4Ho3yuSA5Qhzxd47rZp2V-mOtQR3YC6jd1JnJ6mrU7h8dzB0T1SsDeRv8QkNardM6T7rUvTb1-VQXoOJyWxIjZlFD-V2UVxJ3wPvr0wYG/s320/4_20+EIU+Poster.jpg" border="0" alt=""id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5595524454275065666" /></a><br /><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjzcnNhs_eDIaQIA0liaA29ggRqU_thTfaeg-jdknOj1M8d2EQHwShbcuuYgd8XDv5svkLAEry5G0ZlKwmGuVDRyeAlX397kdfpRjPjvIFqkP7wS5XPXG9c97DD4bX5dishchNw-Y0xgDWU/s1600/4_20+Wood3.jpg"><img style="display:block; margin:0px auto 10px; text-align:center;cursor:pointer; cursor:hand;width: 320px; height: 205px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjzcnNhs_eDIaQIA0liaA29ggRqU_thTfaeg-jdknOj1M8d2EQHwShbcuuYgd8XDv5svkLAEry5G0ZlKwmGuVDRyeAlX397kdfpRjPjvIFqkP7wS5XPXG9c97DD4bX5dishchNw-Y0xgDWU/s320/4_20+Wood3.jpg" border="0" alt=""id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5595526221261360210" /></a><br />Most wood type manufacturers stamped their name into the capital A’s of a font. Here’s an example from Cooley of New York.<br /><br /><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjoTHEu2ZDoY5_F3-S8eFLPxgJkZ2eJ-u-l17vHcZMUGoTlKFfSnkgi-ai2duebxp6eTUwiWSddT57jtkeO1xyaWJ7t8P2HepN88c7lDm7WOin4ArP6si8jUPmEk_hnpysucEpFk0GJh5e-/s1600/4_20+Wood+Maker.jpg"><img style="display:block; margin:0px auto 10px; text-align:center;cursor:pointer; cursor:hand;width: 320px; height: 310px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjoTHEu2ZDoY5_F3-S8eFLPxgJkZ2eJ-u-l17vHcZMUGoTlKFfSnkgi-ai2duebxp6eTUwiWSddT57jtkeO1xyaWJ7t8P2HepN88c7lDm7WOin4ArP6si8jUPmEk_hnpysucEpFk0GJh5e-/s320/4_20+Wood+Maker.jpg" border="0" alt=""id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5595524142940420050" /></a><br />I love wood ornaments, too, though they’re pretty hard to find. The random corners and decorative ornaments shown below all came to us from S.G. Adams, an old St. Louis printing firm. Unfortunately, we don’t always have four corners, which means we either need to make multiple impressions or improvise.<br /><br /><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEihs6CocVGoq6HPvHOeM68mprABu3n8fPA7LEk7Pzg2EHQhUJ32TdTDiR4nmBnz214bkCvaM4rugLXdkYOq_uw2hEpA_Et43OBty_KIbMbPDiRQW21e_92YhAMDnkmlvLs47PCOnTAuojBx/s1600/4_20+Wood+Ornament.jpg"><img style="display:block; margin:0px auto 10px; text-align:center;cursor:pointer; cursor:hand;width: 320px; height: 205px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEihs6CocVGoq6HPvHOeM68mprABu3n8fPA7LEk7Pzg2EHQhUJ32TdTDiR4nmBnz214bkCvaM4rugLXdkYOq_uw2hEpA_Et43OBty_KIbMbPDiRQW21e_92YhAMDnkmlvLs47PCOnTAuojBx/s320/4_20+Wood+Ornament.jpg" border="0" alt=""id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5595523794576673634" /></a><br />It’s fun to collect certain characters in wood. The piece below shows part of our collection of wood ampersands. Of all the characters, I think the ampersand is my favorite, maybe because it’s so swashy and carefree. That and the Q, which seem to be a different design in virtually each font of type made. <br /><br /><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEin6TCW8wxVkUASjopJwsBY0bWek1wC21Y4aB8ZBWlH1b4_i_gEEcjmniCqW6PXLFIXLtsvGZ1EkrEwMWXIvcmaqIou6xD7W2FVUdzo3TBR-A5k0zFaHQEgP_0u70l5nn0k-vnaCvSK5LYP/s1600/4_20+Wood+Ampersands.jpg"><img style="display:block; margin:0px auto 10px; text-align:center;cursor:pointer; cursor:hand;width: 240px; height: 320px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEin6TCW8wxVkUASjopJwsBY0bWek1wC21Y4aB8ZBWlH1b4_i_gEEcjmniCqW6PXLFIXLtsvGZ1EkrEwMWXIvcmaqIou6xD7W2FVUdzo3TBR-A5k0zFaHQEgP_0u70l5nn0k-vnaCvSK5LYP/s320/4_20+Wood+Ampersands.jpg" border="0" alt=""id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5595522722369555746" /></a><br />Sometimes you’ll find a piece of wood type with a letter on both sides. Usually you can tell which side was hand carved. If the printer ran out of a letter, he’d whittle the needed character on the back of another piece of wood type, and no one would be the wiser once the job was printed.<br /><br /><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjpG1GK2ExFZmW1og2CV9U59Xx5qLfA7FXap8C80rdd_i3VjFjWfDc8nidXsP4kc3tnkuRZTeNUFd5aTOwUiTpvpHTDr7yen-fR-RMFjltZRNRRN_KdSe1Q2JeEQ56kII-iiidOBFqcxoxp/s1600/4_20+Wood+Letter.jpg"><img style="display:block; margin:0px auto 10px; text-align:center;cursor:pointer; cursor:hand;width: 214px; height: 320px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjpG1GK2ExFZmW1og2CV9U59Xx5qLfA7FXap8C80rdd_i3VjFjWfDc8nidXsP4kc3tnkuRZTeNUFd5aTOwUiTpvpHTDr7yen-fR-RMFjltZRNRRN_KdSe1Q2JeEQ56kII-iiidOBFqcxoxp/s320/4_20+Wood+Letter.jpg" border="0" alt=""id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5595523143345203986" /></a><br />Wood type is a natural for printing posters. Below are some examples of posters printed by us and by members of our national APA printing group: <br /><br /><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi-6Ojaq-jDFD2jZedAHLONj0w_bQlbV2jEr6ktZ4Ysb061i66T8evt2fXluWlPp-uTzwzouHC1WVdVAsFklg3IqwnoqI-jWKFV55uyn6ODDkJ_-dbq6f4XEabOkR8jFlEXRWx5dOlgsSnl/s1600/4_20+Steamer+Wayzgoose.jpg"><img style="display:block; margin:0px auto 10px; text-align:center;cursor:pointer; cursor:hand;width: 212px; height: 320px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi-6Ojaq-jDFD2jZedAHLONj0w_bQlbV2jEr6ktZ4Ysb061i66T8evt2fXluWlPp-uTzwzouHC1WVdVAsFklg3IqwnoqI-jWKFV55uyn6ODDkJ_-dbq6f4XEabOkR8jFlEXRWx5dOlgsSnl/s320/4_20+Steamer+Wayzgoose.jpg" border="0" alt=""id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5595527951264242770" /></a><br /><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgtzmmuPMs6W2RMH9Z8IqHO3Q_oKSuQgBKHyxU8auY1i95IAUPU4S3t6y9ZdzYSyThrb80QxHwd2BByApYZwxszaqhO_mRkG-CR3mKJ6b52sr1_g0k07QyBnS3Rdvhrok9dFdU2jIHji-Ne/s1600/4_20+Wood+is+Good.jpg"><img style="display:block; margin:0px auto 10px; text-align:center;cursor:pointer; cursor:hand;width: 253px; height: 320px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgtzmmuPMs6W2RMH9Z8IqHO3Q_oKSuQgBKHyxU8auY1i95IAUPU4S3t6y9ZdzYSyThrb80QxHwd2BByApYZwxszaqhO_mRkG-CR3mKJ6b52sr1_g0k07QyBnS3Rdvhrok9dFdU2jIHji-Ne/s320/4_20+Wood+is+Good.jpg" border="0" alt=""id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5595527787781089074" /></a><br /><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhTw2vxTSkB1iM2JWwnpX3DIIp7CGLnXwzFUpbuImpKnzet4iKwyIIBqkYtZtjlZHcKnmkZezQ49lNoMhxs6PBWDt08Pm2q5IqB9a1B47AwE9tyT-VON9oCtWOxLcSlNSRea0CL8FNJ4OMA/s1600/4_20+Wood+Posters.jpg"><img style="display:block; margin:0px auto 10px; text-align:center;cursor:pointer; cursor:hand;width: 193px; height: 320px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhTw2vxTSkB1iM2JWwnpX3DIIp7CGLnXwzFUpbuImpKnzet4iKwyIIBqkYtZtjlZHcKnmkZezQ49lNoMhxs6PBWDt08Pm2q5IqB9a1B47AwE9tyT-VON9oCtWOxLcSlNSRea0CL8FNJ4OMA/s320/4_20+Wood+Posters.jpg" border="0" alt=""id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5595523464462448370" /></a><br />Wood type is so tactile, so beautiful in its own way. To me the carefully carved designs on old oiled wood are an art form in themselves. Happily, wood type is now being manufactured in the 21st century and used in letterpress design. But I still treasure the delightful old stuff in our basement. How I wish it could talk and share a little of the history of where it’s been!<br /><br /><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiqyQi5kUdAgC-omoLrAvwMeMa4511zxfDrqq84-y-ZLmq8PyA0ts8SyRFJAOSvWG4GUJTQjcMDEixCTLDCOBflBTd6reAi0PaVrVNls-xztGSN-Uv-v5PenEDhh2jviSPEgkOysYc0Cwff/s1600/4_20+Wood4.jpg"><img style="display:block; margin:0px auto 10px; text-align:center;cursor:pointer; cursor:hand;width: 320px; height: 208px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiqyQi5kUdAgC-omoLrAvwMeMa4511zxfDrqq84-y-ZLmq8PyA0ts8SyRFJAOSvWG4GUJTQjcMDEixCTLDCOBflBTd6reAi0PaVrVNls-xztGSN-Uv-v5PenEDhh2jviSPEgkOysYc0Cwff/s320/4_20+Wood4.jpg" border="0" alt=""id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5595525906518853394" /></a>Carolehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/02307495903453367329noreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4886792988995668775.post-90062982189140825052011-04-13T05:00:00.000-07:002011-04-13T17:11:16.816-07:00I Love Cuts: Planes, Trains, Boats, and Automobiles<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg3vQqRAysD74wC0uqDyMdljcjmYgWivAJ79OkQk51lXvNK3RNO7JMAK80PE6aQRhrcaqctKEdk_DPYD5ExDy5_4abyRPLs8AvZ21HSpnIvXdNrBy3i_m-VPHV0wKo___I0vis6Mp5GBSD8/s1600/4_13+Trans+Cuts3.jpg"><img style="display:block; margin:0px auto 10px; text-align:center;cursor:pointer; cursor:hand;width: 320px; height: 238px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg3vQqRAysD74wC0uqDyMdljcjmYgWivAJ79OkQk51lXvNK3RNO7JMAK80PE6aQRhrcaqctKEdk_DPYD5ExDy5_4abyRPLs8AvZ21HSpnIvXdNrBy3i_m-VPHV0wKo___I0vis6Mp5GBSD8/s320/4_13+Trans+Cuts3.jpg" border="0" alt=""id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5594370456830334114" /></a><br />Some of my favorite printer’s cuts relate to transportation ― by locomotive, biplane, steamboat, clipper ship, Model T Ford, hot air balloon, or even horse-drawn hearse! Most of these vehicles are dated since printer’s cuts aren’t a 21st century item, but that’s part of their charm. No cuts of supersonic jets, bullet trains, or space shuttles exist as far as I know, but that’s okay. I’m perfectly content to stick with the old stuff!<br /><br />Letterpress cuts of old cars can be light-hearted and humorous, as the pictures above and below show. It’s a world few people remember first-hand, when the automobile was a novelty, and driving on dirt roads either an adventure or an exercise in frustration. And then there are the logos for old cars you can’t buy anymore ― Auburn, Durant, Packard, Studebaker, and Nash ― all collectible and fun to play with.<br /><br /><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj54cHl8TWV_RXyAMgaUAMrXTrUpIbcE9qVrHV0rd9PQrApVbhrV8lgflDpD5EZRLLHJlQLCEY7pw1Ukoa91-ZsKOGMcUSPaEwBbLQzALj6j_kFxmZsGNMsJtZAxRL3jKDDINA2tqoHl8Ey/s1600/4_13+Old+Autos.jpg"><img style="display:block; margin:0px auto 10px; text-align:center;cursor:pointer; cursor:hand;width: 320px; height: 156px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj54cHl8TWV_RXyAMgaUAMrXTrUpIbcE9qVrHV0rd9PQrApVbhrV8lgflDpD5EZRLLHJlQLCEY7pw1Ukoa91-ZsKOGMcUSPaEwBbLQzALj6j_kFxmZsGNMsJtZAxRL3jKDDINA2tqoHl8Ey/s320/4_13+Old+Autos.jpg" border="0" alt=""id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5594370168320802338" /></a><br /><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgzzIhmL955J87_-SQa-7no1rQrWh94vv4niW6tTxeJTwLRzt7BsyFgJ7xK6bMRIrVoR_uyYwmQsDNv2ms-EaEOgw2x6ZGawV5vfybV7l7wrGgZmgJIcLX7qszQPuU4eiHotUMvS27Ym_3O/s1600/4_13+Auto+Logos.jpg"><img style="display:block; margin:0px auto 10px; text-align:center;cursor:pointer; cursor:hand;width: 222px; height: 320px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgzzIhmL955J87_-SQa-7no1rQrWh94vv4niW6tTxeJTwLRzt7BsyFgJ7xK6bMRIrVoR_uyYwmQsDNv2ms-EaEOgw2x6ZGawV5vfybV7l7wrGgZmgJIcLX7qszQPuU4eiHotUMvS27Ym_3O/s320/4_13+Auto+Logos.jpg" border="0" alt=""id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5594370000342453986" /></a><br />I’ve written about train logos before, but didn’t get a chance to show any cuts of the trains themselves. Many of these were given to us by a friend who was a former employee of Con Curran, a St. Louis firm that printed for railroads. <br /><br /><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjtj1A2fYrOJlptWXTA-CUEsjGCPO3K49OyD38rVGgxwy3KO0srgv2RC29siQbxm1-hZpjoSrH7f7xJ5K22HpTZK7T3iamAQoXIxwaoIsaPdvTQDVDk9glsdmDc7weSe6HWGOUXtlwQ49dz/s1600/4_13+Trans+Cuts1.jpg"><img style="display:block; margin:0px auto 10px; text-align:center;cursor:pointer; cursor:hand;width: 320px; height: 206px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjtj1A2fYrOJlptWXTA-CUEsjGCPO3K49OyD38rVGgxwy3KO0srgv2RC29siQbxm1-hZpjoSrH7f7xJ5K22HpTZK7T3iamAQoXIxwaoIsaPdvTQDVDk9glsdmDc7weSe6HWGOUXtlwQ49dz/s320/4_13+Trans+Cuts1.jpg" border="0" alt=""id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5594369540878251506" /></a><br />Boats are another area of cuts to explore, and we especially enjoy them since my husband is a steamboat enthusiast. We were fortunate enough to receive a collection of steamboat cuts through our good friend Jimmy Swift who wrote for the Waterways Journal, a St Louis river-based magazine. We met Jimmy volunteering for the former Golden Eagle River Museum (see badge below). Jimmy Swift was a wonderful historian and writer who truly loved the river. In his will he provided a free memorial river cruise for his friends, complete with dinner and old-time banjo music. We printed a memorial piece for that cruise, featuring some of the riverboat cuts Jimmy had given us.<br /><br /><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj_qWV2yrnVzMv1AJ-j3cm6GQDClyyfY7Ac61I62Pxz_qO6acquk-ldObPo7UW_Rjh7S2nU8Z8Xc4Zjj_eXHMN-bVte1kxc3vPhSZLNdCdNAITIYWp6Bl03s_omURZtditq_oZakYEYKcgf/s1600/4_13+Trans+Cuts+4.jpg"><img style="display:block; margin:0px auto 10px; text-align:center;cursor:pointer; cursor:hand;width: 198px; height: 320px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj_qWV2yrnVzMv1AJ-j3cm6GQDClyyfY7Ac61I62Pxz_qO6acquk-ldObPo7UW_Rjh7S2nU8Z8Xc4Zjj_eXHMN-bVte1kxc3vPhSZLNdCdNAITIYWp6Bl03s_omURZtditq_oZakYEYKcgf/s320/4_13+Trans+Cuts+4.jpg" border="0" alt=""id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5594369130306318786" /></a><br /><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjJFspIORsizoKuSNOrs7ZGC2lxf4WKhWz9oto7QjFmuK6P_y_ha8VL89aJShkm0ctY1obYIlQ_J4IIO-gNUO4MdgSDGT_8GTJU6mHTWubqM74xUPIunTHtNMedTKe8WcRQTEmNyJd93GS5/s1600/4_13+Boat+Ticket+for+Goose.jpg"><img style="display:block; margin:0px auto 10px; text-align:center;cursor:pointer; cursor:hand;width: 320px; height: 171px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjJFspIORsizoKuSNOrs7ZGC2lxf4WKhWz9oto7QjFmuK6P_y_ha8VL89aJShkm0ctY1obYIlQ_J4IIO-gNUO4MdgSDGT_8GTJU6mHTWubqM74xUPIunTHtNMedTKe8WcRQTEmNyJd93GS5/s320/4_13+Boat+Ticket+for+Goose.jpg" border="0" alt=""id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5594368832937223106" /></a><br /><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjw75LJq60rNf1kQy0Z3khEj3AIyhpRTGxia1b7AaVPRKmMkPMg3viJNH_0hj3fNNozYTMz5YHhYOVHx8omzvXvqO3EtGxmkVJgw3pZPlxQowDPXulMp7XWMUKfkbe7fwpDuyNAp8d9LM2A/s1600/4_13+Golden+Eagle+Badge.jpg"><img style="display:block; margin:0px auto 10px; text-align:center;cursor:pointer; cursor:hand;width: 320px; height: 206px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjw75LJq60rNf1kQy0Z3khEj3AIyhpRTGxia1b7AaVPRKmMkPMg3viJNH_0hj3fNNozYTMz5YHhYOVHx8omzvXvqO3EtGxmkVJgw3pZPlxQowDPXulMp7XWMUKfkbe7fwpDuyNAp8d9LM2A/s320/4_13+Golden+Eagle+Badge.jpg" border="0" alt=""id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5594368716552698258" /></a><br /><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhIMhDhCW3SFCy-KnQDzCZiiBGx1pTIOSX6zTxyyaOesamSmJzJWgvzIj6x4pWegnZUsQhK8NtHzhPXX2oIh69Cey1mE_WwpNkry1xU7djY1hFYc0ZYx7UsTUuQgLmAddTYMFBwl6_FIW2x/s1600/4_13+Jimmy+Swift.jpg"><img style="display:block; margin:0px auto 10px; text-align:center;cursor:pointer; cursor:hand;width: 225px; height: 320px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhIMhDhCW3SFCy-KnQDzCZiiBGx1pTIOSX6zTxyyaOesamSmJzJWgvzIj6x4pWegnZUsQhK8NtHzhPXX2oIh69Cey1mE_WwpNkry1xU7djY1hFYc0ZYx7UsTUuQgLmAddTYMFBwl6_FIW2x/s320/4_13+Jimmy+Swift.jpg" border="0" alt=""id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5594368611183704994" /></a><br />Cuts of planes, trains, boats, and automobiles ― souvenirs of the past, and fascinating mementos to collect. One of our cut drawers below shows a few more kinds of transportation. How many can you spot?<br /><br /><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiaLh5tqCs_yRiUAVnHOrnDRLILJPz41mx3IXBW8TJp1_Vfgbbve9v6F-8nhXWp0fJVA5VsS7fa4F1UDX1ah_FZ7HQpusXsOuKpBWwmFokhZgfCxP5YcDxiL_V-isxUmStmO0AzVnt70fkZ/s1600/4_13+Trans+Cuts2.jpg"><img style="display:block; margin:0px auto 10px; text-align:center;cursor:pointer; cursor:hand;width: 247px; height: 320px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiaLh5tqCs_yRiUAVnHOrnDRLILJPz41mx3IXBW8TJp1_Vfgbbve9v6F-8nhXWp0fJVA5VsS7fa4F1UDX1ah_FZ7HQpusXsOuKpBWwmFokhZgfCxP5YcDxiL_V-isxUmStmO0AzVnt70fkZ/s320/4_13+Trans+Cuts2.jpg" border="0" alt=""id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5594367845066737506" /></a>Carolehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/02307495903453367329noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4886792988995668775.post-8040731422800498002011-04-06T05:00:00.000-07:002011-04-06T05:00:06.647-07:00Traveling Type Nerds Visit Museums<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhql029cHvvp6yGPV05zXKYCdQWSm3tQQKWff_B9dyJAohxZ9pxHfWA1U5UdXquNy2pNCfwD-gN3I5ntVsWF0etgpcNI4lIOITr1ZFNrmHz9AnOqHA4E4RWmCsdTsodxPG0wSEu87DmgJXo/s1600/4_6+Press+at+Shaker+village.jpg"><img style="display:block; margin:0px auto 10px; text-align:center;cursor:pointer; cursor:hand;width: 320px; height: 234px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhql029cHvvp6yGPV05zXKYCdQWSm3tQQKWff_B9dyJAohxZ9pxHfWA1U5UdXquNy2pNCfwD-gN3I5ntVsWF0etgpcNI4lIOITr1ZFNrmHz9AnOqHA4E4RWmCsdTsodxPG0wSEu87DmgJXo/s320/4_6+Press+at+Shaker+village.jpg" border="0" alt=""id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5590365066000729746" /></a><br />Ever wonder what happens when type nerds like my husband and myself visit printing displays at museums? Are we bored because we already know how the presses work? Not on your life! <br /><br />Instead, we linger. After that first printing demonstration, most people head to another part of the museum. We’re too fascinated to move. Second demo, we’re still watching. Third demo, you guessed it, still there. After awhile the printer notices, and we get talking type. We share our card and pieces we’ve printed. Sometimes we’re even invited behind the scenes.<br /><br />That’s what happened at the Smithsonian in Washington, D.C. We were thoroughly enjoying the depth of their printing collection: the type-casting machines and marvelous old time presses. After hanging out for maybe half a hour watching the demonstration, the printer learned we were fellow printing hobbyists. We ended up being invited to pull an impression on the wooden common press he was demonstrating. <br /><br /><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEict222Ojkc1Ev-7lhXm90zGL9RLIBkVf5LZUzM-23iULbptLqEuosBZgUPGJnT-wBKORY4GABhchqBcK63k31F3sjQCZgiGtT_HNXwuVEbMfDfNDpwtRab49ZT5EsVVouUydMaltaeDAng/s1600/4_6+Smithsonian+Casters.jpg"><img style="display:block; margin:0px auto 10px; text-align:center;cursor:pointer; cursor:hand;width: 310px; height: 320px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEict222Ojkc1Ev-7lhXm90zGL9RLIBkVf5LZUzM-23iULbptLqEuosBZgUPGJnT-wBKORY4GABhchqBcK63k31F3sjQCZgiGtT_HNXwuVEbMfDfNDpwtRab49ZT5EsVVouUydMaltaeDAng/s320/4_6+Smithsonian+Casters.jpg" border="0" alt=""id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5590364873427970002" /></a><br /><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi7En17n5gYdzO46VD4SFuJkU2PJLf_VSHyVafEgBCo-OFD8d-AuwYcKqfZLYZBpAHYxuwV6fYR5bWddvjW8_ueB6SZy0ytaU8gxHR_QrIMwwF1Yan1pTJiF3UjnPVUgnvb5XyMhteA2w3l/s1600/4_6+Smithsonian+Presses.jpg"><img style="display:block; margin:0px auto 10px; text-align:center;cursor:pointer; cursor:hand;width: 320px; height: 221px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi7En17n5gYdzO46VD4SFuJkU2PJLf_VSHyVafEgBCo-OFD8d-AuwYcKqfZLYZBpAHYxuwV6fYR5bWddvjW8_ueB6SZy0ytaU8gxHR_QrIMwwF1Yan1pTJiF3UjnPVUgnvb5XyMhteA2w3l/s320/4_6+Smithsonian+Presses.jpg" border="0" alt=""id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5590364772095312834" /></a><br />Sometimes half the thrill is getting to know another printer. At the Farmer’s Museum in Cooperstown, New York, the employee demonstrating the press was interested in acquiring his own press someday. Since we were en route to a printer’s convention in New York City later in the week, we told him about it and he ended up attending. <br /><br /><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhG6zGJJnoNUJzTukPAkZNl4Nu6TICQB9xYKYctam9c5NrSnOG2i3qUeHbP0bzmR_uWEp-Lu0T6FGIzLgg1qwNmzl5_CkVQ5Oy3Owv-iQNOjgIKic_l3Q7rLCztblsUUOJT82NBsIHHMQKK/s1600/4_6+Farmers+Museum.jpg"><img style="display:block; margin:0px auto 10px; text-align:center;cursor:pointer; cursor:hand;width: 204px; height: 320px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhG6zGJJnoNUJzTukPAkZNl4Nu6TICQB9xYKYctam9c5NrSnOG2i3qUeHbP0bzmR_uWEp-Lu0T6FGIzLgg1qwNmzl5_CkVQ5Oy3Owv-iQNOjgIKic_l3Q7rLCztblsUUOJT82NBsIHHMQKK/s320/4_6+Farmers+Museum.jpg" border="0" alt=""id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5590364506693887554" /></a><br />Incidentally, most of our time at the Farmer’s Museum was spent in two places: in the regular print shop, and in a shop with a press for printing wallpaper (something we’d never seen before). We had free tickets to the Baseball Hall of Fame, but we never got there – having too much fun hanging out in print shops!<br /><br /><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEib1fsatw1DU77crRZgS8lB0yWSAuvu9MhzqPjqtZT-ziE0zv0U71t_-8E0qcE5pARUQ43E_wa5zdakmUY2pDqpniF30yL_BXD5koICDww4eKZ1oMg7eAvAIEgqb0q8Pulu4E25pEw3YPox/s1600/4_6+Printing+Wallpaper.jpg"><img style="display:block; margin:0px auto 10px; text-align:center;cursor:pointer; cursor:hand;width: 320px; height: 262px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEib1fsatw1DU77crRZgS8lB0yWSAuvu9MhzqPjqtZT-ziE0zv0U71t_-8E0qcE5pARUQ43E_wa5zdakmUY2pDqpniF30yL_BXD5koICDww4eKZ1oMg7eAvAIEgqb0q8Pulu4E25pEw3YPox/s320/4_6+Printing+Wallpaper.jpg" border="0" alt=""id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5590364314229358882" /></a><br />Sometimes we just luck out. At a prominent museum in the American Southwest, we were disappointed to hear the print shop was closed for renovations. Wandering into the courtyard, we spotted a man wearing what from a distance looked like a printer’s apron. Could it be? We asked him and sure enough, he was the printer. After talking awhile, we were invited behind the scenes and got to see the shop after all.<br /><br />I need to mention one more printing display: this one at the Missouri Historical Society where my husband works. Notice the video display explaining how this old cast iron press from the Waterloo Advocate works. That’s my husband, demonstrating the press. He loved doing it, too!<br /><br /><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjbZ2_D9rey2lYOp0uWluS1GDygegcqRRt8j66CMxTXKYgZte6Szbw3h_q8-y_M6UCJw14LelyU7YizyayBztH1mdhIPrHsgyI6SO7dlKw-Vq7frwY8BN2eFgFHCt9rM_6eNEiEXf_iub3l/s1600/4_6+MHS+Press+and+Bob.jpg"><img style="display:block; margin:0px auto 10px; text-align:center;cursor:pointer; cursor:hand;width: 236px; height: 320px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjbZ2_D9rey2lYOp0uWluS1GDygegcqRRt8j66CMxTXKYgZte6Szbw3h_q8-y_M6UCJw14LelyU7YizyayBztH1mdhIPrHsgyI6SO7dlKw-Vq7frwY8BN2eFgFHCt9rM_6eNEiEXf_iub3l/s320/4_6+MHS+Press+and+Bob.jpg" border="0" alt=""id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5590364089502686194" /></a><br />Type nerds never get tired of print shops. It’s an endless addiction. Printer’s ink gets in your blood, so to speak. You can’t get enough. Historic sites and museums with print shops rise to the top of your “must see” list. You spend hours. You take pictures of everything. It’s a disease, but an thoroughly enjoyable one to have.<br /><br /><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjWQzGveXezPZIfM6M0Kn4w5E1VH5txV5bxeUdw8Ih_9iOi2Dy0ehdrXu9lezQDNUFkhxuFxsHIyAPkOHdHA7Q0mAiDJti_d2or3XxSlbTFYcLI3TSXjOOCnLWzb2vHVZY64y6YJDsWuR1p/s1600/IMG_3772.JPG"><img style="display:block; margin:0px auto 10px; text-align:center;cursor:pointer; cursor:hand;width: 214px; height: 320px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjWQzGveXezPZIfM6M0Kn4w5E1VH5txV5bxeUdw8Ih_9iOi2Dy0ehdrXu9lezQDNUFkhxuFxsHIyAPkOHdHA7Q0mAiDJti_d2or3XxSlbTFYcLI3TSXjOOCnLWzb2vHVZY64y6YJDsWuR1p/s320/IMG_3772.JPG" border="0" alt=""id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5590394779948229378" /></a><br /><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhtVi_-d9950BA8IaZiQwY8gEhS4KHgWmE0lqVvLGWAi9nLdDWWaNKWgfGqJ_g-HL2BHVeFFq02r1QnKO51OFaHE-KoofmxTZnToTBeniz4qXu7z2C_UJ0wjnHpFtBjYIwvVKel4Ebeg48v/s1600/IMG_3788.JPG"><img style="display:block; margin:0px auto 10px; text-align:center;cursor:pointer; cursor:hand;width: 320px; height: 214px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhtVi_-d9950BA8IaZiQwY8gEhS4KHgWmE0lqVvLGWAi9nLdDWWaNKWgfGqJ_g-HL2BHVeFFq02r1QnKO51OFaHE-KoofmxTZnToTBeniz4qXu7z2C_UJ0wjnHpFtBjYIwvVKel4Ebeg48v/s320/IMG_3788.JPG" border="0" alt=""id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5590394054443159618" /></a>Carolehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/02307495903453367329noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4886792988995668775.post-38587489340113579302011-03-30T05:00:00.000-07:002011-03-30T05:00:17.179-07:00Traveling Type Nerds Check Out Signs<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgglncIz70M-aKUrwF1wC_PtPHC6t7g9S1c8BmC7RrwXbvI4JOZ9gZ0yF7_px9RC2rlPRUJsqEwFYENU_zbZv_JL-qe8Sx-oczfd9nft72uS8lTwqW1vyjnVmwjSmWBjRps87yRd5Qmhj0s/s1600/3_30+Quaker+Oats.JPG"><img style="display:block; margin:0px auto 10px; text-align:center;cursor:pointer; cursor:hand;width: 242px; height: 320px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgglncIz70M-aKUrwF1wC_PtPHC6t7g9S1c8BmC7RrwXbvI4JOZ9gZ0yF7_px9RC2rlPRUJsqEwFYENU_zbZv_JL-qe8Sx-oczfd9nft72uS8lTwqW1vyjnVmwjSmWBjRps87yRd5Qmhj0s/s320/3_30+Quaker+Oats.JPG" border="0" alt=""id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5588959876358308658" /></a><br />My husband and I freely admit to being a couple of type nerds. Other people just read signs on commercial buildings; we check out type styles on signs. Is the type interesting, attractive, and well suited to the business? Some type is; some isn’t.<br /><br />So many typefaces on signs now are bland and generic, the inevitable plain sans serifs. While readable (a good thing), these Helvetica clones can be boring. It’s like going to an ice cream shop with 98 flavors and choosing vanilla. <br /><br />Still, if you keep your eyes open when you travel, you’ll see fascinating signs. There are old signs (see the top of this blog) and new ones (see below). Newer signs sometimes mingle type styles, as in the awning for this tavern. Just looking at the type on the sign makes you feel like it’s a hip, trendy place to hang out.<br /><br /><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjobtObdM_TGNW_5_rY1f5kTkPdVQW5dSFEiGw7-J1xfT0WHtezjui_oK-kRDe-VdPJfoWpsW2t7Jo6MXlZjxzYLQDonhcizo0teUU_AQB4Q7Tjj2b4WnverHOB3VYJgR-U15p8nKPLOqep/s1600/3_30+Stella+Blues.jpg"><img style="display:block; margin:0px auto 10px; text-align:center;cursor:pointer; cursor:hand;width: 320px; height: 194px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjobtObdM_TGNW_5_rY1f5kTkPdVQW5dSFEiGw7-J1xfT0WHtezjui_oK-kRDe-VdPJfoWpsW2t7Jo6MXlZjxzYLQDonhcizo0teUU_AQB4Q7Tjj2b4WnverHOB3VYJgR-U15p8nKPLOqep/s320/3_30+Stella+Blues.jpg" border="0" alt=""id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5588959504758991122" /></a><br />Other signs use specially designed letters to create a certain mood. This cafe sign, spotlighted in neon, has a modern, fun look. You’d expect the food to be innovative and tasty just by looking at the type on the sign. <br /><br /><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhioreqOfShNFASDwM7MYXcJ82sfO9Jp-RGxSjK3dhGiHR6hUCm_r3IWGPCLNy_tHy_p1OfXgS-Ea3KVcbmSgfyseS_4SWJSn645cSymmBo7RN49CxHg9vr87PSLtXfQw8fz0-e04vmUz7E/s1600/3_30+Cafe+Mochi.jpg"><img style="display:block; margin:0px auto 10px; text-align:center;cursor:pointer; cursor:hand;width: 280px; height: 320px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhioreqOfShNFASDwM7MYXcJ82sfO9Jp-RGxSjK3dhGiHR6hUCm_r3IWGPCLNy_tHy_p1OfXgS-Ea3KVcbmSgfyseS_4SWJSn645cSymmBo7RN49CxHg9vr87PSLtXfQw8fz0-e04vmUz7E/s320/3_30+Cafe+Mochi.jpg" border="0" alt=""id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5588959088036521026" /></a><br />On the other hand, this sign for a restaurant/tavern along the river in a small town seems to have missed the boat, to use a bad pun. For a restaurant located in a historic district with a pretty river setting, you’d expect a sign with old-time lettering like steamboat jig work. Instead this sign makes you feel that food here may be ordinary at best.<br /><br /><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhOCTgBL9l0jNYIuATATY7mNJfL3Jaql1Z09bWYLBvkYPZspjTPFkHKzNK7Yy4Oc1z-UCgWVJhIsk5xvnxnSGQdPeIiwMidbEFxhY5mx8EHtTY6iFSj1TGPo6_Lpgb_cGn71L75LWHnHcnT/s1600/3_30+River+Tavern.JPG"><img style="display:block; margin:0px auto 10px; text-align:center;cursor:pointer; cursor:hand;width: 320px; height: 195px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhOCTgBL9l0jNYIuATATY7mNJfL3Jaql1Z09bWYLBvkYPZspjTPFkHKzNK7Yy4Oc1z-UCgWVJhIsk5xvnxnSGQdPeIiwMidbEFxhY5mx8EHtTY6iFSj1TGPo6_Lpgb_cGn71L75LWHnHcnT/s320/3_30+River+Tavern.JPG" border="0" alt=""id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5588958849632580034" /></a><br />Using the right type on a sign can make customers feel good about shopping at a business without knowing why. But using the wrong type can jolt or confuse people. <br /><br />It’s hard to go wrong with a classic, as this bookstore sign shows. Using Roman style capitals similar to Hadriano Stonecut, this sign makes you feel that there’s good reading inside the door. There’s a literary feel, an understated elegance, that says a booklover would enjoy this place.<br /><br /><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjxT-rLRoG0e9-MzPU7p8Y2MIOkP-B2qUKCPvqjAUQbt9hnE-U8EJzgiWr-jyY5W2Q4NbYQMA6SyLeCoVPQUEQwWQin4nogqJEfjzhIaSHl5N4z62uN5eKfD0FPgAWQkBxgXOE1_cQ2yvxx/s1600/3_30+Bookstore2.jpg"><img style="display:block; margin:0px auto 10px; text-align:center;cursor:pointer; cursor:hand;width: 242px; height: 320px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjxT-rLRoG0e9-MzPU7p8Y2MIOkP-B2qUKCPvqjAUQbt9hnE-U8EJzgiWr-jyY5W2Q4NbYQMA6SyLeCoVPQUEQwWQin4nogqJEfjzhIaSHl5N4z62uN5eKfD0FPgAWQkBxgXOE1_cQ2yvxx/s320/3_30+Bookstore2.jpg" border="0" alt=""id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5588958605180241538" /></a><br />In the other hand, the used auto business sign below uses Old English in glaring red and black. That might be perfect for a medieval pub, but really doesn’t fit with the sleek modern image of cars.<br /><br /><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj1EDpzfiKlgeMo2mooBCZhMcZ15R3qDsncxfnrMbNfbbspoiGAeanuxNEnrWeau5zmZDDiJ5ozw3u7pT-Vh_9qoXaBPTURt8BVyeGRZMahdljJoLYO7kBYSnQm3Mjp0taEZDG35vqxWPuF/s1600/3_30+Auto+Dealer.jpg"><img style="display:block; margin:0px auto 10px; text-align:center;cursor:pointer; cursor:hand;width: 320px; height: 208px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj1EDpzfiKlgeMo2mooBCZhMcZ15R3qDsncxfnrMbNfbbspoiGAeanuxNEnrWeau5zmZDDiJ5ozw3u7pT-Vh_9qoXaBPTURt8BVyeGRZMahdljJoLYO7kBYSnQm3Mjp0taEZDG35vqxWPuF/s320/3_30+Auto+Dealer.jpg" border="0" alt=""id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5588958318229319394" /></a><br />The sign for old fashioned donuts below has letters that are appropriately fat and round. Can you imagine a donut shop sign with skinny, stick-like letters, and would you go there? Donuts are a simple pleasure, and this sign is simple too, but with a flair that says old time bakery. <br /><br /><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg9LE1ich-zllor1p_rq264iSfYb2tUwqBMQeNQLeKU8oBQviw0-UEnCegZwdOgH2UJbDPOb7LYkao6a3min8MeI1D3RQkIHS4WZi134Fzn9Rs6qXpzjQo-RefFWZh95254qVHnyaUbNyJv/s1600/3_30+Donuts.jpg"><img style="display:block; margin:0px auto 10px; text-align:center;cursor:pointer; cursor:hand;width: 320px; height: 112px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg9LE1ich-zllor1p_rq264iSfYb2tUwqBMQeNQLeKU8oBQviw0-UEnCegZwdOgH2UJbDPOb7LYkao6a3min8MeI1D3RQkIHS4WZi134Fzn9Rs6qXpzjQo-RefFWZh95254qVHnyaUbNyJv/s320/3_30+Donuts.jpg" border="0" alt=""id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5588958087069409938" /></a><br />Unfortunately, this sign for a nail salon shows no hint of upscale femininity. The thick, clunky type, a computer-fattened takeoff on Art Deco, makes you feel like your nails will weigh a thousand pounds when you leave. <br /><br /><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg7iExmadugDe4suHatPodyXBFmZ3-DFX25EV5CYvI3HWO2ddhsFyEfy1FY8Eg4sMHOHhgyDu0WnSMC-yVqXZCn8toLqnbzQ05y8o5aPnD-QBj5M3RRj1iL9WkP75AnHAnmEwAm09BHmnMD/s1600/3_30+Nail+Care.jpg"><img style="display:block; margin:0px auto 10px; text-align:center;cursor:pointer; cursor:hand;width: 320px; height: 213px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg7iExmadugDe4suHatPodyXBFmZ3-DFX25EV5CYvI3HWO2ddhsFyEfy1FY8Eg4sMHOHhgyDu0WnSMC-yVqXZCn8toLqnbzQ05y8o5aPnD-QBj5M3RRj1iL9WkP75AnHAnmEwAm09BHmnMD/s320/3_30+Nail+Care.jpg" border="0" alt=""id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5588957797939408738" /></a><br />Similarly this sign for a Chinese restaurant is a study in confusion. The garish red and green awning has distorted textlike letters that almost defy description. It makes you wonder what kind of strange Oriental food you will encounter within. <br /><br /><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgPizAlVD-gfI1Yya06VHvom89a2h9LqNypzON1LxzoyPAea1NoqYEObaJUihdIA0t8IsfZAgw7cpWUzFKMEhlgBCqQambNO1zegIggE_l-w7EvEIqgTvkkaNGrr2ScMxst5-18r8nS7Vb-/s1600/3_30+Chinese+Restaurant.JPG"><img style="display:block; margin:0px auto 10px; text-align:center;cursor:pointer; cursor:hand;width: 320px; height: 238px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgPizAlVD-gfI1Yya06VHvom89a2h9LqNypzON1LxzoyPAea1NoqYEObaJUihdIA0t8IsfZAgw7cpWUzFKMEhlgBCqQambNO1zegIggE_l-w7EvEIqgTvkkaNGrr2ScMxst5-18r8nS7Vb-/s320/3_30+Chinese+Restaurant.JPG" border="0" alt=""id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5588957507022957474" /></a><br />A perfect example of type used in the right way is this sign for a music store. The Celtic style type makes the storefront distinctive. You can almost hear the sound of the harps and pipes and see the Irish dancers. <br /><br /><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiguw3fWobrfcUKBjE06nrNvtHveLUXHjZt4U43MO32G5UfO2GPb5eEZeLX6Guhz9S3BHknJpdNTM6L9TanDDaq2pGFtH2lahLlGUEBxpSew1E4WBoUzixfchSL3mnLNJiO5nmeY2zha1gv/s1600/3_30+Music+Folk.jpg"><img style="display:block; margin:0px auto 10px; text-align:center;cursor:pointer; cursor:hand;width: 320px; height: 208px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiguw3fWobrfcUKBjE06nrNvtHveLUXHjZt4U43MO32G5UfO2GPb5eEZeLX6Guhz9S3BHknJpdNTM6L9TanDDaq2pGFtH2lahLlGUEBxpSew1E4WBoUzixfchSL3mnLNJiO5nmeY2zha1gv/s320/3_30+Music+Folk.jpg" border="0" alt=""id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5588957265231392818" /></a><br />Being a traveling type nerd is fun. All it takes is a little observation. How does a sign make you feel about the business it represents? What good and bad examples of type usage on signs have you seen?Carolehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/02307495903453367329noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4886792988995668775.post-41570712917142468242011-03-23T05:00:00.000-07:002011-03-23T05:00:14.053-07:00Printing for Treasure Gems<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgAHp4paKxoi8rsUBbAjwelq_kboF2N0eyLkAxvuibwiJLuod_ZjCXEfwPgd-Jq7Y7dkSapcReWWNKbwBtUmev1DUB87jRC4ESlPRuul4jsbHvy77tnRiw9qVbKyK2eP7jPkbq2MR8GUAMw/s1600/3_23+Vertical+Writing.jpg"><img style="display:block; margin:0px auto 10px; text-align:center;cursor:pointer; cursor:hand;width: 233px; height: 320px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgAHp4paKxoi8rsUBbAjwelq_kboF2N0eyLkAxvuibwiJLuod_ZjCXEfwPgd-Jq7Y7dkSapcReWWNKbwBtUmev1DUB87jRC4ESlPRuul4jsbHvy77tnRiw9qVbKyK2eP7jPkbq2MR8GUAMw/s320/3_23+Vertical+Writing.jpg" border="0" alt=""id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5587024496293375474" /></a><br />Treasure Gems, a bound 4 ½ by 6 yearbook of printing contributions by members of the Amalgamated Printers Association (APA) began in 1971, the same year I joined the group. It took me a little while to get going though – my first Treasure Gems piece was a quote from Emerson printed in 1978: <br /><br /><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiTCepeuXX1S11iPv1tIb6FYRH6vUUwJV9-QoaFtqCjQmuL61j9B-_Iud3IdzzCvFyXt2EJPaXvUevHnfLO19srwBMvS1CQ46s9HWnC9S8JgcLGTnI6ptgWQFuPyRiZgkecL6Q_5yfOCPRy/s1600/3_23+Emerson.jpg"><img style="display:block; margin:0px auto 10px; text-align:center;cursor:pointer; cursor:hand;width: 215px; height: 320px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiTCepeuXX1S11iPv1tIb6FYRH6vUUwJV9-QoaFtqCjQmuL61j9B-_Iud3IdzzCvFyXt2EJPaXvUevHnfLO19srwBMvS1CQ46s9HWnC9S8JgcLGTnI6ptgWQFuPyRiZgkecL6Q_5yfOCPRy/s320/3_23+Emerson.jpg" border="0" alt=""id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5587024315652606850" /></a><br />Over the years my husband and I have printed several times for Treasure Gems. It’s a great opportunity to showcase printed pieces. And since people collect and save Treasure Gems booklets, it’s one way to insure that your printing will be preserved and appreciated for many years!<br /><br />Some of our Treasure Gems pieces have been historical, illustrating the use of a particular typeface. For example, the “Murder She Wrote” piece below talks about Art Gothic, an 1884 typeface that was also used for titling on the former television program. <br /><br /><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh4ieozkKY02k_HWriRSpOHeX5YLXWp8wdBBZrKrWqhaODewu-UAcRJPnrKUdBxNUIpKZSFDmSqlkOIp8BpcKZfGLCGxxue6PgWNOOC8kQxx2ewsMaCmn8WTzKAcM8ZVjAaXPegVFXknMfy/s1600/3_23+Murder+She+Wrote.jpg"><img style="display:block; margin:0px auto 10px; text-align:center;cursor:pointer; cursor:hand;width: 239px; height: 320px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh4ieozkKY02k_HWriRSpOHeX5YLXWp8wdBBZrKrWqhaODewu-UAcRJPnrKUdBxNUIpKZSFDmSqlkOIp8BpcKZfGLCGxxue6PgWNOOC8kQxx2ewsMaCmn8WTzKAcM8ZVjAaXPegVFXknMfy/s320/3_23+Murder+She+Wrote.jpg" border="0" alt=""id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5587024096384513842" /></a><br />We’ve done Treasure Gems pieces that show off border, too. Two below are for Acme Border, an early 20th century geometric from the Inland Type Foundry; and for Floriated Border, an eccentric 1890 concoction of flowers, twigs, and bark, designed by the Central Type Foundry.<br /><br /><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgp7sNHhV6cOiD22G7T7c_P1Vnv8yk9h4JO7Uz45our-_ZOosJnIT-3b5GZtpcrVpBOaalbx0J8HGFVLExWQIcexVmv1OVkqOnh8TBhuqUsD3C6R81BpPEjwLO403vD0ruJV2KGYCvylMzr/s1600/3_23+Acme+Border.jpg"><img style="display:block; margin:0px auto 10px; text-align:center;cursor:pointer; cursor:hand;width: 227px; height: 320px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgp7sNHhV6cOiD22G7T7c_P1Vnv8yk9h4JO7Uz45our-_ZOosJnIT-3b5GZtpcrVpBOaalbx0J8HGFVLExWQIcexVmv1OVkqOnh8TBhuqUsD3C6R81BpPEjwLO403vD0ruJV2KGYCvylMzr/s320/3_23+Acme+Border.jpg" border="0" alt=""id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5587023866361469026" /></a><br /><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh-as2299Kc3hGruflgoVT_lmhsWTFpxJLVzxsX3N1oK3_D9prumoxWASnkETjAjnRLAuUFkB-uaUp9znaszFNcwrvHpnhZucOJPxzEKmHMRf0JNp8IO9anQkNVRTl3sy5FjCwvRRjmWOsv/s1600/3_23+Floriated+Border1.jpg"><img style="display:block; margin:0px auto 10px; text-align:center;cursor:pointer; cursor:hand;width: 246px; height: 320px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh-as2299Kc3hGruflgoVT_lmhsWTFpxJLVzxsX3N1oK3_D9prumoxWASnkETjAjnRLAuUFkB-uaUp9znaszFNcwrvHpnhZucOJPxzEKmHMRf0JNp8IO9anQkNVRTl3sy5FjCwvRRjmWOsv/s320/3_23+Floriated+Border1.jpg" border="0" alt=""id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5587023738406252066" /></a><br />One of our Treasure Gems pieces used an article from an old printing magazine. "Odor of a Printshop" talked about how printers get attached to the smell of kerosene, oil, and ink. They say printing gets in your blood, but in this case it gets in your nostrils!<br /><br /><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjiQOGUkjLUJTgr8jHupmWrf1qdhJZVjf404HNIifrINlEKwhsQpIUjdxJG8Ky4nsbKrGSWfat8ku_9FX8Nw4XzI1902UWMRO2Oc9I9xxqFlOe2Te66MR5EItX8S36THGs6NgvX5GjQomFO/s1600/3_23+Odor+Printshop.jpg"><img style="display:block; margin:0px auto 10px; text-align:center;cursor:pointer; cursor:hand;width: 225px; height: 320px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjiQOGUkjLUJTgr8jHupmWrf1qdhJZVjf404HNIifrINlEKwhsQpIUjdxJG8Ky4nsbKrGSWfat8ku_9FX8Nw4XzI1902UWMRO2Oc9I9xxqFlOe2Te66MR5EItX8S36THGs6NgvX5GjQomFO/s320/3_23+Odor+Printshop.jpg" border="0" alt=""id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5587022450715235842" /></a><br />Sometimes we've gotten whimsical, too. “American Types” was a poem published in a 1912 printing bulletin by American Type Founders, a typecasting company. Designed to be sung to the tune of “America the Beautiful”, the poem’s multiple verses celebrated ATF’s product ― a sneaky way to advertise. We thought it was kind of fun to sing the song, despite its occasionally clunky rhymes.<br /><br /><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiHcW0NL3OUJvGtwsRTPiIZP6aZt8Qm4wJ9Wyl6OYkiU1egHWMIay9FIvXBF6BiEHBmCw2y9Wc9PNmt5uGdCBl3mowtvGDY5GckyRfqq6k7dmNuqnnokONz7v-VDEY7sokv113UbFjaaY7R/s1600/3_23+American+Types.jpg"><img style="display:block; margin:0px auto 10px; text-align:center;cursor:pointer; cursor:hand;width: 235px; height: 320px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiHcW0NL3OUJvGtwsRTPiIZP6aZt8Qm4wJ9Wyl6OYkiU1egHWMIay9FIvXBF6BiEHBmCw2y9Wc9PNmt5uGdCBl3mowtvGDY5GckyRfqq6k7dmNuqnnokONz7v-VDEY7sokv113UbFjaaY7R/s320/3_23+American+Types.jpg" border="0" alt=""id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5587021954479289394" /></a><br /><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjiujS9LzRc0dDX9-4_3RqabuBHLgkIbMeVJfRjoKkrbGDywhcao6BM3juVFWzkTo5Hve4IFlufy14UnI1VZg4C5gP4_AJj_1WYKwQkxyq98kQTPABTkIzgmKWMYo9Or_m5ef3xmOIg4Bb9/s1600/3_23+American+Types2.jpg"><img style="display:block; margin:0px auto 10px; text-align:center;cursor:pointer; cursor:hand;width: 234px; height: 320px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjiujS9LzRc0dDX9-4_3RqabuBHLgkIbMeVJfRjoKkrbGDywhcao6BM3juVFWzkTo5Hve4IFlufy14UnI1VZg4C5gP4_AJj_1WYKwQkxyq98kQTPABTkIzgmKWMYo9Or_m5ef3xmOIg4Bb9/s320/3_23+American+Types2.jpg" border="0" alt=""id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5587021842250160610" /></a><br />On the serious side, when a printer friend of ours died suddenly, we printed “Promise to a Printer” as a memorial piece. My husband wrote a “printerly” poem and we published it in memory of our friend. <br /><br /><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi3H-3Z3OEpFdPmVNl-AclBDDob8RYl5q65yXK0jLD43g0a-q_F7Gxx2bsYXjPvyu6bgjuG9TFvu1vFYo1llQzXwd3rB57RE0ogXFyiIMzJlT8BU65NxFohsQlkbZz2079noUaJV8m4Kzzg/s1600/3_23+Promise+to++Printer.jpg"><img style="display:block; margin:0px auto 10px; text-align:center;cursor:pointer; cursor:hand;width: 223px; height: 320px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi3H-3Z3OEpFdPmVNl-AclBDDob8RYl5q65yXK0jLD43g0a-q_F7Gxx2bsYXjPvyu6bgjuG9TFvu1vFYo1llQzXwd3rB57RE0ogXFyiIMzJlT8BU65NxFohsQlkbZz2079noUaJV8m4Kzzg/s320/3_23+Promise+to++Printer.jpg" border="0" alt=""id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5587025461307931746" /></a><br />Humorous or serious, historical or not, Treasure Gems contains some of the best printing from the Amalgamated Printers Association, the letterpress group I joined 40 years ago. And what a joy to work with other printers to create a booklet that will continue to be read and enjoyed years later!Carolehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/02307495903453367329noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4886792988995668775.post-60464969619851160612011-03-16T05:00:00.000-07:002011-03-16T05:00:17.941-07:00St Louis Letterpress Society<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg_iQEI8oMTsB-LvPFScoKvTQb4tC0HHyT715pYG3xV-I-9m6OItJ-HqlyoAog3jxxZ-dvkRPLNv1JrL48_Y-4bl1CtXmhnW9rfXQYAxA2wg-yOziKYKIb4c_FXcmwmsUJKLF5oNolsvB1a/s1600/3_16+Riverboats+SLLS.jpg"><img style="display:block; margin:0px auto 10px; text-align:center;cursor:pointer; cursor:hand;width: 320px; height: 234px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg_iQEI8oMTsB-LvPFScoKvTQb4tC0HHyT715pYG3xV-I-9m6OItJ-HqlyoAog3jxxZ-dvkRPLNv1JrL48_Y-4bl1CtXmhnW9rfXQYAxA2wg-yOziKYKIb4c_FXcmwmsUJKLF5oNolsvB1a/s320/3_16+Riverboats+SLLS.jpg" border="0" alt=""id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5582205933756392866" /></a><br />In October 1989 we attended our first St. Louis Letterpress Society meeting. The newly formed book arts group had met just a few times before we heard about it. Now we’ve been members for over 20 years.<br /><br />Membership in St. Louis Letterpress Society is refreshing in its informality. There are no dues, no officers, no boards, and only the most casual of business meetings. Anyone interested in the book arts, including letterpress printing, calligraphy, paper marbling, bookbinding or typecasting is invited to a quarterly meeting followed by a potluck dinner in a member’s home. Over the years we’ve hosted St. Louis Letterpress Society a number of times. Our small house fills to capacity with area people who love handmade books. It’s an exciting and fun experience that generally inspires us to print! <br /><br />St. Louis Letterpress Society programs over the years have ranged from tours to talks to guest speakers or demonstrations. There have been demonstrations by paper marblers, typecasters, bookbinders, and stone engravers, as well as speakers on fine press books, paper, ink, or printing history. Attendees sometimes come from miles away. There’s camaraderie, good food and talk, and the opportunity for those newly interested in the book arts to learn more. Below are a few St. Louis Letterpress invitations from over the years:<br /><br /><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhy4h3ZcW3_N9IQmc-2xVlA9-MB2XKoKzClnASCNNvwzW4lvQUQWVfXGK_-QBBCyV9B5qHqNNoVVrlK0IuxplXPJf7XgkYKz3IrLGnpkCezoAVnYhw3v3ZQFbUItb8hm1oQ0y9ouYyy_nqI/s1600/3_16+Woodgood+SLLS.jpg"><img style="display:block; margin:0px auto 10px; text-align:center;cursor:pointer; cursor:hand;width: 320px; height: 230px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhy4h3ZcW3_N9IQmc-2xVlA9-MB2XKoKzClnASCNNvwzW4lvQUQWVfXGK_-QBBCyV9B5qHqNNoVVrlK0IuxplXPJf7XgkYKz3IrLGnpkCezoAVnYhw3v3ZQFbUItb8hm1oQ0y9ouYyy_nqI/s320/3_16+Woodgood+SLLS.jpg" border="0" alt=""id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5582204465617915298" /></a><br /><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhV1rZcJSvBS14JiM7xpw3ATGKFkeJRwKLB60Cfun3bA__RbsMVUCBVKHXSIfB5JWTxadfM2rVZW7pNgKwDpVpiNwDhDv18yryL0tsWykKXHO3ZgIeBV5zo066iCMX8MM8sSk8kN3IxwsnA/s1600/3_16+Greatprinters+SLLS.jpg"><img style="display:block; margin:0px auto 10px; text-align:center;cursor:pointer; cursor:hand;width: 320px; height: 218px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhV1rZcJSvBS14JiM7xpw3ATGKFkeJRwKLB60Cfun3bA__RbsMVUCBVKHXSIfB5JWTxadfM2rVZW7pNgKwDpVpiNwDhDv18yryL0tsWykKXHO3ZgIeBV5zo066iCMX8MM8sSk8kN3IxwsnA/s320/3_16+Greatprinters+SLLS.jpg" border="0" alt=""id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5582199847823114594" /></a><br /><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi7JUnr33LtK-j4v6BLJyqwCzgW8EhD46ejjH4trpBhwT6xFn-Ti7Y2vusE-EmtSAZiJygwHf4SnGlQ17qOXxTnmqgM9l6VLyv_5HsN_vjLru44sSdVHX-8HY3HPVggaJtnOvnVU4t7-2Wq/s1600/3_16+CarlS+SLLS.jpg"><img style="display:block; margin:0px auto 10px; text-align:center;cursor:pointer; cursor:hand;width: 320px; height: 226px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi7JUnr33LtK-j4v6BLJyqwCzgW8EhD46ejjH4trpBhwT6xFn-Ti7Y2vusE-EmtSAZiJygwHf4SnGlQ17qOXxTnmqgM9l6VLyv_5HsN_vjLru44sSdVHX-8HY3HPVggaJtnOvnVU4t7-2Wq/s320/3_16+CarlS+SLLS.jpg" border="0" alt=""id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5582205162760546290" /></a><br />Though small (less than 60 members) St. Louis Letterpress Society has been a fairly active group. Most years we’ve produced a cooperative annual booklet, and sometimes a group calendar as well. We’ve hosted exhibits, brought speakers in from other areas, and even had a float in a parade! It’s been a lot of fun and a chance to cultivate some wonderful friendships. It’s helped us to become better printers, and has given us a network of support in our creative endeavors. <br /><br /><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjQ1AANW5Rs-gWbMAybwfWiYdmmL_k6_zNn_v-GhfYN2i1BoA-VwzSuPsDB9d67WDWBSitVxm70YLQV_aQe3V_boOhzexznaQR_qdLhDBsQB4xIfWKk7HYiKu7Snp3fZQ9v8lcXHQ9jH4p1/s1600/3_16+SLLS+Stonecarving.jpg"><img style="display:block; margin:0px auto 10px; text-align:center;cursor:pointer; cursor:hand;width: 258px; height: 320px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjQ1AANW5Rs-gWbMAybwfWiYdmmL_k6_zNn_v-GhfYN2i1BoA-VwzSuPsDB9d67WDWBSitVxm70YLQV_aQe3V_boOhzexznaQR_qdLhDBsQB4xIfWKk7HYiKu7Snp3fZQ9v8lcXHQ9jH4p1/s320/3_16+SLLS+Stonecarving.jpg" border="0" alt=""id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5582206459510724386" /></a><br /><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEisKP4wDlVWF2A3RzkURDavrAKcoBaI_hSNa06vsSiSK5miVK8E_K4bD0w1MYSUtprwMrfJ1LfFDX1YpGMF3FDbZauNdK6qklchl6JQ0UKX15tFRTpALAEoKWr_xx13UTOiCpRc_o4H3oI6/s1600/3_16+SLLS+Annuals.jpg"><img style="display:block; margin:0px auto 10px; text-align:center;cursor:pointer; cursor:hand;width: 232px; height: 320px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEisKP4wDlVWF2A3RzkURDavrAKcoBaI_hSNa06vsSiSK5miVK8E_K4bD0w1MYSUtprwMrfJ1LfFDX1YpGMF3FDbZauNdK6qklchl6JQ0UKX15tFRTpALAEoKWr_xx13UTOiCpRc_o4H3oI6/s320/3_16+SLLS+Annuals.jpg" border="0" alt=""id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5582204882586320018" /></a><br /><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEitnpKLUbB3Xhhd0BwvIcutACfjWVmDqcB2hyphenhyphenuv9e9EemdfaNblBaTq5k8ApWQKxiTH-wQIeSeFEXf3xJAhaDLjhL1zc-3wp_AqsCNNNAn8lbapa6NweLORvh2U2soksnxkiK1bGDB3SD2L/s1600/3_16+SLLS+Float+Coming.jpg"><img style="display:block; margin:0px auto 10px; text-align:center;cursor:pointer; cursor:hand;width: 320px; height: 172px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEitnpKLUbB3Xhhd0BwvIcutACfjWVmDqcB2hyphenhyphenuv9e9EemdfaNblBaTq5k8ApWQKxiTH-wQIeSeFEXf3xJAhaDLjhL1zc-3wp_AqsCNNNAn8lbapa6NweLORvh2U2soksnxkiK1bGDB3SD2L/s320/3_16+SLLS+Float+Coming.jpg" border="0" alt=""id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5582199432423324034" /></a><br /><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiDpkSiLyXWZbkuDOQ2WB8cu7ZABJImiL_KyAwzfaSds35enxEI2mhMTQAw3J6WwB3B_C1-B8O5tBHqLlkjbtKqwOzdVqZDySUJiJR4PberUnAtkbaB3uQCYj8ANLZSi41oG3b-WAa_k2pu/s1600/3_16+SLLS+Float.jpg"><img style="display:block; margin:0px auto 10px; text-align:center;cursor:pointer; cursor:hand;width: 320px; height: 250px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiDpkSiLyXWZbkuDOQ2WB8cu7ZABJImiL_KyAwzfaSds35enxEI2mhMTQAw3J6WwB3B_C1-B8O5tBHqLlkjbtKqwOzdVqZDySUJiJR4PberUnAtkbaB3uQCYj8ANLZSi41oG3b-WAa_k2pu/s320/3_16+SLLS+Float.jpg" border="0" alt=""id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5582199279683051250" /></a><br />So if you have the chance to get together with people in your area who love the book arts – I would highly recommend it!Carolehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/02307495903453367329noreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4886792988995668775.post-40625425876723850122011-03-09T05:30:00.000-08:002011-03-09T06:47:06.594-08:00Xanadu Press: Then and Now<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgT0D9kBqWi6H9XAXXQxKVvQm26ulQsAspBYXUhry1L23AiwIo9cfoFYZhm_ALS8nCufGOrgxmEdpdfzWBugnBmbZmir39NIpsZwKNDFcTtyvLiZu7kDSSw_U9oUdUg34jjX9YnfKRQmwp2/s1600/3_9+Propcard1.jpg"><img style="display:block; margin:0px auto 10px; text-align:center;cursor:pointer; cursor:hand;width: 320px; height: 192px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgT0D9kBqWi6H9XAXXQxKVvQm26ulQsAspBYXUhry1L23AiwIo9cfoFYZhm_ALS8nCufGOrgxmEdpdfzWBugnBmbZmir39NIpsZwKNDFcTtyvLiZu7kDSSw_U9oUdUg34jjX9YnfKRQmwp2/s320/3_9+Propcard1.jpg" border="0" alt=""id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5581843101631749362" /></a><br />Xanadu Press, my husband’s and my private press, was founded in 1971. Then single and still living at home, I attended the St. Louis APA Wayzgoose with my family. I’d been interested in printing for some time, and had spent a lot of time helping my father in his print shop. So when an opening came up in the Amalgamated Printers Association, I didn’t hesitate. I was excited and started to print right away. My first project was a proprietor’s card, or “prop card” for my new press (see above).<br /><br />I’d always loved the poem “Kubla Khan” by Samuel Taylor Coleridge, which begins, “In Xanadu did Kubla Khan a stately pleasure dome decree...” So I named my press The Xanadu Press. By the way, Xanadu Press has nothing to do with that disco roller skating movie that came out in 1980!<br /><br />My first printing efforts were modest. I printed a bookplate with a quote from William Blake. I did a holiday card, and a few Ben Franklin quotes. Then I decided to put together a small booklet of my poetry and call it Xanadu. <br /><br /><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhFsK9gvW7X8PGktc__1HQ-E4jb2YZ3scopWh2PgQgnbI3UEyDOyVHELh-uYDIJP_BTCbt9kZQm3_Qao-i89O3bS4XkF3uB1ctVyina0fWOmwxzXEWnuvvy2uYB3BAMS7t-h3dmb8bVUp8B/s1600/3_9+Bookplate.jpg"><img style="display:block; margin:0px auto 10px; text-align:center;cursor:pointer; cursor:hand;width: 237px; height: 320px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhFsK9gvW7X8PGktc__1HQ-E4jb2YZ3scopWh2PgQgnbI3UEyDOyVHELh-uYDIJP_BTCbt9kZQm3_Qao-i89O3bS4XkF3uB1ctVyina0fWOmwxzXEWnuvvy2uYB3BAMS7t-h3dmb8bVUp8B/s320/3_9+Bookplate.jpg" border="0" alt=""id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5581842837378686706" /></a><br /><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhZ03-wY62sPBdwsK2J9ELvdhRGqidYUpCvhEdfn7Dk9eFSX80UtiF42xaf_wgR-RQD2cC5NNdJnQjpbT0LO_cLi_ICPZ9P9JsLr2TbSZyIeldH9uR54DQFMfQhDiRy-St75brgSx7wxSWc/s1600/3_9+Xanadupoems.jpg"><img style="display:block; margin:0px auto 10px; text-align:center;cursor:pointer; cursor:hand;width: 320px; height: 230px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhZ03-wY62sPBdwsK2J9ELvdhRGqidYUpCvhEdfn7Dk9eFSX80UtiF42xaf_wgR-RQD2cC5NNdJnQjpbT0LO_cLi_ICPZ9P9JsLr2TbSZyIeldH9uR54DQFMfQhDiRy-St75brgSx7wxSWc/s320/3_9+Xanadupoems.jpg" border="0" alt=""id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5581842617669978114" /></a><br />After our marriage my husband became interested in printing, too. My father Gary Hantke continued as a mentor to us both. Initially we lived in the same town and close to my father’s print shop, with its wealth of type, borders, and ornaments. But after we began moving in conjunction with our teaching careers, we acquired a 5x8 Kelsey hand press and a few type fonts of our own in the interest of portability.<br /><br />It was then that we began to understand how difficult printing can be without the right equipment. We struggled with our little Kelsey press, trying to get a decent impression. Our main types were Cheltenham Bold and a little battered Caslon. It was hard to print something nice with so little variety. <br /><br />We did create a small booklet called The Little Book of Steamboat Puns. It was notable mainly for the dreadful puns we came up with (for example: What do you call a 2000 pound steamboat thief? Robber Full-ton). In a fit of printerly pride, we gave a copy to the late musician and river enthusiast John Hartford at one of his concerts. He was very gracious, and actually remembered the booklet when we talked to him at a performance 15 years later. Maybe it was the awful puns that were memorable!<br /><br /><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhOB-QRhSvXNl0g4VPf79Q3hVJbEV2Fsy5RyiIB8UluECoePQri-ootf50JFBov1xirRb1-sI1usrc5xl0-VlvzYpP3MoGfdkeuArEh0nPRGu5Y46HZwXwzlei1RbRX9CPcQhkV-JTgV0Ff/s1600/3_9+Steamboatpuns.jpg"><img style="display:block; margin:0px auto 10px; text-align:center;cursor:pointer; cursor:hand;width: 320px; height: 109px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhOB-QRhSvXNl0g4VPf79Q3hVJbEV2Fsy5RyiIB8UluECoePQri-ootf50JFBov1xirRb1-sI1usrc5xl0-VlvzYpP3MoGfdkeuArEh0nPRGu5Y46HZwXwzlei1RbRX9CPcQhkV-JTgV0Ff/s320/3_9+Steamboatpuns.jpg" border="0" alt=""id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5581842356578288706" /></a><br />In the early 1980s we acquired a 7x11 Pearl press, hauling it in our AMC Pacer through a driving rainstorm in Philadelphia and back to our Wisconsin home. Now it was a little easier to print, especially since we’d bought more type from a printer in Lake Mills, Wisconsin. Living on the outskirts of a tiny village on the Mississippi River we were virtually rural, with a huge garden and beehives. We printed labels to sell jelly and honey at local farmer’s markets.<br /><br /><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh6lfJfRT8GZ5MbNj1FKVWv0Efgmpznw8qWMPywVVVuUuSlQ6mSM_B2gTw6Z33ZrkD6If_uPPBM26Q7vTI8VQvHYOIvlDhnDwj9t1LMiASh4gmJskcAjoDyhrOFtQw_lRBjVy4Fo7Ee1Uzp/s1600/3_9+Grape+Jelly.jpg"><img style="display:block; margin:0px auto 10px; text-align:center;cursor:pointer; cursor:hand;width: 320px; height: 303px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh6lfJfRT8GZ5MbNj1FKVWv0Efgmpznw8qWMPywVVVuUuSlQ6mSM_B2gTw6Z33ZrkD6If_uPPBM26Q7vTI8VQvHYOIvlDhnDwj9t1LMiASh4gmJskcAjoDyhrOFtQw_lRBjVy4Fo7Ee1Uzp/s320/3_9+Grape+Jelly.jpg" border="0" alt=""id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5581842079135229810" /></a><br /><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjDjBBh-kkaWr75ye9F3HChLO4vIZIsJw8HnFRaflLMOSTt_XycLWReI01cA2KWk1o0kLaHgUWOLyWDb7-fGqJ3_luM8IITiPkyirdry-RorM8NcJZ0hhOhbTZNcQzCA_heD3_EYZ_Apc8a/s1600/3_9+Mullen+Bees.jpg"><img style="display:block; margin:0px auto 10px; text-align:center;cursor:pointer; cursor:hand;width: 320px; height: 162px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjDjBBh-kkaWr75ye9F3HChLO4vIZIsJw8HnFRaflLMOSTt_XycLWReI01cA2KWk1o0kLaHgUWOLyWDb7-fGqJ3_luM8IITiPkyirdry-RorM8NcJZ0hhOhbTZNcQzCA_heD3_EYZ_Apc8a/s320/3_9+Mullen+Bees.jpg" border="0" alt=""id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5581841983497336834" /></a><br />After our move to St. Louis in 1987, we became more active printers through our involvement with the St. Louis Letterpress Society and the APA. Following Dad’s death in 1990, we hauled most of his shop down to St. Louis in an exhausting move we’ll never forget (but more on that in a future blog!) We began printing items for our new St. Louis interests, some of which are shown below: a steamboat museum’s 50th anniversary program; a button for my husband’s museum co-workers after an exhibit installation; and a piece promoting the first of three APA Wayzgoose conventions in St. Louis.<br /><br /><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhCXZzFqjGyL5CK29SStuqwfzAAMF7zwqtqtMC1qEHEpGJU1GQjOODNd8P8Uu432bor6jNFgdgugm69EEs_zcxkDOkFMdc55EN1RRpR1d2xX5ZJ6jDYvolENtwSf1V5iDaKhdyazbGEaSzP/s1600/3_9+GoldenEagle.jpg"><img style="display:block; margin:0px auto 10px; text-align:center;cursor:pointer; cursor:hand;width: 214px; height: 320px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhCXZzFqjGyL5CK29SStuqwfzAAMF7zwqtqtMC1qEHEpGJU1GQjOODNd8P8Uu432bor6jNFgdgugm69EEs_zcxkDOkFMdc55EN1RRpR1d2xX5ZJ6jDYvolENtwSf1V5iDaKhdyazbGEaSzP/s320/3_9+GoldenEagle.jpg" border="0" alt=""id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5581841720186327874" /></a><br /><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiID2BGa6rWH6Uwh3-lDVQaxZPL94RxzuPVyIuI-qUVKc5vAVt3_CpemyPBmuZ18BPv2PpK3Dv5FoAcXju0EmBciVM-kSQlzaR4PDhsT4zB5dpWBX_Kd2hYc5mJZo0EDAYb5RaZp1uTZNnX/s1600/3_9+GildedAge.jpg"><img style="display:block; margin:0px auto 10px; text-align:center;cursor:pointer; cursor:hand;width: 320px; height: 304px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiID2BGa6rWH6Uwh3-lDVQaxZPL94RxzuPVyIuI-qUVKc5vAVt3_CpemyPBmuZ18BPv2PpK3Dv5FoAcXju0EmBciVM-kSQlzaR4PDhsT4zB5dpWBX_Kd2hYc5mJZo0EDAYb5RaZp1uTZNnX/s320/3_9+GildedAge.jpg" border="0" alt=""id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5581841589885199154" /></a><br /><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgej1VGp9JKuEBL9g3CnWCB_VTYtRlJKCxdhOqN_EbO7cLSYkLPDGHfEP7rNrcO3lvxPkQ8igCq52CbeKnVsxYZ4RqthmwTHwyOlWM9IPbkOgbaA3AYbCQiP__25VXg-tYwt-m4kU4V4SEQ/s1600/3_9+EarlyGoose.jpg"><img style="display:block; margin:0px auto 10px; text-align:center;cursor:pointer; cursor:hand;width: 320px; height: 278px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgej1VGp9JKuEBL9g3CnWCB_VTYtRlJKCxdhOqN_EbO7cLSYkLPDGHfEP7rNrcO3lvxPkQ8igCq52CbeKnVsxYZ4RqthmwTHwyOlWM9IPbkOgbaA3AYbCQiP__25VXg-tYwt-m4kU4V4SEQ/s320/3_9+EarlyGoose.jpg" border="0" alt=""id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5581841479980648066" /></a><br />Today we print more than we did in our earlier years. The lure of the print shop seems greater every year, with many projects to excite us. As Xanadu Press marks its 40th anniversary this summer, I’m grateful for all those printing opportunities, now and in the future. <br /><br /><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiluKikklu_BFu2KQ8B-39XMF1teKKCf9QPOicseuTZNJaxRCnY-cuuKiVAwbPOj0yIBe0w3GCc04cYn-m2oyeXtcMWn9ZP8CbK4Z3P9Jn8et6_QXd3RlFNPPqTdMsc_sTL-JZbsvzQBcE4/s1600/3_9+Propcard2.jpg"><img style="display:block; margin:0px auto 10px; text-align:center;cursor:pointer; cursor:hand;width: 320px; height: 190px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiluKikklu_BFu2KQ8B-39XMF1teKKCf9QPOicseuTZNJaxRCnY-cuuKiVAwbPOj0yIBe0w3GCc04cYn-m2oyeXtcMWn9ZP8CbK4Z3P9Jn8et6_QXd3RlFNPPqTdMsc_sTL-JZbsvzQBcE4/s320/3_9+Propcard2.jpg" border="0" alt=""id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5581854440686164642" /></a>Carolehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/02307495903453367329noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4886792988995668775.post-26261940896671014632011-03-02T05:21:00.000-08:002011-03-03T19:06:11.437-08:00The Best of The Willow Press<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiVnnblUBvnz0OaegpJzXPjhyphenhyphenEL61KccOzKK2SAYWBjVrGYP6xMZjGYv7tyktxvHyNmyT4_dgIixIISoJlra0ko0tRGINGnXwf-GmWacs3AYqa5zuzeejAbqpBeXr2APuT7B2KwY22YCsHb/s1600/3_2+Mr.+Willow+Press+in+the+shop.jpg"><img style="display:block; margin:0px auto 10px; text-align:center;cursor:pointer; cursor:hand;width: 309px; height: 320px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiVnnblUBvnz0OaegpJzXPjhyphenhyphenEL61KccOzKK2SAYWBjVrGYP6xMZjGYv7tyktxvHyNmyT4_dgIixIISoJlra0ko0tRGINGnXwf-GmWacs3AYqa5zuzeejAbqpBeXr2APuT7B2KwY22YCsHb/s320/3_2+Mr.+Willow+Press+in+the+shop.jpg" border="0" alt=""id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5578950582006589474" /></a><br />If my father Gary Hantke, proprietor of the Willow Press, were alive he’d be 91 today. He would have had 21 more years to print, a gift he would have enjoyed. As it was, he printed actively for about 40 years, from the 1950s to the end of the 1980s.<br /><br />Dad loved his print shop! He spent much of his free time on weekends there. Often he couldn’t sleep in the morning, so he went downstairs to print. As a result he was a prolific printer – though much of his printing consisted of smaller pieces he could complete in the early morning hours. But projects large and small show the same careful craftsmanship. <br /><br />Following is a selection of printed pieces by The Willow Press. As I look at Dad’s printing today, I appreciate the design, the impression, the use of white space. Here are some of the best of the best.<br /><br />Type ‘N’ Stuff was a journal my father put out in the 1950s. I like the colors he used on this cover, and the Parsons type in the title.<br /><br /><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEicsNtjO1gbE4KvREb-ygUuV37j_pKfglNzh5QMo_HiRc1EZ16c7v_l5jtaLpJTAA56J0rNbJjm9yWrJuOUHNb-BUiDqHSIDyxnbAaOrvLqSuGxTvW5QVeCG-5bCN4Xk36qNGDFtwec9tl0/s1600/3_2+Type+n+Stuff.jpg"><img style="display:block; margin:0px auto 10px; text-align:center;cursor:pointer; cursor:hand;width: 254px; height: 320px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEicsNtjO1gbE4KvREb-ygUuV37j_pKfglNzh5QMo_HiRc1EZ16c7v_l5jtaLpJTAA56J0rNbJjm9yWrJuOUHNb-BUiDqHSIDyxnbAaOrvLqSuGxTvW5QVeCG-5bCN4Xk36qNGDFtwec9tl0/s320/3_2+Type+n+Stuff.jpg" border="0" alt=""id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5578947617653042210" /></a><br />My father frequently contributed pages to cooperative booklets such as Treasure Gems and It’s a Small World. This piece for It’s a Small World showcased some of his collection of initial letters. <br /><br /><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjH_SqWGe05JoKKxKb7W3ssYmpOluU9Au0AK0zK1LF2pl3PQ7oHe7QspAF7nl8V6seLt3eQJMIBCAxF9ShpPwm0Okk2QcaAginiBG-6nSwOgEOOE8DHvaBwU45Uvlo_QcVzT4CVearlad_M/s1600/3_2+Beautiful+Letters.jpg"><img style="display:block; margin:0px auto 10px; text-align:center;cursor:pointer; cursor:hand;width: 227px; height: 320px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjH_SqWGe05JoKKxKb7W3ssYmpOluU9Au0AK0zK1LF2pl3PQ7oHe7QspAF7nl8V6seLt3eQJMIBCAxF9ShpPwm0Okk2QcaAginiBG-6nSwOgEOOE8DHvaBwU45Uvlo_QcVzT4CVearlad_M/s320/3_2+Beautiful+Letters.jpg" border="0" alt=""id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5578948168187232226" /></a><br /><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjEpoZcfTcEUKKHKDuRMCnDF6NHUSqsZTCMlYwgY8zFA7Pei6KlF2l7_PrblmbNiTUth5xDzWY9tzYaefgcQgrMt7RAR_2FkVa1JLHrSjVFHsg2Pih3dJw7ZCKJ-7INS31_9TVn9lHNrYAi/s1600/3_2+Beautiful+Letters2.jpg"><img style="display:block; margin:0px auto 10px; text-align:center;cursor:pointer; cursor:hand;width: 228px; height: 320px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjEpoZcfTcEUKKHKDuRMCnDF6NHUSqsZTCMlYwgY8zFA7Pei6KlF2l7_PrblmbNiTUth5xDzWY9tzYaefgcQgrMt7RAR_2FkVa1JLHrSjVFHsg2Pih3dJw7ZCKJ-7INS31_9TVn9lHNrYAi/s320/3_2+Beautiful+Letters2.jpg" border="0" alt=""id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5578948069306460210" /></a><br />Dad’s favorite type designer was Frederic Goudy. This quote was one he liked, and he hung it on his print shop wall.<br /><br /><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhYhWOrJf_UhzMDnGOoprf4MA3h8zIszJSISjJ9ni59E07j4Bv8cxGbtXcPo2lsXmUeKjiNaAk4KUp-KP0LVhsNwl_dJZe6MF2zxkgJjoy-7vTNVJaUn1Ezx8uRo9CMVyC77lDHGfW_WQyR/s1600/3_2+Goudy+piece.jpg"><img style="display:block; margin:0px auto 10px; text-align:center;cursor:pointer; cursor:hand;width: 246px; height: 320px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhYhWOrJf_UhzMDnGOoprf4MA3h8zIszJSISjJ9ni59E07j4Bv8cxGbtXcPo2lsXmUeKjiNaAk4KUp-KP0LVhsNwl_dJZe6MF2zxkgJjoy-7vTNVJaUn1Ezx8uRo9CMVyC77lDHGfW_WQyR/s320/3_2+Goudy+piece.jpg" border="0" alt=""id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5578948423820179858" /></a><br />Below are two holiday booklets produced by the Willow Press (see also “Hantke Family Christmas Cards”, December 2010). <br /><br /><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgBU4VI5NXWU1DfU4Bc_L0EoSPhNg2K7MKzOju_kOT1-QbOeHDONBPEeJbWC-5zN7Oer0OYPJ19pZgXKsbN14a8BEZ0vAZQ8GSfwbf_bWIYxaKsQwOOxIwiFfUCZoQMbTFbYPFApyMFHxAa/s1600/3_2+Desiderata.jpg"><img style="display:block; margin:0px auto 10px; text-align:center;cursor:pointer; cursor:hand;width: 249px; height: 320px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgBU4VI5NXWU1DfU4Bc_L0EoSPhNg2K7MKzOju_kOT1-QbOeHDONBPEeJbWC-5zN7Oer0OYPJ19pZgXKsbN14a8BEZ0vAZQ8GSfwbf_bWIYxaKsQwOOxIwiFfUCZoQMbTFbYPFApyMFHxAa/s320/3_2+Desiderata.jpg" border="0" alt=""id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5578948950724762450" /></a><br /><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg9DXe61DGkNxUSoYJpP6Q-DVFTZL7k4jOfVqeulEI0fRQzyEY14giq0WvebfNjwcjn1v_tReBcgv1IzxRrnlqu5y62D5ptWmj5w9hWuNe66pHTnMk17czCj-1g-b_2w_5HbXFj6z4aZUbg/s1600/3_2+On+Keeping+Christmas.jpg"><img style="display:block; margin:0px auto 10px; text-align:center;cursor:pointer; cursor:hand;width: 320px; height: 211px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg9DXe61DGkNxUSoYJpP6Q-DVFTZL7k4jOfVqeulEI0fRQzyEY14giq0WvebfNjwcjn1v_tReBcgv1IzxRrnlqu5y62D5ptWmj5w9hWuNe66pHTnMk17czCj-1g-b_2w_5HbXFj6z4aZUbg/s320/3_2+On+Keeping+Christmas.jpg" border="0" alt=""id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5578948831735415986" /></a><br />There’s a personal story behind “A Council of Free Nations”. Before printing it my father wrote to Herbert Hoover to request permission to quote the speech. In the letter Dad told an anecdote about his mother ― she'd told him cocoa that helped to keep relatives in Germany alive between the World Wars came from Herbert Hoover. Hoover replied personally to Dad’s letter and gave permission to reprint the speech. He added that the cocoa came from the American people and he was only the instrument. <br /><br /><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiqSkuEnbWYPKvbWHjV-irsxIEx2rOBHjnNURSbrwZdiZai1oZVv5QJXueS-ylbnJ6LKn3SwOu5X__n1Eb-MM2mjjtHPKasrx_WIptDRTTWiSFG2EPDAhYxcJnkZ1er8U551HuD37DPeMru/s1600/3_2+Hoover+Piece.jpg"><img style="display:block; margin:0px auto 10px; text-align:center;cursor:pointer; cursor:hand;width: 203px; height: 320px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiqSkuEnbWYPKvbWHjV-irsxIEx2rOBHjnNURSbrwZdiZai1oZVv5QJXueS-ylbnJ6LKn3SwOu5X__n1Eb-MM2mjjtHPKasrx_WIptDRTTWiSFG2EPDAhYxcJnkZ1er8U551HuD37DPeMru/s320/3_2+Hoover+Piece.jpg" border="0" alt=""id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5578949223532375234" /></a><br />Dad’s largest printing effort was a book, “Lincoln the Railsplitter”, published in 1961. It was entirely handset, one letter and space at a time, a true labor of love. Though reasonably priced at $4.00, the 500 copies of the book sold sluggishly. Perhaps as a result, Dad decided to devote his time to less time-consuming printing projects. He still entertained the idea of a miniature book with fellow printer Ward Schori, who had produced several, but it never happened.<br /><br /><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEglV-9wVs2sudb3RkEq69slon1klAHPnFnw-n7a35cI5Jo_r4Rsb7FHw2BRRYHTuRS8g5KroG2q0UCWUYYCLb2uNElQQLePswBiSNJifjU9Rbc1L8YVNjQk1IRwXSHEaVeJcO_PGyI8ALw1/s1600/3_2+Lincoln+the+Railsplitter.jpg"><img style="display:block; margin:0px auto 10px; text-align:center;cursor:pointer; cursor:hand;width: 214px; height: 320px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEglV-9wVs2sudb3RkEq69slon1klAHPnFnw-n7a35cI5Jo_r4Rsb7FHw2BRRYHTuRS8g5KroG2q0UCWUYYCLb2uNElQQLePswBiSNJifjU9Rbc1L8YVNjQk1IRwXSHEaVeJcO_PGyI8ALw1/s320/3_2+Lincoln+the+Railsplitter.jpg" border="0" alt=""id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5578949669441753570" /></a><br /><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhRrVyfq_X7X4aD3KqkSTRUtg0vq2in68-dx0gxRDt2n6-Sr5lWmVhgNIGed3jezUHRRqUxA2hqoCgN-EO0s5T6f_QkuLbyMLAZxx1pzgqXjp7wR5kln0lfsLrDyYICYma-H1063Qbzj2JR/s1600/3_2+Lincoln+the+Railsplitter+title.jpg"><img style="display:block; margin:0px auto 10px; text-align:center;cursor:pointer; cursor:hand;width: 320px; height: 243px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhRrVyfq_X7X4aD3KqkSTRUtg0vq2in68-dx0gxRDt2n6-Sr5lWmVhgNIGed3jezUHRRqUxA2hqoCgN-EO0s5T6f_QkuLbyMLAZxx1pzgqXjp7wR5kln0lfsLrDyYICYma-H1063Qbzj2JR/s320/3_2+Lincoln+the+Railsplitter+title.jpg" border="0" alt=""id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5578949508894236482" /></a><br />Of the many pieces my father printed, The Fool’s Prayer is one of my favorites. I appreciate the cover with its pattern of clowns, and the imaginative usage of Worrell Uncial inside. Simple and beautifully printed, it’s a piece that speaks for itself. <br /><br /><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgCewrEJ7SUaNrDmCr26UEF7zaEAzdHQyZIbQo0K_gpsEYv2DxnEXVqU1IorHfPBXUFo3i59eAI5dBdBhgRmNJFBF_OKZSqUwun2Mf4UjBiE6Omr_ao7xasDNHZYzL0EMYeNTLK_UUMzsAy/s1600/3_2+Fool%2527s+Prayer.jpg"><img style="display:block; margin:0px auto 10px; text-align:center;cursor:pointer; cursor:hand;width: 226px; height: 320px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgCewrEJ7SUaNrDmCr26UEF7zaEAzdHQyZIbQo0K_gpsEYv2DxnEXVqU1IorHfPBXUFo3i59eAI5dBdBhgRmNJFBF_OKZSqUwun2Mf4UjBiE6Omr_ao7xasDNHZYzL0EMYeNTLK_UUMzsAy/s320/3_2+Fool%2527s+Prayer.jpg" border="0" alt=""id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5578950261144199106" /></a><br /><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiesaSv5IvHiy9QfeID8iw9fg1Sm0EzWyH4NL-4aEZ40H1sA6CYwwV2AWG2pG7tFpRZxwqol6IIGr2rjkeWGJD1UP22UaQRN0bYVpVMMdjs94VS3ea3tRfuCnRsEgLer9ohnEDYGL9xHtaM/s1600/3_2+Fool%2527s+Prayer+Title.jpg"><img style="display:block; margin:0px auto 10px; text-align:center;cursor:pointer; cursor:hand;width: 223px; height: 320px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiesaSv5IvHiy9QfeID8iw9fg1Sm0EzWyH4NL-4aEZ40H1sA6CYwwV2AWG2pG7tFpRZxwqol6IIGr2rjkeWGJD1UP22UaQRN0bYVpVMMdjs94VS3ea3tRfuCnRsEgLer9ohnEDYGL9xHtaM/s320/3_2+Fool%2527s+Prayer+Title.jpg" border="0" alt=""id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5578950089498847154" /></a><br />So Happy Birthday, Dad! I still miss you. How I wish you could have had those extra years! But my husband and I are so grateful for the love of printing you handed down to us.Carolehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/02307495903453367329noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4886792988995668775.post-15924086698455437192011-02-23T05:22:00.000-08:002011-02-23T12:40:43.310-08:00J. Ben Lieberman and the Kelmscott/Goudy Press<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiVosh1nAi_-bQbSZ2Ez1f9XBJyLcvWTSMPfwJSxnc2naHt1Z8HNJ0bFRvoroin7u-E8CYjgg5hLVS8p_URf8GtwclzmU620jsI5Ojlx8zJgAdkbLzfT5_JETDx6sGwW1qMMlfQ-kBuLZg3/s1600/2_23+Lieberman.jpg"><img style="display:block; margin:0px auto 10px; text-align:center;cursor:pointer; cursor:hand;width: 238px; height: 320px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiVosh1nAi_-bQbSZ2Ez1f9XBJyLcvWTSMPfwJSxnc2naHt1Z8HNJ0bFRvoroin7u-E8CYjgg5hLVS8p_URf8GtwclzmU620jsI5Ojlx8zJgAdkbLzfT5_JETDx6sGwW1qMMlfQ-kBuLZg3/s320/2_23+Lieberman.jpg" border="0" alt=""id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5576566647249368098" /></a><br />I first met J. Ben Lieberman on a family vacation trip to White Plains, New York in the mid-1960s. By this time he and his wife Elizabeth were deeply involved in the world of letterpress printing. They were warm and hospitable hosts, happy to welcome yet another hobby printer (my father Gary Hantke) and his family into their home.<br /><br /> The thing I remember most about J. Ben Lieberman was that he was a fount of enthusiasm and energy. A tireless promoter of letterpress, he was intrigued by the idea of it being affordable for anyone interested. So he invented the “Liberty Press”, a small tympan-pack tabletop model that could easily be built and used in a limited space, and wrote about it in his book, “Printing As A Hobby”. Later he would publish another highly useful book, “Types of Typefaces”, still a fine basic for anyone’s printing library.<br /><br /><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg4sHnfwq_YYfQe4jHZ3k47DjQhiUNrdCn0M3ZV0TgA8MXgHVzR8Ha0qKAQ34XrBu_P5xtSX5rvptNcxJBMfllvv3rx7PdVL-fsod6ydz2ggQpIzu3Hfj2_0hxc-KaWxU9UpEHRV5RcqHYv/s1600/2_23+Printing+as+a+Hobby.jpg"><img style="display:block; margin:0px auto 10px; text-align:center;cursor:pointer; cursor:hand;width: 195px; height: 320px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg4sHnfwq_YYfQe4jHZ3k47DjQhiUNrdCn0M3ZV0TgA8MXgHVzR8Ha0qKAQ34XrBu_P5xtSX5rvptNcxJBMfllvv3rx7PdVL-fsod6ydz2ggQpIzu3Hfj2_0hxc-KaWxU9UpEHRV5RcqHYv/s320/2_23+Printing+as+a+Hobby.jpg" border="0" alt=""id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5576566902512453746" /></a><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi0Z2bAZBgKwLWvQRoTs8q8UFBpUR2tk866mFMWR9siI7izI8SV_OZtPY_uh3AyDOCzQhdko6tAa_U1790Jzip8UqZMKvlPCdV88Q9PA-mdYpdY7PnOyKRu6Mm-jGfMCiktqUEpziJWB1jy/s1600/2_23++Liberty+Press.jpg"><img style="display:block; margin:0px auto 10px; text-align:center;cursor:pointer; cursor:hand;width: 190px; height: 320px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi0Z2bAZBgKwLWvQRoTs8q8UFBpUR2tk866mFMWR9siI7izI8SV_OZtPY_uh3AyDOCzQhdko6tAa_U1790Jzip8UqZMKvlPCdV88Q9PA-mdYpdY7PnOyKRu6Mm-jGfMCiktqUEpziJWB1jy/s320/2_23++Liberty+Press.jpg" border="0" alt=""id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5576571360605162914" /></a><br /><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiH2xjxZ00Xxc_oCDmPanjljB6hYeTqp17lBPjiVQTpevARitqKGsmVDSlqN3lEcvx-ahZhSwi8IF_xuhOZKFiF8Rpt4On3uJuHrswsDUtoatiouC4LsBHDG5Gqvg7KfImnOFWAHNkDVXZ9/s1600/2_23+Types+of+Typefaces.jpg"><img style="display:block; margin:0px auto 10px; text-align:center;cursor:pointer; cursor:hand;width: 244px; height: 320px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiH2xjxZ00Xxc_oCDmPanjljB6hYeTqp17lBPjiVQTpevARitqKGsmVDSlqN3lEcvx-ahZhSwi8IF_xuhOZKFiF8Rpt4On3uJuHrswsDUtoatiouC4LsBHDG5Gqvg7KfImnOFWAHNkDVXZ9/s320/2_23+Types+of+Typefaces.jpg" border="0" alt=""id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5576567086127941650" /></a><br /> At the time we visited White Plains, J. Ben had recently acquired the historic Kelmscott/Goudy press. This iron hand press had been owned first by the famous printer and designer William Morris, who was instrumental in the Craftsman movement of the late 19th century, and then by the eminent type designer Frederic Goudy. Even though I was young, I was familiar enough with the names William Morris and Frederic Goudy to know that I was looking at the Holy Grail of printing presses. I was even more awed when J. Ben invited our entire family to print bookmarks on it.<br /><br /> For those not familiar with iron hand presses, they are massive. They also require strength and manual dexterity to operate. First, the form of type needs to be evenly inked with a roller. Then paper is attached to a tympan, which is like a frame that can fold flat, holding the paper just above the freshly inked type. Together, the type and the tympan with the paper are cranked under the main body of the press. To make an impression, the printer pulls a heavy bar to squeeze the paper against the type. The bed of the press is then cranked back out again, the tympan unfolded, and you have your freshly printed piece inside. (See picture of a similar iron hand press below.)<br /><br /><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgN3cyS2xX9Hmco1iizDqWzyOlw0Nzp0ydF9lnpJ2gX62Kw7VY8d5O_3AcRGqEdbrQVwtlQnHG_L0LTAtWRy7asCrK7Y76qeE24oE3cyYogjSY1sn14ncyiR8iswRXTXKxJL0yECehob1J4/s1600/2_23+Iron+Handpress.jpg"><img style="display:block; margin:0px auto 10px; text-align:center;cursor:pointer; cursor:hand;width: 261px; height: 320px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgN3cyS2xX9Hmco1iizDqWzyOlw0Nzp0ydF9lnpJ2gX62Kw7VY8d5O_3AcRGqEdbrQVwtlQnHG_L0LTAtWRy7asCrK7Y76qeE24oE3cyYogjSY1sn14ncyiR8iswRXTXKxJL0yECehob1J4/s320/2_23+Iron+Handpress.jpg" border="0" alt=""id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5576571220185016946" /></a><br /> Even though my sister and I were kids, J. Ben was perfectly willing to let us pull an impression on this priceless old press. He patiently explained just what to do and how to do it safely. What a thrill when I took out my own personalized bookmark, printed on the actual press William Morris and Frederic Goudy had used!<br /><br /><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEii7adrgTPJicugh6LMFdlsRjQxpoSvyyRoKro3RtsWkuMthxSijN_6bzQjJl_t0jl2sbTUfqJfOwqprsIW-vZ6MruxkaZfZ8qkNuFXmTvycIcEeGLpT3RGi3_gGMXJgYJJxycNJAIu1Kry/s1600/2_23+Kelmscott+Goudy+Press.jpg"><img style="display:block; margin:0px auto 10px; text-align:center;cursor:pointer; cursor:hand;width: 165px; height: 320px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEii7adrgTPJicugh6LMFdlsRjQxpoSvyyRoKro3RtsWkuMthxSijN_6bzQjJl_t0jl2sbTUfqJfOwqprsIW-vZ6MruxkaZfZ8qkNuFXmTvycIcEeGLpT3RGi3_gGMXJgYJJxycNJAIu1Kry/s320/2_23+Kelmscott+Goudy+Press.jpg" border="0" alt=""id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5576566766722596386" /></a><br /> I had no trouble printing my bookmark, but my little sister was too short to reach across the press to pull the bar on the press. And she wanted to! So J. Ben picked her up by the waist and lifted her so she could grab the bar and print a bookmark, too.<br /><br /> Today the late J. Ben Lieberman is regarded as a key figure in the modern private press movement in the United States, starting the American Printing History Association, popularizing the idea of chappel gatherings of printers, originating the proprietor’s or “prop” card, and maintaining a checklist of private press names. An extensive collection of papers from his Herity Press is housed at the University of Delaware. But when I remember J. Ben Lieberman, I think of that kind and encouraging man who held my little sister up so she could print on the Kelmscott/Goudy Press.Carolehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/02307495903453367329noreply@blogger.com6tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4886792988995668775.post-91147989406455731472011-02-16T05:14:00.000-08:002011-02-16T06:15:00.118-08:00The La Crosse Job Case<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEii0Nw61QsMQCKI5Cq5yrtEMxsJEMNxf1vmEercAFhfJtKCV-xBkUQxI0iFbyjNUVW7CTX5uERszIH28Z_a7HsdrF4HePAccziwIkbJ4lmjGhQ7I1C_sKyOobqDI9QA7oeiKBtzATMn-fxC/s1600/2_16+LaX+Case.jpg"><img style="display:block; margin:0px auto 10px; text-align:center;cursor:pointer; cursor:hand;width: 320px; height: 229px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEii0Nw61QsMQCKI5Cq5yrtEMxsJEMNxf1vmEercAFhfJtKCV-xBkUQxI0iFbyjNUVW7CTX5uERszIH28Z_a7HsdrF4HePAccziwIkbJ4lmjGhQ7I1C_sKyOobqDI9QA7oeiKBtzATMn-fxC/s320/2_16+LaX+Case.jpg" border="0" alt=""id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5573618664341924850" /></a><br />Our basement print shop features something that may be unique. If anybody else has La Crosse job case cabinets, I’d love to hear about it! These circa 1886 mahogany case stands have a different arrangement of compartments for the characters in a font of type than the standard California job case. Probably very few were made, and the two we have may possibly be the only ones that have survived for about 125 years.<br /><br />So how is a La Crosse case different? Actually it’s a 2/3rd size case condensed, with three rows of compartments in front, which allows room for capital letters and all the extra characters in a font of type. (See diagram and picture of the case below)<br /><br /><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjk5qQDIpkFnPs8esEsa2qe_soLB7Wp4zO30gvKL6xFQHhJPmRW21UpOz0BN-JnMOwOJ6x4oj1El5opsL-vritBVaDVLX3B42G8hbkhJjbGaDxjW9vq0gyTPVx1dFzPUmcg3Z2eie33Ry5W/s1600/2_16+LaX+Case+diagram.jpg"><img style="display:block; margin:0px auto 10px; text-align:center;cursor:pointer; cursor:hand;width: 320px; height: 320px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjk5qQDIpkFnPs8esEsa2qe_soLB7Wp4zO30gvKL6xFQHhJPmRW21UpOz0BN-JnMOwOJ6x4oj1El5opsL-vritBVaDVLX3B42G8hbkhJjbGaDxjW9vq0gyTPVx1dFzPUmcg3Z2eie33Ry5W/s320/2_16+LaX+Case+diagram.jpg" border="0" alt=""id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5573617387596500178" /></a><br /><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi8Wsd-msLUKK4VRBeD8E_XnxJC3-xjzyky2QL-ND3YX6LXqpoYoCLy1I5P_94q3-srWWZosA_LEFxmTRZYb2BuvQFScvfihyphenhyphen-SYkplGUbD_IvvQU946Ikcod6fhdyF10pWWp5sxOw1OAFl/s1600/2_16+Inside+LaX+Case.jpg"><img style="display:block; margin:0px auto 10px; text-align:center;cursor:pointer; cursor:hand;width: 311px; height: 320px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi8Wsd-msLUKK4VRBeD8E_XnxJC3-xjzyky2QL-ND3YX6LXqpoYoCLy1I5P_94q3-srWWZosA_LEFxmTRZYb2BuvQFScvfihyphenhyphen-SYkplGUbD_IvvQU946Ikcod6fhdyF10pWWp5sxOw1OAFl/s320/2_16+Inside+LaX+Case.jpg" border="0" alt=""id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5573617261588205922" /></a><br />According to an article published in the January 1886 Inland Printer, the La Crosse case was designed by Mr. N.P. Tucker of La Crosse, Wisconsin for his printing company. Marder, Luse of Chicago manufactured the case stands for Tucker, and offered them for sale to other printers of the day. At this point nobody knows how long the La Crosse job case was manufactured or how many may have been produced. Maybe it wasn’t that popular. A Marder Luse specimen book from 1890 shows several kinds of type cases, but not the La Crosse job case.<br /><br /><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiH94z7InqkOL3Lmhq7wWK7EzMTzmg499u0jONisnxubCIitOlthyn8Tn1VdP-YTgFT4BIkCFV7T2nLZchjcEREp8We9VWaHejNkHWLQyaiejWD_VKW_p2fLxtpQhqYJo7Gfp2IkyNnuSwd/s1600/2_16+LaX+Case+1886+writeup.jpg"><img style="display:block; margin:0px auto 10px; text-align:center;cursor:pointer; cursor:hand;width: 320px; height: 172px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiH94z7InqkOL3Lmhq7wWK7EzMTzmg499u0jONisnxubCIitOlthyn8Tn1VdP-YTgFT4BIkCFV7T2nLZchjcEREp8We9VWaHejNkHWLQyaiejWD_VKW_p2fLxtpQhqYJo7Gfp2IkyNnuSwd/s320/2_16+LaX+Case+1886+writeup.jpg" border="0" alt=""id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5573617872394319250" /></a><br />So how did we come by these unusual type cabinets? We inherited them from my father, hobby printer Gary Hantke. He bought them from the defunct Inland Printing Company of La Crosse, Wisconsin. Inland Printing had acquired the equipment of its nearby competitor Spicer and Buschmann, which in 1884 was a few blocks from N.P. Tucker Company. In an article printed for “It’s a Small World”, my father speculates that these may have been the cases made for Mr. N.P. Tucker. Certainly they’re of the same design.<br /><br /><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEic4CGetRPyS7YYKrbR9oHEjKo-nQjpgYH5q6elzi0reZrKSdjxyJudS9mpSBhTrnzUIjPwN_mV3LNIKf8tNXaSjTZefEmWfDo6JQL9YzwWcZyOqXUPdHNlnDLJ7pOzQoNzvoqH3oIr_2zU/s1600/2_16+LaX+Case+article.jpg"><img style="display:block; margin:0px auto 10px; text-align:center;cursor:pointer; cursor:hand;width: 217px; height: 320px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEic4CGetRPyS7YYKrbR9oHEjKo-nQjpgYH5q6elzi0reZrKSdjxyJudS9mpSBhTrnzUIjPwN_mV3LNIKf8tNXaSjTZefEmWfDo6JQL9YzwWcZyOqXUPdHNlnDLJ7pOzQoNzvoqH3oIr_2zU/s320/2_16+LaX+Case+article.jpg" border="0" alt=""id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5573619025219857986" /></a><br />Obviously this begs for further research, and at some point we hope to learn more about the La Crosse job case. But for now, these beautiful old type cabinets with their square cut nails are a centerpiece in our print shop. And they are terrific for storing small fonts of display type efficiently. I would think Mr. N.P. Tucker would be proud that his innovative type case design is still on the job in the 21st century!<br /><br /><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhso6cFONs9aq1UBLRlB7B7vwQsbHzBRvknRj3mqeXKuvbZj0-yXkWb8SxyEZOHrJt8fT9RRhRjgCaF_oDg1ZOqYvjUskDDKH-K3To2CKmHuP79RK6gKeyJt_8_CXXB0acUpRKfr5g5a-pN/s1600/2_16+Entire+LaX+Case.jpg"><img style="display:block; margin:0px auto 10px; text-align:center;cursor:pointer; cursor:hand;width: 214px; height: 320px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhso6cFONs9aq1UBLRlB7B7vwQsbHzBRvknRj3mqeXKuvbZj0-yXkWb8SxyEZOHrJt8fT9RRhRjgCaF_oDg1ZOqYvjUskDDKH-K3To2CKmHuP79RK6gKeyJt_8_CXXB0acUpRKfr5g5a-pN/s320/2_16+Entire+LaX+Case.jpg" border="0" alt=""id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5573618388980431218" /></a><br /><br /><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhQDiC5pdcvOzRaOYlwVlwVH8NhC3MtZcxfmzLQO0pAHr6FGwuI1sKNakq6w5gk_HA5W5eNJ03FUOg51zka0I65E3HYXlpdVE-oCjWQRGKrSPs49j_k8l6BNWhZ08e9Yh4T6T3J6WqPKEpt/s1600/2_16+Front+of+LaX+Case.jpg"><img style="display:block; margin:0px auto 10px; text-align:center;cursor:pointer; cursor:hand;width: 226px; height: 320px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhQDiC5pdcvOzRaOYlwVlwVH8NhC3MtZcxfmzLQO0pAHr6FGwuI1sKNakq6w5gk_HA5W5eNJ03FUOg51zka0I65E3HYXlpdVE-oCjWQRGKrSPs49j_k8l6BNWhZ08e9Yh4T6T3J6WqPKEpt/s320/2_16+Front+of+LaX+Case.jpg" border="0" alt=""id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5573619458664690130" /></a>Carolehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/02307495903453367329noreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4886792988995668775.post-42363390837351744912011-02-09T05:17:00.000-08:002011-02-09T06:37:15.667-08:00Letterpress Valentines<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgGNRvHtU-fdmQuf1SFhyN82tp0Scc0unePw6eMHTK3OqG1iUa_8jVyotvOA1RfB8PUk43MImUyfVy4eZi9uKAGjJvZJXHWoJW24phHbp7HtUHOTrUbSilZImaDXPy1nPuC7_e4cS2LnvOj/s1600/2_9+Dad+Valentine1.jpg"><img style="display:block; margin:0px auto 10px; text-align:center;cursor:pointer; cursor:hand;width: 320px; height: 245px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgGNRvHtU-fdmQuf1SFhyN82tp0Scc0unePw6eMHTK3OqG1iUa_8jVyotvOA1RfB8PUk43MImUyfVy4eZi9uKAGjJvZJXHWoJW24phHbp7HtUHOTrUbSilZImaDXPy1nPuC7_e4cS2LnvOj/s320/2_9+Dad+Valentine1.jpg" border="0" alt=""id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5569924182669727426" /></a><br />There’s something special about any handmade valentine. In grade school I remember cutting white construction paper scallops and pasting them onto the edges of a red heart with a poem for my mother. But some of the nicest handmade valentines I’ve ever received or given were printed letterpress.<br /><br />As children, my sister and I always received hand-printed letterpress valentines from my father Gary Hantke. Each year Dad would go down into the print shop and hand-set the type for a poem for us. It was the same poem, but each year he’d set it fresh, and design a different valentine for us girls. He’d use different paper, different types, different borders. He’d get everything just right, then print only two valentines, one for me and one for my sister. Then he’d distribute the whole form. No saving anything until next year. Each year he went through the entire process — designing, setting, proofing, and printing — all over again. <br /><br />Now that’s letterpress love. Because letterpress by its very nature is designed to create multiple copies. It takes a lot of work to get the first letterpress copy. The next 500+ are comparatively easy. Usually all you have to do is feed the paper into the press straight and watch the ink level. But to create a new design and print only two copies — that’s something special. And my dad printed another valentine with a different poem for my mother the same way, this time just one copy. I guess you could say that our letterpress valentines were extremely limited editions. The inside of one of my valentines from Dad and the outside of another are shown below.<br /><br /><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgvKnu6a-WNOpw5_hczWfVGFChHwT_Tpx5fU821gee91lO1fSekPMtRKe1PlN0eyiHIlcJDYIG_FJcVQO2XHWOZ1yFYw8AzsPbU6vAWYJWBIn-zv04tI_DKUImvmmVcqEyw7f88AMZq5lfw/s1600/2_9+Dad+Valentine+inside.jpg"><img style="display:block; margin:0px auto 10px; text-align:center;cursor:pointer; cursor:hand;width: 320px; height: 246px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgvKnu6a-WNOpw5_hczWfVGFChHwT_Tpx5fU821gee91lO1fSekPMtRKe1PlN0eyiHIlcJDYIG_FJcVQO2XHWOZ1yFYw8AzsPbU6vAWYJWBIn-zv04tI_DKUImvmmVcqEyw7f88AMZq5lfw/s320/2_9+Dad+Valentine+inside.jpg" border="0" alt=""id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5569924324374186018" /></a><br /><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhRl7YtRKAfw9bE_1HpKxPK2oq0_RbFHt2-O7RYCzaH8lmHFbTruVFf2o_-dkdEZdSr1BsI9R-pmKLBRCM2o8oubm83qmunzdVDfl1Gu9wRq-GQxDzGMURldSqNgm_ES661Dc9mXVh52Ykh/s1600/2_9+Dad+Valentine2.jpg"><img style="display:block; margin:0px auto 10px; text-align:center;cursor:pointer; cursor:hand;width: 320px; height: 239px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhRl7YtRKAfw9bE_1HpKxPK2oq0_RbFHt2-O7RYCzaH8lmHFbTruVFf2o_-dkdEZdSr1BsI9R-pmKLBRCM2o8oubm83qmunzdVDfl1Gu9wRq-GQxDzGMURldSqNgm_ES661Dc9mXVh52Ykh/s320/2_9+Dad+Valentine2.jpg" border="0" alt=""id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5569924439260598018" /></a><br />I wish I could say I’ve followed the family tradition and printed letterpress valentines since. But I haven’t. I always think I need more Valentine cuts to make a good card. But really I don’t. Type and border can be used in so many decorative ways that cuts aren’t even necessary. Below is my sole attempt at a letterpress Valentine, this one created for my husband. Maybe after writing this blog I’ll get inspired and print him one for this year!<br /><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh6RrgfR01x7m_ljtu5stX_SQ2wcYadB8yBwR__uxpMXKQGPkOC5ebQ0rBeQ0N01C4SxtYxDVoYxrW1LZR49XIhILa6XoQajh5BporAhegqhEo8Cw4u1MxrItuXi9qZR0sYDFEaj46zmrfB/s1600/6_2+Grolier.jpg"><img style="display:block; margin:0px auto 10px; text-align:center;cursor:pointer; cursor:hand;width: 320px; height: 253px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh6RrgfR01x7m_ljtu5stX_SQ2wcYadB8yBwR__uxpMXKQGPkOC5ebQ0rBeQ0N01C4SxtYxDVoYxrW1LZR49XIhILa6XoQajh5BporAhegqhEo8Cw4u1MxrItuXi9qZR0sYDFEaj46zmrfB/s320/6_2+Grolier.jpg" border="0" alt=""id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5569924949991921650" /></a>Carolehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/02307495903453367329noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4886792988995668775.post-70485285439915139962011-02-02T05:04:00.000-08:002011-02-02T05:35:57.533-08:00Letterpress Make-Ready: I'll Do Anything to Make It Print!<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj71u_ACgFtguhq0eCCpWxryuTsE1d-TOOomAcdnRVDHNfQfvRxr-yANo_WlgkW9hqNH5QgwWGl0t8hkwIE3wXmSmeUS6r1withkaMuP2D6VKVKka70CAPabYvVKZb3IoxLNTiu6E_9w_uR/s1600/2_2+Makeready.JPG"><img style="display:block; margin:0px auto 10px; text-align:center;cursor:pointer; cursor:hand;width: 320px; height: 222px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj71u_ACgFtguhq0eCCpWxryuTsE1d-TOOomAcdnRVDHNfQfvRxr-yANo_WlgkW9hqNH5QgwWGl0t8hkwIE3wXmSmeUS6r1withkaMuP2D6VKVKka70CAPabYvVKZb3IoxLNTiu6E_9w_uR/s320/2_2+Makeready.JPG" border="0" alt=""id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5568838445213036098" /></a><br />Letterpress printing is one process where the end justifies the means. You try to get the most attractive printed piece, regardless of what nutty method you use to get there. Make-ready, that innocent sounding term, means getting the entire form to print evenly. Not so easy with older, worn type and cuts! <br /><br />In theory, make-ready consists of underlays and overlays (see pictures below). You put small pieces of paper called underlays behind the form in the press. Or you put pieces of paper called overlays beneath or on top of the tympan paper. Underlays and overlays increase pressure on the parts of the form that aren’t printing well and make them print darker. <br /><br /><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgBkrz3waaPF9BsxIOdNNu74JtJVUgmS1JUZA2_QvZSqMO2T_iidISejVh4CXaR84yhPCf7gwJw59A1m2WNbiSVObIqAiFh4isel1zXD5kLuEdTngLRnW93kuMYviKAKejKaT6VszogET24/s1600/2_2+Top+of+Underlay.JPG"><img style="display:block; margin:0px auto 10px; text-align:center;cursor:pointer; cursor:hand;width: 320px; height: 240px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgBkrz3waaPF9BsxIOdNNu74JtJVUgmS1JUZA2_QvZSqMO2T_iidISejVh4CXaR84yhPCf7gwJw59A1m2WNbiSVObIqAiFh4isel1zXD5kLuEdTngLRnW93kuMYviKAKejKaT6VszogET24/s320/2_2+Top+of+Underlay.JPG" border="0" alt=""id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5568839007411618050" /></a> Here's the form for a Thank You card before make-ready.<br /><br /><br /><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjJqstFh23Ac_kipDOTyzDbTiZoBZYmULNByuZCqN_uTesW2GpbqPfgda6hcUgYATwLmRErTsrI1WxiK_0hagcDY5Cdh9wKVWaSrub4JIMhG8CR5b7RR1lgBBr6wJKNd0NCBBUXHGI1SwIF/s1600/2_2+Underlay.JPG"><img style="display:block; margin:0px auto 10px; text-align:center;cursor:pointer; cursor:hand;width: 320px; height: 226px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjJqstFh23Ac_kipDOTyzDbTiZoBZYmULNByuZCqN_uTesW2GpbqPfgda6hcUgYATwLmRErTsrI1WxiK_0hagcDY5Cdh9wKVWaSrub4JIMhG8CR5b7RR1lgBBr6wJKNd0NCBBUXHGI1SwIF/s320/2_2+Underlay.JPG" border="0" alt=""id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5568838880262935506" /></a>The A, K, and O aren't printing well, so we added underlays beneath the letters to make them print darker.<br /><br /><br /><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhbKNdhU4CmmM09zXs4VWCsA7LbtkLFlAHFf5vgCi2dhojCVzddDMW4Ji766FBVGjPeYNdAfc7oPG1wuz60o6pnTLGEug9jgvZQ0pnCGXdByGqDS7UGCUCUR9jZiZKtYdIwukh8bhUuTWc4/s1600/2_2+Packing+Tympan.JPG"><img style="display:block; margin:0px auto 10px; text-align:center;cursor:pointer; cursor:hand;width: 320px; height: 269px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhbKNdhU4CmmM09zXs4VWCsA7LbtkLFlAHFf5vgCi2dhojCVzddDMW4Ji766FBVGjPeYNdAfc7oPG1wuz60o6pnTLGEug9jgvZQ0pnCGXdByGqDS7UGCUCUR9jZiZKtYdIwukh8bhUuTWc4/s320/2_2+Packing+Tympan.JPG" border="0" alt=""id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5568838752894371490" /></a> Here's the overlay, a sheet of paper beneath the tympan paper to strengthen general impression.<br /><br /><br /><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj_j8mnRLdwoqQ1YOPRG_atnQJZAFjZxWdAYPKqWTDfUBakitxAeT5xRftjUeUOI3WC9MNQ3tyIjCRNud2rGFxQY7a-I7zXYgZszweZ_6pjnOQLF9HxKT6x1LZ6eFvVkZwhFzYKGElh02St/s1600/2_2+Thank+You+Card.jpg"><img style="display:block; margin:0px auto 10px; text-align:center;cursor:pointer; cursor:hand;width: 320px; height: 207px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj_j8mnRLdwoqQ1YOPRG_atnQJZAFjZxWdAYPKqWTDfUBakitxAeT5xRftjUeUOI3WC9MNQ3tyIjCRNud2rGFxQY7a-I7zXYgZszweZ_6pjnOQLF9HxKT6x1LZ6eFvVkZwhFzYKGElh02St/s320/2_2+Thank+You+Card.jpg" border="0" alt=""id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5568839644556312770" /></a> And here's the finished Thank You card, looking a lot more even.<br /><br />That’s the theory. In practice you can end up with a crazy quilt of little bits of paper held on with adhesive tape. Then there are the great equalizers, ideally spongy materials that will either pad out the type or squish down to nothing. Facial tissue is one. A printer friend of my father’s always used a sheet of X-ray film packed under the tympan. Every printer has their own secret (or not so secret) method for getting an uneven form to print. So long as it works, anything goes!<br /><br />Often older type and cuts aren’t exactly type-high. (Type-high is 0.918 inch from foot to printing surface—and come to think of it, how did somebody come up with that odd measurement?) They may be worn down from too much use, or they weren’t manufactured type-high in the first place. <br /><br />Sometimes you’re pretty much defeated from the start. For example: look closely at the two U’s in the font of 4 line Pica Ornamented below. Because they were cast incorrectly, both U’s sink in the middle. So try to print a July calendar page using one of those U’s. After much padding, packing, and muttered words, the results were still less than ideal. <br /><br /><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj6dQuprsOEVDmJ7EAmsTEnKXxAyzGfu8qTYElTfrKClX0W8KleMOz2-Q2o4HRbRKAg0PA1Kc4p2jM8dkZ-uyBkW2w6u-YwVNc-lQy9gKcOQnuE70EBAMfbnWRBRFVgsXljmZDdz8rREbUX/s1600/2_2+Ornamented.JPG"><img style="display:block; margin:0px auto 10px; text-align:center;cursor:pointer; cursor:hand;width: 320px; height: 247px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj6dQuprsOEVDmJ7EAmsTEnKXxAyzGfu8qTYElTfrKClX0W8KleMOz2-Q2o4HRbRKAg0PA1Kc4p2jM8dkZ-uyBkW2w6u-YwVNc-lQy9gKcOQnuE70EBAMfbnWRBRFVgsXljmZDdz8rREbUX/s320/2_2+Ornamented.JPG" border="0" alt=""id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5568840251627036754" /></a> A font of 4 line Pica Ornamented -- pretty old stuff, and it's not all type-high.<br /><br /><br /><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEifU1dIj_HdZYzZ9bV7l0WdPSo9j-hnU09nMJ5OMnkNkO7W8urKNlGWa8RT4rNI4-AsLS8XUAZjjHQgiPMPXIMvFjrM-fhPdDour8qLueHHYGVZVBNG_pCUwwX-9L26o3_WGuLlAvDF4e9d/s1600/2_2+Sunken+U.JPG"><img style="display:block; margin:0px auto 10px; text-align:center;cursor:pointer; cursor:hand;width: 320px; height: 190px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEifU1dIj_HdZYzZ9bV7l0WdPSo9j-hnU09nMJ5OMnkNkO7W8urKNlGWa8RT4rNI4-AsLS8XUAZjjHQgiPMPXIMvFjrM-fhPdDour8qLueHHYGVZVBNG_pCUwwX-9L26o3_WGuLlAvDF4e9d/s320/2_2+Sunken+U.JPG" border="0" alt=""id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5568840106230756354" /></a> Can you see the sunken U? It's almost concave, with a big dip in the center.<br /><br /><br /><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgxdUE_ZgrPVyuJFnnqHi-s0LPkqDAJOIqERr7a-FJ4_cbdxJ18X_688eSnWWD-ukMtJ0W7oK5UERxSVMH7Bl79-aLpNKrj-oe8j5Q-1szK11NJvfnZVleWspdv1bHzc5bhIvhtlX5-lN3i/s1600/2_2+July+Calendar.jpg"><img style="display:block; margin:0px auto 10px; text-align:center;cursor:pointer; cursor:hand;width: 210px; height: 320px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgxdUE_ZgrPVyuJFnnqHi-s0LPkqDAJOIqERr7a-FJ4_cbdxJ18X_688eSnWWD-ukMtJ0W7oK5UERxSVMH7Bl79-aLpNKrj-oe8j5Q-1szK11NJvfnZVleWspdv1bHzc5bhIvhtlX5-lN3i/s320/2_2+July+Calendar.jpg" border="0" alt=""id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5568840002793914642" /></a> After much fiddling, this was the best the U would print.<br /><br /><br />Older cuts are notorious for make-ready problems, especially if you use several in one piece. It’s like trying to get a roomful of opinioned people to agree on religion or politics. You could say every cut has its own idea of type-high. When my husband and I printed the piece below with a bunch of old advertising cuts from a print shop we bought out, we had to get pretty creative with the make-ready. The patchwork on the tympan was a mess, but the result, happily, was better that the U in our July calendar.<br /><br /><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjMJDx7rzQ1I3E5BdSi-WJfuah7Yn5SbBY4KdQnQ1h1B0KuWDkknydbCcIPCh7aghsz-plr-wYZT5This98UR9WtbAQ1YsiE3v2nwambebUkJjDGrS5qMpWlpkyydKq8h22GGSMW3Arr9Kl/s1600/2_2+Waterloo+Cuts.jpg"><img style="display:block; margin:0px auto 10px; text-align:center;cursor:pointer; cursor:hand;width: 281px; height: 320px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjMJDx7rzQ1I3E5BdSi-WJfuah7Yn5SbBY4KdQnQ1h1B0KuWDkknydbCcIPCh7aghsz-plr-wYZT5This98UR9WtbAQ1YsiE3v2nwambebUkJjDGrS5qMpWlpkyydKq8h22GGSMW3Arr9Kl/s320/2_2+Waterloo+Cuts.jpg" border="0" alt=""id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5568840832525926770" /></a><br />Old wood type can create another make-ready nightmare. There are high letters, low letters, and maybe a few that are just right. It can be a challenge to get larger wood type to ink evenly anyway, especially on a platen press. Below is a poster we printed using wood type, metal type, and a very old cut – a real exercise in make-ready. But the fun we had dreaming up copy for the poster made up for the tough time we had printing it.<br /><br /><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi8BHZb60repINT6wt52yrEILEtCPe69ZAOCC8wpKqscCy4VL1HUbt6uVpvNvtIKj37-yXjRJiIgtWLQ2Kh3WxDhIBiCPkkYY09CT8E2z7tIdtlQ-eAO4vCHCTxdti0UKLe6pgTodugNxF9/s1600/2_2+Poster.JPG"><img style="display:block; margin:0px auto 10px; text-align:center;cursor:pointer; cursor:hand;width: 202px; height: 320px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi8BHZb60repINT6wt52yrEILEtCPe69ZAOCC8wpKqscCy4VL1HUbt6uVpvNvtIKj37-yXjRJiIgtWLQ2Kh3WxDhIBiCPkkYY09CT8E2z7tIdtlQ-eAO4vCHCTxdti0UKLe6pgTodugNxF9/s320/2_2+Poster.JPG" border="0" alt=""id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5568841098392959378" /></a><br />Just remember, the key to make-ready is patience. It helps to think outside the box, too. Use whatever you can to make it print!Carolehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/02307495903453367329noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4886792988995668775.post-43200168594136356672011-01-26T05:17:00.000-08:002011-01-26T06:41:38.707-08:00Egdon Margo: Calligrapher, Printer, Wit<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgyOK5Y47v36HvHnTe9Hn-Sa0jz57exXgB7M0Oe5s04eQZ0ODhH31xUUG-TARcjAWRSdG8anEX_CEqmXe-loCoxt7t75M37oWHVAJ0mYUdywsLoEAS6xW5bM0JkuFsz1LBw7GM5xxBy5_ZV/s1600/01_26+Margo.jpg"><img style="display:block; margin:0px auto 10px; text-align:center;cursor:pointer; cursor:hand;width: 275px; height: 320px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgyOK5Y47v36HvHnTe9Hn-Sa0jz57exXgB7M0Oe5s04eQZ0ODhH31xUUG-TARcjAWRSdG8anEX_CEqmXe-loCoxt7t75M37oWHVAJ0mYUdywsLoEAS6xW5bM0JkuFsz1LBw7GM5xxBy5_ZV/s320/01_26+Margo.jpg" border="0" alt=""id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5565880720662243714" /></a><br />When I was in high school my family and I had the good fortune to meet a printer whose work we’d enjoyed for a number of years: APA printer Egdon Margo of Sherman Oaks, California. Known as Don to his friends, Margo was a professional calligrapher and private press printer with a quick wit, a love of letters, and a soft spot for helping budding printers and calligraphers get started. <br /><br />Don Margo told us he first got interested in calligraphy as a serviceman during the blitz in World War II. During the bombing he took refuge in a London bookstore with a calligraphy display in the window. Afterwards he returned to study the beautiful hand lettering closer and decided to try it himself. <br /><br />When I met Don Margo, he was well known in the calligraphic world, had won several awards, and made his living writing calligraphic titles and credits for the movies. He never mentioned much about that though. He was one of those people who was on fire with being creative: enthusiastic, animated, and full of fun. He loved calligraphy, he loved printing, and he loved talking with people. My father Gary Hantke called him, “Herr Schoenscriber”, or “Mr. Beautiful Writer” in German. <br /><br /><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhKAHERrkkTG8GHrHseiBHhQpTCPBpNFcnxuII5L1n44eqaCexI8umU0ebPSqgjdaUBXu8mm6KddcZzHEuZiGH5vpcUzJ7zd_SVpQkBquOHChyphenhyphen_vW8gEwnsxZu_K6dZh4Fu0gxXvVWtMjHG/s1600/01_26+Margo+starnames.JPG"><img style="display:block; margin:0px auto 10px; text-align:center;cursor:pointer; cursor:hand;width: 320px; height: 234px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhKAHERrkkTG8GHrHseiBHhQpTCPBpNFcnxuII5L1n44eqaCexI8umU0ebPSqgjdaUBXu8mm6KddcZzHEuZiGH5vpcUzJ7zd_SVpQkBquOHChyphenhyphen_vW8gEwnsxZu_K6dZh4Fu0gxXvVWtMjHG/s320/01_26+Margo+starnames.JPG" border="0" alt=""id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5565883292976392866" /></a> A Hollywood studio offered its stars calligraphic stationary. Don Margo did this sketch for the studio, and several were produced.<br /><br />When I studied italic handwriting a few years later in school, Don Margo mailed me a large envelope full of samples of his work. Included was an article about him written in the 1950s, through which I learned more about how he got started with hand lettering. I loved how, tongue-in-cheek, he apologized for the picture of himself, “A thousand pardons for inflicting this ancient screen upon thee.” <br /><br /><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhkEzTlDsdV-WMMKn1_ExdRHpT6IhREGiX_5_0DtjJ7rqqDjkUSzLHBOBJQKtTIzaZnF1EsXi61nFyOBG-elVySrriQgR0eRdh6rLf-UDowNoM2ySJJEmdXJkOcjjohgNozTWw1pE6tHUei/s1600/01_26+Margo+Envelope.JPG"><img style="display:block; margin:0px auto 10px; text-align:center;cursor:pointer; cursor:hand;width: 320px; height: 248px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhkEzTlDsdV-WMMKn1_ExdRHpT6IhREGiX_5_0DtjJ7rqqDjkUSzLHBOBJQKtTIzaZnF1EsXi61nFyOBG-elVySrriQgR0eRdh6rLf-UDowNoM2ySJJEmdXJkOcjjohgNozTWw1pE6tHUei/s320/01_26+Margo+Envelope.JPG" border="0" alt=""id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5565883589129392066" /></a> Envelope full of calligraphic goodies sent to me by Don Margo.<br /><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh4Ygrii8QaTU0-iDEBB4vOJlM4lripMKT6g39joexpxS0_oBhanXxN-0PU3biDoxB-7oZE7VNFyZRakc3nvecDVb1zyDsU1jJYp2yqKLFZO_7BVKhxHYr0rBjsxftyG7OLxB34GrXOY-yq/s1600/01_26+Margo++article.jpg"><img style="display:block; margin:0px auto 10px; text-align:center;cursor:pointer; cursor:hand;width: 227px; height: 320px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh4Ygrii8QaTU0-iDEBB4vOJlM4lripMKT6g39joexpxS0_oBhanXxN-0PU3biDoxB-7oZE7VNFyZRakc3nvecDVb1zyDsU1jJYp2yqKLFZO_7BVKhxHYr0rBjsxftyG7OLxB34GrXOY-yq/s320/01_26+Margo++article.jpg" border="0" alt=""id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5565883492272589954" /></a> Biographical article on Margo published in 1958.<br /><br />Don Margo was a talented writer with a great sense of humor. His humorous bookmarks, and parodies on poems such as Jabberwocky and The Raven were the talk of the APA bundles. Among his favorite typefaces was Paul Hayden Duensing’s Sixteenth Century Roman. Below are several examples (click on any image to enlarge) of his printing and wit, courtesy of John Horn. Thank you, Don Margo, for being such an inspiration to me, as well as an absolute delight to know!<br /><br /><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh9vrS4gZctkkTcNVfSe8dXN21J3IicK1GQDR_1QliKXoF3aD8E1uI6Tv7WebUrH_SendjM6_mQ9520ShJ6OirDZyYf6QwIsCh_5MDDnpyzuSmgBHWsg4GbcvB0cNigaLg3NAxoCCdIL9CN/s1600/01_26+Margo+bookmark3.jpg"><img style="display:block; margin:0px auto 10px; text-align:center;cursor:pointer; cursor:hand;width: 320px; height: 90px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh9vrS4gZctkkTcNVfSe8dXN21J3IicK1GQDR_1QliKXoF3aD8E1uI6Tv7WebUrH_SendjM6_mQ9520ShJ6OirDZyYf6QwIsCh_5MDDnpyzuSmgBHWsg4GbcvB0cNigaLg3NAxoCCdIL9CN/s320/01_26+Margo+bookmark3.jpg" border="0" alt=""id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5565882804685268114" /></a><br /><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjd0G1GwgILjEl-c62BlaiDawM90q_Imi494jB8Jfv7DfCmer-E71jVf7Yb8jtavyJ2SFMn9oXls7urtJmZNoeLVATXy8OOeeakleDMXu8VSrhzOQWmv3FuOSSMOaA1sTDp_g3-30CdNbbA/s1600/01_26+Margo+bookmark2.jpg"><img style="display:block; margin:0px auto 10px; text-align:center;cursor:pointer; cursor:hand;width: 320px; height: 140px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjd0G1GwgILjEl-c62BlaiDawM90q_Imi494jB8Jfv7DfCmer-E71jVf7Yb8jtavyJ2SFMn9oXls7urtJmZNoeLVATXy8OOeeakleDMXu8VSrhzOQWmv3FuOSSMOaA1sTDp_g3-30CdNbbA/s320/01_26+Margo+bookmark2.jpg" border="0" alt=""id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5565882737017206034" /></a><br /><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgcodMZE0RTvtiKxo3buC7wKjOaOGYfXKUgoeAmW10-9CiAs38vJM1XU_udyeVeYPHYk2Q-LbNVjTcIzUs-Go4WbkbqyE0jnpOOZMp-Kg5fVWx2zv_G_-tuT31YyXvjpLR_cfu8_DjWJ7s2/s1600/01_26+Margo+Bookmark.jpg"><img style="display:block; margin:0px auto 10px; text-align:center;cursor:pointer; cursor:hand;width: 320px; height: 90px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgcodMZE0RTvtiKxo3buC7wKjOaOGYfXKUgoeAmW10-9CiAs38vJM1XU_udyeVeYPHYk2Q-LbNVjTcIzUs-Go4WbkbqyE0jnpOOZMp-Kg5fVWx2zv_G_-tuT31YyXvjpLR_cfu8_DjWJ7s2/s320/01_26+Margo+Bookmark.jpg" border="0" alt=""id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5565882650533227906" /></a><br /><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi-xLM9nAdlYmNhAcEFn-RebvwYKkEoELAp4qPfCCjpMbWTdgTln5QrPZcoZn-3EfGpf9TOke3o5BNnK19Ovy-nJ82msy_Hohcl5iarhHMbBQiX-GgsnDBYbdZlJxVI6atIx8-9s6Cwlh-I/s1600/01_26+Margo+%2526+Housefly.jpg"><img style="display:block; margin:0px auto 10px; text-align:center;cursor:pointer; cursor:hand;width: 224px; height: 320px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi-xLM9nAdlYmNhAcEFn-RebvwYKkEoELAp4qPfCCjpMbWTdgTln5QrPZcoZn-3EfGpf9TOke3o5BNnK19Ovy-nJ82msy_Hohcl5iarhHMbBQiX-GgsnDBYbdZlJxVI6atIx8-9s6Cwlh-I/s320/01_26+Margo+%2526+Housefly.jpg" border="0" alt=""id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5565881917615494050" /></a> <br /><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEifwh_VxAXNBqfp4LbKqDA-3vnl5ViR8LTevI9KdkfJ3MYEqfwxCxTx558gE7OGX8suIJJuxWwaEpeURl35PPkob3BCmBpFrpZWrOiQ10XCf1sY_H4530EtMpG-LjnLWJIi6n-4LtF1t8IC/s1600/01_26+Margo+foot.jpg"><img style="display:block; margin:0px auto 10px; text-align:center;cursor:pointer; cursor:hand;width: 242px; height: 320px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEifwh_VxAXNBqfp4LbKqDA-3vnl5ViR8LTevI9KdkfJ3MYEqfwxCxTx558gE7OGX8suIJJuxWwaEpeURl35PPkob3BCmBpFrpZWrOiQ10XCf1sY_H4530EtMpG-LjnLWJIi6n-4LtF1t8IC/s320/01_26+Margo+foot.jpg" border="0" alt=""id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5565881729080153698" /></a><br /><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjnV55u267WpPY68kS6Tqkt3zqVGzGM3CSfWjl7sNhnNZficFuwMpbsTZeJN0jkSTpEj6KsV2nfqUrP6Vzz-eeIXP_tAa3WxI7uZQj-cZcB90Oq1-9D_SA_-vMRMO9DGWr0znNBWNAUY-cO/s1600/01_26+Margo+on+food.jpg"><img style="display:block; margin:0px auto 10px; text-align:center;cursor:pointer; cursor:hand;width: 217px; height: 320px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjnV55u267WpPY68kS6Tqkt3zqVGzGM3CSfWjl7sNhnNZficFuwMpbsTZeJN0jkSTpEj6KsV2nfqUrP6Vzz-eeIXP_tAa3WxI7uZQj-cZcB90Oq1-9D_SA_-vMRMO9DGWr0znNBWNAUY-cO/s320/01_26+Margo+on+food.jpg" border="0" alt=""id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5565881519479030706" /></a><br /><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjMI-gSN5NMnNJEIhZoz21X-VYQTjjNlS-2kSP0h5Bvlti4AjvG0nDhcpZKIsK9sX_No-Xro9Kq06DYJLVJi8N4yWZpC4GUxtVvKraFRzYPxpWNVlb66-b4vfqOu8cb1yJ_iRHjzB5A16re/s1600/01_26+Margo+Piece.jpg"><img style="display:block; margin:0px auto 10px; text-align:center;cursor:pointer; cursor:hand;width: 238px; height: 320px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjMI-gSN5NMnNJEIhZoz21X-VYQTjjNlS-2kSP0h5Bvlti4AjvG0nDhcpZKIsK9sX_No-Xro9Kq06DYJLVJi8N4yWZpC4GUxtVvKraFRzYPxpWNVlb66-b4vfqOu8cb1yJ_iRHjzB5A16re/s320/01_26+Margo+Piece.jpg" border="0" alt=""id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5565881999542807538" /></a> The humorous credo of Margo's press. On top of a great sense of humor, Don Margo had an amazing vocabulary.<br /><br /><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhrwXn93EajVHkH2HPbl9H7S1lOSJTxaHKWoHd-m1cn2SoBashjuB6Rw4Uwowhyw3ooqOh4ODO7tbEyb2DEcoL7Ma_LfDDVJ9V-y5ySuWdi0aMQ3Y6gCfSXJ7mECzKwUeHk6Z6nvKFPfDOJ/s1600/01_26+Margo+Typowocky.jpg"><img style="display:block; margin:0px auto 10px; text-align:center;cursor:pointer; cursor:hand;width: 183px; height: 320px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhrwXn93EajVHkH2HPbl9H7S1lOSJTxaHKWoHd-m1cn2SoBashjuB6Rw4Uwowhyw3ooqOh4ODO7tbEyb2DEcoL7Ma_LfDDVJ9V-y5ySuWdi0aMQ3Y6gCfSXJ7mECzKwUeHk6Z6nvKFPfDOJ/s320/01_26+Margo+Typowocky.jpg" border="0" alt=""id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5565881233539689522" /></a> Don Margo's original version of Typowocky, a parody of Lewis Carroll's Jabberwocky.<br /><br /><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiKF4oVCHAf1SFhnw2bkNZP08qFpxSVtxS_qscfGWOv2H0TLYxqah98bpfBonezpcQ526eO6fpRiG5KjEsx3hFoCM4y85uVJQBzHZ0G6k70ZxRqjQncFYDc7iegOPNsM19Vd4_TISAZm4m0/s1600/01_26+Typowocky+Horn.JPG"><img style="display:block; margin:0px auto 10px; text-align:center;cursor:pointer; cursor:hand;width: 209px; height: 320px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiKF4oVCHAf1SFhnw2bkNZP08qFpxSVtxS_qscfGWOv2H0TLYxqah98bpfBonezpcQ526eO6fpRiG5KjEsx3hFoCM4y85uVJQBzHZ0G6k70ZxRqjQncFYDc7iegOPNsM19Vd4_TISAZm4m0/s320/01_26+Typowocky+Horn.JPG" border="0" alt=""id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5565881127305204610" /></a> John Horn's 2010 reprint of Margo's Typowocky, with all typeface names printed in the type mentioned.Carolehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/02307495903453367329noreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4886792988995668775.post-55744379017268892342011-01-19T05:31:00.000-08:002011-01-19T06:38:06.114-08:00George Sas of the Marble Hill Press<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjgECjD2l3nMDs_mbLG92NEl8MObSnaSvxU286UotXFJ6ZE1zmLxTnYkoq7cRCct5PUUqSY6Jeo2Ni7piP6wZUopjSoN0A2WboQzIaWh3N6Txmo0qVuCYBH_LYoMsZZQ4ILyfipOMmvPA29/s1600/01_19+George+Sas.jpg"><img style="display:block; margin:0px auto 10px; text-align:center;cursor:pointer; cursor:hand;width: 320px; height: 236px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjgECjD2l3nMDs_mbLG92NEl8MObSnaSvxU286UotXFJ6ZE1zmLxTnYkoq7cRCct5PUUqSY6Jeo2Ni7piP6wZUopjSoN0A2WboQzIaWh3N6Txmo0qVuCYBH_LYoMsZZQ4ILyfipOMmvPA29/s320/01_19+George+Sas.jpg" border="0" alt=""id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5551397146649272914" /></a><br />One of the people who influenced and inspired me as a printer is someone I never had the pleasure of meeting. In the mid 1960s my father Gary Hantke began a correspondence with George Sas of the Marble Hill Press. They exchanged several printed pieces, but never met each other. Marble Hill Press was unusual as a private press in that George Sas didn’t own printing equipment. He worked for a New York City printing and engraving firm as a hand compositor, and one of the perks of his job was the use of plant facilities evenings and weekends. This gave him access to a wealth of beautiful types and ornaments. <br /><br />The output of the Marble Hill Press was primarily booklets and longer pieces for Christmas cards, printed on heavy cover stock and hand-sewn. Favorite subjects included literature and poetry. Everything was beautifully designed and often printed in several colors. <br /><br />My father carefully preserved the George Sas booklets and passed them on to my husband and me. To this day their classic elegance and innovative use of color continue to inspire me. It was difficult to choose which of these gorgeous pieces of printing to scan for this blog. I’ll let the printing speak for itself. And thank you, George Sas, wherever you are, for helping me to see the wonderful possibilities of letterpress.<br /><br /><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgW3EsYgSf0i5oYAXU7HSuFehd8OOcuejmZ9zMTUAYpH_R9RQMNkCDNa9cmQ56Oa5s92BL1wmz7YHPUtilPbqFuE6pi4gUA2fTXZfZjH4IeG-W52D3DLg6UOpjp-2jIi8WaEMLqUczSj14K/s1600/01_19+Lady+of+Shalott.jpg"><img style="display:block; margin:0px auto 10px; text-align:center;cursor:pointer; cursor:hand;width: 214px; height: 320px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgW3EsYgSf0i5oYAXU7HSuFehd8OOcuejmZ9zMTUAYpH_R9RQMNkCDNa9cmQ56Oa5s92BL1wmz7YHPUtilPbqFuE6pi4gUA2fTXZfZjH4IeG-W52D3DLg6UOpjp-2jIi8WaEMLqUczSj14K/s320/01_19+Lady+of+Shalott.jpg" border="0" alt=""id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5551397788730956722" /></a> "The Lady of Shalott", published in 1967.<br /><br /><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhmjTUe-9_GBEg2FOjOU5zoS2GUiYQ52amLE4kW1LLpUAy07EMJHxq1F8WkYGCVg8W-IEeSzSOXwdjQ3D3RVStvXUUq-38AnOn2TYx0dqcFLZkbz2nFokMsZcdsqVGrZ0qTiBBDQjyK9wrC/s1600/01_19+Lady+of+Shalott+inside.jpg"><img style="display:block; margin:0px auto 10px; text-align:center;cursor:pointer; cursor:hand;width: 213px; height: 320px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhmjTUe-9_GBEg2FOjOU5zoS2GUiYQ52amLE4kW1LLpUAy07EMJHxq1F8WkYGCVg8W-IEeSzSOXwdjQ3D3RVStvXUUq-38AnOn2TYx0dqcFLZkbz2nFokMsZcdsqVGrZ0qTiBBDQjyK9wrC/s320/01_19+Lady+of+Shalott+inside.jpg" border="0" alt=""id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5551397636811788690" /></a> The text of "The Lady of Shalott", printed in purple. <br /><br /><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgcDo-fTrngj3Ww1sqVtbj6TW8uY_G3z1SwFsuWvH2pl2w9xcYY_s1oZvgwDRv-r_c058QEAYc5Vy8kXeW5uIMFR4mrE7jLsPMpV-f3BI7YhIFDrsWrg85x9nxW8nmBQ3iU-Oyo5OdkmQol/s1600/01_19+Moby+Dick.jpg"><img style="display:block; margin:0px auto 10px; text-align:center;cursor:pointer; cursor:hand;width: 216px; height: 320px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgcDo-fTrngj3Ww1sqVtbj6TW8uY_G3z1SwFsuWvH2pl2w9xcYY_s1oZvgwDRv-r_c058QEAYc5Vy8kXeW5uIMFR4mrE7jLsPMpV-f3BI7YhIFDrsWrg85x9nxW8nmBQ3iU-Oyo5OdkmQol/s320/01_19+Moby+Dick.jpg" border="0" alt=""id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5551398091129761394" /></a> "Moby Dick", published in 1963.<br /><br /><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg4-h6zuekuGG2adSFq7ZPeEIs05DhyphenhyphenTi5KtEV7aK1uKTSNAeS2Zw4Nx7D2TZEZfWlIiCxneJ7LweaDvJTJQWmtpMCKaIsVJLKe16VKMrWFlXL6uo_Kym7rmx3K0DQl8yiDmH9H9L5vaOul/s1600/01_19+Moby+Dick+title.jpg"><img style="display:block; margin:0px auto 10px; text-align:center;cursor:pointer; cursor:hand;width: 207px; height: 320px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg4-h6zuekuGG2adSFq7ZPeEIs05DhyphenhyphenTi5KtEV7aK1uKTSNAeS2Zw4Nx7D2TZEZfWlIiCxneJ7LweaDvJTJQWmtpMCKaIsVJLKe16VKMrWFlXL6uo_Kym7rmx3K0DQl8yiDmH9H9L5vaOul/s320/01_19+Moby+Dick+title.jpg" border="0" alt=""id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5551397941850876802" /></a> Title page of "Moby Dick".<br /><br /><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiIjnyVS5H3iTiWxs77VmHLRD2bYXAM-BrDe7sUN2BnQThZKS4VM2iNWdFNbKqwnDAmvAn57Wxg7sdSuMRWpxvCB_Zrgo4jRXaEk6hpgW5fex_m0b9nTvtcLUp3fEvUkiGFbUHBdxe6IaCP/s1600/01_19+Oliver+W.+Holmes.jpg"><img style="display:block; margin:0px auto 10px; text-align:center;cursor:pointer; cursor:hand;width: 200px; height: 320px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiIjnyVS5H3iTiWxs77VmHLRD2bYXAM-BrDe7sUN2BnQThZKS4VM2iNWdFNbKqwnDAmvAn57Wxg7sdSuMRWpxvCB_Zrgo4jRXaEk6hpgW5fex_m0b9nTvtcLUp3fEvUkiGFbUHBdxe6IaCP/s320/01_19+Oliver+W.+Holmes.jpg" border="0" alt=""id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5551398632396496210" /></a> "Four Poems from The Autocrat of the Breakfast Table" by Oliver Wendell Holmes, published in 1963.<br /><br /><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgZA6mSmWq_3RWneoA2LlLm_nqO5-qZfesbjYUiAW2D_sHdQ0E8-LpXC5z5kdLSZOh55v8nlrvcQ10086rOV4SYAfUO7ysuC9YOVhmA12JGRo2gS_Sy7jnhXkvKrYjGcYm_R4RbfhXYJ2He/s1600/01_19+Holmes+title.jpg"><img style="display:block; margin:0px auto 10px; text-align:center;cursor:pointer; cursor:hand;width: 190px; height: 320px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgZA6mSmWq_3RWneoA2LlLm_nqO5-qZfesbjYUiAW2D_sHdQ0E8-LpXC5z5kdLSZOh55v8nlrvcQ10086rOV4SYAfUO7ysuC9YOVhmA12JGRo2gS_Sy7jnhXkvKrYjGcYm_R4RbfhXYJ2He/s320/01_19+Holmes+title.jpg" border="0" alt=""id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5551398498353146082" /></a> > Title page from "Autocrat of the Breakfast Table"<br /><br /><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjjPN6K4_7VMW3F4NjasvmEJvV13Zna4i40wbf681NMjXsXuteiAJx9mL9cNwJ6shIC6Z0dVhdyTf1Pl1Iq-OWrD7_qE_ACCyYHIGkULabMqYVa6tJnIeO3yRJ3hhjzVQYzGU8Wp8V3akCe/s1600/01_19+Spuyten+Duyvil.jpg"><img style="display:block; margin:0px auto 10px; text-align:center;cursor:pointer; cursor:hand;width: 217px; height: 320px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjjPN6K4_7VMW3F4NjasvmEJvV13Zna4i40wbf681NMjXsXuteiAJx9mL9cNwJ6shIC6Z0dVhdyTf1Pl1Iq-OWrD7_qE_ACCyYHIGkULabMqYVa6tJnIeO3yRJ3hhjzVQYzGU8Wp8V3akCe/s320/01_19+Spuyten+Duyvil.jpg" border="0" alt=""id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5551398786995339618" /></a> Spuyten Duyvil, the name for George Sas'<br />private press after 1969.Carolehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/02307495903453367329noreply@blogger.com3tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4886792988995668775.post-21903561216717075912011-01-12T05:31:00.000-08:002011-01-12T05:48:36.707-08:00Thank You, Benjamin Franklin!<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgq5nagJjif133zBqrbSvSiV8P2h-Qn5l3t2HG-PSYl3itR8O2qvf9gkTCCaF-Ork6aqqQh8IwblC-0uULaBJx9Pjt-8n9apWnl8uzW-R0FZ3GlsMogiz0FEecajCjTl1_JBx5pOGUZ_Cd5/s1600/01_12+Franklin+2+front.jpg"><img style="display:block; margin:0px auto 10px; text-align:center;cursor:pointer; cursor:hand;width: 236px; height: 320px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgq5nagJjif133zBqrbSvSiV8P2h-Qn5l3t2HG-PSYl3itR8O2qvf9gkTCCaF-Ork6aqqQh8IwblC-0uULaBJx9Pjt-8n9apWnl8uzW-R0FZ3GlsMogiz0FEecajCjTl1_JBx5pOGUZ_Cd5/s320/01_12+Franklin+2+front.jpg" border="0" alt=""id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5551365557327002050" /></a><br />As a letterpress printer, I’m one of the many admirers of Benjamin Franklin, born 305 years ago (1706) this coming Monday the 17th. This talented gentleman became renowned not only as a printer and writer, but as a statesman, scientist, philosopher, and American patriot. Certainly life today would have been different if Franklin had never lived: he invented the odometer, lightning rod, Franklin stove, glass harmonica, swim fins, and bifocal lenses, and came up with the ideas for daylight savings time, fire departments, public hospitals, street cleaning, political cartoons, and public libraries. He secured the crucial allegiance of France during the American Revolutionary War, without which the United States might well not have won its independence. <br /><br />But it’s for his printing and writing that I appreciate Ben Franklin the most. First, he was involved with printing for much of his life. He began as an apprentice, continued as a journeyman, and carried on an active printing business in Philadelphia. Through shrewd management, one shop grew into a network of print shops by his retirement. Despite his many accomplishments, Franklin considered himself a printer first, composing his famous epitaph starting, “The body of B. Franklin, Printer; (Like the cover of an old book, Its contents worn out, and stripped of its lettering and gilding) Lies here...”<br /><br />Ben Franklin was a wonderful writer, especially with short, pithy sayings that are perfect for printing. These gems from Poor Richard’s Almanac are pretty much timeless: “Love your enemies, for they will tell you your faults.” “He’s a fool that cannot conceal his wisdom.” “Necessity never made a good bargain.” “Where there’s marriage without love, there will be love without marriage.” “When the well’s dry we know the worth of water.” and “God helps them that help themselves.” One of my favorites, which I believe and live by, is “Fish and company stink in three days.” It’s really true. My husband and I try never to stay at anyone’s house for more than three days at a time.<br /><br />Finally, I admire the fact that Franklin was an independent, self-made man. He wasn’t born to wealth or privilege, but rose through ingenuity and hard work. His path to success wasn’t easy, but he had the grit and determination to make his own luck.<br /><br />In 2006 my husband Bob and I had the rare opportunity to see Benjamin Franklin’s press firsthand, as part of an exhibit on “Benjamin Franklin, In Search of a Better World, 300 Years” hosted by the Missouri Historical Society where Bob works. And my husband got to demonstrate printing at the museum to groups of schoolchildren. The kids printed commemorative Franklin bookmarks on our Baltimorean tabletop press, which was a thrilling experience for them. <br /><br /><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiPzcDWcQx1-0zKkZnB2OpDwSDh9NDbW_COKy6VK36kAgDCATQb8zajJsJ5aXhjIgn4Ed6Fh4Qk_NkYLKCI59gKMa3JP-SzfOuGBgU525AOnQImkb961oHb5w0dx5VhudAZlmYQsQrMRAfU/s1600/01_12+Franklin+press.jpg"><img style="display:block; margin:0px auto 10px; text-align:center;cursor:pointer; cursor:hand;width: 320px; height: 281px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiPzcDWcQx1-0zKkZnB2OpDwSDh9NDbW_COKy6VK36kAgDCATQb8zajJsJ5aXhjIgn4Ed6Fh4Qk_NkYLKCI59gKMa3JP-SzfOuGBgU525AOnQImkb961oHb5w0dx5VhudAZlmYQsQrMRAfU/s320/01_12+Franklin+press.jpg" border="0" alt=""id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5551366494308583154" /></a><br /><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjGAtnykN59Pw5yZyOIuXJwe9KKv7rTmJT4Bwgg-ijtm4PLAqooJaAOrvHQzJQSAFFD-1VGCS2A3SuoTPPQqeX89IcHjptpqsHra-igWDX7HP5KW9rMjsTb3kklp8K-nR0tkqHajt1XM4_7/s1600/1_12+MHS+Demo.JPG"><img style="display:block; margin:0px auto 10px; text-align:center;cursor:pointer; cursor:hand;width: 250px; height: 320px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjGAtnykN59Pw5yZyOIuXJwe9KKv7rTmJT4Bwgg-ijtm4PLAqooJaAOrvHQzJQSAFFD-1VGCS2A3SuoTPPQqeX89IcHjptpqsHra-igWDX7HP5KW9rMjsTb3kklp8K-nR0tkqHajt1XM4_7/s320/1_12+MHS+Demo.JPG" border="0" alt=""id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5551449809902305810" /></a><br /><br /><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiImzQR-peAsKgxle7vJr13Xse_6CkzGbdc3Ap7KbDgfipJzazlos_uCqFhMVo0g8gxo09kkHz5GHnv39ZqHZ7bIVkpo-9pUvRKnzZY_xGr1KL4qqQ0EMDUqqApXzzaB2q6ci87gWdIwD6a/s1600/01_12+Franklin+bookmark.jpg"><img style="display:block; margin:0px auto 10px; text-align:center;cursor:pointer; cursor:hand;width: 320px; height: 110px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiImzQR-peAsKgxle7vJr13Xse_6CkzGbdc3Ap7KbDgfipJzazlos_uCqFhMVo0g8gxo09kkHz5GHnv39ZqHZ7bIVkpo-9pUvRKnzZY_xGr1KL4qqQ0EMDUqqApXzzaB2q6ci87gWdIwD6a/s320/01_12+Franklin+bookmark.jpg" border="0" alt=""id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5551366407163677954" /></a><br /><br />We’ve enjoyed printing pieces about Benjamin Franklin over the years, and we look forward to doing many more. And as a printer I’ve taken one of Ben’s sayings to heart: “Doest thou love life? Then do not squander time; for that is the stuff of which life is made.”<br /><br /><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhqiwhHFCCIpxfgUhNjT-x2OdG204gOzX6m-pfQqktPY5Jvm7Mm9_aZV6KFK19d0cLodcZemSuvSSo6wpd3Z-KDHTh2Bn1QelPTpN4Ro8VptQWp1EC09E96eOWNcjtLiIk4GFuQomosp3yX/s1600/01_12+Franklin+1+front.jpg"><img style="display:block; margin:0px auto 10px; text-align:center;cursor:pointer; cursor:hand;width: 233px; height: 320px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhqiwhHFCCIpxfgUhNjT-x2OdG204gOzX6m-pfQqktPY5Jvm7Mm9_aZV6KFK19d0cLodcZemSuvSSo6wpd3Z-KDHTh2Bn1QelPTpN4Ro8VptQWp1EC09E96eOWNcjtLiIk4GFuQomosp3yX/s320/01_12+Franklin+1+front.jpg" border="0" alt=""id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5551365778259114258" /></a><br /><br /><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgxdy-cINMHGnWanX_1WexRFyQzBeHexhdhcwwpNvxHLua-cf_9t1Jf7y3Q6ma4fkWfR4piGYWchom1uoNdRVrv5OUy58v7t7Rpardx4uUJye1YLCUsOM0c_oQ6aeHCSehWXBSPB0MKCY10/s1600/01_12+Franklin+1+back.jpg"><img style="display:block; margin:0px auto 10px; text-align:center;cursor:pointer; cursor:hand;width: 242px; height: 320px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgxdy-cINMHGnWanX_1WexRFyQzBeHexhdhcwwpNvxHLua-cf_9t1Jf7y3Q6ma4fkWfR4piGYWchom1uoNdRVrv5OUy58v7t7Rpardx4uUJye1YLCUsOM0c_oQ6aeHCSehWXBSPB0MKCY10/s320/01_12+Franklin+1+back.jpg" border="0" alt=""id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5551365660560242610" /></a><br /><br /><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiG57UdxUvlCT5EQbC7arXr5D9SSeSB4au4K2t-WAnT6svSqNKIkzoSF9zMudsXaxnz4gKB4irWb71Q6hoOhvi48TB1Ns1nTtPx6BEqAP8XRuTFaFKIrlSbfyHQ6_oJtHZwo53rZTeAZx_G/s1600/01_12+Franklin+2+back.jpg"><img style="display:block; margin:0px auto 10px; text-align:center;cursor:pointer; cursor:hand;width: 240px; height: 320px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiG57UdxUvlCT5EQbC7arXr5D9SSeSB4au4K2t-WAnT6svSqNKIkzoSF9zMudsXaxnz4gKB4irWb71Q6hoOhvi48TB1Ns1nTtPx6BEqAP8XRuTFaFKIrlSbfyHQ6_oJtHZwo53rZTeAZx_G/s320/01_12+Franklin+2+back.jpg" border="0" alt=""id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5551365453731772818" /></a>Carolehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/02307495903453367329noreply@blogger.com0