In this in-person workshop, you’ll learn a variety of inking and typesetting techniques that break away from traditional typography and letterpress printing to reimagine the shapes of our alphabet.

Prep screens and print in MCBA's darkroom and screen print studio while enjoying the fellowship of other artists.

Bookbinding Lab provides access to basic binding tools, hot foil stamping machines, buttonmaker, and large tables.

Cut paper and book board using MCBA’s cutting equipment.

Beat fiber with MCBA’s Reina beater and two Valley beaters. Or, bring prepared paper fiber for sheet-forming.

Set type, make polymer plates, and print on MCBA’s presses.

 In this virtual workshop, make wreaths out of old books!

In this in-person workshop, learn the traditional method for making book cloth with wheat paste, fabric, and Japanese paper.

Screen print your unique design on three totes ahead of the gift-giving season!

This in-person letterpress workshop focuses on setting metal type and building familiarity with printing on the Vandercook press.

In this in-person workshop, explore blowouts and pulp painting, image-making techniques that use stencils and stencil resists to create colorful and repeatable images in your paper.

Set type, make polymer plates, and print on MCBA’s presses.

Bookbinding Lab provides access to basic binding tools, hot foil stamping machines, buttonmaker, and large tables.

Marbling Lab provides individuals a fully equipped marbling station.

Prep screens and print in MCBA's darkroom and screen print studio while enjoying the fellowship of other artists.

Cut paper and book board using MCBA’s cutting equipment.

If you aren't already trained to use our paper beaters, here is your opportunity!

Cut paper and book board using MCBA’s cutting equipment.

Set type, make polymer plates, and print on MCBA’s presses.

Bookbinding Lab provides access to basic binding tools, hot foil stamping machines, buttonmaker, and large tables.

Beat fiber with MCBA’s Reina beater and two Valley beaters. Or, bring prepared paper fiber for sheet-forming.

Prep screens and print in MCBA's darkroom and screen print studio while enjoying the fellowship of other artists.

If you aren't already trained to use our cutting equipment, here is your opportunity!

Image transfers are a playful and versatile process to add to your collage toolbox. Part collage and part print, image transfers offer an opportunity for unexpected results.

In this in-person workshop, learn foundational techniques and methods to care for aged and damaged paper.

This in-person letterpress workshop offers an introduction to MCBA’s print studio—including key equipment, tools, and terminology—in addition to an opportunity to experience the satisfaction of printing a message through the hands-on process of letterpress printing.

Experience the magic of marbling firsthand with this in-person workshop!

Set type, make polymer plates, and print on MCBA’s presses.

Cut paper and book board using MCBA’s cutting equipment.

Bookbinding Lab provides access to basic binding tools, hot foil stamping machines, buttonmaker, and large tables.

In this virtual workshop, you'll discover hand-lettering techniques through a step-by-step approach to drawing letters and short words, and come away with a set of your own hand-lettered cards that you can give to friends and family.

Prep screens and print in MCBA's darkroom and screen print studio while enjoying the fellowship of other artists.

Beat fiber with MCBA’s Reina beater and two Valley beaters. Or, bring prepared paper fiber for sheet-forming.

This in-person workshop focuses on honing skills needed to marble stone and moire patterns.

This in-person letterpress workshop focuses on setting metal type and building familiarity with printing on the Vandercook press.

This in-person workshop is great for both first-time and advanced binders. It introduces Coptic bindings, the most common form of link-stitch binding and possibly the oldest continuously used book sewing pattern.

Prep screens and print in MCBA's darkroom and screen print studio while enjoying the fellowship of other artists.

Cut paper and book board using MCBA’s cutting equipment.

Bookbinding Lab provides access to basic binding tools, hot foil stamping machines, buttonmaker, and large tables.

Set type, make polymer plates, and print on MCBA’s presses.

Beat fiber with MCBA’s Reina beater and two Valley beaters. Or, bring prepared paper fiber for sheet-forming.

Explore the tools and techniques of Japanese papermaking in this in-person workshop.

Set type, make polymer plates, and print on MCBA’s presses.

Beat fiber with MCBA’s Reina beater and two Valley beaters. Or, bring prepared paper fiber for sheet-forming.

Bookbinding Lab provides access to basic binding tools, hot foil stamping machines, buttonmaker, and large tables.

Cut paper and book board using MCBA’s cutting equipment.

Prep screens and print in MCBA's darkroom and screen print studio while enjoying the fellowship of other artists.

Foil adds rich gold, shiny silver, and wild holographic accents to prints and bindings. Learn how to use the hot foil stamping machines in MCBA’s bindery, aptly named Kwikprint machines.

Experience the patterns and designs you know and love, but now at a smaller scale.

Get familiar with MCBA’s screen printing studio and print your unique design on a set of cards!

Refresh your skills and build confidence in letterpress printing in this love-themed workshop.

Before security envelopes, people had to have a way to keep their letters private.

In this virtual workshop, you'll discover hand-lettering techniques through a guided approach to drawing letters and short words, and walk away with a poster featuring your own lettering alphabet or your favorite letter!

Join us for Press Play, an annual open house that invites participants of all ages to experience letterpress printing and book arts through hands-on activities in MCBA’s studios.

Beat fiber with MCBA’s Reina beater and two Valley beaters. Or, bring prepared paper fiber for sheet-forming.

Cut paper and book board using MCBA’s cutting equipment.

Bookbinding Lab provides access to basic binding tools, hot foil stamping machines, buttonmaker, and large tables.

Set type, make polymer plates, and print on MCBA’s presses.

Prep screens and print in MCBA's darkroom and screen print studio while enjoying the fellowship of other artists.

If you aren't already trained to use our cutting equipment, here is your opportunity!

Wish a Happy Valentine's Day to your edgier pals! These cards show that the spiky, tusked, and fanged also want to be loved.

Immerse yourself in the oldest form of marbling, Suminagashi 墨流し (“spilled or floating ink”).

Foil adds rich gold, shiny silver, and wild holographic accents to prints and bindings. Learn how to use the hot foil stamping machines in MCBA’s bindery, aptly named Kwikprint machines.

Experience the magic of marbling firsthand with this in-person workshop!

This in-person letterpress workshop offers an introduction to MCBA’s print studio—including key equipment, tools, and terminology—in addition to an opportunity to experience the satisfaction of printing a message through the hands-on process of letterpress printing.

Cut paper and book board using MCBA’s cutting equipment.

Prep screens and print in MCBA's darkroom and screen print studio while enjoying the fellowship of other artists.

Beat fiber with MCBA’s Reina beater and two Valley beaters. Or, bring prepared paper fiber for sheet-forming.

Bookbinding Lab provides access to basic binding tools, hot foil stamping machines, buttonmaker, and large tables.

Set type, make polymer plates, and print on MCBA’s presses.

Set type, make polymer plates, and print on MCBA’s presses.

Prep screens and print in MCBA's darkroom and screen print studio while enjoying the fellowship of other artists.

Cut paper and book board using MCBA’s cutting equipment.

Bookbinding Lab provides access to basic binding tools, hot foil stamping machines, buttonmaker, and large tables.

Beat fiber with MCBA’s Reina beater and two Valley beaters. Or, bring prepared paper fiber for sheet-forming.

Using ephemera, images, and scrap paper, build a unique structure that houses a folded accordion, which reveals a dimensional tunnel attached to the inside of the back cover.

Experience the process of relief printing while carving and printing your own design in this in-person workshop.

Get ready to play with pulp! In this relaxed, hands-on studio workshop, dive into the colorful world of stenciling with pigmented pulp on freshly formed sheets of handmade paper.

Join us on the first Saturday of each month for a free tour of our studios.

Join us in MCBA’s studios for a day of book arts and earn your Book Artist Badge!

Join us on the first Saturday of each month for a free tour of our studios.

Build pop-up volumes using a sculptural, flexible technique in this rare in-person workshop with Chicago-based artist Shawn Sheehy.

Build a garden of delicious-looking, dimensional paper vegetables.