Letterpress 1: Printing Basics (June)

with Bethany Rahn
Saturday, June 8; 10am–4pm CT

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. Get to know MCBA’s wood type collection and learn beginning typesetting with wood type. Learn the basics of working with a flatbed cylinder press, including operation, safety, and care while building skills using the equipment with support from a teaching artist. In pairs, choose a text (three to five words) and print your own small edition of posters on a Vandercook press. 

This workshop introduces participants to the technical skills required for letterpress printing, but participation in Letterpress 2: Setting Type and Letterpress 3: Two-Color Postcards is needed in order to attend Letterpress Labs to print independently in MCBA’s studios.

All skill levels welcome
Certificate: 6 hours, Category A; fulfills Core letterpress requirement

$147/participant (10% discount for MCBA members) + $15 materials fee
$74 for BIPOC/Financial scholarship participants (10% discount for MCBA members) + $15 materials fee
MCBA offers two scholarship types for workshops—Financial Hardship Scholarships and BIPOC (Black, Indigenous, People of Color) Scholarships—to honor equity and increase access and artistic opportunities for those who have historically been underrepresented in the book arts. For individuals to whom these scholarships do not apply, register at the Adult rate and, if you are able, consider making a donation when registering to support MCBA’s efforts to make scholarships available.

Please note: Registration closes 6/3 at midnight (CT).