![[personal profile]](https://www.dreamwidth.org/img/silk/identity/user.png){kind=small}
printmaking workshop!
Dec. 10th, 2018 10:11 pm i had an interesting evening today! a class i'm in took an evening field trip down to a book arts workshop, and we got to go through the process of typesetting and printing our own posters!
it was fascinating--all the machinery and type was very old, since those sorts of things aren't really manufactured anymore. i got to see a pair of printing presses from the 1800s, but the one we worked with was made in the top half of the 20th century.
we got to pick out all the type--which was a bit difficult, as there were a few pieces missing from every set of letters--and then lay it out on the page, all backwards so it would come out right when it was printed. then the lady who worked there (lovely person, so sweet and so funny) showed us how she laid it out, and surrounded the type with wooden pieces so that things wouldn't move around when the paper was rolled over the type.
then we got to use the machine! i was a bit scared at first, since the press was very large (about the size of a twin bed, but taller and with a bunch of machinery and rollers on top) and i thought it might like to make a meal of my fingers, but it was fine! fun, even!
we printed out a bunch of copies of our poster and we all got to take some home. i'll put some pictures up tomorrow, but the quote we used was from margaret atwood. it went "a word after a word after a word is power."
great fun! definitely something i'd be interested in doing again!
it was fascinating--all the machinery and type was very old, since those sorts of things aren't really manufactured anymore. i got to see a pair of printing presses from the 1800s, but the one we worked with was made in the top half of the 20th century.
we got to pick out all the type--which was a bit difficult, as there were a few pieces missing from every set of letters--and then lay it out on the page, all backwards so it would come out right when it was printed. then the lady who worked there (lovely person, so sweet and so funny) showed us how she laid it out, and surrounded the type with wooden pieces so that things wouldn't move around when the paper was rolled over the type.
then we got to use the machine! i was a bit scared at first, since the press was very large (about the size of a twin bed, but taller and with a bunch of machinery and rollers on top) and i thought it might like to make a meal of my fingers, but it was fine! fun, even!
we printed out a bunch of copies of our poster and we all got to take some home. i'll put some pictures up tomorrow, but the quote we used was from margaret atwood. it went "a word after a word after a word is power."
great fun! definitely something i'd be interested in doing again!
