#Letterpress tray how to#

This is why capital letters are called uppercase and the minuscules are lowercase. In the previous convention, upper- and lowercase type were kept in separate cases, or trays. This modification of a previously popular case, the Italic, it was claimed reduced the compositor's hand travel as he set the pieces of type into his composing stick by more than half a mile per day. Ringwalt in the American Encyclopaedia of Printing in 1871, as used by San Francisco printers. The defining characteristic of the California job case is the layout, documented by J. The California job case took its name from the Pacific Coast location of the foundries that made the case popular. It was the most popular and accepted of the job case designs in America. It was this physical process of printing, the heightened awareness of the interaction between body and poem, which led me to pursue my Master’s degree in Book Art and Creative Writing at Mills College.Case with compartments to store the movable type used in letterpress printingĪ California job case is a kind of type case: a compartmentalized wooden box used to store movable type used in letterpress printing. Working in UT’s Letterpress Studio provided me with the opportunity to fully explore the poem as an art object and understand letters as material things with sculptural forms.

#Letterpress tray how to#

“In Fall 2013, as a senior Creative Writing major at UT, I learned how to use movable type, a composing stick, and a flatbed letterpress to adapt selected works from my poetry manuscript to broadsides. When working in the shop you will need to bring: vinyl or latex gloves, apron, paper cut to size, small notebook or sketchbook and a pencil. You must attend a tutorial to have access to the shop to work on your own projects. The studio is located in room 341B of the Art and Architecture Building. In the past classes and students in art, architecture, and creative writing have worked in the studio.

The facility also is available for presentations and class projects by prior arrangement. The Printmaking and Graphic Design programs include a letterpress studio for creative research, collaborative projects, and instruction. Additionally, the facility has been used as a resource and teaching tool for a variety of classes at the university. The studio provides tutorials in letterpress printing to both graduate and undergraduate students at the university, and over the past decade has made it possible for students in studio art, graphic design, architecture, creative writing, and other disciplines to work on books and broadsides created through letterpress. The UT Letterpress Studio, with an SP-15 Vandercook (15 x 17 inch bed) and Challenge Press (20 x 30 inch bed) and a large inventory of type, is a joint project of the Printmaking and Graphic Design programs at UT. Jim Sherraden talks about the work of Hatch Show Press in Nashville, Tennessee.Īdditional resources on letterpress may be found at the Letterpress Commons: Typography artist Kelvyn Laurence Smith shows letterpress printing at his workshop in Kennington, London.Īn instructional video from 1959 showing how to set type from a California job case using a composing stick and proper methods to return type back into the tray.Īmerican Letterpress: The Art of Hatch Show Print (7:59)

Those coming to work in the UT Letterpress Studio are asked to printout and study this 2-page document on The California Job Tray and to watch the following three videos:Īn Introduction to Letterpress Printing with Mr. We will also post reservations for those who have signed up to work in studio on the door, Art + Architecture room 341B. Those wishing to use the studio may also do so on a first-come, first-serve basis. (2) schedule a time to come to the studio by following this link. (1) study the Letterpress resources below and To ensure effective use of studio time, individuals wishing to work in the facility will need to Instructors wishing to use the studio for class projects should contact the Letterpress Technicians. The Letterpress Studio is available to UT students, faculty and staff for individual and class projects.