Letterpress printing has become something of an endangered art, with just a handful of skilled artisans still practising it. But this traditional method remains one of the most beautiful and rustic forms of printing - producing some of the highest quality and one-of-a-kind prints to this day.
This workshop aims to provide an introduction to letterpress - starting with the basics of relief printing, inks, paper stocks and its history. Once you have brushed up on some new knowledge, you will work with your group on a small project that involves several aspects of typesetting and layout design.
Once the compositions are complete, your host will demonstrate how to use one of their Adana 8x5 or 5x3 tabletop platen presses. Your group will then use this to produce a small run of printed ephemera to take away at the end of the afternoon.
This workshop is aimed primarily at people with an interest in letterpress but not necessarily much (or any) prior experience in print or graphic design. Your host wants to provide the group with a taster and introduction to the techniques and processes involved in letterpress and the wonderful kind of effects that can be achieved.
Age restrictions: 14+
Adult | £50 |
Loved learning about letterpress and really enjoyed creating my own postcard prints. I would thor...
Absolutely amazing. Theo is a true craftsman and my sister and I had an absolute blast. Brilliant...
I enjoyed the historical introduction to the letterpress industry and found out that some common ...
Loved learning about letterpress and really enjoyed creating my own postcard prints. I would thoroughly recommend this course as a great introduction to letterpress.
A great day.
Absolutely amazing. Theo is a true craftsman and my sister and I had an absolute blast. Brilliant blend of history, creativity and atmosphere. We would definitely recommend!
I enjoyed the historical introduction to the letterpress industry and found out that some common phrases come from print/typography origins. The workshop gave an opportunity to experiment with different typefaces and decorative flourishes in a composition of my choosing, while teaching us how to set things correctly (small differences can matter!). The result was 10 copies of postcards in my final design and I’m really pleased with them - they’ll be nice to hand out to friends and family!
Myself, my friend had such a wonderful few hours doing this workshop. Neither of us wanted it to end and will 100% be doing one of his workshops again. Fantastic informative host. Thank you for a great day
Course was exactly what I wanted. Theo was friendly, calm, well-organised and helpful, and full of information, history and little bits of fun facts! Would definitely recommend, and hope to go on more courses.
The course was a wonderful introduction to the world of letterpress. The time seemed to fly by! We learnt so much about the history of letterpress and then were given freedom to create our own prints. Theo is so knowledgeable about letterpress and his enthusiasm is contagious. Thanks so much for a great course!
Enjoyed a brilliant afternoon learning the basics of letterpress. Loved learning about the background and history, and getting creative making our own custom prints. Would really recommend, especially if you have no previous experience!
Great afternoon and really interesting to understand the process and make lovely cards. Great that it was a small group and that we used such old tools to create our cards. Inspired to keep printing!
Great workshop, learnt a lot about letter pressing history and made some postcards.
A really informative and interesting day, left with a set of wonderful postcard prints!
I had a lovely day and am very (very) happy with the postcards I printed. Theo was very helpful especially as I had made things difficult for myself and he unflappably sorted me out. I loved it!! Highly recommended.
Tactile and insightful. Super interesting to get to grips with type (off screen!). Would really recommend having a go.
Informative and fun
Theo was patient, knowledgeable, engaging and enabling. A fabulous afternoon.
Theo is very skilled at what he does and is a patient teacher. I learned lots about printing as well as being able to roll up my sleeves and get stuck in with the making. I was delighted with the print that I got to make and take away with me. Really fun and creative afternoon - would recommend!
Print & Ephemera is a letterpress printer and purveyor of typographic design. They offer a range of commission print services, workshops and products. All their work is produced entirely by hand using an eclectic selection of 120 year old treadle presses, lever presses and Adana hand presses which have been carefully restored back to their original condition. Not to mention an extensive collection of lead and woodblock types.
Print & Ephemera is based out of their printmaking studio at Estate Of The Arts in Bristol and run by Theo Wang, who has been a letterpress printer for almost 15 years, focusing on both preserving the traditional skills and exploring the contemporary, through application and practice.
Print & Ephemera is run by Theo Wang. Theo's been a printmaker for 15 years. He's a lifelong enthusiast of typography, wordplay, craftsmanship, and the printmaking process.
After graduating from the London College of Printing (now Communication), he was one of the co-founders of SORT: the Society Of Revisionist Typographers in London. After operating as a letterpress focused design studio for nine years, working with organisations like the V&A, Tate Britain and Museum of London - in 2017 he set-up Print & Ephemera in Bristol.
Theo wanted to continue developing his letterpress practice and tie in a number of other kindred trades. He currently focuses on collaborating with other printmakers and independent businesses, developing his own range of printed products and limited edition artworks, and running letterpress workshops.
Ask your question directly to Print & Ephemera.