It is with great regret that the Richmond Hill Book Arts Guild withdraws from the Toronto Mini Maker Faire.

However, I will be there on Saturday to help out my friend Akemi at her booth, Kozo Studio. She’s going to bring nearly identical presses as the Guild was: a tabletop platen press and a sign press. Come visit the Kozo Studio booth and catch the letterpress bug!

Grimsby Wayzgoose 2011 was terrific! Some people commented that it was slow, which was fully attributed to the fact that it was a beautiful spring day. I never noticed, but that’s probably because it was my second day of waking up very early (the previous day was an early start for The Royal Wedding). It was great to see everyone’s work and to catch up with fellow printers and bookbinders, and it was very difficult not to spend more than what I had budgeted. It’s surprising how tired I was. I’m slowly recovering and will post photos soon, courtesy of my friend Dany.

A huge thank you to Rhona and her group of volunteers at the Grimsby Public Art Gallery for another successful Wayzgoose!

Jean-Luc naps next to the Kelsey 3×5

Wayzgoose 2011 is this Saturday, April 30! I’ve been doing some last-minute printing. Below is a photo of the little Kelsey 3×5, and the stacks of cards I’m branding. The press isn’t inked up, so the the printed text is just debossed—otherwise known as a blind impression.

Historically, a wayzgoose was an annual dinner given by the master printer to the workers, usually at the end of summer before the short winter nights began and workers had to print by candlelight (Wikipedia entry here).

However, this particular Wayzgoose in Grimsby is an annual gathering of private press printers, bookbinders, printmakers, paper makers, and book artists. We all get together to show off what we’ve been working on, take a look at everyone else’s work, and get inspired and revved up for book arts! Admission is free and Grimsby is but a short hour’s drive from Toronto.

9-5
Grimsby Public Art Gallery
25 Adelaide Street
Grimsby, ON

The Richmond Hill Book Arts Guild will be at the Mini Maker Faire Toronto on May 7-8, 2011. We’ll be exhibiting some of our work, and we’ll have two presses running for a demonstration of letterpress printing: a platen press (either a Kelsey Excelsior 3×5 or an Adana Eight-Five) and a sign press (a Line-O-Scribe). Come visit us!

Saturday, May 7 and Sunday May 8, 10 am -6 pm
Evergreen Brickworks
550 Bayview Avenue, Toronto
Tickets: $10 adult / $5 kids
2-day pass: $15 adult / $7.50 kids

For more information, click here.

UPDATE: The Richmond Hill Book Arts Guild will no longer be at the Mini Maker Faire Toronto. However, letterpress will still be demonstrated by Kozo Studio!

A few years ago, I helped my friends Mike and Ludmila letterpress print their wedding invitations. I had printed my own wedding invitations and I thought it was no big deal, but it turns out I’m much pickier when it comes to printing other peoples’ invitations. We printed on my Kelsey 6×10 which is a good press but not large enough to do a decent job with larger invitations. After printing with Mike and Ludmila, I came away with a few lessons learned in case there ever was a next time (gang up your plates, print on a larger sheet and then trim down, print on a larger press).

“Next time” turned out to be a few years later. I met Laura through Mike. She had asked me a couple questions about getting her invitations letterpress printed, but as she’s a DIY bride (check out her blog!), I thought it would be the perfect opportunity to introduce letterpress to an unsuspecting victim. Laura was excited to try letterpress, and after a flurry of emails back and forth and a complete re-design of her invitation, she got a photopolymer plate made and bought her paper. A few weekends ago, I met up with Laura and her fiancé Byron at the Richmond Hill Book Arts Guild to do the actual printing.

It was a beautiful early spring day but we were destined for the basement print shop. I had originally planned on printing two invitations per sheet on the Vandercook, but alas, the printing deities were not on our side: our Boxcar base, which is cut in two so we can also use it on the Chandler & Price, was missing a half! We were forced to print one invitation per sheet on the C&P instead.

The Chandler & Price is over 100 years old.

We inked up the press but ran into another problem, one that seems to be common to printers that use both lead type and photopolymer plates: uneven inking and printing. The C&P prints type just fine, but sometimes with a Boxcar base, the press needs to be re-adjusted. We adjusted rail height by removing layers of tape to ensure even inking of the plate, and did some makeready to ensure even printing. It was a little frustrating at times but thankfully, Laura and Byron are upbeat problem-solvers who embraced the challenges and imperfections that come with letterpress printing. It took a couple hours to get everything set up and properly adjusted, but the actual printing didn’t take too long at all.

Pulling a print. Byron (in the yellow apron) is on plate-watching duty to ensure even inking and printing.

Laura and Byron are happy with their invitations!

I went to Wayzgoose last Saturday, April 25 as part of the Book Arts Guild of Richmond Hill contingent. We’re getting quite sizeable, requiring 2 full tables PLUS space for the Pearl Press that belongs to the Grimsby Library but which we run as a letterpress printing demo. The book arts community can sometimes feel quite small and cozy, and everyone gets to know everyone else, even if only by name and reputation. It was good to see what everyone has been doing and to talk shop with people who get it.

Kevin manning one of the tables, with the 30th Wayzgoose broadside collection on the easel, plus an assortment of past Wayzgoose signatures and greeting cards.

Nadia and Daniella manning (womanning?) the other table, with broadsides and Wayzgoose signatures.

Nadia running the Pearl treadle press.

Some people have asked where they can take letterpress classes. There aren’t many places offering classes, partly because it’s not a widespread hobby, and partly because it involves some risk on the part of the teacher. The equipment is no longer being manufactured, so if the press or type is damaged, it may be difficult or impossible to get a replacement. It is not an easy thing to take up, so below are some resources you might find handy.

Akemi at Kozo Studio in Toronto, ON offers letterpress classes and might be starting up again in May 2009. Check her blog for updates.

 The Canadian Bookbinders and Book Artists Guild (CBBAG) also offers letterpress classes, but in Mission, BC and in Kingston, ON.

Don Black Linecasting in Toronto, ON is a great place to get letterpress equipment. Don and his son Craig are invaluable resources. They sold me my Kelsey; it was all fixed up and ready to go. Call ahead to see what they have on hand or ask to go in for a wander—you could get lost amongst all that equipment and lead.

Briar Press is an online letterpress community. It’s a good place to get advice, though be sure to search through the archives before posting a new question.

Things that I’ve learned today: no blogging from my computer, yes blogging from my husband’s computer. So, hey! Here’s a photo of my press from last year.

It’s inked up and ready to print birthday cards. The Kelsey was a great starter press for me. Enough to tackle beginner projects and small enough to figure out what was happening when things were going wrong. Now that I’m getting more ambitious, my projects are getting correspondingly larger. Many things are too large to cram into the 6×10 chase, which is never meant to be full, anyway, but I try. I’m lucky to have the Richmond Hill Book Arts Guild nearby — not only do they have a floor model C&P and a Vandercook to work on, there are friendly experts to answer my questions and help out with any problems I have.

My next big project is a poster for an upcoming artisan’s market I’m helping to organize. That is most definitely meant for the Vandercook. Cranking out 200+ broadsides is not as daunting as it used to be. I can’t wait to see it all come together.