Letterpress Core Skills: Summer Session 2023

Participants of all skill levels are welcome*

UVa Education Benefit Eligible**

Explore the art and craft of typesetting and letterpress printing in the Center's Pressroom which features Vandercook cylinder letterpresses and the largest publicly accessible collection of movable type in the mid-Atlantic region.

We’ll have multiple small assignments/projects that demonstrate metal type, polymer, and multi-color printing.

All participants will receive a copy of our type specimen book Speaking in Faces.

The goal is to achieve a demonstrable level of skill and confidence on a Vandercook press; it would be a first step toward being “licensed” on the press, which comes with sufficient experience and exposure to all aspects of printing.

• Independently compose, typeset, and print a typeset text project on a Vandercook printing press
• Utilize basic letterpress terminology
• Navigate a job case’s arrangement and distribute type
• Understand the strategies and concepts behind two-color printing
• Use wood type, polymer, and block print on a Vandercook press
• Troubleshoot common printing problems
• Clean the parts of a Vandercook press
• Clean and store accessories including furniture, tools, and type

* Participants of all skill levels welcome: Experienced printers should contact Garrett regarding specific areas of interest.

Those wishing to pursue Vandercook Licensure can pursue an independent project that would be arranged after coursework is completed.

• Instructors: Lana Lambert and Garrett Queen
• Schedule: Four Consecutive Classes – Sunday thru Wednesday – July 09, 10, 11 & 12, 2023
• Location: Virginia Center for the Book (map: Jefferson School City Center)
• Registration Fee: $400 members/$465 non-members (course fees include materials & Speaking in Faces Trade Edition)
• **UVa Education Benefit Eligible, non-degree certification class #070923 (must use the non-member price).
• Additional course information contact: Garrett Queen: [email protected]
• Class size: Limited to six students

It is the Virginia Center for the Book’s expectation that all program participants will be fully vaccinated and boosted.

Evolving CDC and UVA COVID guidelines may require that participants be masked if working close to others. (bring your masks)

Should public health guidelines change and new norms be applicable, we reserve the right to revisit the expectations in the interest of participant health and safety - full refunds will be made if this causes any cancellations.

Event Venue & Nearby Stays

Virginia Center for the Book, Jefferson School City Center, Charlottesville, United States