Letterpress and Book Art Lab
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 Graphic Design and Printmaking programs at UT. The studio provides tutorials in letterpress printing to both graduate and undergraduate students at the university, and since 2016 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. Additionally, the facility has been used as a resource and teaching tool for a variety of classes at the university.
The Printmaking and Graphic Design programs include a letterpress studio for creative research, collaborative projects and instruction. The studio is located in Rm. 335A of the Art + Architecture Building.
You must attend a tutorial to have access to the shop to work on your own projects. 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.
The Letterpress facility is open to UT students, faculty, and staff by appointment.
Letterpress Resources
Those coming to work in the UT Letterpress Studio are asked to study this article on The California Job Tray and to watch the following videos:
An Introduction to Letterpress Printing with Mr. Smith (7:34)
Typography artist Kelvyn Laurence Smith shows letterpress printing at his workshop in Kennington, London.
Learning Typesetting (10:20)
An 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.
American Letterpress: The Art of Hatch Show Print (7:59)
Jim Sherraden talks about the work of Hatch Show Press in Nashville, Tennessee.
Jim Escalante: How to Apply Ink (3:41)
Jim Escalante: Cleaning the Press (3:02)
Additional resources on letterpress may be found at the Letterpress Commons: https://letterpresscommons.com
Lab Hours – Fall 2023
Letterpress Lab Hours
Monday 1:30pm-6:30pm
Wednesday 1:30pm-9pm
Friday 10:30am-4:30pm