Studios
Have a project or freelance job in mind but need to access letterpress equipment? Want to complete a bookbinding project but need a space or special tools? SFCB can help!
Upcoming Open Studio Nights, 5pm - 10pm: April 15, April 30, May 7, May 17, May 23, May 30, June 4, June 12, July 2, July 12, July 16, August 8, August 16, August 21, August 30
How It Works:
We offer daytime Studio Rental (Monday - Friday 10am-5pm) and evening Open Print Studio (designated evenings 5-10pm, dates listed below) opportunities to those who qualify.
Who Can Rent:
Students who have completed our core curriculum in letterpress printing or are eligible to rent press time, and students who have taken Beginning Bookbinding (or equivalent class) are qualified to rent equipment in the bindery. You may also be certified to rent facilities by completing an examination with the Studio Manager. To be certified to use the guillotine, you must schedule a training time with SFCB staff and pay $20. To rent studio time, please email studiorental@sfcb.org or call 415-565-0545 for a reservation. Requests for a certification examination or for a special piece of equipment can be made to studiorental@sfcb.org as well.
Students who have completed our core curriculum in letterpress printing or are eligible to rent press time, and students who have taken Beginning Bookbinding (or equivalent class) are qualified to rent equipment in the bindery. You may also be certified to rent facilities by completing an examination with the Studio Manager. To be certified to use the guillotine, you must schedule a training time with SFCB staff and pay $20. To rent studio time, please email studiorental@sfcb.org or call 415-565-0545 for a reservation. Requests for a certification examination or for a special piece of equipment can be made to studiorental@sfcb.org as well.
Studio Policies:
Anyone using the studios must book in advance by calling 415-565-0545 or emailing studiorental@sfcb.org. If you have not received a confirmation via phone or email, you do not have studio time reserved. Time can only be booked by an SFCB staff member.
SFCB's studios are a community space where respect and accountability are of the utmost importance. You are responsible for leaving the space cleaner than you found it and reporting any equipment issues in writing. You can email studiorental@sfcb.org, write the issue on the designated clipboard outside the second administrative office, or speak directly to your Open Print Studio supervisor about the issue. For safety and maintenance reasons, it is very important that you only use equipment you have been thoroughly trained to use.
The studio is a busy place, so please assume that your time slot only lasts for the exact rental period: 10am-5pm or 5pm-10pm. These time slots include set-up and clean up! Studio rental is by the hour for the photopolymer platemaker and bindery equipment. Press rental reservation is for the whole day (renters are only charged for the exact number of hours they use the presses). SFCB requests 24 hour advance cancelation notice. Again, Studio Rental is 10am-5pm and your work area must be completely cleaned and packed up by 5pm. Open Print Studio evenings are from 5pm-10pm and your work area must be completely cleaned and packed up by 10pm.
Press rental fees start when you physically begin using the press (inking the press or locking up the press bed), and continue until the press is cleaned and covered. We recommend mixing inks and cutting paper before you lock up the press bed to not incur press rental fees before you are ready to print. For 5 hours of rental or more in one day, you receive a discount of 1 free hour. Total hours used must be recorded on the Studio Rental forms, discount will be taken at time of processing. Unforeseen press problems will be deducted from your total press time (such as press breakage, press found dirty, administrative rescheduling).
How much it costs:
$10 per hour for bindery equipment
$20 per hour for press rental, platemaking time rental (Get your 5th hour free when printing 5 hours+ on the same day.)
Plate material is $20 per 8.25”x11.75” plate.
We carry both sticky back/Boxcar plates and steel back plate material.
We accept credit card, cash, check, or exchange of volunteer hours as payment for rental. Volunteer hours cannot be used to purchase plate material.
Usage of bindery equipment requires a minimum of 1/2 hour rental regardless of whether you are printing or not.
Need help printing? Hiring a press assistant (a qualified teacher or supervisor) to work with you on the presses is $30 per hour in addition to press rental and can be booked ahead of time with studiorental@sfcb.org.
Have other questions? Please feel free to email studiorental@sfcb.org with any questions and we will be happy to answer them. We look forward to seeing you in the studio soon!
Our equipment available for rental:
Three table top paper cutters (also called a Kuttrimmer)
31" guillotine paper cutter
One Board shear
Four Vandercook proof presses 10” x15”
C&P floor model
Three 6” x10” hand platen presses
Two etching presses
A polymer platemaker
Many cases of wood and metal hand type, and all the usual equipment you expect to find in a letterpress printshop and hand bindery.
Polymer Bases:
12 x 16" - magnetic (2 bases)
12 x 12" - magnetic
10 x 12" - Boxcar
8 x 12" - magnetic
4 x 6" - Boxcar (2 bases)
Volunteer Exchange:
One hour of press or platemaker rental costs 3 hours of volunteer time.
One hour of bindery rental costs 1.5 hours of volunteer time.
Volunteers, please inquire with Project Coordinator Nina Eve Zeininger-Byrne to find out how many hours you have accrued.