Registration is closed for this event

November 3rd, 2019 9:30 AM

  • Instructor: Mary Laird
  • Workshop Type: Printing
  • Workshop Status: Wait-list
  • Workshop Start: November 3rd, 2019 9:30 AM
  • Workshop End: November 3rd, 2019 5:30 PM
  • Sessions: 1

Cylinder Core Certificate Program

The handfed cylinder proof press, also known as the Vandercook press, has a special place in both print history and in teaching book arts. Immediate and accessible, yet nuanced and specific, it is the press that introduced many of us to letterpress. The four class Cylinder Core Certificate Program allows students to move quickly through the press basics while also addressing relief printing in general. Students who finish the four core classes are qualified to rent press time as well as move on to more advanced classes and techniques. Click here to learn more about the Core Certification Program and find out how you receive a discount.


Cylinder Core 3 :: Posterized

Develop your letterpress design skills and aesthetic while increasing your letterpress versatility: learn to set up the press, refine your registration skills, and run an edition. Learn more about packing, roller height, and make-ready. Come ready to run an edition of your own small poster!

Competencies Gained:

  • Builds on skills from Cylinder Core 1 and 2

  • Knowledge:

    • Press mechanics and proper use of the press

    • Press/job setup

    • Proper cleanup

  • Skills

    • Make-ready / packing

    • Setting gauge pins

    • Mixing ink

  • Equipment

    • Increased familiarity with the cylinder (Vandercook) press

All paper for SFCB's Core Certificate Program projects has been generously provided by Mohawk.


Materials to Bring: None

Prerequisites: Cylinder Core 1 & 2

Workshop + Materials Fee: $200.00*

*Students who sign up for the full workshop series (September-December, 2019) after August 31, 2019 will receive a $100 discount.

Date & Time: Sunday, November 3, 2019 :: 9:30am-5:30pm

Location: This workshop will take place at 375 Rhode Island St, San Francisco, CA 94103

Note: Please read the SFCB Registration Policies before signing up for a class

REGISTRATION WILL CLOSE 3 DAYS PRIOR TO THE START DATE OF THIS WORKSHOP.


About the Instructor | Mary Laird

Mary Risala Laird, MFA printmaking, University of Wisconsin, Madison, has been doing letterpress books since 1969 as Quelquefois Press. She partnered in Perishable Press Limited editions from 1969-84. Ms. Laird has taught letterpress at San Francisco State University, Kala Institute in Berkeley, Naropa University, and at the San Francisco Center for the Book as well as workshops in Utah, Idaho, Colorado and Washington state. For fifteen years she worked with the entire 7th grade class as a guest artist, making handmade journals. Her focus in printing is poetry. She binds the editions she prints.  Her work is in many collections across the country, including Stanford, UC Berkeley, Library of Congress, UW Madison, the British Library, Yale, University of Washington, and UC Santa Cruz. She has three grown children, lives in Berkeley with her husband John Malork, and is a member of the Sufi community. She has served as a board member at the San Francisco Center for the Book.


Past Student Reviews:

“Really enjoyed having her - funny, knowledgeable, humble, always ready to help us, positive attitude, inspiring. She created an atmosphere of ease so that I didn’t feel insecure.”

“Mary made me feel comfortable and supported in the workshop from the moment I walked in. I knew I could ask Mary a question whenever I needed. She was great at trouble shooting with us if something wasn't working out the way we thought on the press. I wish she taught more courses at the SF Center for the Book!”

“I appreciated the teacher's experience and patience. She encouraged us to have fun and be creative. I like learning how to go with the mistakes and find beauty in the happy errors and limitations of letterpress. I also enjoyed interacting with the other students and sharing and working with each other.”

“Mary was amazing and very helpful! It was very informative and very hands on.”

“I felt the course was very informative. Mary is a fantastic instructor with a fantastic personality.


Customize Your Certificate Program :: Choose the Date of Your Next Class

Cylinder Core 4 :: Digital into Analog

375 Rhode Island St
San Francisco, CA 94103-5133
United States