Workshop Fee (includes materials fee): $225
Click here to apply for a Windgate scholarship

Cylinder Core Certificate Program

The hand-fed 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 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. Core classes must be taken in order, 1 through 4.

Click here to learn more about the Cylinder Core Certificate Program. 
 

Cylinder Core 4 :: Digital into Analog

Digital designs can be turned into photopolymer plates with a raised printing surface, allowing for artistic expression via letterpress that goes beyond lead and wood. You'll choose designs from our pre-made collection of polymer plates and create a coordinated stationery suite of cards, letter sheets, and envelopes using both plates and type from our collection.

Competencies Gained:

• Builds on skills from Cylinder Cores 1, 2 and 3

Knowledge:

• Introduction to polymer plate printing
• Knowledge of various polymer plate bases and benefits/costs of each one

Skills:

• Use of plates and bases combined with type & cuts
• Printing a work & turn press sheet
• Build on ink mixing skills
• Develop press cleanup speed
• Increased familiarity with running the cylinder (Vandercook) press
   

>> Prerequisite: Cylinder Core 1, 2, 3 <<
 

Materials to Bring: All tools and materials will be provided. Students will be designing on the fly from our collection of plates, but can think ahead about whether they want traditional stationery with name/address, or something more whimsical.

Please note: Class projects are for learning particular skills and supporting class dynamics. Project ideas should be flexible, open to what class time and communal studio use will permit.

Date & Time: Saturday, April 19, 2025 :: 9:30am-5:30pm

Location: 375 Rhode Island St, San Francisco, CA 94103

NOTE: Please read over the SFCB Registration Policies before signing up for a class. Registration will close approximately three days prior to the start date of the workshop to allow the instructor time to prep materials for class. We recommend you not wait to register, as workshops that don't meet our minimum enrollment will be canceled, sometimes as much as a week in advance.
 

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About the Instructor | Brian Ferrett (he/him)

Brian has a printing degree from MATC and worked in offset web and screen printing. In 2008 he joined M&H Type as a typecasting apprentice under Lewis Mitchell. These days he manages M&H's daily operations, maintains the historic casting machines and presses, casts type, and prints for the various Arion Press publications. Brian is a member of the Northern California chapter of the American Printing History Association, the American Typecaster Fellowship, and volunteers with San Francisco Public Library's annual Valentine’s Day broadside event. In his spare time he plays around with his Vandercook 219AB, C&P New Style 10x15, and his two Kelseys.

Past Student Reviews:

“I was able to integrate skills and knowledge from the previous 3 workshops into this session. They all built on one another with plenty of practice and repetition. I also was able to address some of the holes in my learning. The one-on-one learning was essential for this.”

“Brian is so fun to work with. He helped me laugh through my mistakes and never made me feel bad for not fully understanding something or having incomplete mastery.”

“This final workshop really felt like it was a chance for us to work independently to see how much we've learned, while also having excellent guidance and support from the instructor.”