This is an in-person workshop. All students and the instructor must show proof of vaccination against Covid-19 and agree to wear a mask for the duration of the class unless otherwise announced by SFCB. If you choose to complete the registration process you are agreeing to these terms.

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 Cylinder Core Certificate Program and how to receive a discount!

Cylinder Core 1 :: Experience Letterpress!

Dig in to the tradition and history of letterpress printing and get your hands dirty. Learn about the process and practice of setting type, mixing inks and pulling impressions. In this class you will learn how to print your own cards!

Competencies Gained:

Knowledge:

Introductory history of the art and craft of relief printing

How letterpress printing works

Skills:

Introduction to the type case, composition and the composing stick

Introduction to studio practices

Pulling a print

Equipment:

Introduction to the cylinder (Vandercook) press and safety points

• Movable type and cuts

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

Materials to Bring: None

Prerequisite: None; optional: Introduction to Letterpress

Workshop + Materials Fee: $200.00
Scholarships available; click here to apply

*Students registering for the full Core series will receive a $100 discount off the total cost. Please call or email to enroll at the discounted rate.*

Date & Time: Wednesday & Thursday, May 25 & 26, 2022 :: 6:30-10pm

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

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

 

About the Instructor | Leigh McLellan

Leigh McLellan typeset, letterpress printed, and hand bound letterpress books and broadsides from 1974 to 1990 under her imprint, Meadow Press. She has been an instructor at the San Francisco Center for the Book since 2002. She has also taught letterpress printing, bookbinding, and decorated papers at Mills College and the California College of Arts and Crafts, as well as workshops at the San Francisco Public Library, Stanford University, Pyramid Atlantic in Washington, DC, the Women's Graphic Center in Los Angeles, and the University of Iowa. Her work is in many library collections across the country, including the San Francisco Public Library, the University of San Francisco, Mills College, The University of California Bancroft Library, the New York Public Library, the Library of Congress, and the Bodleian Library in Oxford, England, among many others. Her work has been exhibited widely. In a related field, she has been an independent commercial book and graphic designer since 1976, working mostly for publishers in the Bay Area. In both pursuits, she has won many design awards. See Leigh's Meadow Press work at http://meadowpressbooks.com and her commercial design work at http://www.leighmcdesign.com.

Past Student Reviews:

“I liked the project, and I thought the class went at a good pace.”

“I learned SO MUCH!!!”

“The instructor’s knowledge & lifting experience, plus her direct “mentor” approach with students was exceptional.”