Workshop Fee (includes materials fee): $350
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Masks are no longer required for most workshops, though anyone is welcome to wear one if they wish.

Gather Round, Daredevil Printers!

In this intensive workshop students will focus on typesetting and letterpress printing techniques that move beyond straight lines and right angles to set type that curves, angles and bounces.

We begin class delving into historic and contemporary examples of complex typesetting and the various tools in use. Our own typesetting begins with circular and angle quads, as well as the use of tools adapted from art supply and hardware stores. We'll also experiment with Daredevil Furniture, a set of lasercut furniture designed for type composition at Springtide Press.

While not the focus of the class, ink mixing tips and tricks will be covered as well. An exchange of daredevil prints will complete this workshop appropriate for those with some letterpress printing experience who want to expand their approach to typesetting and image-making.

Students will be expected to attend Jessica's Friday evening public lecture at SFCB (6-8pm) so they're ready to start printing first thing Saturday morning. 

>> Prerequisite: Introduction to Letterpress, or some familiarity with setting type and the general letterpress process <<

Materials to Bring:

All tools and materials will be provided.

Optional and available for use at SFCB: apron, gloves, x-acto knife, ruler, pencil, bone folder, lots of patience (okay this you have to bring, we don't have any extra).

Date & Time:

Friday evening, March 8 :: 6-8pm for Jessica's public lecture
AND
Saturday & Sunday, March 9 & 10, 2024 :: 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.
 

About the Instructor | Jessica Spring (she/her)

Jessica Spring began her interest in typesetting and printing as a phototypesetter in the 1980s. Her introduction to letterpress printing paralleled the birth of desktop publishing: an exciting time to explore graphic arts. She has been a letterpress printer ever since, researching historic type composition and inventing Daredevil Furniture to help other printers set type in circles, curves and angles. Her work at Springtide Press—artist books, broadsides and ephemera where typography plays a central role—is included in collections around the country and abroad.