Workshop Fee (includes materials fee): $200
Click here to apply for a Windgate scholarship.

Masks are no longer required for most workshops, though anyone is welcome to wear one if they wish.
 

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. Core workshops must be taken sequentially.

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

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
• Increased familiarity with the cylinder (Vandercook) press

>> Prerequisites: Cylinder Core 1 & 2 <<
 

Materials to Bring: None. All tools and materials will be provided. 

Date & Time: Sunday, July 14, 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 | Alan Hillesheim (he/him)

 

Alan Hillesheim has been wrenching around printing presses for 35 years. Printing presses need to be moved, oiled, inked, cleaned, and maintained, in short they need attention like a six year old. Maintenance is a dirty business, but a necessary one for beautifully printed anything. Alan has a passion for the mechanics of the print studio and enjoys encouraging others to roll up their sleeves and grab a wrench. His 35 years in the letterpress business and “all-ten-fingers” count speak for themselves. Join him and wear old clothes. Oh, and once the press is in fine order, Alan has a few secrets to divulge about perfect inking and stellar printing.

Past Student Reviews:

 “I liked that we had so much freedom to create our own projects, and the fact that Alan was so supportive of all of the ideas that we had.”

“So much fun!  It was a complicated class, yet with individual help we all accomplished the objectives. I've yet to take a mediocre class at the center.”

“Very clear, always open to questions, I got plenty of focused hands-on help. It was a great experience.”