The printed word

Enter a world of metal and wood.  The faint musty scent of old yellowed paper calms the soul, like eucalyptus or lavender would.  A temple for those fans of the printed word.  The Museum of Printing History - where rooms and exhibits are built around monstrous machines.  They must have looked like instruments of torture when they were first constructed (or a really complicated way to make a grilled cheese sandwich).  It was eerily silent as none of the presses were in operation this past weekend but it was obvious that all of the presses remain functional.  Scattered amongst the historical exhibits, modern cans of oily lubricant and other tools for repair stood out, to make sure the presses were kept on the up and up.  Visitors are able to watch a page pulled from the Gutenberg printing press as it had been in 1455.

The museum is free to the public and hidden behind the behemoth Whole Foods Market that was opened a little over a year ago.  It was deathly silent inside, only a handful of visitors wandering around.  The workshop lights were turned off but visible through the gloom were the modern presses, set up in small industrial classrooms; this was a place of practice.  The museum holds classes and workshops sporadically throughout the month on hand papermaking, digital letterpress, linocuts, etc.  A hidden gem keeping print making alive and well.

Comments

  1. Stunning pictures of the machines! Wow, I'd love to visit this place someday :) T

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  2. beautiful. I'd love to take some printing classes one day!

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  3. Wow....such a serene place to be in. With the advent of e-readers, a place like this becomes even more important.

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  4. Oh wow. I would like to learn how to letterpress one day and work these machines

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  5. Great museum! It boggles my mind to imagine setting type one letter at a time to print something as large as the Bible. And then the proof-reading!!!

    I can't even type in "great" without making a mistake. :)

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  6. LOVE LOVE LOVE this. I have a soft spot for vintage printing presses...I think it has to do with all the time spend studying typography while an undergrad student in graphic design ;)
    :)
    Allison
    A's Fashion Files
    Shop Kawaii Kitsch by A on Etsy!
    Win a $50 Giftcard from Mont Affair!

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  7. This museum looks really nice and I'd love to see it one day, it's nice that it's free too because it looks pretty fancy :)

    xoDale
    http://www.savvyspice.com/

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  8. Oh little museums like this are kind of awesome. The musty smell of wood and machines...it's divine. I wish I could own an antique letterpress one day. It'd be my pride and joy.

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  9. Oh, the history in this room. I hope you get to take a class there some day. I took a letterpress class when I lived in New York and loved the entire process. I promised myself that I would return to take a book binding class, but never made it back.

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  10. Oh, this is a place I would love to go. I adore letterpress. I hope our artisans can keep it alive.

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  11. What beautiful machinery. I have been in the mood lately to go to some history museums - this is a great example. Is it in H-town or did you travel to see this?

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