975lb Press Goes Mobile!

On its way to HowDesignLive2024

We love our tabletop presses, but when the opportunity came to show off our Reliance Washington Hand Press at HowDesignLive2024, we couldn’t resist. It also was a great way to push forward our new capital campaign to raise another $335,000 towards our $550,000 goal of getting the Depot building open so all of you can come there to pull a print! It took many hands on deck to get this press ready for its adventure.

Board member/photographer/artist/designer Bryan Dahlberg has used the press to pull limited edition prints that he then marries with photography. He and Tom Parson put together the deconstructed press when it was acquired.

More on the history of the press below. But in case you’re anxious to help our campaign and want to know RIGHT NOW how to help, please donate here. The State Historical Fund has been invaluable in helping the Depot, but to finish construction and get the doors open for workshops and events, we also need you.

Rendering of the future top level of the Letterpress Depot

On the lower level, the Depot has two hand presses - one survived the SF earthquake!. The hand press evolved from wood to iron around 1800. Soon after, NY printer and grocer Samuel Rust patented some of the best ideas. He refused to sell out to his hated competitor, R. Hoe & Company, so Hoe had one of his employees tell Rust he also hated his boss and was setting up his own company. Rust gladly then sold him the patent and all his equipment for $3,000 and agreed to not compete for eight years. When the charade was revealed, Hoe took it all over and produced thousands of the model. (Rust went on to patent and sell lamps.)  When the press patents expired, several other companies started turning out Washington presses.

Thinking Big! And gaining steam to get us down the tracks.

For more intel, follow us @letterpressdepot on Facebook & Instagram, @letpress on X, email info@letterpressdepot.com or call/text 720-480-5358.

What an ending to Month of Printmaking!

Photo by board member Bryan Dahlberg

Letterpress Depot printers Bryan Dahlberg, Marc Silberman and Tom Parson and volunteer Tim Vermeulian joined over 70 other makers at this year’s Small Press Fest. Note the mini-press in a box thatBryan used to print Jabberwocky on - he made that press himself!

Thanks to Bryan and Dave Laskowski III for capturing the scene. And to all who came to print with us! For more Depot intel, contact us at info@letterpressdepot.com or call/text 720-480-5358. Follow us on Facebook & Instagram (@letterpressdepot) and on X (@letpressdepot). See you somewhere!

Next Up: Belleview Park March 23 & Spectra Gallery

If you missed us at Arvade Center, come see us at the Spring Market in Belleview Park this coming Saturday, 10-2pm. And see our work on display the rest of March at Spectra Gallery (1836 S Broadway). If you haven’t been to Spectra and seen its immersive display, GO!

And here’s what you missed at Print Jam! Lots of people, lots of printing - Bryan Dahlberg on a mini etching press, LEGO (tm) printing conceived of by Dave Laskowski II and printed on an Adana by Jason Wedekind, Tom Parson on another Adana, and Marc Silberman on a Vandecook proof press. And note the mini press in a box made by Bryan too!

For more info, get in touch: info@letterpressdepot.com, 720-480-5358. And see you at the Spring Market!

Last year’s Spring Market

Getting inky at book fair

Great meeting people and printing with them at the recent Rocky Mountain Book & Paper Fair at the Douglas County Fairgrounds. Three presses kept busy by board members Tom Parson, Bryan Dahlberg, Ian Van Mater, Marc Silberman and Dave Laskowski II.

#meetapressMonday Come see us in person Saturday 3.26

Open Studio Tour Saturday 10-4 as part of Mo’Print, the Month of print. Come see our presses, with many in action!

Here are just some of the presses you will see - more will be shared other days this week!

Gordon Franklin press - note the brass side arms!

Gordon Franklin platen, new style 10x15  ~1871

The Gordon Franklin, called “the single most famous and influential jobbing press of the nineteenth century” was invented by George Phineas Gordon, who is celebrated as having developed the basic design of the most popular printing press ever. He named this model the  Franklin because Gordon, a spiritualist, said that Ben Franklin had described it to him in a dream. Our model is a Gordon’s brass side-arm “new style”, that started to be manufactured in 1871 when the patent on the older version was expiring.

Jones Gordon  Press ~1890

Manufactured by John M. Jones. Jones, who first built presses for George Phineas Gordon, started building them on his own when Gordon’s patents expired.

C&P 10x15 at the start of a print run

by Chandler & Price -All these built on the model designed by George Phineas Gordon

7x11, old style   1898-910x15 old style  1902

8x12 new style ~1930

Bryan Dahlberg, Doug Sorenson and Tom Parson huddle around the Colt’s Armory Press

Colts Armory platen (on loan from Doug Sorenson) ~1887

The name given after 1887 to Merrit Gally’s Universal press, which he’d introduced in 1869. The former minister held more than 500 patents. John Thomson, who hated Gally from the first time he heard him preach as a child, ended up taking over manufacture of the press in a high noon standoff worthy of the Colt’s name. For more details of this history see https://bit.ly/3D4BXIy

Old Reliable platen press 8x12    1888

The Old Reliable was manufactured for just one year  by H.H. Thorpe (Cleveland Type Foundry). James Thorpe held many other platen press patents, which he later sold to Chandler and Price.  Used by hobby printer Jim Grisenti, it was donated to the Depot by Jim Fitzgerald in memory of printer Wimpy Miller.

Schniedewend & Lee Old Style platen  Manufactured between 1884-93

This press also was built on the foundations laid by George Phineas Gordon. The Schniedewend company also built the Reliance A iron hand press on our east wall.

Damon-Peets platen, new style 9x12 (on loan from Doug Sorenson) ~1893

Calling itself the “latest improved Gordon,”whose “style supersedes all other presses” and which can print 2,000 sheets an hour, it was made by Damon & Peets of New York.

Next up: the Depot’s smaller presses…stay tuned! Come see them all March 26, Open Studio 10-4

Ready for our closeup

The Depot is lookin’ good with its new coats of red, turquoise and tan paint. We are so excited to show her new face to the community. Come see for yourself at our September 28 picnic, 11-2 - all are welcome. Power washing and scraping by Depot board members, historic and paint research by board member Bryan Dahlberg, guidance from Richard Reck of @BehrPaints and painting by Tomas and his crew of hard workers of TLCPaintworks got us to this new place. Thank you!

Photos by @BryanDahlberg and @TomParson