Slightly different

Fiona and I have been in Portland for a couple of days. We came for a number of reasons but the two important ones were it has a reputation for supporting the arts; and Fiona (and I) could do a one day course introducing us to letterpress.

The letterpress course was held at a community run print resource centre (Independent Publishing Resource Centre). Like most community resource centres it was tucked away in an older building with lots of stuff crammed in and run by volunteers. It had some great historical desktop printers - I had printer envy by the end of the day.

The course was excellent. It was run by a highly qualified and experienced young woman who just pitched the pace and level of information right. Fiona and I worked together on one of her quotes. We put the whole process into practice: set up type; fixed it in the print frame; tried a couple of printers; colours; and different papers.

You can see the printed results on Fiona's post. It was a great learning day. And I liked all the old gear; and the lead type; the smell of ink; and the magic of multiple prints. I think it will be a skill I will pursue on the side.