An intense two-day course — designed for beginners from all professional backgrounds — to work closely with wood letter & metal type, letterpress materials & printing equipment.
The Two-Day Course offers its participants a unique opportunity to develop an understanding of typography & design through the use of the traditional materials & processes used in letterpress.
The workshop is typographically driven — you will be introduced to the fundamental procedures of metal type setting & wood letter composition & through a simple series of exercises: begin to explore the possibilities of letterpress techniques & visual ideas; experiment with ink & understand the basics of printmaking paper.
The second day allows the students to develop a more thorough outcome & explore the history of the book & the poster for a specific ‘Unbound’ project.
Workshop Programme
Day One
10:00 — 17:00
1. Workshop introduction
2. Workshop tour
3. Measurement systems
4. Methods & organisation of work
5. Workshop practice: wood & metal type
6. Creative typographic exercise
7. Designing with letterpress
8. Two-day project brief
. . .
Day Two
10:00 — 17:00
1. Research & design application
2. Mixing Inks & Colour Theory
3. Understanding Printmaking papers
4. Design, setting & printing the project
5. Final discussion & feedback
Fees
The Two-Day workshop is £375 per person
Fridays & Saturdays
Spring to Autumn 2025
Gift Vouchers for 2025 here
. . .
Full payment will secure a place
(& is fully refundable*).
*Cancellations must be 5 days before the beginning of the workshop otherwise a heavy penalty of 50% will be retained! This might sound a little brutal & we understand that things can often change but last minute cancellations can effect the other students & the dynamic of the classes.
For any questions & payment details, please email mrsmith@smithsrules.com