Letterpress Essentials: Metal Type

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Letterpress Essentials: Metal Type

Prepare to be certified to set metal type and use the Vandercook No. 099 proof press for your letterpress projects.

February 2026 1:00 PM 5:00 PM

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Letterpress Essentials: Metal Type

Prepare to be certified to set metal type and use the Vandercook No. 099 proof press for your letterpress projects.

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About

Learn the basic skills required to find, set, ink, print, clean, and store metal type. By the end of this class you should have acquired the fundamentals required to get certified to use the Vandercook proof press, a cylinder printing press developed by Robert Vandercook in 1909 now popular with artists for its precision and ease of use that creates high-quality proofs. You'll learn about job cases, ems and ens, quads, picas, furniture, galley trays, magnets, location-location-location, and why you should always wash your hands after handling metal type.

Details

Skill level: Beginner. This is an introductory class.
You'll print a personal quote on student-grade paper to take home.
Once you've completed this class, you're encouraged to practice your skills during Open Studio. Once you've practiced, you'll be able to work with a certifying monitor and get certified to set metal type in the studio and print using the Vandercook proof press.

Prerequisites

You must have taken Print & Book Studio Orientation.

Class Policies

Ages 18 and up are welcome.

Instructor

Alejandro Acosta

With a background in linguistics, teaching, photography, journalism, jewelry making, arts, research, software development, management, and technical project management, Alejandro spends his leisure time reading, meditating, practicing yoga, hiking, kayaking, camping, making things for fun, and watching movies old and new, among other activities. He moved to Poulsbo from Seattle in 2022 and has been a BARN member since the summer of 2023. Alejandro can certify people to use the Takach etching presses, metal type setting, wood type setting, the Vandercook proof press, the provisional presses, the Challenge press, and the Chandler and Price Pilot presses.