The Arm Letterpress
By: DJ
tags: brooklyn, letterpress, paper, press, print, printing
Category: Features, Pigment and Paper
Do you remember the mimeograph machine? It was a messy contraption, but as a grade school student, we weren’t very familiar with the mess. Our affection was for that freshly printed smell. Probably, the only smell that could rival it was a new car smell and, well, I didn’t have that experience for another decade or two.
In this age of computer-generated printing, we lose the sensory aspects of print. For the most part, there is no smell, no mess, no impression, and no sound. Most of the print materials we encounter on a regular basis are generated with a few clicks of a mouse and the push of a button. But, for those of us who need a sensory fix, there are places you can go.
On a recent Sunday morning, I took advantage of just such an opportunity extended to me by Daniel Morris of The Arm Letterpress in Brooklyn, NY. The Arm is located in the growing artist community of Williamsburg, Brooklyn. I arrived to join six other eager students for the six-hour workshop. The studio is part workspace and part museum. There were tabletop letterpresses and two Vandercock proofing presses in the main area. In another room was an even larger Vandercock surrounded by an assortment of other vintage printing equipment and a full wall of type in more fonts than we were going to use that day. It was a printing buff’s mini-wonderland.
Vandercock is an old name in printing presses. The company is now defunct although someone does own the name and the blueprints. The three presses in The Arm studio have different levels of automation. One press is strictly manual. You do all the work including the deinking of the rollers. Another has a self-cleaning feature for the rollers. Apply a little dab of mineral spirits, flip a switch and the rollers do the rest. The largest of The Arm’s presses is fully automatic. Once you set your type, you flip a switch and it does the work of moving the rollers over the type. When you are done, apply a dab of mineral spirits and the ink is gone.
Daniel was a wonderful host. He is young, patient, and very much into his craft. His presses are old friends. In a way, there really is ink in his blood. He comes from a family of printers on his mother’s side. However, his mother’s interest lay elsewhere and so when his family retired from the business, the equipment was sold and the printing bug skipped a generation. After some time, it began to come alive in Daniel. By 1997, he knew he was infected. He opened The Arm after traveling and working abroad. It took a year to renovate the building. The studio has only been open to the public for a year. As with many craftsmen and DIYers, Daniel learned his craft mostly by doing or observing. His knowledge of the Vandercocks and mastery of the letterpress craft helped him land an instructor position at Cooper Union where he facilitates the learning of letterpress students.
After giving us an overview of the presses and their operation, we divided up into two groups and worked on small projects of our own choosing. Daniel provided one-on-one advice and guidance. The first thing you learn is that the work is in setting up. You have to choose your fonts, set the type, ink the rollers, and make an incredible number of little adjustments. It also helps to have a bit of arm strength because operating the crank to move the rollers across the type can be a physical challenge. But, once you get the type set, the furniture in place to secure the type, the rollers inked, and a certain rhythm with the handcrank, things move pretty quickly. It didn’t take long to realize that I was having fun. Of course, there is also that feeling of accomplishment and the ability to see and feel your results. Type makes an impression, literally, on the page. Aaah…
We did two projects. After our first project, we had a snack. We had bagels and cream cheese as well as a hot beverage. I had tea. I’m excited about going back to do a real project. I have an idea in mind. Daniel told me he’s always happy to discuss ideas. The studio felt like a working living room. I suspect that is the intention at The Arm. Come in and make yourself right at home. In fact, as we broke up for the day, two young men came in to ask what it was all about. The presses caught their attention. The conversation was evolving as I departed. They were in a band and the kind of posters that could be done on the letterpress would be cool and…. It’s all part of the sensory experience of the letterpress craft.
