Advice & Organisations

We're keen to support fellow enthusiasts in whatever way we can — send us an email and we'll do our best — but we're not the only ones who can help:  

We think your local branch of the British Printing Society is the best place to go for advice. Membership is currently £20 a year, which includes a subscription to their popular monthly magazine, The Small Printer (which includes very useful small ads).

Online, the chief resource for new printers in the UK is British Letterpress, a fantastic site which is growing all the time.  

There's also LETPRESS@LISTSERV.UNB.CA, a well-established and very lively internet discussion group (we had to leave because of the sheer volume of chatter!), which anyone can join. 

An American website called The Briar Press has been a centre of (digital) gravity for the international letterpress community for many years now. The online Museum of Presses has more than 200 exhibits. At the time of writing, it's now back online after an extended holiday.

The Printing Historical Society publish a regular newsletter and their lecture series covers diverse topics including contemporary developments in design and typography.

The Private Libraries Association is for bibliophiles of every sort. If you aspire to publishing your own Private Press books, you'll learn a lot here.

St Bride's is the printing library. As you'd expect, they have a vast collection of books about letterpress and other printing techniques. Ultrabold, their twice-yearly journal, is about as eclectic as it gets, covering everything from graffiti to porcelain type.

The Oxfordshire-based Alembic Press is well known for its workshops (which include printing, binding and typecasting) and virtual collection of type cases.

Letterpress Alive is UK based and provides some useful information, including a list of courses and workshops

Remember that most of the above are run by volunteers and there's a shortage of people willing/able to assist less experienced printers online, so those that do are prone to receiving an overwhelming amount of email!

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