Book Arts & Letterpress Lab

The Book Arts & Letterpress Lab features a variety of resources and tools to explore and learn about many aspects of the art and history of the book. The lab complements and extends the experiences with our Special Collections, providing opportunities to learn about and experience composing and hand setting text with metal and wood type, operating historic printing presses, and exploring a variety of book arts related activities. The lab include a Press Room,  a Type Room, and Book Arts Instruction Space.

Members of The Book Arts & Letterpress Lab team offer online education with introductory modules and safety training requirements, as well as in-person demonstrations and hands-on training to give students a responsible introduction to the practice of printing by hand. We welcome all members of the Baylor community and the local community to learn about and experience the world of book arts and letterpress printing with us!  

Use of The Book Arts & Letterpress Lab is by appointment and in curricular partnership with faculty members and their students. Use of the presses requires prior completion of safety training modules and in-person training. Our team will offer scheduled Introduction to Letterpress workshops for hands-on training and individual training appointments. Those who have completed the required training may make appointments to create their own original work in the lab or work on assigned curricular projects.  

Click here to request a collaboration with your course 

Click here for questions or to make an appointment for use of the lab (letterpresslab@baylor.edu) 

Our Lab Team Members partner with faculty members and students to create curriculum-based, active-learning experiences. These may include tours, demonstrations, orientations, type setting activities, and outside-of-class student projects in book arts and letterpress printing. Faculty from a variety of disciplines and departments bring their classes for workshops and demonstrations on printing history and practice and for creative projects. Some faculty members will schedule class visits over multiple days or schedule small-group sessions outside of class. Faculty are encouraged to plan collaborations with the Book Arts & Letterpress Lab team to best plan visits and determine learning objectives and activities. Click here to request a collaboration with your course 

Use of the presses and the Press Room requires prior completion of safety training modules as well as in-person training. Our Lab Team will offer scheduled Introduction to Letterpress workshops for hands-on training and individual training appointments. Those who have completed the required training may make appointments to create their own original work in the lab or work on assigned curricular projects. Click here for questions or to make an appointment for use of the lab (letterpresslab@baylor.edu) 

• Late 19^th century clamshell tabletop platen press (Chandler & Price Pilot Press, Cleveland, Ohio) 

• Late 19^th century clamshell floor model platen press (Challenge Mfg. Co. G.P. Gordon Platen Press) 

• 19^th century historic Washington-style iron hand press (R. Hoe & Co., New York and London, 1870) 

• late 19^th/early 20^th century historic Washington-style iron hand press (F. Wesel Mfg. Co, New York)  

• Late 19^th century clamshell tabletop 

• 20^th century powered cylinder proofing press (Vandercook Universal III, 1960) 

• 20^th century proofing press (Challenge Mfg. Co) 

• 21^st century tabletop proofing presses (5) (Provisional Press, Ft. Wayne, Indiana) 

• 21^st century tabletop model based on mid 15^th century screw driven hand press (Josef Beery / BookBeetle, Free Union, Virginia)