Steamroller Printing

We’re proud to be a sponsor of the San Francisco Center for the Book’s annual Roadworks street fair, which is coming up in a few weeks.

Come see how a steamroller can make prints from large linoleum blocks, carved especially for the occasion right on the street!

More than 80 artist vendors will have goods for sale, along with small linocut prints, music and kids activities.

Sunday, September 19
12 – 5 pm
On Rhode Island St., between 16th and 17th Streets, San Francisco
FREE

Poses chapbook

We’ve teamed up with Books & Bookshelves, Poetry Flash and g.e. collective this year to print some poetry chapbooks! We’re happy to share news of the latest in the series: Poses by Genine Lentine.

Poses features a letterpress printed cover and sewn pamphlet binding. It’s on sale at Books & Bookshelves, which is hosting a release party and readings this Wednesday. Come here pieces by Dunstan Christopher, Owen Hill, Genine Lentine and James Maughn.

Book Release Party + Reading
Wednesday, August 18, 2010
7:30 pm
Books & Bookshelves
99 Sanchez (at 14th Street), San Francisco

Heidelberg Windmill

Wednesday, September 8, 7-9 pm and
Saturday, September 11, 11 am – 4 pm
Class fee: $130

We welcome you to join us for a two-day introductory Heidelberg Windmill class! This is a wonderful opportunity to learn about the press, its history, parts and various functions.

You’ll also learn fundamental letterpress printing basics, maintenance and safety considerations. This is an extended version of our one-day Windmill class, with more in-depth press coverage.

We’ll include tips and tricks for make ready, plate and inking secrets. Participants will have multiple opportunities to set up and run a variety of papers (and envelopes!) on this fantastic letterpress. Lunch on Saturday and all materials for both days are included in the class fee. Class size is limited to 6 people.

Class Registration Terms:

To register, please email class@logosgraphics.net. All class fees include materials. Payment must be submitted prior to the start of class, either by Paypal or check. Checks may be made payable and mailed to: Logos Graphics, 499 Alabama Street #126, San Francisco, CA 94110.

Please note that there are cats and dogs at our shop, and we recommend taking allergy medication before arriving to your class.

As always, if you have any specific questions or are interested in seeing a specific class, email us at class@logosgraphics.net.

We’re proud to share that one of our local clients, Rebecca Peters, has a show at Cafe Que Tal in San Francisco. Her charming work, printed on her C&P press, includes collages and hand-colored linocut prints. All of her art is on display and for sale through August 4th. More info can be found at her website, www.rebpeters.com.

Cafe Que Tal
1005 Guerrero @ 22nd Street
San Francisco

Paper Sale!

Friday, July 23, 2010
4-6 pm

Our famous paper sale is back! Come by for deals and steals, ranging from Crane’s Lettra scraps to various colored cover papers, envelopes and small scrap photopolymer plate material — all at a fraction of their retail cost.

Please let us know if you are planning on coming, and we’ll make sure you have our door access code.

Introductory Heidelberg Windmill Class

**Edited 08/05/2010: note new class dates**

Wednesday, September 8, 7-9 pm and
Saturday, September 11, 11 am – 4 pm
$130

We welcome you to join us for a two-day introductory Heidelberg Windmill class! This is a wonderful opportunity to learn about the press, its history, parts and various functions.

You’ll also learn fundamental letterpress printing basics, maintenance and safety considerations. This is an extended version of our one-day Windmill class, with more in-depth press coverage. Lunch on Saturday and all materials for both days are included in the class fee.

We’ll include tips and tricks for make ready, plate and inking secrets. Participants will have multiple opportunities to set up and run a variety of papers (and envelopes!) on this fantastic letterpress. Class size is limited to 6 people.

Class Registration Terms:

To register, please email class@logosgraphics.net. All class fees include materials. Payment must be submitted prior to the start of class, either by Paypal or check. Checks may be made payable and mailed to: Logos Graphics, 499 Alabama Street #126, San Francisco, CA 94110.

Please note that there are cats and dogs at our shop, and we recommend taking allergy medication before arriving to your class.

As always, if you have any specific questions or are interested in seeing a specific class, email us at class@logosgraphics.net.

Proceed and Be Bold

The San Francisco Center for the Book is hosting its first movie night! This free event, featuring the film Proceed and Be Bold, will be held this Thursday, June 24 at 7 pm (doors open at 6 pm). You’ll have the chance to pull your own broadside on a Vandercook press too!

Here’s a description of the film, via SFCB’s Katherine Case:

Amos Paul Kennedy Jr., an internationally recognized printing press artist, found his calling making chipboard posters that are socially, politically, and racially charged: with quotes from Sojourner Truth, Rosa Parks, and phrases like “coffee makes you black.” This documentary film probes Kennedy, his friends, family and colleagues in a discussion on the monetary and intrinsic values of art, the workings of race and culture and the subversive nature of letterpress printing.

Italian paper from an unpublished album of eighteenth century Italian paper samples.

The Hand Bookbinders of California will hold their 38th Annual Members’ Exhibition at the San Francisco Public Library! This exhibition is part of the Main Library’s continued support for the local book arts community; as always, it is free and open to the public.

The opening reception is in the Skylight Gallery, located on the sixth floor of the Main Library, on Tuesday, June 8, at 6 p.m. The exhibition runs through August 15.

An exhibition catalog ($5.00) will be on sale at the reception as well as at the Friends Book Bay at the Main, Grove Street entrance.

The exhibition postcard is available for downloaded here.

Image courtesy of Grabhorn Collection on the History of Printing & the Development of the Book, San Francisco Public Library.

Typeface

Matt Kelsey of Liber Apertus Press informed us about Typeface, a film by Justine Nagan about the Hamilton Wood Type Museum. It recently premiered here in San Francisco and will be released on DVD in a few weeks, and available via Netflix later this year.

Typeface tells the story of the Hamilton Wood Type Museum in rural Wisconsin. The centuries-old technique of handmade wooden type comes to life when seasoned craftsmen, masters of this obsolete but beloved technology, meet with international artists and together navigate the convergence of modern design and traditional technique.

Also of note is Kelsey’s reissue of American Wood Type: 1828-1900 by Rob Roy Kelly, available in paperback.

San Francisco Center for the Book is hosting a free panel discussion next Thursday, May 27, from 6-8 pm.  Moderated by John Sullivan and featuring four other Bay area letterpress printers, the panel will tackle the ins and outs of running a letterpress business in today’s ever-changing digital and economic world. Please join us in this timely and informative event!

Panelists:

• Joel Benson of Dependable Letterpress
• Norman Clayton of Classic Letterpress
• Susie Gelbron of Carrot & Stick Press
• Patrick Reagh of Patrick Reagh Printers, Inc.
• John Sullivan of Logos Graphics

Edit 06/01/2010: Thank you to all who came and made this event such a success. Here’s the podcast of the panel discussion, split into four parts for your convenience: Letterpress as a Business by solsken

Here are also some links from John, which may be useful when planning out pricing:

• Printingestimates.com – Budgeted Hourly Rates
• Print Planet Budgeted Hourly Rate Discussion Thread
• A Simplified Approach to Calculating BHRs

Indego Africa products with tags

Recently, we were introduced to Indego Africa, a social enterprise focusing on sustainable development for African women through fair trade craft sales. We love the mission of this nonprofit organization: 100% of profits go directly to Rwandan artisan cooperatives, who are paid fair wages and enjoy long-term educational and development opportunities.

Much to our delight, we were able to print newly designed hand tags by Eighty2degrees LLC for Indego Africa. Many thanks to Sarah Dunigan for sharing a wonderful photo of the tags in action! For more info, please visit Indego Africa’s website or Indego Africa on Facebook. You can also support the  organization by purchasing fair trade goods from their online store or by donation.