Want to get together with hobby printers in your local area? Check out the listings on this page and see if there's anyone nearby. I will only list groups that have contacted me and provided information about themselves. Please send an e-mail to dtribby@stanfordalumni.org if you want your group listed.
You can look at ``Other Amateur Journalism Groups'' for information on national organizations.
Contact: Joe Warren; e-mail: letterpressions@sbcglobal.net
We meet once a quarter on Saturday afternoon. Geographically we cover most of the lower half of Michigan's lower penensula. Our mailing list currently has about 35. Meetings usually consist of some show and tell, how to, and equipment leads.
Contact: Dave Clinger; e-mail: dclinger@iopener.net; P.O. Box 5013, Richmond VA 23220; Phone 804-644-7101, fax 804-780-1950.
GRIPHOG is an informal network with occasional meetings and a periodic newsletter called Galley Proof. Geographically, it covers most of the state of Virginia. Members include letterpress printers and bookbinders. Shop, located in historic building in downtown Richmond near State Capitol, includes Washington handpress, Vandercook, platen presses, Monotype composition caster and access to Linotype. Members share expertise and tall tales and hope to set up exhibits and museum.
The Letterpress Guild of New England is a regional organization devoted to the preservation and dissemination of the knowledge and materials of letterpress printing. The Guild is comprised of professional and hobby printers, binders and others keenly interested in the art and craft of the art preservative. The Guild attempts to meet monthly and also sponsors workshops at various times in any number of primary and ancillary disciplines. A newsletter is produced which will apprise those interested in upcoming events. There is also a Journal which is produced annually. Dues are $20 which can be posted to the above. There are no membership requirements.
Branch meets monthly in members homes. Everyone welcome. A lot of expertise and knowledge which is shared generously with anyone. Mike Willshire-Jacobs can be contacted by e-mail ( mike.jacobs@ntlworld.com) or telephone (+44 (0) 1252 326771) for details if people don't want to write to Chris.
The St. Louis Letterpress Society, established in 1989, meets quarterly for a potluck and informal program or activity. It is open to and attended by anyone interested in either letterpress printing or any affiliated book art. For further information, e-mail Schuyler "Sky" Shipley.
The Printers' Guild meets on the Kelley Park museum grounds at 10:00 am on the second Saturday of each month. We learn from each other, share personal work, talk shop, and plan printing projects for museum events. Guild members man the print shop on weekends to explain letterpress printing to visitors. No dues -- just informal fun with some nifty equipment.
Branch meets monthly in members homes. Mike Willshire-Jacobs can be contacted by e-mail ( mike.jacobs@ntlworld.com) or telephone (+44 (0) 1252 326771) for details if people don't want to write to Eric.
A group of printers that meet for lunch once a month in Syracruse, NY. They welcome anyone who wants to join, especially beginners who could use some help. Meeting days and restaurants change from month to month.
Taproots School of the Arts in St. Louis, Missouri, teaches all aspects of book arts including letterpress. Taproots also has studio space and professional equipment for rent.
The Virginia Amateur Printers Association usually meets twice per year--once in the spring and once in the autumn. In spite of the name most meetings are held in Maryland in the D.C. area. Most meetings are all day and held at the home/print shop of a volunteer host though some are held in motels. The attendance is normally 30 to 75 people who spend the day talking about printing and printing equipment. An auction of printing equipment is always part of a meeting. There are no annual dues and no secrectary or treasurer.
If you're a letterpress printer in the vicinity of Westchester, New York, seeking the support of other practitioners of the black art, consider membership in the Westchester Chappel. It is the oldest continuous local association of avocational letterpress printers. It was founded by J. Ben Lieberman, father the American Chappel movement, in 1960. The Chappel includes member presses from Rockland, New York City, Connecticut, and, yes, Westchester, as well as several presses that have relocated away from Westchester over the years. The group meets quarterly, rotating among the various presses, discussing letterpress stuff, showing off our ephemera, trying to figure out how we went right or wrong. There is an annual Wayzgoose at which there is appropriate merriment, and each press delivers its page of the group's annual letterpress calendar. There is no membership fee. You should be the proprietor of a press, and should be located within striking distance of Westchester.
Be sure to visit the other AAPA pages related to Letterpress Printing:
Go to the AAPA home page.
This page was last modified May 7, 2008
Dave Tribby / dtribby@stanfordalumni.org