June 23 | Intro to letterpress (8 Weeks)

This course is the perfect introduction to letterpress printing. From its creation by Johannes Gutenberg in the mid-15th century until the 19th century, letterpress printing was the norm for printing text. Its use persisted in books and various applications until the late 20th century.

Letterpress printing evolved from simple platen presses, where paper was pressed onto an inked form, producing beautifully imprinted text and images. Over time, the flat platen was replaced by a roller in the flat-bed cylinder press, streamlining the process.

This course is the perfect introduction to letterpress printing, a centuries-old process that shaped the history of printed language. From its invention by Johannes Gutenberg in the 15th century through its continued use into the 20th century, letterpress has remained a powerful and tactile way to print text and images.

Over Eight weekly sessions, students will learn the fundamentals of letterpress printing, including hand-setting metal and wood type, understanding inks and paper, and safely operating platen presses. Instruction covers composing with a stick, adjusting letter and word spacing, building type forms, and printing with consistent impression. Students will also learn essential press skills such as locking up in a chase, basic make-ready, registering multiple layers, and proper press cleanup.

This hands-on class is ideal for creatives, designers, writers, and anyone interested in language as a visual and physical medium. No prior printmaking experience is required.

July 6 | Screenprinting Refresher & Authorization (4 Hours)

Note: Experience is required to take this refresher class.

This refresher & authorization workshop welcomes students with previous screenprinting experience who are feeling out-of-practice or fuzzy regarding the finer points of the process, or who have never printed at Spudnik before, and want familiarity with our facilities and offerings. Students should have already completed a one-day workshop or full class, although it need not have been at Spudnik. We also welcome printers that would like support working through a particularly complex project or reoccurring printing issue.

The class will review an assortment of skills such as selecting the best mesh count, applying the perfect coat of photo emulsion, troubleshooting and diagnosing exposure and printing issues, ink mixing, registration, and screen reclamation. Equally as importantly, we will address how to consider these technical factors and limitations when designing a project for printing.

During the workshops, each student will expose a screen, and work with peers to print a two-color image designed to hone nuanced printing skills. Students are welcome to bring specific questions about their next project.

To help build printing confidence at Open Studio sessions, students are invited to return within the week to put their freshly acquired knowledge to use. Through this workshop, students will not only brush up on old skills and become authorized to print at Spudnik, but are sure to walk away with new morsels of useful information regarding the art of screenprinting.

July 9 | Risography Explorations (4 Weeks)

The Risograph is an automated duplicator that efficiently produces multi-color prints with a distinct look and feel. Combining some of the best elements of photocopiers, screenprinting, and offset, risography can be an exciting medium for comic artists, writers, illustrators, designers, book artists, and more. 

Our Risography Explorations class teaches students to work with our machine. Beginning with a multi-color print, students will be introduced to risography techniques and mechanics. From there, they will create their own zine, mini-comic, or broadside to continue exploring the possibilities of the process. Students will also learn a variety of simple book forms that they can use for their independent project. 

Throughout the four weeks, students will learn best practices for designing and creating risograph prints, taking into consideration ink density, drying time, paper selection, and registration. Risograph machines are known for being rather finicky—students will also practice basic maintenance and troubleshooting, including how to change ink, reset and replace the master roll, and fix paper feed issues.

In addition to gaining authorization to print independently at Spudnik Press, students will have access to Open Studios to work on their projects.

July 9 | Letterpress for Poetry (4 Weeks)

What better way to honor a poem than to set it in type by hand?

This four-week workshop brings together the art of writing poetry and the craft of letterpress printing. Students work on original poems and then do what poets couldn’t always do for themselves — set every letter, space every word, and print their work with their own hands on a press.

Over four sessions, students will explore the fundamentals of writing short-form poetry alongside the basics of hand-setting metal and wood type, working with inks and paper, and operating a letterpress. Instruction covers composing in a stick, adjusting letter and word spacing, locking up a chase, and printing with consistent impression. The result is a finished, printed broadside or small edition of your own work.

This hands-on class is ideal for poets, writers, and anyone drawn to language as both a literary and physical medium. No prior printmaking or poetry experience is required — only a curiosity about words and how they take shape on a page.

July 11 | Text // Image-Etching + Letterpress (8 Weeks)

Intaglio etching and letterpress printing are two of the oldest printing techniques in the world, both dating back to around the 15th century. Etching, engaging the basic concepts of using resists and acids to create surfaces that are inked and printed, has been employed by artists for hundreds of years to create images, tone, and mark making. Letterpress, utilizing a raised inked matrix (often movable type) and a variety of machines to create consistent prints, revolutionized literacy and the spread of information throughout the last several centuries and is still not only relevant, but a highly sought-after and important method of printing in the modern age. 

Students of all skill levels will learn through this class both the basics of intaglio printing, incorporating the use of resists, acids, and inks to etch lines and tone into copper and produce images, as well as the basics of letterpress, learning the mechanics of the letterpress machine, typesetting, registering, and producing editions. Students will combine these two traditional printing methods to achieve prints that explore layering, language, composition, and image making. Each of the 8 weeks will involve becoming comfortable and knowledgeable in both methods, and will focus on two main projects. Students will be encouraged to work independently between classes. Students completing this class will become authorized to print at Spudnik through our Open Studio program.

July 17 | Studio Access Training: Letterpress (2 Hours)

Studio Authorization is always required prior to attending your first Open Studio or becoming a Keyholder. Experience is required for all Studio Access Trainings.

Please take some time to read and ensure that you meet the minimum requirements stated below.

What Are Studio Access Trainings?

Studio Access Trainings ensure that those with prior experience from school or another print studio will be proficient and confident using the equipment in our studio.

What you can expect:

These sessions are NOT lessons, but specifically for makers who already have thorough experience with similar equipment. 

Minimum Requirements to Become Authorized:

• Have recent experience with the equipment you would like to use (within 2 years)
• Have thorough experience with the equipment you would like to use (8-week class or equivalent; Experience required varies based on process and equipment).
• Be comfortable working independently.
• Demonstrate safe and clean printmaking or art-making habits.
• Demonstrate respect to our staff and our equipment.

If you do not meet these requirements, please enroll in a class that includes authorization or schedule a series of private lessons

Studio Access Training: Letterpress

This 2-hour authorization will allow participants to be authorized to print on our Vandercook Press. Printers may need to book a second on-site session to be authorized for both types of presses.

Every letterpress authorization will ensure that printers are familiar with setting up the press, mixing inks, inking the press, adjusting pressure and registration, printing, and thorough cleaning of the press and all tools. There may not be time to practice printing both a polymer plate and movable type, but both methods can be reviewed as needed.

As with all our Studio Access Trainings, we will also cover equipment available to check out and press reservation policies.

July 21 | Intro to Monotype Printing (4 Weeks)

Monotyping is printmaking in a very pure form: the transfer of ink to a singular image that cannot be duplicated. Monotypes are unique, precious, “one-of-one” and the process of creating them is ripe for experimentation, play, and working quickly through ideas and iterations.

In this 4-week class, students will learn techniques in both oil-based and water-based inks that resemble everything from delicate watercolor to chunky fingerpaint and fine ballpoint pen. Participants will also learn to work with “ghost” prints and templates to create variable editions, as well as unique and collaborative prints as a class.

Come surprise yourself and each other with the possibilities of this generous and flexible medium!

July 24 | Studio Access Training: Relief, Monoprint, Intaglio (2 Hours)

Studio Authorization is always required prior to attending your first Open Studio or becoming a Keyholder. Experience is required for all Studio Access Trainings. Authorizations are free or you can pay what you can as a donation to Spudnik!

Please take some time to read and ensure that you meet the minimum requirements stated below.

What Are Studio Access Trainings?

Studio Access Trainings ensure that those with have prior experience from school or another print studio will be proficient and confident using the equipment in our studio.

What you can expect:

These sessions are NOT lessons, but specifically for makers who already have thorough experience with similar equipment. 

Minimum Requirements to Become Authorized:

• Have recent experience with the equipment you would like to use (within 2 years)
• Have thorough experience with the equipment you would like to use (8-week class or equivalent; Experience required varies based on process and equipment).
• Be comfortable working independently.
• Demonstrate safe and clean printmaking or art-making habits.
• Demonstrate respect to our staff and our equipment.

If you do not meet these requirements, please enroll in a class that includes authorization or schedule a series of private lessons. 

Studio Access Training: Relief, Monoprint, Intaglio

This authorization focuses on press safety.

Within relief printmaking, this session will address the basics of block carving with a focus on the tools and resources available at Spudnik Press and how various carving styles or approaches might affect the printing process. While printing with a press will be reviewed in detail, printing by hand will be addressed on request.

Within monoprinting, this session will address using plexiglass as a matrix, working with water- and oil-based pigments, and mark-making and stencil-making tools on site.

Moving to the printing process, this session will address setting pressure, blanket care, registration methods, paper selection, working with wet paper (water baths and damp packs), and drying/flattening prints. Regarding ink, this session with review modifiers, ink care, and cleaning expectations.

For intaglio artists,  the training will focus on personal safety, care and maintenance of tools and supplies, and best practices for working with intaglio printing at Spudnik Press.

As with all our Studio Access Trainings, we will also cover equipment available to check out and press reservation policies.