The lessons will address the logistics of organizing book forms and explore the book as a vessel for information, and how material choices can inform how the book is read. While the workshop will create blank books, each style of binding will begin with standard 8.5” x 11” paper to allow your content to be easily printed from a common inkjet or laser printer.

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.

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.

Note: these sessions are 4 hours each.

All materials and instruction are provided, making it easy to jump in and experiment. Families will produce a series of monoprints and ghost prints that can stand alone or serve as a base for further refinement. No computers required—just hands-on making and creative play.

Each registration includes up to four participants of all ages. You’re welcome to attend with the people you consider family. So bring the people closest to you and enjoy creating together. 

Students should come to the workshops with a bold black and white drawing, a high-contrast photo, or a digital design. While Adobe Illustrator or Photoshop files are great, students can also bring a Microsoft Word file or a high-contrast photocopy. After students refine the artwork (as needed) to be “print-ready”, students will expose their image onto a pre-coated photographic screen and mix their own custom ink color. 

Everyone should bring five items of their choosing to print. As long as they are fabric and flat, we can help you print on it! Shirts, tote bags, tea towels, bandanas, and thrift store jean jackets will all work great. Leave with a surprise gift for a friend, or an eco-friendly alternative to plastic bags.

In this course, students will learn both digital and analog techniques for printing via the Risograph. You are free to explore any type of story, whether that takes the form of a comic, a pamphlet, a DIY guide, or a review. To inspire new methods of narrative building, we will also read and discuss a variety of local and non-local alternative comic authors. Students will gain authorization to use the Risograph machines after the very first class, and will solidify those technical skills through hands-on printing in the following weeks.

For printers who have a specific project in mind or want dedicated time to refine their craft, this four-week independent study provides the space, equipment, and structure to make it happen. This course is perfect for students with foundational letterpress experience who are comfortable with basic press operation but want a supportive environment to execute their own work.

Unlike a traditional structured class, there is no set curriculum or weekly syllabus. Instead, each student will design and print an independent project, bringing their own concepts to the press while being supported on a technical level. Through dedicated studio time and on-hand guidance, our teaching artist will be there to help with troubleshooting, registration, ink behavior, and typesetting logic. Students will be empowered to work through the nuances of their specific projects.

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 Presses. 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.

The class emphasizes hands-on practice, repeat printing, and registration, with time set aside for experimentation. Students will leave with a finished garment or small edition and the confidence to work independently in the screenprinting studio. Throughout the class, students are encouraged to bring their own fabric and garments to print on as well.

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.

In Screenprinting Explorations, students will be walked through the steps necessary to pull a successful print in a variety of styles and with increasing complexity. At every stage, students will be encouraged to experiment and explore, pushing the techniques and trying new things. Our eight-week class provides adequate time for new printers to complete a range of projects on paper and fabric. Along the way, students will become familiar with dark room exposure, mesh count, screen tension, ink consistency, and registration. In addition to developing A+ printing skills, this class will help students develop their imagery, be it hand-drawn illustration or digital files, to successfully translate to print. 

By the end of the class, students will know their way around the print shop, and be well equipped to continue printing independently at Spudnik Press.

Our Intro to Relief Printing class equips students to plan, carve, and print in relief practices. During this class, students will be guided through the best methods for planning and transferring their images utilizing subtractive techniques that exploit line, shape, contrast, and texture. In addition, students will learn how to mix and modify inks, handle paper, methods of registration, and how to finesse pressure on the press for the best results.

With the completion of this class, students will not only produce an edition of prints that reflect the skills built throughout this class but receive authorization in relief printing at Spudnik. Further printing in relief can be explored through our Open Studio or Keyholder programs.

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.