Starting with inventor Johannes Gutenberg in the 1450s, letterpress printing using movable types revolutionised the world, making mass printing effortless and ushering in an era of easily accessible information. Used to print books, newspapers, invitation cards and posters for centuries, the technique has become nearly obsolete. However, today, a few enthusiasts, including Akiladeswari K, owner of Chase the Key Letterpress and designer Arunkumar B, are attempting to keep the fire alive.
With their letterpress printing workshop at Chase the Key Letterpress in Bommanahalli, the duo aims to guide a small group of participants through the process of choosing from among 200 fonts, composing a piece, and printing it using a 100-year-old letterpress machine passed down in Akiladeswari’s family. “From the 1400s to the 1980s, letterpress using movable metal types was the main method of printing, which remained almost the same over 500 years – each page being hand-composed using metal blocks with mirrored letters. When ink is applied and the page is printed, the letters come out straight,” explains Akiladeswari.
The press originally belonged to her grandfather, who started it around 1920. “We did not want to throw away this history, so we decided to continue the press and introduce people to the craftsmanship and design challenges it brings,” says Akiladeswari, as Arunkumar adds, “There are not many places in India that have the machine which you can operate. This method is mainly taught as theory.”
Their workshops costing `2,000 will have participants across all age groups and skill levels. Arunkumar says, “We mainly see people who are interested in art or design, from college students to people in their 50s. It also forms a solid base for any graphic designers who want to learn about types or type design.”
The analogue look is definitely a draw, says Arunkumar. “Letterpress has a third dimension to it which stands out from digital prints. You can get an embossed (letters raised up) or debossed effect (letters pressed down) with it,” he says, adding that even mistakes can produce beautiful results.
‘Uppercase’ and ‘lowercase’ to refer to capital and small letters originated with letterpress printing, explains Akhiladeswari. “The tray used to store metal types is called a type case. Printers used to keep the capital letters on top, because they are used less frequently and keep the small letters lower, close to their hand, to pick them up easily. That’s how they came to be known as upper and lower case letters,” she adds.