Forthcoming events
Alan May's One-pull press demonstration
The British Library's press release:
Tuesday 6 May 18.30 - 20.00
THE MACHINE THAT MADE US: GUTENBERG'S BRILLIANT INVENTION
In the Conference Centre, The British Library, 96 Euston Road, NW1 2DB
Johann Gutenberg's printing press, which brought about the dawn of mass communication is of barely equalled significance in the development of human culture. His achievement reached its pinnacle with the printing of the Gutenberg Bible in 1455.
A new documentary 'The Machine That Made Us', presented by Stephen Fry, is screened on BBC4 in Spring 2008, and excerpts will feature in tonight's event. For the programme, and in order to unravel mysteries of Gutenberg's technique, a team of experts built a unique copy of his press: watch it action at the event, alongside discussion of the remarkable story behind its invention.
Speakers include Alan May (printing expert and press builder), Martin Andrews (University of Reading) and Patrick McGrady (Wavelength Films)
Price £ 6 (concessions £ 4), bookable at http://boxoffice.bl.uk
Hot Metal to Hot Keys: Registration now open!
Registration is now open for the 2008 Printing Historical Society
conference.
To register, go to the St Bride website:
http://stbride.org/events_education/events/fromhotmetaltohotkeys
Standard rate
Single day £ 50 | Both days £ 90
Special rate (for students, sponsored & PHS members)
Single day £ 35 | Both days £ 65
Early bird rate (booked and paid for by March 1, 2008)
Single day £ 40 | Both days £ 75
Hot Metal to Hot Keys programme details
From Hot Metal to Hot Keys: 50 years of turmoil.
Draft programme
Tuesday 22 April 10am-5.30pm
10.00 Welcome by Peggy Smith, PHS Chairman
10.15 Presentation of the Donald Milham awards by Peter Milham and Peggy Smith
10.30 Rob Clayton, Co-ordinator of the Donald Milham Awards: Significant extracts from the award entries
11.00 Anthony White, Editor of Flexo & Gravure Magazine and International Consultant, 'Against the tide: the replacement of letterpress by flexo at the Daily Mail in the 1990s'
11.30 R. O. Bradley, Journalist, 'John Crosfield C.B.E., D.Sc., M.A., one of the men who brought electronics to the printing industry'
12.00 'Inside Sun Printers Ltd 1938' (film with commentary by Brian Reynolds, former MD and International Consultant)
2.00pm Bernard Catterall, EFTA (European Flexographic Technical Association) Chairman and Joint MD of Wantzen Ltd, 'At the sharp end', on his life in printing
2.30 Peter Milham, 'Apprenticeships were special'
3.30 Antony White, Canon International, 'Print on Demand? Can it be that easy?: Is this the end of the road for traditional print shops?'
4.00 Open forum, a panel of speakers chaired by Brian Reynolds
5.00 Annual General Meeting of the Printing Historical Society, with the announcement of the 2008 PHS Grant awards
5.30 Close of the day
Wednesday 23 April, 10am-5pm
10.00 Welcome by Martin Andrews
10.15 Rob Banham, Lecturer Reading University and Graphic Designer, 'Printing on film', an introduction to his research on films about printing, with a viewing of 'Pen-ruling: a vanishing craft'
10.45 Mick Stocks, Print Manager, 'Before WYSIWYG'; experiencing the CRTronic photosetter, its advantages and disadvantages, and the problems of specification and design
11.30 Short films, including Frederick Goudy's 'The creation of a printing type from the design to the print'; 'Spot News' (the sending of photographic images by telephone for printing as half-tones); and 'Learning to set type'
12.15 Sally Castle, Graphic Designer and Lecturer, 'Dry Transfer', on designing typefaces for Letraset, and the use of dry transfer lettering in graphic design, with a contribution from Martin Andrews on some tricks of the trade
2.00pm 'Farewell etaoin shrdlu: an age-old printing process gives way to modern technology', a film on the last day of linotype at a New York newspaper in 1978
2.30 Martin Andrews, Senior Lecturer Reading University, 'Strike-on: the Varitype and IBM Composer', on strike-one composition, low-budget production and the democratization of typesetting
3.30 Short films from the 1950s, including 'The art and technique of photo-engraving'; 'From hot metal to cold type'; and 'Looking at litho'
5.00 Close of conference
2008 Conference Information Packs
Information packs on the Conference, scheduled for 22-23 April, are now available. Contact Rob Clayton, 12 College Road, Wells, Somerset BA5 2TB, or email frobson@mbzonline.net. For the trip to visit West Ferry Printers, which is available on the 23rd for an additional fee, contact Rob Clayton.