Hornbake Library Letterpress Studio
The Hornbake Library Letterpress Studio is an interactive educational space providing hands-on learning for history of the book and letterpress printing to students, faculty, and the campus community.
Located on the ground floor of Hornbake Library, the studio is an extension of the Literature and Rare Books collections in Special Collections and University Archives.
Hours: By appointment
Location: 0211 Hornbake Library
Contact: hornbake-letterpress@umd.edu
What is letterpress? Letterpress is a form of relief printing using movable type that emerged in Europe in the 15th century. In letterpress printing, skilled craft persons called printers set individual letters and graphics into a frame (or “chase”) on the bed of the press, which is then inked. The printer places paper on top and slides the bed under the platen, where pressure is applied to the paper to create an impression.
Letterpress printing was the dominant format for disseminating knowledge in Europe and beyond for centuries. Printing methods and techniques evolved through the Industrial Revolution and Digital Age. Today, letterpress printing continues as an artistic and democratic practice, alongside its modern counterparts.
Letterpress Printing In Hornbake Library
The curators in Special Collections at the University of Maryland have sought for many years to create an experiential learning space for students across all disciplines to explore the craft of letterpress printing and study the materiality of book production. The Hornbake Library Letterpress Studio is an extension of our commitment to enhance our collections on history of the book and book arts and to engage audiences through innovative and user-centered projects.
More broadly, the printing press will be a space for students, faculty, staff, alumni, and the local community to gather, learn, and share an open discourse on the power, creativity, and cultural impact of the printing press. Visitors can engage directly with the history of the book by learning how to set type, ink a form, and experience firsthand the act of printing.
History of the Hornbake Library Letterpress Studio
The Hornbake Library Letterpress Studio traces its start to the gift in 2024 of a 19th century Washington hand press by Christopher and Patricia Manson of Rockville, MD. Later that same year, Elie Denker of Potomac, MD donated a second Washington hand press.
With these acquisitions, the Hornbake Library Letterpress studio holds a special connection to the local letterpress community. Christopher Manson, a letterpress printer and proprietor of the Crooked Crow Press in Rockville, MD donated the Washington hand press formerly owned by Roland Hoover (1929–2018). Hoover was a letterpress printer and designer, proprietor of the Pembroke Press in Bethesda, MD. The Washington hand press donated by Ellie Denker was previously operated by her husband Michael Denker (1946-2013), former president of the Chesapeake Chapter of the American Printing History Association (APHA) and a letterpress printer at his Stoney Creek Press in Potomac, MD.
Working with colleagues in the Chesapeake Chapter of the APHA, the staff in Hornbake Library acquired additional printing equipment and supplies, large and small, from type cabinets to composing sticks, and the Hornbake Library Letterpress Studio will be launched during the 2025 fall semester.
Studio Equipment
A list of presses, type, and other equipment in the Hornbake Library Letterpress Studio is coming soon.
Hornbake Library Letterpress Studio Staff
- Amber Kohl - Curator, Literature and Rare Books
- Jeannette Schollaert - Outreach and Engagement Librarian in Special Collections
- Doug McElrath - Director, Special Collections & Univ Archives
Contact us at hornbake-letterpress@umd.edu
Contact studio staff at hornbake-letterpress@umd.edu to arrange a class visit, printing activity, or tour of the Hornbake Library Letterpress Studio.
We enthusiatically welcome your support and interest in the Hornbake Library Letterpress Studio!
Here are a few ways you can get involved:
- Connect with Us
- Support the Studio
- Donate Supplies: We welcome gift-in-kind donations of letterpress supplies and equipment to support printing and instruction in the studio. Studio supply wish list includes type cases, type, galley trays, paper, and composing sticks.
- Monetary Support: Help us fund ongoing activities in the Hornbake Library Letterpress Studio by donating to the UMD Libraries' Special Collections Gift Fund.
- Volunteer
- If you are a current student at the University of Maryland, internship and volunteer opportunities in the Hornbake Library letterpress studio may be available.
