Having worked as a graphic designer for twenty or so years, I decided it was time for a career swerve, and set up ‘Print Barn Press’ at the beginning of 2019. It wasn’t quite as straightforward as I’ve just made it sound – shifting half a tonne of printing press was never going to be an easy task... Luckily the letterpress community is a small but friendly one, and I shall be eternally grateful to those I’ve met along the way for their encouragement and support, not to mention the long-suffering friends and family who helped with the heavy-lifting.
I originally studied design at a time when the world was on the brink of going digital and someone had to explain to me what this weird and wonderful thing called the internet was. Luckily, I didn’t get too swept away by everything bright and shiny and new, and spent many happy hours in the department’s letterpress studio, mucking around on what I now realise were probably old Columbian presses, dating back to the early 19th century. The walls and corridors were lined with collections of large wood type that I would love to get my hands on now, and case after case of tiny lead type.
The seed had been planted, and in recent years I’ve spent a lot of time dreaming about a slightly different life – one involving ink! I’m now looking forward to sharing what I’ve learnt in the form of small workshops, and giving other people the opportunity to get inky and creative.
I hope you’ll join me…