The Museum of Printing, Massachusetts, United States

4Maurene_K 5:00 PM Jan 14, 2020

SPECIAL EVENT ~ TYPOGRAPHICAL EPHEMERA PARTY
Visiting the Museum of Printing had been on my list of attractions to visit for awhile. Finally, my schedule had a whole Saturday afternoon free. My visit happened to coincide with the Typographical Ephemera Party on January 11th. It was a well-attended event. It was just one of many special events and workshops that the museum hosts. I was surprised that a local museum had such an extensive collection of all things relating to printing. The importance of this museum is that its archives hold the original drawings for every Linotype typeface produced in the 20th Century. Assembling such a collection is a very remarkable accomplishment. At the time of my visit, admission charges were: $10.00 - Adults $8.00 - Children 6–16, Students & Seniors Heading for the exhibits, I came upon the museum’s piece de resistance – a beautifully restored Columbian Press manufactured by V & J Figgins of London. Its frame was ornately decorated with brassy serpentine trim and topped with a large eagle. The machine was a work of art in itself. A volunteer showed a small group of us how it works and talked about its history and restoration. The Typographical Ephemera exhibit was nearby. There was a display of brochure covers printed by Linotype, Lanston Monotype, Fotosetter, and Ludlow machines. They were like advertising pamphlets. Their purpose was to show what the company’s various typefaces looked like in print. The brochure would be shown to a prospective client. On the walls were prints by various artists. I especially liked the collection done by Mark T. Fowler by the Mark Fowler Press which really wasn’t a machine; it was a method. The only tool used was a burnisher. There was an info sheet that told how he lined up each colored block very carefully before pressing the image onto the paper. His process required great precision. That was reflected in two of his works on display – “Day Lilies” and “Red-Shouldered Hawk.” Another area housed dozens of printing machines. It had everything from numerous types of printing presses to copying machines to manual typewriters from companies such as Underwood and Hammond and office duplicators such as mimeograph machines. There were also some computers used in the printing business. One early printer I really liked was a Washington Press made by R. Hoe & Co of New York. It was a hand-operated, iron press. There was a drawing of Ben Franklin hanging on the wall behind it. I also found the Compugraphic, VariTyper Headliner 820, and Chromagraph CP 341 Drum Color Scanner (1965) machines quite interesting. It was surprising how compact the three Platen Presses were, considering that they were 19th Century equipment. The Iron Hand Presses were good examples of 19th Century printing equipment. The Original Heidelberg Press, popular for most of the 20th Century, appeared to be in excellent condition. All the volunteers I spoke with were knowledgeable and friendly. I enjoyed my visit to the Museum of Printing. I learned a lot about the different methods and machines used in the printing business. Prior to visiting this museum, I was familiar with only offset printing which I learned about from my days as a copywriter for an advertising agency that created newspaper ads and flyers for several retail stores. I rate the Museum of Printing at 4.5 and highly recommend a visit to anyone interested in technology. If you found useful information in this review please click HELPFUL below.

4DJ-USA 5:00 PM Dec 22, 2018

Nice spot to visit and learn, if this is an interest..
From Guttenberg to today, the museum takes you through the ages and stages of printing. The guides are knowledgeable and friendly, and full of real world experiences and stories.