All things letterpress will be celebrated this weekend at Not Just a Library, a design resource center in Songshan Cultural and Creative Park. Letterpress Today (活版今日) is an extension of two ongoing exhibits at the center that feature 54 letterpress playing card and 100 business card designs, both of which run until April 16.
Letterpress printing was still widely used in Taiwan up until the 1980s, but experienced a rapid decline in the face of digital publishing. Organizers say that they hope people can see new possibilities in this technique instead of just appreciating it as something archaic and old school.
A good place to start learning about this typographic art is the letterpress market, which includes printers, papermakers, hardware vendors and also designers that make use of the technique from 16 countries. If you want to dig deeper, there’s a seminar and two workshops — one teaches attendees how to use a hand-press paper plate machine and the other allows people to make business cards using their own mini letterpress box kit. The workshops are limited in size, and must be reserved in advance. There’s also a lounge for letterpress lovers to network.
Photo courtesy of Yang Chung-ming
■ The market runs from 11am to 6pm tomorrow and Sunday at Not Just a Library, Songshan Cultural and Creative Park (松山文化園區), 2F 133 Guangfu S Rd, Taipei City (台北市光復南路133號2F). Workshops begin at 2pm tomorrow and Sunday. The exhibits run from 10am to 6pm daily until April 16, except for Mondays.
■ Free admission for both exhibits, NT$100 per day for the market, NT$400 per day for the seminars, NT$499 for the hand press paper plate machine workshop and NT$1,200 for the business card workshop. Visit (Chinese) www.facebook.com/events /379395555768691 for more information
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