Beginning Letterpress Class
Class Description
In this course, students will learn the fundamentals of setting type by hand, inking, and printing on a traditional proof press.
No prior experience is needed. We’ll start with the basics of typography and composition, then guide you through the process of transforming your ideas into physical prints using wood and metal type.
Along the way, you’ll explore both historic techniques and playful, experimental approaches unique to hand-crafted printmaking. Letterpress is the foundation of modern communication design, and in this course students will discover how this centuries-old process continues to influence contemporary design practices today. By the end of the course, students will design and print two original letterpress posters - leaving not only with finished work, but with an understanding of the tools, techniques, and creative possibilities of this enduring medium.
Class Fee
Member Pricing: $150.00
Non-Member Pricing
Member Pricing: $180.00
3 Day Class
June 14 10am-1pm
June 21 10am-1pm
June 28 10am-1pm
Level of Study:
All Levels, Especially Beginners
Course Agenda
Week 1: Introduction to letterpress: small presentation about the history of letterpress, show examples, discuss type care and shop safety, demo with preset type, production of poster #1
Week 2: Pulling type, setting type overview, Demo experimental and expressive approaches, and paper selection - Students begin work on their personal project
Week 3: Finalizing and editioning prints - students print and finalize their posters
Topics Covered
● Overview of tools, materials, wood and lead type care, and shop safety
● Basics of typography and letterpress
● Setting wood and lead type
● Ink mixing and color application
● Press set up
● Printing of a proof press - operation and troubleshooting
● Paper selection and printing techniques
● Experimental and expressive approaches to letterpress
● Finalizing and editioning prints
Supplies
Materials List (provided by class fees)
● Lead and Wood Type
● Some Paper
● Ink
● Proof Press
● Brayer
● Cleaning materials
Materials List (student brings)
● Sketchbook
● Pens, pencils, drawing materials
● Unique paper selections
Class Fee
Member Pricing: $150.00
Non-Member Pricing
Member Pricing: $180.00
3 Day Class
June 14 10am-1pm
June 21 10am-1pm
June 28 10am-1pm
Level of Study:
All Levels, Especially Beginners
About the Instructor – Kate Tepe
Kate Tepe is a Cincinnati-based designer, artist, and educator whose work brings people together through print, public projects, and shared creative experiences. With a background in letterpress, communication design, and community-based practice, she creates work that invites participation, conversation, and connection. Her projects often explore how design can live beyond the page - whether through collaborative prints, public installations, or classroom spaces where experimentation and process are central. She is especially interested in the tactile and time-base nature of letterpress, and how it can slow us down, encourage play, and make ideas feel more immediate and human.
