General Printing: An Illustrated Guide to Letterpress Printing (Paperback)

by Glen U. Cleeton (Author), Charles W. Pitkin (Author), Raymond L. Cornwell (Author)

Editorial Reviews

Review
"The best all-around introductory book for traditional letterpress printing, this manual is profusely illustrated with detailed and useful photographs." -- David S. Rose, Introduction to Letterpress Printing

Product Description
General Printing is a comprehensive guide to letterpress printing. With 300 photos and 140 illustrations, it offers detailed step-by-step visual instruction. Key topics include: handsetting type, taking proofs, mitering rules, locking up a form, adding packing and make-ready, feeding the press, advanced composition, safety considerations for heavy machinery, tricks of the trade, and layout and design.

This edition was originally published in 1963, and has been out of print for many years. With the recent revival of interest in letterpress printing, this book’s popularity and scarcity has made it one of the top ten most sought out-of-print books of any kind for several years. It has now been reissued in an exact facsimile of the 1963 edition, with a new foreword by David S. Rose, a noted authority on letterpress and the history of printing. It also includes a new addendum page summarizing some of the most important current-day resources for letterpress printers.

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Product Details

• Paperback: 224 pages
• Publisher: Liber Apertus Press (September 1, 2006)
• Language: English
• ISBN-10: 0978588142
• ISBN-13: 978-0978588144
• Product Dimensions: 11 x 8.3 x 0.7 inches
• Shipping Weight: 1.2 pounds (View shipping rates and policies)
• Average Customer Review: 4.0 out of 5 stars See all reviews (1 customer review)
• Amazon.com Sales Rank: #130,135 in Books (See Bestsellers in Books)

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Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

2 of 2 people found the following review helpful:

4.0 out of 5 stars Useful reissue of classic textbook, May 14, 2008

By	Harald Anderson "Living at 78 rpm" (Washington, DC United States) - See all my reviews (REAL NAME)

This is a 2006 reissue of a textbook that went through several revisions from 1941 to 1963 and is often recommended as a beginning textbook in letterpress circles. While it is a good beginning book, I personally question the value of its reissue, given its focus on a large printshop and the dated nature of the material.

Although the book makes several references to teachers and classmates, it does stand well on its own.

The textbook is intended as a general overview, covering typesetting, mis-en-page, and printing. Since the volume was intended for those pursuing a career in printing (as opposed to hobbyists and job printers), the authors focus on larger presses (Heidelberg) and give only brief mentions of hobby-type presses. Similarly, most of the printing examples are large-run jobs (articles, advertisements) and most types of smaller tasks (stationery, business carde, greeting cards) are skipped.

The greatest value of this book (and the reason I did not resell my copy) is in its exercises and discussions on typesetting (a lost art). These are invaluable, in my eyes. Still, most hobbyists will outgrow the book quickly after a bit of individual experimentation. Unfortunately, the book does not discuss electroplating in depth, which would have proven valuable.

The volume is slightly dated as well. While there is a modern preface, a modern editor could have added materials on new developments - such as photopolymers. Similarly, as our understanding of manuscripts and the early history of the printing press have advanced tremendously in the past 30 years, scholarly users will smirk at the historical sections.

There is still a great need for an affordable general survey/study of modern methods of letterpress in its modern form, but early sources such as this provide a good start.