From the contact form:

Hello, I am the sales/marketing director at HKM Direct Market Communications in Cleveland, Ohio, and one of the surviving commercial printers in our area. We are celebrating our 100th anniversary this year and will be doing parties and a media campaign. I have been digging but no luck trying to find out how many printers were in Cleveland by the decade beginning in 1950 until today. Also would like to have the same stats for the US. Can you help us?
Thank you!
Carla

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47th Annual APHA National Conference
“Making Artistic Noise: Printing and Social Activism from the 1960s to the Present”
Los Angeles, California, October 13–15, 2022

The American Printing History Association is pleased to announce a call for papers (PDF) for our 2022 annual conference in Los Angeles on October 13–15. We are thrilled about this year’s theme, “Making Artistic Noise: Printing and Social Activism from the 1960s to the Present,” and we hope that you will consider submitting a proposal for an individual presentation, panel, or poster. Proposals are due Tuesday, May 31.

These issues—and others—are available to the public through RIT Press. Here are the links for 27/28 and 29/30.

From the Contact form:

Hello, my name is Florian and I’m a French student in typography!

I am currently writing a dissertation about gender and typography for my diploma, and one of my main references is the “Masculine typography” speech of Theodore Low De Vinne. [Read more]

From the Contact page:

I am wondering if you could offer any information about an item we found in the Detroit area. We have a Robert Thom printing plate “The temples and cult of Asclepius”. We can provide photos and measurements if you would like. We haven’t been able to locate anything even remotely similar and are wondering if it has some historical significance and value. Thank you so much!

Kind Regards,

Carla Abraham

The American Printing History Association is pleased to introduce members who have agreed to serve as officers and Trustees on the APHA board. This dynamic group of talented people will grow our organization and keep APHA thriving. We’re excited they are joining us.

The Nominating Committee 

[Read more]

From the contact form:

Hello, I am a writer from NJ. My father who recently passed told me several stories about his father who owned/worked for the first/only printing press in their town of Murray, KY. My father was born in 1931 so this would have been in the 30s and 40s. I am looking for information about the shop and what printing was like in those days. [Read more]

The American Printing History Association Board of Trustees invites you to join the 2022 Annual Meeting on Saturday, January 29 at 2pm Eastern. As last year, the meeting will be conducted via Zoom and registration (below) is required beforehand. The Annual Meeting will have guest talks by the recipients of our 2022 APHA Awards: [Read more]

APHA member Ron Gordon, a graphic designer, teacher, and letterpress printer for more than 40 years in New York City, has been called “a keeper of the great tradition of American book design.” In college, Gordon studied with the artist and printer Leonard Baskin and later worked at Joseph Blumenthal’s Spiral Press. He collaborated with many artists during his long career—Edward Gorey, Maurice Sendak, Baskin, and others.

His customers included most of the most prominent cultural institutions in NYC: The Metropolitan Museum, the Frick Collection, the Morgan Library, and the Grolier Club, among many others. In addition to designing and printing limited edition books at his Oliphant Press, Gordon produced a vast body of ephemera for his prestigious customers as well as for his own press and private use. He has now compiled a number of packets of this ephemeral printing to give away to teachers of letterpress printing and graphic design or to collectors and librarians who are interested in this material. Please email oliphantpress@gmail.com  for further information or to express interest in receiving one of these packets.