Printer’s Blog- Printing in Winter

Winter in the print workshop is a time for sorting out and tidying up the mess that has accumulated during the previous season; as always, we start with good intentions about having a place for everything and putting things neatly away after use but somehow things seem to escape, hence the need for a good spring clean.

Part of the problem is that people donate items of printing equipment for our use and we have to find homes for them; some can be temporarily given a home in the Large Objects Store but some are too good to be put away and cry out to be used.  An example recently was a complete case of 72 point wood type that has been hardly used and is just begging for use on a poster.

A limiting factor at this time of the year is the weather, or more specifically, the temperature in the Boby Building.  I reckon that at any time of the year the temperature inside is always a few degrees colder than the outside; great on a hot day in July, not so good in January.

Over the last few months, I have been assisted by two young volunteers who come in on Saturday mornings to print posters and bookmarks; more recently they have helped with printing in Abbot’s Hall to tie in with the temporary exhibition on the work of Britain’s most famous wood engraver, Thomas Bewick.  The exhibition is running until the 23^{rd of} February and entry is free so there’s still time to plan a couple of visits.  We will also be running a couple of kids’ workshops in half term week.