In the News . . .

Ward O'Hara Agricultural Museum in Owasco hosts printing press discussion

Photo taken by Kelsey Durham, The Citizen  

Robert LoMascolo gives a presentation about the history of the printing press at the Ward W. O'Hara Agricultural Museum in Owasco Saturday

Kelsey Durham The Citizen: Common belief is that the invention of the printing press made it easier to produce books, but Robert LoMascolo says that's not necessarily the case.  The Ward W. O'Hara Agricultural Museum hosted LoMascolo on Saturday for a discussion titled "Printing Then and Now," during which he talked about the history of letterpress printing and how it has evolved over the years.  LoMascolo said his interest in the history of printing developed in an unexpected way while in his freshman year at Wells College.  "I needed an elective and I saw that they were offering a book binding course and I had no idea what it was about," he said, "so I had to try it."  LoMascolo found that he loved learning about printing and decided to stick with it, eventually going on to earn a master's degree in book arts. Since then, he has hosted a number of workshops throughout the area, teaching digital design and the art of book designing to people in the community.  At his discussion on Saturday, LoMascolo talked about the very beginning of the printing press, in the 15th century, and worked his way up to modern day, showing how the process of printing books and other material has changed throughout centuries of innovation.  "We're all so used to digital these days that the idea of something done by hand really appeals to people," LoMascolo said. "This gives you an idea of how much was involved in making books in the 1400s and 1500s."  He spoke of the Gutenberg Bible, the first book recreated on a printing press in the 1450s, and talked about famous historical figures, like Benjamin Franklin, who were involved in printing press work and impacted the process over time.  Though this was the first letterpress printing lecture that LoMascolo held, he is hoping to continue his work throughout the community, and said hopes that this type of history is something that people will continue to grow interested in as time passes.  "The history of it is just really interesting," he said, "and the machines are pretty neat, too."  

Ward W. O'Hara Agricultural Museum . . .

Participants enjoy trying their hand at letterpress printing during Robert's talk at the the Ward W. O'Hara Agricultural Museum, Auburn, New York on May 11th. Everyone enjoyed themselves, and got to print some postcards to take home!

Mark your Calendars for May 11th . . .

 Image of one of the tractors in the Ward W. O'Hara Agricultural Museum permanent collection.

Designer and Letterpress Printer Robert LoMascolo will speak at the Ward W. O'Hara Agricultural Museum, Auburn, New York on May 11th, from 2 to 4pm.

Robert will speak about the history of letterpress printing beginning with Gutenberg and ending with the current trends and his own work. He will talk about advances in both printing and typesetting technology, and how they have helped shape the world we know today. Through the Renaissance, Enlightenment, building of nations, and Industrial Revolutions, the printing press had a profound role.

Following the presentation, participants will have the unique opportunity to pull a real letterpress print on one of Robert’s antique presses!

Wells College InDesign Workshop . . .

Three of the five participants at Robert's Wells College InDesign Workshop, on March 30th gather around to see some of Robert's work. Participants developed their own projects including posters, magazine mockups, and small books. Everyone had a great time, and learned a lot.

If you would like to have an InDesign, Letterpress, or Book Arts related workshop or lecture at your event, let us know. Additionally, stay tuned to this Blog for announcements on Rob's upcoming classes and presentations.

InDesign Workshop March 30th . . .

The Wells College Book Arts Center Presents

An Introduction To Adobe InDesign & Digital Page Layout 

One Day Workshop, March 30th, 9-5

In this one day crash course we will explore the potential and basic operation of Adobe InDesign. With its wide professional adoption, and seamless compatibility with other industry-standard Adobe applications such as Photoshop, Illustrator, and Acrobat, this course will offer you many useful skills for this digital age. Whether you are looking to make a quality poster, or professional looking document or résumé, this course is for you!

We will begin by going through the primary tools and functions of the software with the emphasis being on achieving professional looking results as simply as possible. I encourage you to bring both text and digital images on a CD or flash drive that you would like to use. For the purposes of this course, I encourage you to consider coming with a plan for a poster or, if you are feeling ambitious, a simple two sided card or brochure. At the end of the course everyone should leave with a better understanding of the software, a few useful design tips, and a complete or at least well formulated project.

Location: 3rd floor Digital Lab, Morgan Hall, Wells College, Aurora, New York.
Basic computer knowledge required. No InDesign experience needed.
Price is only $20 per student.
Lunch on your own, or bring a bagged lunch.

Contact Instructor Robert LoMascolo for more information, or to sign up. Please reserve your spot in advance.

Download the poster here. 

9am                  We will begin with a quick opening and everyone will have a chance to introduce themselves to the class and mention their personal goals for the course. 

9:30                 Immediately after introductions you will be asked to open InDesign on one of the Lab computers.

We will discuss setting up a document and begin to highlight the basic InDesign tools such as the black arrow, white arrow, text tool, and magnifying glass.

10:30               By this time you will be able to begin placing your content in your own document.

I will demonstrate guidelines and explain the ruler.

We will discuss how to insert a photo, and how to create text boxes. I will demonstrate how to crop and properly resize photos. 

10:45-11          You may take a break if needed, and I will be available to work one on one with those who would like to stay.

11-12              We will begin to discuss some basic steps we can take towards better typography.

                        I will give my personal opinions on how to choose an appropriate typeface, and adjust the leading and point size accordingly.

12-1:30            Lunch on your own.

1:30-3              The afternoon will be devoted to making subtle adjustments and using a few of the more advanced, but helpful, features of InDesign.

                        I will demonstrate how to add pages to the document, as well as mention the master page.

                        I will demonstrate how to add a drop cap, and mention letter spacing, small caps, and ligatures. 

                        I will introduce the glyphs palette, and explain how to change the color of text.

3-3:15              You may take a break if needed, and I will be available to work one on one with those who would like to stay.

3:15                 We will discuss how to print and export finished documents to a PDF, or JPG.

3:45                 Everyone will print an “in progress” copy of what they have been working on and we will discuss the results as a class.

                        The remaining class time will be devoted to making final changes to our projects.

5-5:30              Class is dismissed. I will be available for a half hour or so after class for anyone who would like to stay or ask additional questions. 

New . . .

The Press of  Robert LoMascolo is pleased to announce yet another letterpress printed Typosignet! This bright Russian inspired card is perfect for Easter! It is hard to see in the photo, but the deep letterpress impression gives the Goose's feathers a real dimensional look and feel.

For more information, contact us, or buy one at Copperesque in Union Springs, New York.

In the News . . .

Robert LoMascolo featured in the new Wells College Class Notes publication. 

Wells Notes: Robert LoMascolo '09 has established his own Letterpress, Design, and Bookbinding business just down the road from Wells College in Union Springs, NY. After falling in love with the Book Arts classes at Wells and completing the minor, Rob went on to successfully complete his MFA in the Book Arts at The University of Alabama last fall. Many people might think it is odd to want to use antiquated letterpress technology, but letterpress is in the midst of a wide spread revival. There is nothing that can compare to the beauty and tactility of a letterpress print. Every color must be printed one at a time, and metal type is set one letter at a time just as Gutenberg did in the 1450s. Setting up a studio is no small feat. Most of the equipment hasn’t been made in decades. Today a letterpress printer must be a designer, historian, skilled crafts person, mechanic, engineer, electrician, rigger, entrepreneur, and a chemist. Relatively few presses have survived, and every one must be sought out, moved, and lovingly restored. Rob’s oldest press, was made sometime between the late 1800s and early 1900s. The most modern was made in 1968 in Germany and weighs almost 7,000 pounds! Be sure to check out Rob’s website rlpress.blogspot.com to see videos of the process and some of Rob’s work. Should you need anything printed for your special occasion, Rob is happy to offer a special discount to the Wells family.

New . . .

The Press of  Robert LoMascolo is pleased to announce that two more cards in the series of Local Historic Landmarks and Architecture of the Finger Lakes are available for sale at Copperesque in Union Springs, New York.

New . . .

The Press of  Robert LoMascolo is pleased to announce a new letterpress printed Typosignet! This fun 5.25 x 7.5in card would be perfect for Saint Valentine's day, or any special occasion.

For more information, contact us, or buy one at Copperesque in Union Springs, New York.

A day in the studio.

Online . . .

The Press of Robert LoMascolo is now on We Love Letterpress. Take a look.

New 2013 Price List!

The Press of  Robert LoMascolo is pleased to announce that the 2013 price list is now available for download. Take a look!

New Products for the New Year . . .

In 2013 we will begin experimenting with offering Letterpress spacing material and freshly cast metal type for sale. This will be an excellent opportunity for budding letterpress printers to get high quality type in small quantities. All type will be brand new, and cast at The Press & Letterfoundry of Michael & Winifred Bixler.

   

We now have brand new letterpress spacing material in a handy storage box for hand-setting metal type! Every printer needs spacing material, and these sturdy labeled boxes are a must have!  Every box comes with approximately 1.5lbs of lead spacing material, and precisely cut paper 1/2 point thin spaces. They include 1/2 point, 1 point (or 1.5 point), 2 points, 4-em, and En quad spacing material. We have boxes for 8, 10, 12, 14, 16, 18, and 24pt type setting available for $60 each + shipping. Contact Us to purchase, or for more information.

Didn't get what you wanted for the holidays?

You are in luck! Vamp & Tramp Booksellers has just listed three RL Press books on their website. Take a look!

Or, visit Copperesque in Union Springs, New York for blank journals and cards.

Or, even better yet, commission your own unique book, cards, or stationery! 

Merry Christmas . . .

Merry Christmas & Happy New Year from The Press of Robert LoMascolo