Internships

We’re amazed and gratified at the success of our internships.We thought they were a good idea – that’s why we started them – but we had no idea that they would be so popular. When we were taking bookings six months in advance we considered cutting each intern’s stay from two weeks to one, but the second week is usually considered really valuable.

Now we’re booked  up until the end of 2010. This is terrific, but it’s a little out of hand, so we’re not taking any more applications for the time being.

Interns on the web site

We’ve updated our web site with a page about internships. Although we haven’t mentioned it here for some time, our programme is going very nicely. We have had interns with us for most of this year, and we’re currently booked up until the middle of October. Most participants are from the UK, but Johannes Languste joined us from Austria in January and this month Jeff Benjamin came over from New York state.

We get a lot of pleasure from having new people around, and an extra pair of hands around the place really helps.

Josh Roberts and another book

Josh is with us at the moment on work experience. He studied graphic design at Bath, where he had some experience of letterpress.

He’s standing next to the book we’ve been printing, now packed up and ready to go for binding. It’s a signed transcript of Doris Lessing’s Nobel Prize acceptance speech, which is being published by Oak Tree Fine Press. Unusually, the author signed on blank paper before the printing, so we had to take extra care. 

That page was printed on our proofing press, but the rest went on the Heidelberg cylinder. The restoration work we described here paid off once again, because having the press in good condition greatly reduced setting up times.

Jessica Coatesworth

Jessica is in the final year of her graphic design course at Camberwell College of Art. She’s on work experience with us, and is currently working on a poster for our stand at the letterpress day at St Bride this Friday.

Catherine Hiley

Catherine is a print maker based in Edinburgh. She is doing work experience with us this week and next.

Evelin Kasikov

Evelin joined us for work experience this week. She graduated this summer from the Graphic Design course at Central St Martins.

One year on

It’s exactly a year since we came to Pinchin Street. It has been a really positive move. There have been a couple of large changes in that time: Patrick Randle and Ross Shaw are no longer working with us and Rosa has filled the gap. And we have introduced our work experience programme. Nick is the eighth participant and we have two more booked in.

We have also expanded our range of type, and we’ll be updating the list on the website once we have tackled making a new table.

Nick Gill

Nick has joined us for two weeks work experience. He is a writer and musician who wanted to print CD covers for his band. He bought an Adana press and some type, and is with us to learn a bit more about the process.

Mike Hunter

Mike has joined us for work experience. Earlier this summer he graduated from Glasgow School of Art’s Visual Communication course with first class honours.

George Butler

George is with us for work experience this week and next. He is an illustrator, and also works for our friends The Wyvern Bindery.