These Five Old-School Printers Show Off The History Of Graphic Design

Last week, we brought you inside the Common Press, a letterpress studio where printing methods of yore are reinvigorated in the name of art. As much as the Press is engaged in making new things, the technological history being preserved there is vast.

The machines preserved there span more than 150 years of printing history, ranging from a 1300kg mammoth to a Civil War-era letterpress. It’s as much a museum as it is an art studio. Check out five printers from their collection below.

Washington Hand Press, 1860s

Vandercook #4 Proof Press, 1950s

Vandercook SP15 Proof Press, early 1960s

Multilith 1250 One-Color Offset Press, 1960s

Golding “Pearl” Platen Press, 1860s