The People Powered Press

I recently mentioned (see HERE) the new Salts Works enterprise, run by design studio Split, who have taken over a building on Saltaire Road. They held a grand opening weekend recently, so I went along to have a look. 

The ground floor is the home of The People Powered Press, which holds the Guinness world record for the largest letterpress printing press of its kind in the world (see HERE).

A non-profit Community Interest Company, they work with community groups and individuals to make large scale letterpress works. They are also planning to run workshops related to writing and printing.  

On the Open Days, they were letting visitors have a go. I watched two young ladies printing a large poster and then I was able to have a try myself, inking the letters, placing the paper on top and then rolling the huge press across it to transfer the ink to the paper. It all felt very smooth and rather satisfying. All the 'ta' posters made will, apparently, be sent to hospitals and other services that have kept us going through the pandemic, as a way of saying 'Ta' (thank you).  

(I obtained their parents' permission to use these photos but have blanked out the girls' faces anyway.) 

They have their own specially created typeface for the letterpress: Graft. The letters' forms take inspiration from the north's rich industrial heritage, using the shape of a cross-section of a steel I-beam as the start point. Their aim is 'to amplify local voices' using this 'typeface for the north'.