About us
Fancy getting off your screen and getting a bit inky?
This is a group for anyone curious about letterpress and traditional printmaking, an endangered heritage craft that's a fun way to spend your afternoon . You don't need any experience, any equipment, or any idea what you're doing!
We meet at The Hellbox Press, a working letterpress studio in Leighton Buzzard, where we have vintage wood type, ink and a 1950s Farley proofing press.
At our hands-on events you'll actually get stuck in, setting type by hand, inking it up, and pulling your own prints on the vintage letterpress. You'll go home with something you made yourself, start to finish.
Who's this for?
- Total beginners who've never printed a thing
- Anyone who loves typography, print, paper or old craft
- People who want to make something real, slowly, with their hands
- Anyone after a creative and different kind of afternoon
Upcoming events
2
- £75.00
Letterpress Printing Workshop For Beginners
Waterborne Walk, Waterborne Walk, Leighton Buzzard, Bedfordshire, GBA Letterpress Afternoon at The Hellbox Press
For anyone curious about typography, print history, paper, ink, and making something properly by hand. No experience needed, just turn up ready to get inky.
In four hours you'll learn the basics of letterpress, choosing and setting wood type, locking it up, inking, and pulling prints on our resident Farley proofing press, and you'll go home with two prints you made yourself, start to finish.
This event is cheaper if you book directly through our website.
What we'll do:
First, Word Soup.
After a quick hello and a demo, everyone writes a few words on slips, a noun, an adjective, a colour, an adverb, and chucks them into the pot. We pull them back out at random and see what nonsense the soup serves up. GREY OSTRICH RUNS SPOOKILY, that kind of thing. The group picks a favourite, and then we set it together in wood type, each person setting their own word, and every has a go printing it. Everyone takes home a copy of the weird little sentence we made.Then, your word.
In the second half, you'll set and print one word of your own to take home. It can be literally any word, the word that sums up your week, your year, or a word you love, or maybe even hate. Your choice. You'll set it, ink it, and pull it yourself.You'll have the run of our small wood type collection, with five or six different font faces to choose from.
We'll be printing in black ink throughout.
The ink can take up to two weeks to dry (depending how liberal you are with the ink). Your prints will be left to dry and posted out to you within two weeks, or you can come and pick them up when dry.
The practical bits
- 1:00pm–5:00pm
- Max 4 people, so everyone gets proper time at the press.
- Please arrive 15 minutes early (12:45) so we can say hello and get settled before we start
- Aprons are provided, please don't wear anything smart, our permanent black ink will ruin your jumper - black is often a safe shout (both in fashion and for this workshop)
- Located in Leighton Buzzard Town Center - directions given once purchased
- Adults only, 18+
Please note for the 5th September workshop we have a videographer coming to film the day - please let us know if you're uncomfortable with this and we will not video you.
Access
The studio is on the second floor with no lift, so please bear that in mind before booking. Pulling the press also takes a bit of welly, there's a proper physical pull involved. If that's not for you, no worries at all, I'm very happy to pull it for you so you still get your print. Just let me know and I can accommodate for you.Inclusivity
The Hellbox Press is an LGBTQIA+ friendly space, and everyone is welcome in the studio. Disrespect of any kind towards anyone won't be tolerated, and you will be eliminated. (:If you have any questions, please feel free to contact me here.
1 attendee - £75.00
Letterpress Printing Workshop For Beginners
Waterborne Walk, Waterborne Walk, Leighton Buzzard, Bedfordshire, GBA Letterpress Afternoon at The Hellbox Press
For anyone curious about typography, print history, paper, ink, and making something properly by hand. No experience needed, just turn up ready to get inky.
In four hours you'll learn the basics of letterpress, choosing and setting wood type, locking it up, inking, and pulling prints on our resident Farley proofing press, and you'll go home with two prints you made yourself, start to finish.
This event is cheaper if you book directly through our website.
What we'll do:
First, Word Soup.
After a quick hello and a demo, everyone writes a few words on slips, a noun, an adjective, a colour, an adverb, and chucks them into the pot. We pull them back out at random and see what nonsense the soup serves up. GREY OSTRICH RUNS SPOOKILY, that kind of thing. The group picks a favourite, and then we set it together in wood type, each person setting their own word, and every has a go printing it. Everyone takes home a copy of the weird little sentence we made.Then, your word.
In the second half, you'll set and print one word of your own to take home. It can be literally any word, the word that sums up your week, your year, or a word you love, or maybe even hate. Your choice. You'll set it, ink it, and pull it yourself.You'll have the run of our small wood type collection, with five or six different font faces to choose from.
We'll be printing in black ink throughout.
The ink can take up to two weeks to dry (depending how liberal you are with the ink). Your prints will be left to dry and posted out to you within two weeks, or you can come and pick them up when dry.
The practical bits
- 1:00pm–5:00pm
- Max 4 people, so everyone gets proper time at the press.
- Please arrive 15 minutes early (12:45) so we can say hello and get settled before we start
- Aprons are provided, please don't wear anything smart, our permanent black ink will ruin your jumper - black is often a safe shout (both in fashion and for this workshop)
- Located in Leighton Buzzard Town Center - directions given once purchased
- Adults only, 18+
Access
The studio is on the second floor with no lift, so please bear that in mind before booking. Pulling the press also takes a bit of welly, there's a proper physical pull involved. If that's not for you, no worries at all, I'm very happy to pull it for you so you still get your print. Just let me know and I can accommodate for you.Inclusivity
The Hellbox Press is an LGBTQIA+ friendly space, and everyone is welcome in the studio. Disrespect of any kind towards anyone won't be tolerated, and you will be eliminated. (:If you have any questions, please feel free to contact me here.
1 attendee
