About us
The WCBA, the Wellington Centre for Book Arts, opened in central Wellington in 2019. More details here. It's the first of its kind in this part of the world.
The WCBA is the book arts arm of The Printing Museum—the largest letterpress collection and the only working type foundry in the Southern Hemisphere.
Bringing together passionate people for letterpress, bookbinding, and book arts classes and events, whether you're new to printing or an old hand.
Join up to stay informed of upcoming events, then join in!
And do tell us what classes you would like.
Upcoming events
3
Introduction to Letterpress
262 Thorndon Quay, Wellington, NZThis three-hour course is the perfect introduction to the traditional method of printing with lead type. Letterpress was the main method of printing for over 500 years from Johannes Gutenburg’s 1450s bible to recent times.
Letterpress has seen a huge revival in the United States and Britain while locally a number of artists and craftsmen have maintained the tradition. The three dimensional nature of letterpress is the perfect antidote to the flatness of digital print. This class will give you an insight into how the equipment, materials and techniques work.
The course will cover basic typography, composition, layout and letterpress techniques such as lockup, inking and paper selection on tabletop platens, proof presses and an iron handpress as time allows. Perfect if you're considering buying a press and wondering where to start.
The workshop is run by Graham Judd, qualified letterpress machinist of Inkiana Press, with help from other trained letterpress printers. Graham is one of the top letterpress educators in the country and regularly teaches abroad: www.inkianapress.co.nz
Venue: WCBA. Wellington Centre for Book Arts, Woolstore Building, 262 Thorndon Quay, Wellington
Time: 6.30-9.30pm Friday 20th March, 2026.
Cost: $75 (less 10% for members) includes tuition, materials and letterpress booklet. Places are limited and can only be confirmed by payment.
Enrolments to: info@theprintingmuseum.org.nz
5 attendees
Tote Bag/Poster Printing
262 Thorndon Quay, Wellington, NZFancy your own personalised cotton tote (shopping bags)? Come and use our wood type collection and learn how to print on cotton. And/or paper if you prefer a poster. We'll be using our hand and proof presses for this class so you'll learn how to use them at the same time.
Short, simple and snappy works best. So start thinking and bring along a few alternatives.
This three and a half hour workshop is run by Graham Judd, qualified letterpress machinist of Inkiana Press, with help from other trained letterpress printers. Graham is one of the top letterpress educators in the country and regularly teaches abroad: www.inkianapress.co.nz
Venue: WCBA. Wellington Centre for Book Arts, Woolstore Building, 262 Thorndon Quay, Wellington
Time: 9.00am - 12.30pm Sunday 22nd March, 2026.
Cost: $95 (less 10% for members) includes tuition and materials (5 bags included but you can buy more). Places are limited and can only be confirmed by payment.
Enrolments to: info@theprintingmuseum.org.nz
2 attendees
Past events
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