Letterpress/Book Lab
Directors: Kurt Koenigsberger and Barbara Mann
Contact Us: letterpress@case.edu
The New Gutenberg Annex (NGA) is a project of Writers House in the Department of English at Case Western Reserve, in collaboration with Modern Languages and Literatures.
The Annex in Bellflower Hall was established in 2017 by Professor Kurt Koenigsberger. In 2025, through the efforts of Professors Barbara Mann and Kurt Koenigsberger, the Annex’s operations expanded to additional space in Guilford House that we call The Exchange.
About Our Lab
Supported initially by a generous Nord Grant from the University Center for Innovation in Teaching and Education (UCITE), the Annex and the Exchange have developed in recent years with additional generous funding from a second Nord Grant from UCITE; from W. P. Jones and Borve Funds; from funds associated with Knight and Hoffman Professorships; from faculty startup and research funds; from the Jewish Federation of Cleveland; and from anonymous and other donations.
With more than a dozen presses of different sizes and capabilities, and serifed and sans-serifed, Roman and Italic, type faces in wood and metal, the Annex and Exchange are well suited to simple and complex letterpress projects alike, including books, chapbooks, and broadsides. Our 3D printer, laser cutting station, and paper circuits support work with non-traditional relief printing materials, and the capacities of ThinkBox extend our materials and processes to fabricate printing materials. Annex faculty are especially interested in presentations of text, including foreign-language types that enable innovative translation work. We regularly guide exercises in papermaking, oversee decorative work with papers, and teach basic binding skills. We are able to support small-format linocut and intaglio projects, as well as larger monoprints. We can advise about ordering commercial plates (photopolymer or magnesium) that can work creatively and efficiently with our equipment for larger or frequent print runs.
Contact Us
The Annex and Exchange typically employ one or more undergraduate and/or graduate student assistants each year. Annex and Exchange faculty and staff provide individual support and customized workshops for individuals and classes. Contact letterpress@case.edu to discuss your project, class, or event.
From a single Bookbeetle table-top press and a handful of movable type, the Annex has grown in the equipment that supports individuals, workshops, and classes in letterpress and the book arts:
- Vandercook SP15 proof press (14-3/4 x 20 printable area)
- Ostrander-Seymour Extra Heavy iron hand press (20 x 26 platen)
- Challenge 1534H proof press
- Showcard proof presses
- Poco Hacker #0 proof press with a custom registration system
- Craftsmen Superior platen press accommodating a 6.5 x 10-inch chase and with a Boxcar base for photopolymer plates
- Kelsey 5x8 tabletop platen press
- Adana Quarto press
- Econoetch II etching press
- Bookbeetle wooden screw press
- Provisional tabletop proof press
- Akua pin press
- Woodzilla linocut presses
- An array of serifed typefaces (roman and italic), ranging in size from 11 to 48 point, some including foreign characters, including extensive holdings of Centaur/Arrighi and Poliphilus/Blado type
- A smaller selection of sans-serif faces
- A selection of wood type (including accented characters)
- A rich collection of Hebrew metal and wood type
- A significant collection of Cyrillic and Greek type
- Small samples of faces representing Asian languages.
- A selection of borders, ornaments, and decorative cuts
- Equipment for setting and lockup, including composing sticks, magnets, galleys, furniture, and reglet
- Papermaking equipment and supplies
- Paper marbling and paste paper materials
- Drypoint and linocut materials
- Copy, nipping, and lying presses, sewing frames, and punching cradles
- Bookbinding tools
- Inkmaking materials, including plates and mullers
- Calligraphy pens, markers, and worksheets
- A library of books on the history of the book, presses and presswork, typesetting and printing, typefaces, bookbinding, papermaking, decorative papers, calligraphy, and more
- Xtool laser cutter
- Prusa 3D printer
- Paper cutters and a creaser
