Thanks to a generous donation from Julie Hocking of Hocking Printing Company, publisher of the Shopping News in Ephrata, we have a new (old) No. 14 Pearl printing press. We plan to give it the care it needs to print again, but it’s a beauty to us just as it stands. Come check it out.
In answering a question about printing cuts I found that the International Printing Museum had this great video demonstrating the process.
The Kelsey Company in Meriden Connecticut manufactured tabletop printing presses for years and supported it with printing supplies and advice. The All-Round Printer is twenty one lessons in printing with questions and a printer’s dictionary.
The scan isn’t perfect, but my goal was to create a readable document, not a more perfect printable one. The original we had to use was very yellowed and in a three ring binder so I did take the time to erase them from the scan. Let me know if you find any parts unreadable or in need of improvement.
We’re closed here at Conestoga Press for the Winter. The museum is closed to install a new temporary exhibit and we will reopen when they do the first Saturday in March. The library here at the Historical Society is open its regular hours.
There are a number of support projects in the works that I may be able to complete during our break and I’ll post them here as well as a potential field trip that we’ve been talking about, so stay tuned.
[The postcard above is this year’s membership card printed at Conestoga Press. Join HERE and support the press and other local history!]
You can now find our Bronstrup and other hand presses around the world on the Association of European Printing Museums web site in their new worldwide handpress database. Find it here.
Come join us for the Historical Society of the Cocalico Valley’s Christmas Open House. We will be printing the fifth in our series of Christmas drink coasters on the Bronstrup press. You can take one along home!
There will be musical entertainment throughout the day, including organist Mark Herr, playing the lovely old pump organ. Santa will be waiting for the children to arrive, and volunteers will be available to talk with our guests about the house and the family who lived there.
Before you leave, stop by the Education Room for light refreshments and a chance to purchase old fashioned lollipops, which make great stocking stuffers! Start your holiday season with the Historical Society of the Cocalico Valley, located at 237-249 West Main Street, Ephrata. We’ll see you there.
Once again, Conestoga Press has participated in the letterpress calendar of the Chesapeake Chapter of the American Printing History Association. Each month is a unique design contributed by a different member of the chapter. The calendar is sold each year as a fund raiser for the group.
Our calendar page is for March of 2024 and includes a cut from the Historical Society of the Cocalico Valley’s collection. It was printed in two colors on our 1850’s Bronstrup/Ramage press.
Calendars are $25 each, shipping included and can be ordered here.
Drag photo with your mouse to view different parts of our shop. Click on the VR in lower right corner to view full screen and press esc to return. If you have issues viewing this try a different browser. Tablets and phones have also varied results. I’ll leave it up in spite of some issues because like most tech when it works, it’s awesome!
The Lancaster Printers Fair is on for September 16 from 11am – 4pm. You’ll find us there along with much more. Come see us! Directions and details here. You can also visit the local maker space, the Make717 Innovation Center next door where they will be also hosting an open house.
We don’t know either, but he may be this guy who lived from 1895 – 1918. We have more than one type case with his name and location on it. We have at least one other because I remember an unsuccessful search some years back that included contacting an historical society in Iowa. The label is large, but a bit difficult to discover since it’s on the underside of the type case. I don’t recommend turning your’s over to take a look. I happened to have emptied this of type that I was consolidating into another case.
