Letterpress Printing

  • Semester: Spring 2026
  • Instructor: Michael McDermott
  • Location: Art and Design Building, Room 1023
  • Timing: Mondays from 10:30–1:10pm
  • Office Hours: Scheduled here

Syllabus

delivery & timing

We will meet once a week in person for two hours and forty minutes in the Art and Design Building. The classes are required and during our sessions we will discuss work, complete demos, and further our design and printing knowledge. The class is scheduled to run for 16 weeks and you can expect to work for 6 hours outside of class each week.

prerequisites

None.

course description

A studio course in which you can play with the creative potentials of letterpress printing by experimenting with various printing techniques. This is a chance to put ink on paper using a technology that was invented long, long ago. The course will also address the history of printing from past to present with a focus on contemporary methods of letterpress printing. The course will make use of metal type, wood type, hand cut chipboard, laser cutting, photopolymer, and alternative and experimental methods of image making using the Vandercook Universal 1 cylinder press.

“Letterpress belongs to the past. The future belongs to photogravure & to all photomechanical processes.”
—El Lissitzky 1923

This course will require continual work inside and outside of class to complete assignments. The aim of the course is to create an environment where students are encouraged to play and experiment using your hands and minds, but not at the expense of the health of the shop, the materials, or other students and staff. The Letterpress Studio is a communal space and mistreatment of the equipment or leaving a mess will not be tolerated.

objectives

content

This course consists of three projects, in class exercises, and in class discussions and demos. The demos and discussions are to begin to familiarize students with specific concepts and ideas and the projects are a synthesis of the concepts and ideas we will cover.

discussion of work

You will need to take an active role in both the presentation and discussion of your work. We will review projects in a variety of ways and you are expected to be able to talk and write about your own work and give feedback to your peers about their work. The ability to discuss your work and other student’s work is a very important part of your education at Mason. Use this class to improve on those skills.

communication

Your ability to communicate with me is of prime importance in this course. If you are going to be absent, late, or not have your work, it will be your best interest in communicating those things to me in advance. I do not need to know your reasons for being absent, late, or not having your work but I do need to know. A simple, short email will be fine.

The same goes for if you are struggling in this class or having other issues that are hindering your ability to complete work in this class. The more you keep me in the loop the more I can help you and adjust as needed.

attendance policy

Four absenses, regardless of excuse, will be an automatic failure of the class. After the first absence, each class you miss will lower your engagement grade by 25 points unless you let me know you won't be in class before class and make an effort to cover what you missed in class. After the first late arrival, each class you are late to will lower your engagement grade by 10 points unless you let me know you are going to be late before class. Exceptions to this policy are for people actively communicating with me prior to the fourth absence.

engagement

Your engagement in this class will affect your final grade (and, by extension, the quality of your work) for this course. Your attendance is tied to this grade along with your ability to actively take part in this course in the following ways.

grading

engagement (25%)

This percentage will be based on your engagement in the class which is explained on above. Attend class and be engaged in this course and its content throughout the semester and this should be an easy 25%.

exercises (25%)

The exercises are meant to be quicker, in class, skill building tasks that improve your projects and design knowledge.

projects (50%)

Each project builds off the previous project in terms of skills and complexity. You will get one final grade for each project that are all weighted equally for this 50%.

late work

Late work will be accepted for three weeks after a deadline with the exception of the final project which will be due at the end of the semester. There is a section on the rubrics showing how late work is factored into the assignment grade.

rubrics

Rubrics are used to grade exercises and projects. The rubrics are tied to each submission on Canvas. The rubrics allow you to understand how work is graded and to reference while working to self-evaluate.

campus closure policy

In the event that campus is closed due to weather or other emergency, this class will meet on Zoom to cover the material able to be covered virtually unless otherwise notified. If class moves to a virtual session, normal attendance and late arrival policies apply.

schedule

Most days we will meet for the entire time but some weeks we will have individual meetings or end early. Some classes will be work days so make sure to bring things to work on each class. Unless otherwise specified, all work is due at the beginning of class.

A note—Time management is an important skill to master and should be worked on all your classes. Staying up all night working is not a badge of honor, it typically means you didn’t budget your time correctly. Staying up all night isn’t healthy and making sure you are keeping yourself healthy is your first priority.

The schedule below is outline of what we will be covering this semester. It is subject to additions, subtractions, and shifts. The most current version is on the class website.

week 1

week 2

week 3

week 4

week 5

week 6

week 7

week 8

week 9

week 10

week 11

week 12

week 13

week 14

week 15

week 16

projects

Project 1: Monoprints

Create 20 unique prints using various printing techniques on an 11x17 plate. Each print needs to be different in a deliberate way. The variation can be subtle but the changes need to be considered, whether it is color, position, technique, or another element.

See Full Project →

Project 2: Broadside

Combine laser cutting, letterpress printing, and risograph printing to design and print a gig poster for an event of your choosing.

Project 3: Playing Cards

Design and print a face card, non-face card, joker, and card back using polymer plate. The cards should be card size (2.5" x 3.5") and will be printed in a two by two grid. You will have the opportunity to use polymer plate to print these so they can be designed on the computer or hand drawn or a number of other possibilities.

exercises

Exercise 1: Metal Type →

Exercise 2: Wood Type

Exercise 3: Hand Cut Chipboard

Exercise 4: Lino Letter

Exercise 5: Registration