Arion Press impresses with its hand-printed books. Craftsmanship is worth its weight in gold
This is the last printing house in the USA where books are made by hand from start to finish. Each letter in Arion Press books is created individually.
Together, they create a book whose production may take years and its price may reach up to PLN 10,000. hole. This is due to the fact that this San Francisco institution uses machines and techniques that date back to the 19th century.
Printing presses like Arion's were once common. However, with the advent of faster and cheaper printing methods, this traditional technique is becoming obsolete.
We need to learn as much as we can before this craft disappears completely. It's a huge responsibility. I think we all feel this burden
says Brian Ferrett, foundryman at Arion Press.
At Arion Press, the team dedicates their days to preserving this historic craft, even in one of the technology capitals of the world. We visited this over 100-year-old printing house to find out how and why it still operates.
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Each letter is created separately here
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What does manual book production look like?
The creation of each book begins in the foundry, where Brian Ferrett spends a day working on a monotype from the 1890s, making individual letters.
– This could be very, very difficult. There are days and weeks when nothing goes right. When three casting machines are working well, I feel incredibly happy, admits Brian.
Brian lights a fire under the machine, melting a solution of lead, tin and antimony that is used to create the letters.
– Here we have a pump and a nozzle. The pump sucks in the lead and then ejects it through a nozzle, he explains.
From there, the lead goes into the mold. Then the matte casing with the selected letters presses it down. Brian sends the finished font to the printer.
— At the end of the day, especially when printing, we are covered in ink. And that's fantastic. It's like going back to childhood, when you could get dirty. At this stage of the process, the foundry sends us columns, i.e. raw text typesetting. Usually there are two pages per column. After receiving the column, we print samples, explains Jeff Raymond, printer at Arion Press.
Jeff Raymond arranges text on the page, letter by letter. To keep the page from falling apart, Jeff wraps it with string. He then takes it to the proofing press to check for any errors.
When everything looks good, the page goes to final printing on one of the larger presses. The final stage of the book creation process takes place in the bindery.
“This is where the book is put together from scratch,” says Megan Gibes, a bookbinder at Arion Press.
Megan Gibes folds, staples and glues each element of the book by hand. The final product is a work of art.
—I think there is nothing better than holding a book in your hands. Touching a piece of paper, running your finger across it, and feeling the fonts imprinted on the page is moving.
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Each book is made with the utmost care
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Modern technology has made this type of typography obsolete
Currently, leading printing houses in the USA use offset printing presses that can produce 120,000. pages per hour. Prior to joining Arion, Brian spent three years working for one of these commercial printers.
— I worked in printing large-circulation magazines. The printing house operated 24 hours a day, and shifts lasted 12 hours. There were so many people there you couldn't even count them, says Brian.
Letterpress printing simply cannot compete with this level of performance.
— This industry is no longer financially viable because it is very time-consuming. It all adds up, says Jeff.
Many other traditional printing houses have closed, but Arion survives thanks to a group of loyal subscribers such as book collectors, institutions and libraries.
This sheet with the preamble to the Constitution is one of the latest projects completed by the printing house. The limited edition of only 350 pieces is sold for $50.
Arion also sells custom font sets and organizes public tours and workshops. Brian, 45, is one of a dwindling number of people who make a living as typecasters.
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One book may take many years to complete
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Can this craft survive?
Fewer and fewer people engage in this historic craft, so employees feel personally responsible for preserving this knowledge.
When it comes to casting, very few people can do it. There aren't many machines left in the world. And even if you find them, knowledge about them is disappearing
Brian admits.
Brian takes every opportunity to pass this knowledge on to the next generation by sharing his skills. He mentors interns during the four-year program at Arion.
— During the first few weeks of my stay here, I felt surrounded by people who deal with this profession and know exactly what they are doing. I was impressed. It's almost impossible to find a place to learn these skills, Jeff admits.
Hand-made books move people even in the technological capital of San Francisco.
All these tech people sit in front of computers all day doing things that don't require the sense of touch, and when they come here they are always so impressed
says Brian.
This craft is in danger of extinction
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This gives Arion hope that his business and craft will continue to exist in an increasingly digital world.
— You can buy a book from 500 years ago, open it and still enjoy it. I have files on my computer from 20 years ago that I can't open because I have no idea how to do it. So I think these things will last much longer than what we have now. The era in which they were created adds character and beauty to them, adds Jeff.
