ABC's Extreme Makeover: Home Edition
showcases letterpress printing in the first
episode of the New Year

When Extreme Makeover: Home Edition had the idea of equipping 12-year old Aariel Dore with a functioning letterpress studio, they probably didn't realize that equipment like this hadn't been manufactured for almost fifty years! So EM:HE Design Producer Christopher Goettsche went onto the Internet where he found The Introduction to Letterpress Printing. Commercial letterpress printing these days is used primarily for fancy wedding invitations and a very few limited edition books. There are, however, thousands of artists and hobbyists who are keeping alive this 500 year old tradition in their basements and garages, and many of them exchange tips and information through an Internet mailing list.

The author of the Introduction to Letterpress Printing web site, New York-based printer and printing historian David S. Rose, came on board as the show's volunteer letterpress coordinator. He put the word out on the Letpress Internet mailing list and sent out e-mails to hundreds of other printers, and the response was overwhelming. From all across America, artist and hobbyist letterpress printers flooded Aariel with donations of everything needed to set up a fully functional letterpress print shop. Not only fonts of type and cans of ink, but all sorts of arcane supplies with names like "quoins" and "keys", "bodkins" and "chases", "furniture" and "spacing". David himself sent Aariel half a dozen rare printing instruction manuals from his own collection, and the Boxcar Press donated a year's worth of plate-making services so that Ariel could use her press to print from her own designs.

As the build neared the end of the week, only one thing was missing: a press! Members of the Letpress mailing list took up a collection to buy Aariel an antique press, but there was no way to ship one to the house in time. Then, at the last minute, letterpress angel Jenny Wilkson of Seattle's School of Visual Concepts offered to donate a beautifully restored press from the school to Aariel.

Preston went out to SVC to meet Jenny, pick up the press and get a quick lesson in how to operate it (which was filmed and aired on the show). Meanwhile, printing student Daniel Petrzelka volunteered to come out to the house the night before the family arrived to assemble all of the pieces that had come in from across the country. He planned for a few hours, but ended up spending all night and working on all sorts of other projects as well! For two perspectives on the absolute chaos and craziness that went into making the Dore Family's wildest dreams come true, you must read the stream-of-consciousness, on-the-spot reportage from outsider Daniel Petrzelka, letterpress's on-the-spot volunteer, and insider Chris Goettsche, the EM:HE Design Producer whose inspiration led to Aariel's letterpress studio!

The show built a special desk for Aariel to hold both her computer and the Pilot press she was given, with additional storage in the room for the associated printing supplies. As you look around the room on the show, you will see that the walls are covered with all sorts of things typographical, include three dimensional letters and letterpress posters. When the family returned to their new home, Ty Pennington unveiled the house and introduced Aariel to her new graphic design studio, showing her how to pull a print (of the show's logo) on her new (old!) press.

To ensure that Aariel will be able to make full use of her press, the School of Visual Concepts donated a full course in letterpress printing, the American Printing History Association is giving her a student membership, and a thousand letterpress printers are standing by online to introduce her to this wonderful traditional craft.

For more information about how you, too, can get started with your own desktop printing press, visit the Introduction to Letterpress Printing.

If you missed the show (or just want to relive the important letterpress parts :-), check out the following video clips captured by Jenny Wilkson: