While I was in New York, I had the opportunity to go visit Woodside Press, where they have a real, working Linotype machine. I got in contact with them after seeing Davin Kuntze in the documentary Linotype: The Film. I just thought the Linotype machine was the coolest thing after learning about the history and context of it, and since I was going to be in New York over Thanksgiving, I thought that would be the perfect opportunity to check it out. I hope you guys like the video, and you can check out the rest of the post for more photos of this amazing print shop!
There it is – etaoin shrdlu! That makes sense if you’ve seen the documentary.
Every diagram in this catalog is absurdly complicated.
The crazy thing about this machine is that it actually has molten lead and casts lines as you type. This is some hardcore typography here.
These are all of the lead shavings that littered the floor underneath the machine.
And all the extra lead just waiting to be turned into lines of type.
There were just drawers and drawers of both linotype pieces as well as letterpress type. I had never seen so much in one place in my life.
A page full of lines of type ready to be printed.
So much wood type! I really miss being at RISD and having access to a letterpress machine whenever I wanted.
Many thanks to my friend Lauren Bird for helping me to film this video! You can check out her personal YouTube channel as well as her vlogs for The Harry Potter Alliance!
And if you want to learn more of the context around the Linotype machine, you can check out Linotype: The Film and order the DVD for yourself!
This project took me out to a part of Brooklyn I probably would never have seen otherwise, and I’m so glad I took the initiative to make it happen. Be sure to stay tuned in a few weeks to see the other video I shot in New York, my Project for Awesome video at charity: water headquarters!
