The NSW branch of the LIA is hosting a tour at the Penrith Museum of Printing, followed by a dinner at Club Paceway, on November 8.

Mitch Mulligan, NSW committee member, LIA says, “This is a rare opportunity to view a working Museum, and to learn why letterpress is making a comeback, and the niche market it now plays, along with hearing about the growing demand for training courses.

“We will see several presses in operation, plus hand typesetting, which was the method used from 1450 until around 1880, when the Linotype machine was developed.”

The museum houses five printing presses, from the early Albion press, based on Gutenberg’s original design, to a Treadle Platen, a Heidelberg, a Vertical Miehle and a Wharfedale newspaper press.

There are also two Linotypes and one Intertype, which were in use from the late 1800s until the 1980s.

The last of the composing machines is the Ludlow, a headline casting machine, which was in service from 1912 through to the 1980s when the newspapers it was printing went digital.

The tour cost is $40 for members, and $50 for non-members, with RSVPs requested prior to November 3, at nsw.secretary@lia.com.au.

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