I got tired of guessing for type orders. This is a letterpress sort estimator and forme break planner — paste in your text, pick your imposition scheme, and the calculator will tell you whether your fount is sufficient or if you know how much type you have, where the forme breaks should fall. It can suggest an order for your friendly type founder. Built for printers planning editions. Use at your own risk! fount_calculator.html
A Working Directory
Letterpress Resources
The people, studios, and organisations that make UK letterpress possible
A good letterpress studio does not exist in isolation. Every edition depends on paper mills, ink makers, type founders, engravers, binders, and the generosity of other printers. This page is a working directory of the people, studios, suppliers, and organisations that make UK letterpress printing possible today. It is by no means exhaustive.
If you have a suggestion, correction, or a resource you think should be listed, please get in touch.
Mischiefe Press Tools Free tools for letterpress printers
Mischiefe Press Casting Off Calculator
Type Founders & Typesetting Metal type, cast new or to order
Effra Press & Typefoundry — North Yorkshire
Run by Nick Gill (formerly of Hand & Eye Letterpress), Effra Press & Typefoundry casts new metal type, leads, and spacing material, and offers hot-metal typesetting. Nick is also Master Printer at Thin Ice Press in York and was named England Maker of the Year in the 2024 Heritage Crafts Awards. effrapress.co.uk
Nomad Letterpress (Type Foundry) — Whittington, Gloucestershire
The type foundry arm of Nomad, casting new founts of Monotype composition and display sizes for sale. Operates from the Whittington Press. nomadletterpress.com/type-foundry-about
McKellier Wood Type — UK
Mark McKellier designs and cuts new wood type — both revivals of historic faces and new designs — along with ornaments, borders, and replacement letters for printers who are "out of sorts." Combines CNC cutting with traditional hand finishing. mckellier.com
Fine Press Studios & Printers A small sample of presses and people who inspire me — not exhaustive!
Corvus Works — Consett, County Durham
Christopher Wakeling's fine press studio, designing, binding, and publishing limited edition books of typography and poetry. Works with metal type and a collection of letterpress machines including a Cropper, Victoria platen, and a 1964 Korrex Hannover. corvusworks.co.uk
St James Park Press — London
The private press of James Freemantle, focused on hand-made, limited-edition letterpress books and ephemera, often with wood-engraved illustrations. Prints on hand presses including a Clymer Dixon Columbian (1854), Hopkinson & Cope Albion (1861), and Arab (1906). James is the Bodleian Library's Printer-in-Residence. stjamesparkpress.com
Hand & Eye Letterpress — Whitechapel, London
A working fine press in East London, offering commercial letterpress printing and a long-established connection to the London letterpress community. handandeye.co.uk
Arwen Press — UK
Helen Moss's fine press, producing letterpress editions and prints with a distinctive contemporary voice. helen-moss.com
Red Plate Press — UK
A working letterpress studio producing fine printing and limited editions. redplatepress.com
Semple Press — UK
A letterpress studio working with hand-set type and traditional printing methods. semplepress.co.uk
Nomad Letterpress — Whittington, Gloucestershire
A working letterpress studio at the Whittington Press, producing fine printing alongside type casting and workshops. nomadletterpress.com
The Whittington Press — Whittington, Gloucestershire
Founded 1971 by John and Rosalind Randle. One of the foremost fine presses of the last half-century, with its own Monotype composition casters and Supercaster. Published Matrix — the pre-eminent annual review for printers and bibliophiles — from 1981 to 2020 (36 volumes). Runs an annual open day. Books, posters, and hot-metal type available through the online shop: whittingtonpressshop.com
The Letterpress Collective — Bristol
Nick Hand and Ellen Bills' studio at Centrespace (6 Leonard Lane, Old City Bristol), established 2013 after the last commercial letterpress printer in Bristol closed. Working from a rescued collection of historic wood type and presses including a Heidelberg Windmill and a FAG Swiss Proof 40, the Collective prints commissions, its own editions, and collaborative artists' works — including the famous "Printing Bike" project that cycled a press from Bristol to Mainz in homage to Gutenberg. theletterpresscollective.org
Typoretum — Colchester, Essex
Contemporary letterpress design and printing studio with an extensive library of metal and wooden type. Commissioned work, short courses, and internships. typoretum.co.uk
The Alembic Press — Oxfordshire
Claire and David Bolton's press, established 1972 — over 130 books published, with their own Monotype composition and Super casters. The host of the invaluable Typecase Layouts resource and the Letterpress Alive! directory (see Online Resources). alembicpress.co.uk
Bookbinders The art of the binding
Roger Grech Bindery — UK
Hand bookbinder and conservator producing fine and design bindings for fine press editions. Has worked with St James Park Press and other UK private presses. rgrechbindery.uk
Paper Mills & Suppliers British-made paper for letterpress and printmaking
St Cuthberts Mill — Wells, Somerset
One of the few remaining mould-made paper mills in the world. Makers of Somerset printmaking paper — widely used by fine presses for letterpress, etching, and relief printing. stcuthbertsmill.com
Two Rivers Paper Company — West Somerset
One of the last traditional handmade paper mills in England. 100% cotton and linen rag papers in a range of weights. Recognised by Heritage Crafts as a critically endangered craft. tworiverspaper.com
G. F. Smith — London & Hull
Wide range of text and coloured papers, including Colorplan. UK distributor of Crane's Lettra. gfsmith.com
Lauren Ink — UK
Small-batch handmade paper made with botanical dyes, specifically formulated for letterpress and relief printing. laurenink.co.uk
Suppliers & Equipment Ink, rollers, blocks, and press repair
Lyme Bay Press — Devon
Letterpress printing and platemaking equipment, including photopolymer plates. lymebaypress.co.uk
Hawthorn Printmaker Supplies — Appleton Roebuck, Yorkshire
A family-run Yorkshire business since 2006 — Barry, Michael, and Katie — designing and manufacturing their own range of printing presses, rollers, and their distinctive Stay Open Inks, available in a wide range of hand-mixed colours. Supplies letterpress printers, printmakers, and stone lithographers worldwide. hawthornprintmaker.com
Beyondletterpress — Gloucestershire
Roller recovering and replacement — keeping Vandercooks and other presses rolling for the UK letterpress community. beyondletterpress.com
Jeremy Winkworth Letterpress — UK
Buying and selling all things letterpress — type, equipment, presses, and ephemera. Best followed on Instagram for current stock. @jeremywinkworthletterpress
Printmaking Services — UK
Founded by a printmaker, for printmakers. Theo Miller provides press servicing, repair and restoration (both onsite and offsite, from minor repairs and part replacement up to full restoration), as well as studio and workshop consultation, professional development, and teaching across processes. Works with individuals, open-access workshops, universities, museums, schools, and more. printmakingservices.co.uk
Intaglio Printmaker — London
Specialist supplier of printmaking materials — ink, paper, brayers, and tools. intaglioprintmaker.com
T. N. Lawrence & Son — Hove
Long-established supplier of printmaking and letterpress materials, including Somerset paper and lino cutting tools. lawrence.co.uk
Associations, Societies & Guilds The printing community
The British Printing Society (BPS) — UK-wide
A friendly society of printers and print enthusiasts, with regional branches, a regular magazine (Small Printer), and an annual convention. Their events listing is one of the best calendars of UK letterpress wayzgooses, fairs, and meetings — well worth checking before any trip. bpsnet.org.uk
The Amalgamated Printers' Association (APA) — International
An international association of letterpress enthusiasts — members contribute a page each to a monthly bundle. A lively international community. Mischiefe Press is member No. 1033. apa-letterpress.com
The Fine Press Book Association (FPBA) — International (UK & Americas)
An international society promoting the creation, study, and collection of contemporary book arts. Publishes the twice-yearly journal Parenthesis, free to members. The UK chapter runs the Oxford Fine Press Book Fair. fpba.com
The Oxford Guild of Printers — Oxford & beyond
A book- and letterpress-focused group, more specialised than the BPS. Monthly meetings and a well-attended annual Wayzgoose at Oxford Brookes University, with fifty-plus tables of letterpress equipment, fine press printers, paper, and bookbinding. Members across the UK are welcome. oxfordguildofprinters.co.uk
The Printing Historical Society (PHS) — UK
Devoted to the study of printing history. Publishes the Journal of the Printing Historical Society and Printing History News. printinghistoricalsociety.org.uk
Heritage Crafts — UK
Maintainer of the Red List of Endangered Crafts — letterpress printing is included. Vital work on preserving craft traditions in the UK. heritagecrafts.org.uk
Museums, Archives & Libraries Where to see type and presses
St Bride Foundation & Library — Fleet Street, London
Home to one of the world's largest and most significant collections of books, archives, type specimens, steel punches, and casting matrices related to printing, typography, and graphic design. Established 1891 in the heart of Fleet Street, St Bride runs letterpress and wood engraving workshops, lectures, and an annual Wayzgoose. The reading room is open to the public by appointment, and the library collection includes over 100,000 items. sbf.org.uk
The Type Archive — Stockwell, London (collection now relocated)
Founded by Susan Shaw, The Type Archive held the Monotype Corporation's complete record of matrices, drawings, and equipment for the casting of metal type — a national treasure. The collection has been transferred to the Science Museum Group's Science and Innovation Park near Swindon, where access is currently extremely limited. typearchive.org
A call to action: The transfer of the Monotype collection has effectively closed off public and research access to one of the most important printing archives in the world. Letterpress printers, scholars, and the wider book community are encouraged to write to the Science Museum Group and to the press to urge the restoration of accessible study and casting facilities. The matrices are not merely artefacts to be displayed — they are tools, and they have a use beyond the museum case.
Centre for Printing History and Culture — Birmingham
A joint initiative between Birmingham City University and the University of Birmingham, focused on the history and cultural role of print. cphc.org.uk
Bristol Print Museum — Bristol
A museum dedicated to the history of printing in Bristol and the wider region, with working presses and printing demonstrations. bristolprintmuseum.org
Hot Bed Press — Salford
A print workshop with letterpress facilities, evening classes and bookable workspace. Runs the well-known Hot Bed Press 20:20 exhibitions. hotbedpress.org
Workshops & Courses Where to learn letterpress
Thin Ice Press: The York Centre for Print — York
Memberships, workshops, equipment hire, events, and exhibition space. Currently home to a library of DeLittle Wooden type. thinicepress.org
The Letterpress Collective — Bristol
Nick Hand and Ellen Bills offer hands-on letterpress workshops at Centrespace — introductions to hand-setting type, working with historic wood and metal type, and printing on presses ranging from Adanas to a Heidelberg Windmill. One of the most accessible entry points in the UK. theletterpresscollective.org
London Centre for Book Arts (LCBA) — Fish Island, London
An open-access educational facility dedicated to the arts of the book. Runs an extensive programme of letterpress, bookbinding, papermaking, and printmaking workshops for all levels, plus open-studio access for makers. londonbookarts.org
Leicester Print Workshop — Leicester
Hosts a year-long course in letterpress printing with David Armes and Theo Miller — highly regarded by the community. leicesterprintworkshop.com
Nomad Letterpress — Whittington
One-day letterpress workshops held at the Whittington Press. nomadletterpress.com
London Rare Books School — Senate House, University of London
A summer school run by the Institute of English Studies (School of Advanced Study, University of London). Intensive five-day courses in palaeography, bibliography, the history of the book, fine binding, and printing — taught by leading scholars and practitioners. ies.sas.ac.uk
Rare Book School (RBS) — University of Virginia (with UK courses at Oxford & York)
The pre-eminent independent institution for the study of rare books, manuscripts, and the history of the book. Although based at UVA in Charlottesville, RBS runs a programme of courses each year in the UK — most often at Oxford and York — covering subjects from incunabula to twentieth-century fine printing. rarebookschool.org
Online Resources & Directories Where the letterpress community talks
The Alembic Press — Typecase Layouts
An extraordinary and essential resource: Claire and David Bolton's ongoing online publication cataloguing the history and development of typecase lays. If you have ever wondered about the difference between an Old English Lower Case, a Double Italic, or a California Job Case — this is the definitive reference. Also includes the sister site Letterpress Alive!, a long-running directory of UK letterpress activity. alembicpress.co.uk
Vandercook Press Info
The definitive international site for Vandercook proof press information, run by Paul Moxon — author of Vandercook Presses: Maintenance, History and Resources. Includes the global Vandercook census, model identification guides, maintenance and operation manuals, parts sources, and Paul's workshop schedule. Indispensable for anyone running a Vandercook. vandercookpress.info
British Letterpress
The single best online directory and information source for UK letterpress — type, presses, suppliers, community, and historical articles. britishletterpress.co.uk
Briar Press
An international letterpress community site with forums, a directory, and a classifieds section — the largest letterpress gathering online. briarpress.org
Letterpress Commons
An open knowledge base of letterpress technique and history, co-authored by experienced printers. letterpresscommons.com
MetalType.co.uk
Dave Hughes' site focused on Monotype, Intertype, and Linotype composition — a deep well of technical information for those who cast type. metaltype.co.uk/wpress
Pressing Matters magazine
A UK-based print magazine that regularly features letterpress, relief, and fine press work. pressingmattersmag.com
A suggestion?
This list grows through correspondence. If you run a letterpress studio, paper mill, supplier, or organisation we should include — or if you spot an error — please get in touch. We are particularly keen to hear from small presses and regional resources.