OUGD505 - Studio Brief 01 - Printing

To ensure the print is most appropriate, the print was printed onto a variety of stock choices. The first choice was a newsprint, which is a thin, coated stock, similar to the cheap production stocks that were used in the era. The poster was also printed onto an authentic stock that had a cream finish to it and imitates a newsprint style, as well as a matt white stock.

The poster was to be printed using letterpress and lino, as these are the most appropriate print methods and available at university. The poster had to be printed in two halves because of the availability of type between the two university buildings. The first half involving Thorowgood italic was printed using the Weston machine which rolls the stock over the chase of type blocks. The Weston machine rolls the paper stock over the letter blocks which have to be hand inked using a roller. These prints were successful and a positive of the half of the poster was used to line the type up to ensure a good registration.

The second half of the design was to be printed in the Vernon St building however, the block type that should have been available turned out to not be available, because of this, the type was cut into wood using a laser cutter. The second half of the poster was printed, using another positive, with the woodblock type, which was set into a press with the lino cut illustration of a steam tram. The type was rolled with ink before being lined up and printed onto the first half of the print.

It took several attempts to make sure the registration was perfect. The poster was printed onto a variety of stocks that are similar to the stocks used in this era, the newsprint proved successful and it works just as well on the authentic stock.