Printing Press
The Pierson/Davenport Printing Press is located in the Davenport Underground, next to the Bookbinding Studio.
Hello Pierson!
The Pierson-Davenport Printing Press is open for the fall (2022)semester !
Pierson is home to one of the best-equipped presses in the country, perhaps even the continent, and by far the best letterpress on campus!
We have an enormous collection of fonts, over thirty cabinets of type, six gorgeous presses, and many more resources to create countless projects!
The Press is open to all students regardless of college affiliation (tell your friends!). It is located in the Davenport-Pierson shared basement, under Davenport entryway N.
You must take an introductory course in order to use the space, in order to get the necessary training. But once you learn the basics, you can come to the Press open hours on weekends, where you can work on whatever you want! Classes and materials are completely free for all students.
Past projects in the press include:
- Birthday, holiday, & anniversary cards
- Poetry broadsides
- Event posters & decorative posters
- Zines
- Linoleum block prints (similar to woodcuts)
- Stickers
- Custom button pins
- Personalized stationery
- Business cards
- Personalized tote bags
- Monoprints
- Invitations & menus
- Book covers & bookplates
- Custom beer coasters
… and so much more!
If you already know you want to learn how to print, here’s how to sign up for training:
To train new printers, we have an Apprentice Course we hold throughout the semester on Monday, Tuesday, Wednesday, and Thursday evenings from 7-9pm.
The courses are offered in three-week sessions, with one class per week. You can choose a day of the week to attend each week, though you don’t necessarily have to come the same day each week if it doesn’t work in your schedule (let me know if this is the case!). Please note, you must attend all three classes in order to complete the course and use the Press in the future.
Sign up for a session with this form: https://forms.gle/dJ7VMBUogJvrnsKSA
The preferred deadline is 9/10, but we always welcome late signups! If you sign up past 9/10, just be sure to send an email to annli.nakayama@yale.edu !
This semester open press hours will be on Saturdays from 1 to 5! If there is demand, I will add additional open hours.
tldr: sign up to learn how to print in the press https://forms.gle/dJ7VMBUogJvrnsKSA
If you have any questions, please send them my way on the form or via email at annli.nakayama@yale.edu !
Hope to see you in the press!
Annli Nakayama, PC ‘22
Pierson-Davenport Press Manager