Printers Log #1

A project: printing almost 700 sheets of A3 paper using a minimum of three print runs. Manully. So that we may have 650 good ones in the end.

The first print run consists of a single pinkish red line, 1 cicero width, positioned exactly 25 cicero from the left long side. Speed of printing is three plus sheets per minute, so around 200 sheets per hour, or 3,5 hours of printing in total.

Setting, proofing and correcting the exact layout usually takes longer than the printing itself. Even with an edition of this amount, ’the printing itself doesn’t take that long’ still holds. Likely because I’m not that experienced a typesetter yet. I’ve really honestly started to rely more on calculating and counting to get things in the right position on the sheet, but am still easily seduced into the ways of trial and error.

Even after more than 600 prints that same line still stands the same 25 ciceros from the left margin. The combination of a massive thousand kilos of proofing press and the very exact precision in adjustments and production that can be achieved with it is fascinating.