Save Wood Type with this Kickstarter Project

Theresa Stone

I don’t know what’s in the water in Buffalo, New York, but they sure do know their old-school type and printing there. Case in point: P22 Type Foundry, source for many historically inspired typefaces, is in Buffalo. Another example: The Western New York Book Arts Collaborative (WNYBAC) is a thriving letterpress printing and book arts center that is entirely volunteer-run and self-funded.
Now you can shuffle off to Buffalo virtually through a Kickstarter project that runs through June 24, 2011. The WNYBAC wants to buy an antique woodtype collection and need $4,000 to do it. If you give them $20, you’ll get a specimen sheet hand-printed using the woodtype you helped buy. Give $35 and you get two specimen sheets; $60 gets you four, and $100 or more gets you nine specimen sheets.
The great news is that this project has already surpassed its $4,000 goal, so the WNYBAC is guaranteed its collection. (They’ll use the extra money to buy supplies and equipment for the printshop.) Your reward is a hand-crafted piece of art for very little money.
If you happen to be in Buffalo, they welcome visitors at the printshop Wednesday through Saturday from noon to 6 p.m. And if you’re a student who lives near the town, talk to the WNYBAC about using the facilities. They teach students how to use the equipment, and you get to keep what you make. Most ages are welcome, from grade school through college.
To see work printed with woodtype the WNYBAC already owns, watch the video below.