A modern day letterpress process.
Theresa Easton, Photo-lithography, silk-screen and letterpress
Farewell Etaoin Shrdlu, a 30 minute documentary on the last day of typesetting at The New York Times in 1978, before the switch to computers.
Features interviews for and against the incoming technology, plus a look at the end showing the contrast between the old typesetting methods and the new computerised version.
Talking Points
What sort of things was letterpress traditionally used for?
What do people still use letterpress?
What differences are there between designing on a computer nowadays and using old methods such as letterpress?
Why do you think there is still an interest in using old technology today?
Can you think of any other old techniques used to make art that are still being used?
Why is (or is?) it important to understand old techniques and ways of making things?
How have computers changed how we make art?
What do you think is next for printing techniques? What comes after computers?