A photo taken from overhead depicting two women creating a print for University of Richmond Magazine on a 1930s letterpress in the Boatwright Library book arts studio.
By Matthew Dewald, photos by Jamie Betts
March 4, 2024

Typography

We took an old-school approach

The magazine’s staff collaborated with UR’s Book Arts Studio to manually typeset and print the art for the Spring 2024 issue’s cover story, “101 Things We Love About the University of Richmond.”

Above, Sarah Wirth, ’26, (in the black lace sleeves) typesets the cover copy for this issue with the help of Jen Thomas, program director of the Book Arts Studio in Boatwright Memorial Library. They are using a Vandercook No. 4 proof press manufactured in 1950 and purchased with funds donated by the Friends of Boatwright Memorial Library. The “101” and “of” blocks are wood type that probably dates to 1828.

A detail photo showing red printing ink spread on a glass plate with a metal ink spatula.
A photo of Jen Thomas, director of the Books Arts studio, cutting paper for prints using a large paper cutting knife. Colorful prints are on the wall behind her.
A detail photo depicting a tray of wood type.

Josie Scramlin, ’25, the student on the left in the image below wearing the green shirt, played a special role this issue. She hand-carved the linoleum block to create the red Spider on the cover. Her block is now a permanent part of the studio’s collection. Throughout the year, the Books Arts Studio works with faculty, students, and staff on projects ranging from bound oral histories, linoleum block printing, poster design, bookbinding workshops, comic making, and more.

A photo of two women - student Josie Scramiln and Jen Thomas, director of the Book arts studio, pulling a letterpress print of the cover of University of Richmond magazine off of the test press.
Two detail photos: the top image showing a hand putting metal type in a galley; the bottom image showing a brayer covered in red ink, showing the imprint of the magazine's masthead overlaid in black ink.
A detail photograph depicting a close-up of a tray of wood type.
A photo of student Sarah Wirth rolling ink onto the type lockup used to print the cover of this issue of University of Richmond magazine.
A photo showing the prints of the cover of this issue of University of Richmond Magazine sitting on a drying rack, with the artists who produced them out of focus in the background.
A still-life photograph showing print accessories including a pair of rubber gloves, a brayer roller, a color swatch book, and a toothbrush.