Printing is Power: Final Reflection

Interning at the WNY Book Arts Center (BAC) was amazing. When I first walked into the Book Arts Center, I had zero knowledge about letterpresses and typesets. I have learned so many things that I wanted to learn, and have hit most of my goals. I am able to typeset my own designs and print them using a letterpress machine. I have gained skills in storing typesets and have also learned tricks on how typeset works. I have learned that the hand printing process is not easy and requires lots of effort both physically and mentally. I was able to communicate with people during events as well as when I demonstrated to customers how to use the letterpress machine for the Liquor & Letterpress (L&L) event. The event was really crowded and there were so many people that attended. I was able to deal with a large group of people at the L&L event. Liquor & Letterpress is an annual event that is open to the community to bring attention to the “revival” of the letterpress craft. Further, I gained skills in silkscreen printing, a better understanding of printing processes, and using proper crafts on the right material. All of this experience can help me work on my own as a freelance graphic designer. I have a great connection with the Book Arts Center that can be used to print my own projects at BAC for my independent artwork or freelance-work. Finally, I would rate 4.9 out of 5 because sometimes I had to do physical work since hand printing is a lot of manual labor.