First Proof in 75 Years: Bringing the C&P Back to Life

Today marked a milestone as I made my first print on the 8x12 Chandler & Price jobber press. After 75 years of silence, the old beast roared (well, clanked) back to life, and the first proof to roll off the platen was a library catalog card for Emily’s library. Fitting, really, since this press was made for work like this. Short-run jobs, printed efficiently and with style. Compared to the slow and steady Gutenberg-style presses, this 1800s-era C&P jobber is a marvel of industrial-era innovation. Five centuries of evolution at my fingertips.

Next up? I’ll be printing a catalog of my type and wood block collection as a reference tool for the workshop. The collection is a treasure trove of Vermont history carved in metal and wood from around the state. Each cut tells a story, and I’m eager to let the ink bring them back to life.