Museum of Printing – Wikipedia

Posted on by

From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia

Graphic arts museum in Haverhill, MA, US since 1978

The Museum of Printing (MoP),[2] located in Haverhill, Massachusetts, is a museum dedicated to preserving the history of printing technologies and practices, the graphic arts, and their role in the development of culture and literacy.[1]

History[edit]

In 1978, a group of New England printers and publishers mobilized to preserve hot metal typesetting equipment which was being replaced by the Boston Globe newspaper.[3] For the first 18 years, the growing collection was dispersed in various warehouses and spaces inaccessible to the public. In 1997, some of the collection was first opened to view in space formerly occupied by the Textile Museum in North Andover, Massachusetts. In 2016, Rochester Institute of Technology Professor Emeritus Frank Romano acquired and donated a former electrical supplies building in Haverhill, Massachusetts to house the museum.[3][2]

The core of the collection was contributed by Romano, who spent his career in the development of the modern printing business. He contributed 6,000 books from his personal library, plus many classic machines, including early Macintosh desktop publishing computers contributed by Steve Jobs.[2]

The typewriter collection has been the setting and facilitator of at least one successful marriage proposal, in 2020.[4]

Collection[edit]

The displays include a number of historic machines and related artifacts:[5]

  • Early Gutenberg-style hand-powered printing presses, progressing to small hand-operated presses used in the early 20th century
  • Linotype “hot metal” typecasting machine
  • Xerox 914 photocopier, mimeographs, spirit duplicators, and blueprint copiers
  • Typewriters, including composing typewriters such as the IBM Selectric Composer
  • A complex mechanical Chinese typewriter with thousands of characters
  • Photolithography and hand-engraving equipment
  • Bindery, finishing, and mailing equipment
  • A full-size drum scanner
  • Phototypesetters (claimed to be the largest collection in the world)[1][3]
  • Desktop publishing setups such as the original Apple Macintosh and Laserwriter printer
  • Various data storage media used with printing, such as magnetic tape, floppy disks, and specialized optical cartridges
  • Many different metal, optical, digital, and wood typefonts, including over 2500 wooden display fonts

There is an extensive library of 7,000 books, periodicals, and media related to the history of paper and printing.[6][3]

Programs[edit]

Operation of classic printing equipment is demonstrated, as well as exhibitions and hands-on workshops by artists who use printing technologies.[7][2] In 2018, the museum celebrated a “QWERTY” Festival, featuring typewriters and their history and culture.[8]

There are art galleries, meeting spaces, and a museum store on premises. The store offers books, souvenirs, and classic printing artifacts.[1]

Gallery[edit]

  • Typecasting mold
  • Hand-powered 19th century letterpresses

    Hand-powered 19th century letterpresses

  • Display of small portable presses

    Display of small portable presses

  • Ludlow typecaster setup
  • Collection of metal typefonts

    Collection of metal typefonts

  • Unitype

    Unitype “cold metal” typesetter

  • Linotype

    Linotype “hot metal” typesetter

  • Detail of Linotype mechanism

    Detail of Linotype mechanism

  • Hammond typewriter (c. 1913)

    Hammond typewriter (c. 1913)

  • Museum store

References[edit]

  1. ^ a b c d “About the Museum of Printing”. Museum of Printing. Retrieved 2022-02-28.
  2. ^ a b c d Sullivan, James (March 17, 2017). “A place in Haverhill to hold the presses”. The Boston Globe. Retrieved 2022-03-02.
  3. ^ a b c d Romano, Frank (July 9, 2019). “An introduction to the Museum of Printing, Haverhill, Massachusetts”. Association of European Printing Museums. Retrieved 2022-03-02.
  4. ^ Sorensen, Meghan (August 28, 2020). “‘Print is alive, and so is love:’ How the old art of typography led to happily ever after”. The Boston Globe. Retrieved 2022-03-02.
  5. ^ “The Museum Collection”. Museum of Printing. Retrieved 2022-02-28.
  6. ^ “Libraries”. Museum of Printing. Retrieved 2022-02-28.
  7. ^ “News and Events”. Museum of Printing. Retrieved 2022-02-28.
  8. ^ Hughes, Morgan (July 26, 2018). “Q-W-E-R-T-Y: Discover its origins at printing museum”. The Boston Globe. Retrieved 2022-03-02.

External links[edit]

Coordinates: 42°46′22.01″N 71°7′15.31″W / 42.7727806°N 71.1209194°W / 42.7727806; -71.1209194