About this project
WE MADE IT! Thanks so much for all your support. We made our goal a few days ago and then some! All the extra support is really appreciated as well. As you may know the $11k only covers the acquisition cost of the Ludlow matrices... not travel, shipping, etc. so any more you can do would be great! Thanks again for all your love and Long Live Letterpress! -IPM
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Hi there and welcome to our Ludlow Kickstarter Project!
What we want to do:
We here at the International Printing Museum seek to rescue a collection of approximately 100 full fonts of antique Ludlow Typecasting matrices, catalog & organize the fonts into our working collection & digitize Ludlow Type Specimen books with notes on available fonts for letterpress projects. Along with the Museum's other metal, wood type fonts, these matrices will be available for casting type to be used by museum patrons, graphic designers & letterpress printers nationally for all kinds of projects including letterpress poster and business card printing, invitation and greeting card printing projects and creative jewelry making and art projects. We will also develop and offer training and classes on Ludlow operation and maintenance to ensure Ludlow's legacy. The success of the project would make this the largest active collection of hot metal type in the world available to the public. That's where we need you!
A little bit about Ludlow:
Ludlow type fonts represent a disappearing industrial heritage in America, with most fonts ending up in scrapyards & machines destroyed. Not many people know how to run and maintain the machines properly but we are dedicated to keeping our historical equipment functioning & publicly accessible for teaching. This ensures that this important collection will be enjoyed & used!
The Ludlow Typograph Company was founded in 1906 by the machine's inventor, William I. Ludlow, and machinist William A. Reade to manufacture a simpler, cheaper version of the Linotype. The Ludlow Typograph is a hot metal typesetting system used in letterpress printing. The system uses molds, known as matrices or mats, which are hand-set into a special composing stick. The device casts bars, or slugs of type, out of type metal primarily consisting of lead. These slugs are used for printing, and then are melted down and recycled on the spot. The true worth of the Ludlow lies in the fact that the printer always has fresh, clean type to print from, and never has to worry about running out of sorts.
How we plan to do it:
All funds will go towards the purchase of 100 full fonts of Ludlow matrices. If funded, our curator will travel to the location of the collection in Canada for packing and shipping of the collection to the Printing Museum. When it arrives at its new home it will be sorted and cataloged into our working collection by resident Ludlow expert James H. H. Lampert. Once cataloged, the list will be available in house and published online for project-goers to reference on letterpress projects. Then let the creativity roll!
Thanks for your support! Long live letterpress!
Check out images of some Backer Rewards below:
FAQ
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181
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$11,377
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Funding Successful
This project successfully raised its funding goal on November 19.
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Our thanks for your support and access to the catalog once it's launched online.
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Hand printed Ludlow letterpress thank you postcard
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Hand printed Ludlow letterpress thank you postcard, 5 Hand printed type specimen miniature prints
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Hand printed Ludlow letterpress thank you postcard, 5 Hand printed type specimen miniature prints, 1 hand cast type metal "LUDLOW" name slug
Pledge $100 or more Pledge $100 or more
Hand printed Ludlow letterpress thank you postcard, 5 Hand printed type specimen miniature prints, 1 hand cast type metal Personalized Ludlow slug or "LUDLOW" name slug, Hand-screened Ludlow Project tee, Wood mirrored Ludlow slug holder
Pledge $250 or more Pledge $250 or more
Hand printed Ludlow letterpress thank you postcard, 5 Hand printed type specimen miniature prints, 1 hand cast type metal Personalized Ludlow slug or "LUDLOW" name slug, Hand-screened Ludlow Project tee, Wood mirrored Ludlow slug holder, Limited Edition Kickstarter only hand printed letterpress poster printed with Ludlow type and historic woodtype and cuts
Pledge $500 or more Pledge $500 or more
Hand printed Ludlow letterpress thank you postcard, 5 Hand printed type specimen miniature prints, 1 hand cast type metal Personalized Ludlow slug or "LUDLOW" name slug, Hand-screened Ludlow Project tee, Wood mirrored Ludlow slug holder, Limited Edition Kickstarter only hand printed letterpress poster printed with Ludlow type and historic woodtype and cuts, Vintage Ludlow Font Specimen Book
Pledge $1,000 or more Pledge $1,000 or more
Hand printed Ludlow letterpress thank you postcard, 5 Hand printed type specimen miniature prints, 1 hand cast type metal Personalized Ludlow slug or "LUDLOW" name slug, Hand-screened Ludlow Project tee, Wood mirrored Ludlow slug holder, Limited Edition Kickstarter only hand printed letterpress poster printed with Ludlow type and historic woodtype and cuts, Vintage Ludlow Font Specimen Book, Personalized vintage brass ludlow matrices set and locked in a vintage steel composing stick for display
Pledge $2,500 or more Pledge $2,500 or more
Hand printed Ludlow letterpress thank you postcard, 5 Hand printed type specimen miniature prints, 1 hand cast type metal Personalized Ludlow slug or "LUDLOW" name slug, Hand-screened Ludlow Project tee, Wood Mirrored Ludlow Slug Holder, Limited Edition Kickstarter only hand printed letterpress poster printed with Ludlow type and historic woodtype and cuts, Vintage Ludlow Font Specimen Book, Personalized vintage brass ludlow matrices set and locked in a vintage steel composing stick for display, 10 lines of custom type cast in any font from the collection, 1 "unique-to-Ludlow" slanted drawer letterpress cabinets (great for small storage or as a flat file) OR Your name on a name plate affixed to one of our Ludlow typograph cabinets in our working collection.
Project By
International Printing Museum
Last Login 02/13/12
- Carson, CA
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The International Printing Museum, located in Southern California, is a dynamic non-profit museum devoted to bringing the history of books, printing and the book arts to life for diverse audiences. The staff and volunteers make it their mission to take one of the world’s most significant collections of antique printing machinery and interpret it for today’s audiences through working demonstrations and theater presentations.
Since 1988, we have reached over 400,000 people, both those visiting the Museum and those who have experienced "Museum on Wheels", the Museum’s innovative school outreach program that features a mobile colonial printing shop, teaching the history of books and printing, great inventions and inventors that helped make our world such as Ben Franklin. The International Printing Museum has been recognized worldwide for the size and importance of its collection and for the successful and creative approach to interpreting the collection for the community and the world at large.
Come visit us!
315 W. Torrance Blvd.
Carson, CA 90745
10 am to 4 pm Saturday
310-515-7166
