Kickstarter

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!

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