Embedded Meaning

– Out of Print –

Five students from the Scripps College Typography class produced this layered book by letterpress at the Scripps College Press in the Fall of 2000. Before starting on the semester book project, students were asked to exercise their muscles. First they had to carve reduction linoleum blocks, print three colored layers and then develop a short text, preferably with double and triple meanings to accompany the layered image. They learned to print position proofs to check registration and to help prevent spoilage when printing the edition on good paper. They set type and developed skills in positioning the type to it with an image. All these exercises were in preparation for their book project on layers of meaning. They conceived brand new tales, stretching their ideas to capacity, and prepared to release the meaning through words and imagery.They set the type by hand, developed images which enhanced the meaning of the text, carved linoleum, printed everything by letterpress, and then bound their newborn in pristine Tyvek, taking merely three months for the birthing of their book. They chose to hand set the type in 14 and 16 pt. Scripps College Old Style. The 24 pt. titling is set in our digital version, since we do not have that size in Italic. They started printing on Somerset Satin and completed the edition with Rives BFK. Ellen Panescu chose Riblaid for her newspaper section, and also set her type on the computer and printed it out on our HP laser printer. Almost everyone cut multiple linoleum blocks, with Ellen printing reduction layers. Heidi Stark made photopolymer plates of altered photographs she had taken and printed rainbow rolls. Liz covered her blocks with fabric using acrylic gel medium. The front and back matter are all photopolymer plates so that we could use Italic type in sizes we do not have in metal. Sarah chose to use dental dams artistically to supplement her story. They tried hard to make connections between stories so that the book became acohesive layered whole. They went into hard labor at the last, working wildly to finish by the publication deadline. We are sure you will find this book embedded with meaning. The size is 8.75″ wide x 15.25″ tall in an edition of 65 copies.

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Scripps College Press 1030 Columbia Ave. #2025 Claremont, CA 91711 Attn: Tia Blassingame
If you would like more information, please call (909) 607-3866.
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