In 2015 I had the privilege of spending a year studying typography and letterpress printing with Barry Moser. I spent all the time I could in the print shop, a magical place filled with cabinets of lead type, spools of string, and beautiful pages of printed words.
Upon graduating (aka being kicked out of the print shop) the next year, I wanted to continue to learn and create, so I bought a small printing press which lived in the basement of my studio apartment in Belfast, Maine. I named it Squeezebox Press in honor of my other favorite object/hobby, my little button accordion! Early in 2020 I moved back to my hometown of Portland, Oregon, where I continue to use my press to make stationery, postcards, posters, broadsides, and whatever else anyone wants to have pressed beautifully onto nice paper.
Bio
Emma in her apartment/printing studio, January 2017
Emma is a graduate of Smith College with a degree in Environmental Science and Policy. She was fascinated by Smith's printshop as soon as she saw it, and has been printing since 2015. In addition to letterpress printing, she enjoys playing traditional tunes on the fiddle and button accordion, writing letters, singing, knitting, and dismantling oppressive systems. One of her childhood nicknames was "the Project Queen", a title she carries proudly into adulthood.
All photography provided by Baron Collins-Hill
About the press
My press is a restored Craftsmen 5x8 platen press, made in Boston Mass. It was probably made sometime in the early 20th century, but I've had trouble finding specific details (if you are an expert on this, please get in touch!) I bought it in the first days of 2017. Being so small certainly means it has limitations, but it can do an impressive range of projects for such a little machine, and I adore it!
I love setting metal type by hand and have a small collection of fonts, but most of my work is made with photopolymer plates.