choosing the type
This year, the Industriemuseum celebrated its 50th anniversary. With the museum shop recently redesigned, it felt like the perfect moment to create something special: a birthday calendar, typeset entirely by hand using wood type and ornaments from the museum’s rich collection, and printed on a Heidelberg KSBA cylinder press.
I took care of the concept and typesetting, while volunteer Jean-Pierre Berth, with more than 30 years of experience in printing, operated the cylinder press. Volunteer André, a professional printer throughout his career, printed the numbers on an offset press.
From concept to 39 formes
testing the colours
The concept consisted of twelve pages, one for each month, a cover, and a back page with information about the calendar. The numbers on the cover were printed in black on an offset press, while the remaining typography was set in wood type and printed in three colours. Each calendar would also be hand-numbered.
I started by carefully measuring and typesetting the wood type, keeping the three-colour printing process in mind. This resulted in 39 galleys, using almost all the large ones available at the museum. Luckily, there was enough furniture to go around!
Printing had to wait, though. It was summer, and the heat in the printing department made the ink too fluid to work with properly. In the meantime, we spent months preparing the make-ready. Printing with wood type can be tricky, as years of wear mean that not every sort has the same height. Getting an even impression required plenty of proofing, adjustments, and patience.
Imagine locking up 39 formes in their chases, pulling proofs, and making all the necessary corrections before everything was ready for the press. Quite an undertaking!
Three colours, one layer at a time
By September, the temperatures had finally become bearable, and we could start printing. André first mounted the offset plates in the GTO 52 to print the numbers, allowing them to dry while we prepared the wood type for letterpress printing on the Heidelberg KSBA.
Jean-Pierre and I spent many hours getting everything right. Thanks to his dedication and experience, we managed to print the entire project in just under two weeks.
We printed in three runs: green, fluorescent red, and finally Reflex Blue. The blue turned out too dark, so we mixed it with cyan to achieve a more harmonious result alongside the other colours.
These were intense but incredibly satisfying days. Watching the images build up colour by colour, layer by layer, was one of the most rewarding parts of the process. The overlapping colours created unexpected combinations and beautiful effects—little surprises that are part of the magic of printing.
From press to finished calendar
In total, we ran more than 5,000 impressions. Once printing was finished, Jean-Pierre carefully packed the sheets for Jozias Boone, who kindly offered to trim them to size. A big thank-you to Robin Debo for transporting the boxes of paper to Jozias's place!
With the pages trimmed and sorted by month, it was time for binding. We chose Ryhove, a company that creates employment opportunities for people facing barriers to the labour market, and they did a fantastic job.
The finished calendar turned out beautifully, and I'm genuinely proud of what we created. All those hours of typesetting, measuring, proofing, adjusting, and printing were worth it. The project came together thanks to the skills, patience, and generosity of everyone involved.
The birthday calendar is now available in the Industriemuseum shop, so if you're around, drop by and get yourself one! ;)
more pictures here
you might also like
Letterpret or Alphabet Cards
Factory poster and printing with LEGO
Drukwerk in de Marge. The cover.
Lang leve de zwarte kunst | Jaaropleiding Letterzetten 2024-2025
Unfold the wrinkles of time.
'Ka-ching!' Posters for the Museum of Industry
The Museum of Industry. Textile Posters.
