[467] in APO Printshop
Chapter skill: Letterpress Printing
daemon@ATHENA.MIT.EDU (Leonard H. Tower Jr.)
Thu Oct 6 03:59:42 2005
Date: Thu, 6 Oct 2005 03:59:25 -0400
From: tower@alum.MIT.EDU (Leonard H. Tower Jr.)
To: tower@alum.MIT.EDU
Sent-Via-Bcc-To: apo-pledges@mit.edu, apo-mvp@MIT.EDU,
apo-printshop-manager, apo-printshop-journeyman
Reply-To: tower@alum.MIT.EDU
Hi Pledges,
If you haven't yet, you might want to follow the yellow block wall
into the depths of the back APOffice, and discover the Chapter's cache
of 19th Century graphic arts technology - the AXCoAPO Letterpress
Print Shop.
Learning to print in the Shop is a Chapter skill.
A few things about the Press Shop and learning to print.
* If no one in front of the APOffice, close the door when you leave.
Even if there are brothers in the back APOffice.
Why? Both Chapter and personal property have occasionally been
stolen out of the APOffice. If you are in the back of the APOffice,
it is almost impossible to see or hear people coming into the front
of the APOffice. Especially if the large press is running.
* The Press is one of the Chapter's power tools, and is dangerous to
use without appropriate safety training.
* To be able to use the press by yourself, that is become a press
operator, you have to be:
* a brother of Alpha Chi
* have successfully completed both a training run and a qualifying
run, supervised by a brother qualified to train press operators.
Non-brothers, including pledges, who are judged competent to use the
press by a press trainer, can do so under the supervision of a press
operator, who takes responsibility for their being in the APOffice,
and their safe use of the press shop.
* If you are interested in learning to use the press, please add
yourself to the Moira/Athena mailing list:
apo-printshop-wants-training
If you have trouble doing this, ask apo-printshop-manager@mit.edu or
apo-acl@mit.edu for help.
* If you like to be trained soon, please send me an e-mail. I'm one
of the brothers qualified to train others on the letterpress, and
have recently been doing most of the training runs.
We have these jobs available:
Jobs for the Chapter (Chapter pays for any of the Shop's paper used)
* Stationery for the Chapter. Both letterhead and envelopes.
* Thank You Cards for AX to use.
* Chapter Invites, e.g.
- Steak Fry
- SFF (Semi-Formal Formal)
- Initiation and Installation Banquet
* Publicity posters for UMOC and other events
Jobs for the Shop (No fees. Any paper purchased charged to Press Fund)
* Labels showing contents of type cases in that type face.
* Pages for the APO Letterpress Shop Type Catalogue for faces that
don't' have them, yet.
Jobs for yourself, or others at MIT, or non-profit groups. (There are
nominal fees charged to recover costs and pay for paper.)
* Stationery
* Posters
* Wedding and Anniversary Invitations
* etc.
A training run usually takes 6 to 8 hours, and can be split into two
roughly equal sessions. It is possible to train two people in one
training run.
A qualifying run usually take 4 to 6 hours.
Plan to wear work clothes that you don't mind getting stained.
Printing ink is like paint - grungy and messy. Gloves and aprons are
available, but not 100% effective.
If you're interested, please reply to me with a few possible times,
and we can schedule a training session.
yiLFS -len MIT '71
PS: I was initiated into Alpha Chi in the Fall of '67. And help out
with the press as asked by the actives.
