Friday, January 16, 2015

Opening of Material Print Machine



Back in the rush to finish Future Tense, I did take an evening to pop over to the opening for Material Print Machine, the community run print studio at Omni Commons.

I'm just going to confess that I love print shops,(obviously), but there's something so sincere and powerful about a startup print shop, where the machines are all gathered from older shops and peoples' garages and Craigslist and other random places, and they all have some weird little caveats to make it all work, but dammit they don't let that stop them.

Above is their working 219 proof press, and that evening they were showing people how to run a piece of paper through it. They also had a little tabletop clamshell (pictured below) as well as standing C&P that needs some parts before it can get going - so if any readers can help out, please contact them.


They also had this offset machine that Grendl is helping them get going. Just seeing it made me miss Mandy and wish she could be there.


Here's to Material Print Machine!

4 comments:

Lincoln Cushing said...

All hail alternative and community-based print shops! You might enjoy my historic directory of such in the Bay Area.

Rocinante Press said...

Lincoln, have you seen my list?
http://rocinantepress.blogspot.com/p/bay-area-print-shops.html

posterboy said...

Nice list of current shops (though would be nice to see screenprint and offset distinction indicated). Alas, most are not explicitly committed so social change, though that's partly a sign of the times. Here's a recent story about a Chicano San Diego offset shop that's finally closing its doors: http://laprensa-sandiego.org/featured/after-45-years-of-being-the-home-to-the-local-chicano-movement-aztec-printing-the-shop-is-closing-its-doors/

Rocinante Press said...

Thanks posterboy!
I didn't break down by print medium because I'm covering all types - not just offset and screen print. The only distinction I'm making is not covering copy shops.