Let’s Get Printing (F-Press)

Tom Boulton‘s aim is simple; to get as many people as possible, hands on and printing. It is for this reason he has designed and made a new printing press, the F-Press, which has been launched on Crowdfunder.

Covid changed everything for a lot of people in the creative industry, and in Tom’s case, as a typographic designer and letterpress printer, all of his workshops and teaching had to be cancelled and the doors to his workshop closed while his family shielded. “Whilst shielding I kept thinking; how do I print with people in a Covid 19 socially distanced world and what is the future?” says Tom. “Workshops are lively, interactive events where groups of people often crowd around a vintage cast iron press. It came to me wouldn’t it be great to have smaller easy to transport presses. This would mean anyone could own a modern and practical printing press, and workshops could be run with multiple presses whilst socially distancing or even remotely online.”

With this in mind, Tom spent the first UK lockdown designing and making. Using everything he had learnt through his 15 years working with letterpress printing and restoring presses, he worked with new ways of manufacturing, 3D printing and CNC milling. The final F-Press is designed to be easy, fun, usable, and light, and can comfortably take an A4 piece of paper for printing to be used with lino and letterpress. Tom explains; “Whilst designing I really loved that the press could be recognisable as a printing press but be dramatically different looking through the use of 3D printing and the bright colours”. He started sharing images of the prototype on his Instagram, and was surprised by the amount of positive feedback and messages he received from people saying how they would love to have a press.

The Crowdfunder went live on the 18th December, and by New Years Eve 100% funding had been achieved. A stretcher target has now been set to help develop the concept further.

Learn more and support the Crowdfunder here. Funding deadline 15th Jan 2021.

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