The Third Annual Los Angeles Printers Fair will be held at the International Printing Museum in Carson, California. Vendors from every corner of the country will exhibit their wares along with local vendors and artists. Admission is a mere $5.
The LA Printers Fair is the premier place to discover all that is available for book artists, letterpress printers, and others.
The fair supports the non-profit International Printing Museum and its educational mission. It’s suitable for all ages: Students, Educators, Families, Enthusiasts, Collectors, Typophiles, Bibliophiles, Graphic Designers, Artists and the curious will enjoy the varied demonstrations and array of vendors.
Children are welcome but must to be accompanied by an adult at all times. Even if you’ve been to the Museum before, you’ll see new vendors and materials at the Fair.
ACTIVITIES RUNNING THROUGHOUT THE DAY INCLUDE:
• Letterpress “Swap Meet:” Here’s your chance to buy antique letterpress equipment and everything you need for your own print shop. Type-lovers, graphic designers, artists, printers and members of the public are welcome to ogle over hundreds of cases of type and thousands of pounds of equipment and presses.
• General Gallery Tours – experience 500 years of printing history as knowledgeable docents guide you through an impressive collection. Letterpress demonstrations on various presses will be on-going throughout the day. FREE samples of printed materials can be taken home.
• “The 40’s Shop” – Travel back in time to experience a 40’s era working print shop. See Windmills, Ludlows, Linotypes, platen presses, proofing presses, a Miehle Vertical and a vast collection of wood and lead type. Watch in amazement as slugs are cast on a working Linotype operated by Luis Garcia.
• Browse through a Library filled with holdings on printing, papermaking, printmaking, typography and so much more.
• Purchase beautiful letterpress-printed pieces, artist books, gorgeous handmade and commercial paper/envelopes and more from one of our vendors.
Driving Directions:
Exit the 110 Freeway South at Torrance Boulevard
Turn left onto Hamilton Avenue
At the light turn left (east) on Torrance Boulevard
Go under the freeway and past the light (Figueroa Street)
Go just past the next light (entrance to the K-Mart parking lot)
You will see the Museum’s Welcome sign on your left
Turn left into the Museum’s parking lot
The Mission of the International Printing Museum
The International Printing Museum is a dynamic organization devoted to bringing the history of books, printing and the book arts to life for diverse audiences. The staff and volunteers take one of the world’s most significant collections of antique printing machinery and interpret it for today’s audiences through working demonstrations and theater presentations.
Thanks to History in Motion, the Museum’s innovative educational outreach program, thousands of students have learned about the history of books and printing, great inventions and inventors that helped make our world. The International Printing Museum has been recognized worldwide for the size and importance of its collection and for the successful and creative approach to interpreting the collection for the community and the world at large.
The Museum’s History
David Jacobson of Gutenberg Expositions and collector Ernest A. Lindner started the Museum in 1988 to house the Lindner Collection of Antique Printing Machinery. The collection has grown since then with significant donations and acquisition under the leadership of the Museum’s Board of Trustees and Founding Curator and Executive Director, Mark Barbour.
From 1988 until 1997, the Printing Museum was located in the city of Buena Park. The museum moved to its present facility in Carson, California, twenty minutes south of downtown Los Angeles, in 1998. In February, 2003, the Board of Trustees of the International Printing Museum Foundation authorized and raised the necessary funds to acquire title to the Carson property.
The International Printing Museum Foundation is recognized as a tax exempt, 501c3 public charity by the IRS. The Museum supports itself in part with receipts from its activities and programs, but relies primarily on donations from individual and corporate donors. Contributions are tax deductible to the extent allowed by law.
The Museum is open on Saturdays from 10 a.m. to 4 p.m. and by appointment during the week for groups and other visitors. Admission is $8 for adults and $7 for students and seniors.
You’ll find us at 315 West Torrance Boulevard, Carson, CA 90745, about 20 minutes south of downtown Los Angeles, conveniently near the junction of the 91, 110 and 405 Freeways.
