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Apa Wayzgoose | A Letterpress Celebration

October 17, 2019

In June of 2019, Hatch Show Print hosted the annual APA Wayzgoose, an annual get-together of professional and amateur letterpress printers from all over the country, organized by the Amalgamated Printers’ Association. The festivities featured “steam” roller printing of large woodblock carvings, and wood type, a one-of-a-kind printmaking musical performance by Manual Feed, letterpress lectures, printing presentations, and so much more.

The word “wayzgoose” comes from Middle English, and was used to
describe a printers’ picnic or feast, often held at the end of a busy summer of
printing. Once the shop was made ready for cold weather, including insulating
the windows with paper pulp and cleaning the stoves or heaters that keep the
print shop warm, it was tradition for the owner of the printing business to
prepare the feast, often serving a roasted goose.

We were glad to gather with printers from across the country for a few
days, share stories, learn more about the history and process of letterpress
printing, and toast each other each evening, for this Wayzgoose.  And, as we continue celebrating our 140th
year in this wonderful world of wood type and so many characters, we’re looking
back on the history of the print shop and looking forward to the future of
letterpress, with a series of interviews and in-depth profiles from the APA Wayzgoose,
as well as coverage of exhibits and events yet to take place.

We’ll be sharing the best stories with you. Get set to get inky.

Learn more about the Amalgamated Printers’ Association.

Learn more about upcoming activities or events at Hatch Show Print.

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