What you see up there is an image of the California job case. It represents the way that letters are arranged in a drawer of type. At Pyramid Atlantic, where I rent studio time to do my letterpressing, there are many, many typefaces available in drawers laid out in just that way. It's like Christmas every time I go to the studio, discovering new typefaces, new projects, learning new techniques.
On Friday, I went to the studio to work on engagement party invitations for friends of ours. The invitations required more text than I had previously used in one project: 11 lines! It took me about an hour and a half to set the type. I experienced an incredible feeling of pride when I pulled the first invitation off the press. Spending that much time setting type really made me feel connected to the work. Wow, I sound like a big dork! But it was amazing and I was on such a printing high when I left the studio.
Yesterday, in attempt to procrastinate reading a ridiculously long copyrights case, I researched movable type, letterpressing, and handmade paper. During my research, I stumbled upon a wonderful piece of trivia. According to wikipedia:
Doesn't that tidbit just kind of blow your mind? A little bit? Well, if that doesn't do it for you, perhaps you are more interested in what I learned when I finally got around to reading that copyrights case. Did you know that the Supreme Court thinks it's cool for Congress to extend the copyrights of already existing, in addition to future, works? It's true. Eldred v. Ashcroft, 537 US 186 (2003).
