The program’s target audience are design students (undergrads and graduate students), professional designers and teaching design faculty with a strong interest in typography, poster design, and letterpress printing. All the tasks are designed to work for both, students and professionals of any level and only require a strong motivation from the participantʼs side. Many of the trained skills will be practiced in analog letterpress technique. However all of the acquired typographic knowledge can also be applied in the daily digital practice.
The number of participants per session is limited to 12, with a minimum set at 8 students.

Requirements

To apply to any of the sessions, please fill out the application form. Also include a short letter of motivation (PDF upload, 4–5 sentences on why you want to participate) and a short CV or bio (PDF upload). We will assess each application and contact you within five days of receipt of materials.

Application process

Please see the individual deadlines for each session.

Deadline

The course fee can be wire transferred or sent via credit card upon acceptance and before the class start date. Please make sure to read our <a href="https://typographic-printing-program.com/terms-and-policy" rel="noreferrer" target="_blank">terms and policy</a> before you apply. And please be prepared to make the full payment of the course fee within 30 days of acceptance to the class.

Payment

<a href="mailto:&#99;&#x6f;&#x6e;&#x74;&#97;&#x63;&#x74;&#x40;&#x74;&#121;&#x70;&#111;&#x67;&#x72;&#x61;&#112;&#104;&#x69;&#x63;&#x2d;&#112;&#114;&#105;&#110;&#116;&#105;&#110;&#x67;&#45;&#x70;&#114;&#x6f;&#103;&#114;&#97;&#109;&#x2e;&#x63;&#x6f;&#109;">contact@typographic-printing-program.com</a>

Regular fee (until May 6)

Late bird (after May 6)

I: Typographic Disillusion I

II: Typographic Disillusion II

Apply now!

Contact

Imprint

Terms and policy

@typographicprintingprogram

Newsletter

Typographic Printing Program

Info

Typographic Printing Program is an intense design-focused typography and letterpress printing program combining the old with the new. It has been initiated and is based around the practice of Swiss poster designer and letterpress printer Dafi Kühne. Its goal is to experiment with progressive typography in combination with traditional analog tools. All exercises will be realized with letterpress printing presses and physical type. Through this very slow but accurate process, the participants will learn to put emphasis on concept and micro typography, while exploring new approaches with old technology. Since 2016, TPP has had more than 100 participants from a total of 24 different countries. In 2022 and 2023 we have conducted satellite sessions in collaboration with <a href="https://hmctartcenter.org" rel="noreferrer" target="_blank">Hoffmitz Milken Center for Typography</a> in Pasadena, CA.

Manifesto

Analog versus digital

Typography first

Breaking the rules

De-romanticizing print

Semantics versus style

Research lab

Typographic posters

Equity, diversity and inclusion

Instructors

Dafi Kühne

Visiting instructors

Visiting lecturer

Posters

Studio

babyinktwice

We have <a download href="https://cms.typographic-printing-program.com/media/pages/info/646b0d06ae-1691757873/location-hotels_2024.pdf">this list of recommendations for accommodations.</a> 
Näfels is a small town and options are limited. Of course you’re welcome to book whatever you can find through any platform—but please be aware of commuting to the studio daily. What looks straight and flat on a map might actually have a mountain in between! So please talk to us if you find something and you’re unsure if it is suitable for daily commuting. 
Here is where the studio’s at: babyinktwice 
<a href="https://goo.gl/maps/kD1EHuKxKro9evGQA" rel="noreferrer" target="_blank">M&uuml;hlh&auml;usern 2, 8752 N&auml;fels, Switzerland</a>

Can you help me with finding accommodations for the workshops?

No, though the course fees cover all the needed materials at the workshop—individual travel costs, meals and accommodation are not included and are within the responsibilities of the participants.

Are accommodation provided with the course?

We can provide program confirmation letters that can help you apply with your embassy. Any visa application process and all travel arrangements, however, are with the responsibility of the participant.

Can you help me obtain a visa to travel for any of the sessions?

Accommodations and travelling

Typographic Printing Program doesn’t have a direct sign up process, but is asking for applications. Read this short blog article on why and how this application process works. 
<a href="https://www.typographic-printing-program.com/blog/5-questions-to-dafi-kuhne-about-the-application-process">&laquo;5 questions to Dafi K&uuml;hne about the application process&raquo;</a>
Don’t get scared off by the application process—it really just makes sure you can work with a crazy cool and diverse group of cohorts and type geeks, who all share similar interests…

Why can’t I sign up directly? Why do I have to apply for the program?

From 2022–2023 we offered satellite sessions of Typographic Printing Program at the fantastic premises of <a href="https://hmctartcenter.org" rel="noreferrer" target="_blank">Hoffmitz Milken Center for Typography</a> at Art Center in Pasadena. For now, we are planning shorter workshops in collaboration with HMCT in Pasadena, CA (check the teaching schedule of Dafi Kühne on <a href="https://www.babyinktwice.ch/teaching-schedule/">babyinktwice.ch</a>.

Are you planning to offer more sessions in Pasadena, CA?

Application

Yes, you’ll get a letterpress printed certificate of attendance stating that you have completed the 120-hour Typographic Printing Program and learned about type theory, type history, semantic typography, layout composition, and letterpress production.

Do I receive a confirmation that I have attended the program?

Certificate

No, participants at all levels are welcome here, as long as they are motivated to work intensely and try new approaches. All typographic exercises and instructions are designed to take participants from any level and push them as far as possible. Experienced designers, as much as beginners, can jump in at their level.

Do I need any previous experience in graphic design or typography to participate in any of the sessions?

No, participants at all levels are welcome here, as long as they are motivated to work intensely and try new approaches. All printing exercises and instructions are designed to take participants from any level and push them as far as possible. Experienced printers, as much as beginners, can jump in at their level.

Do I need any previous experience in letterpress printing to participate in any of the sessions?

Experience

Oh, yes they are the best and you’ll make friends forever!
Read some of the <a href="https://www.typographic-printing-program.com/blog">blog articles</a> from former participants in the category «people».

Are the workshops fun?

Are meals provided with the course?

Meals

No, but please carefully read our terms regarding cancellation fees.

Is there an application fee for any of the sessions?

We will send you an invoice after your acceptance. Payments have to be made via international wire transfer or credit card within 30 days of acceptance. The earlier you get accepted, the earlier you have to make your payment to reserve your spot. All transfer fees (credit card fees (2.5%) or international wire transfer fees (ask your bank)) have to be covered by the participant.

When and how do I make the payment for the class?

Upcoming sessions

Typographic Disillusion I

Typographic Disillusion II

Typographic Fitness

Typographic Detox

Stop Typographic Pollution

Join the Cult of Type

Pow!

Typographic Summer Program

Death to the Print

2023

2022

2021

2020

2019

2018

2017

2016

Session I

Session II

100 Plakate für Näfels

Voices from last year’s participants

2024 poster production

A certificate for 120 hours of typography

Where do our participants come from?

Typeroom × Typographic Printing Program half price scholarship for Session II in Pasadena

Story time: from Superba to Helvetica Schmalfett

Letterpress poster production videos for 2017–2022

Finally, the new website is here!

Dafi is a poster designer, letterpress printer and graphic design educator from Switzerland. He is the initiator and main organizer of Typographic Printing Program.
<a href="https://www.babyinktwice.ch" rel="noreferrer" target="_blank">www.babyinktwice.ch</a> 
<a href="https://instagram.com/dafikuhne" rel="noreferrer" target="_blank">@dafikuhne</a>

How I spent my summer vacation as a letterpress printer

What was your favorite moment? #2

What was your favorite moment?

About refreshing and refining letterpress and typography knowledge in a judgement-free zone

The potential of analog design methods for digital design

«Why would anyone want to stop printing posters?»

5 questions to Dafi Kühne about the application process

Sabrina is a graphic designer focusing on typography and books. She is the author of «Der erste Eindruck zählt!» a book about the basics of typography published by Verlag Hermann Schmidt and program assistant of Typographic Printing Program.
<a href="https://www.sabrinaoettl.at" rel="noreferrer" target="_blank">www.sabrinaoettl.at</a>

Sabrina Öttl

Two weeks of Swiss type: a short typographic review

Veronica is a freelance graphic designer and art director. Her practice focuses on different subjects such as contemporary arts, typography, web design and fashion and she is currently working between Milan and London.
<a href="https://www.instagram.com/veronicalbart/" rel="noreferrer" target="_blank">@veronicalbart</a>

Veronica Alba

Blog

Since 2016, I have hosted 12 sessions of Typographic Printing Program at my studio in Näfels. Over this period more than 100 international participants have immersed themselves in a new environment to learn new approaches in an intensive design program. From April 13 to April 14, 2024 the exhibition «100 Plakate für Näfels» will present the results of these sessions to the public for the first time.

The stay in the rural area of Näfels in the canton of Glarus, has a formative effect on the wide range of international participants. The program’s consistent task, «What is there in Näfels, or rather, what is actually still missing?», was inspired by the participants’ interest in this unfamiliar environment. They developed their individual answers through fictitious cultural events in and around Näfels. The study produced 100 concepts, perspectives, and opportunities, which were laboriously crafted into typographic letterpress posters and will be shown at the exhibition. 
Anyone interested in these perspectives for Näfels, or interested in the potential of teaching contemporary typography with traditional tools, is invited to visit the exhibition at my studio during opening hours.
A publication accompanies the exhibition and catalogs the 100 posters on display as well as their creators. In addition to the content index, it lists and analyzes the design elements of the posters. The decomposition of the posters into their design elements demonstrates how various typographic designs and atmospheres were created despite the limitations imposed by the consistent task, the analog technology and the available materials. The publication is freely available at the exhibtion.

Exhibition 
Saturday, April 13, 2024: 11am–6pm 
Sunday, April 14, 2024: 11am–4pm
Apéro 
Saturday, April 13, 2024: 4pm
Guided tours 
every odd hour
Location 
Poster studio Dafi Kühne 
Mühlhäusern 2, Näfels, Switzerland
The exhibition is kindly supported by Swisslos Kulturfonds Kanton Glarus.

Join us!

When Dafi told me that more than 100 participants had already completed the Typographic Printing Program, and that he was planning an exhibition to show a selection of 100 posters to the public, I suggested a publication to accompany the event. Yes, it’s nice to see all the posters, but I think it’s even nicer to have a little more context to better understand the results.

I did the program in 2020 and have been working in Dafi’s studio ever since. I have also assisted him in the following TPP sessions. So I have experienced the program first hand and know what it is like, but I have also had the opportunity to observe the program from a more distant perspective as an assistant. For me, one of the key takeaways from the program is that limitations give you opportunities because they help you see your design sketch from a different perspective. This is very helpful when you get stuck in a design process. Most likely, it’s not the whole design that doesn’t «work» but some important minimal details. You «just» need to know which details.
The limitations of the program are:
a) The technology of letterpress itself. There is a lot that can be done with letterpress, in particular in combination with today’s digital tools, and Dafi is a big fan of pushing those limits (especially the limits of precision, so that a letterpress-printed poster does not look like a letterpress-printed poster). However, not everything is possible, and you will eventually hit those limits. 
b) The available material. Dafi has spent a lot of time researching, collecting and rescuing materials and tools from the scrap heap since setting up his studio. He really has a lot of stuff, but he does not have everything you might need (for example, there are no unlimited characters like in digital typesetting). 
c) The recurring task of creating a poster for a fictional event for Näfels and the step-by-step restrictions Dafi gives you in designing this poster. He wants you to explore all the minimal iterations to get the most out of your design. A poster that visually reinforces the meaning of the text and content. This approach is called semantic typography and is achieved through the deliberate selection and combination of several typographic elements. As a viewer, you usually do not need to see these elements—you just need to feel the atmosphere when you look at the poster. But as a visitor to the exhibition, I wanted to give the viewer this context.

About my insights into the program

The publication is 8 pages of brain food. The cover shows roughly where the fictional events will take place in the rural town of Näfels in the canton of Glarus (e.g. many people preferred an event in the historic Freulerpalast or an event on one of the many lakes around Näfels). Inside the publication you’ll find some short texts that give you the context of the program, Dafi’s view on typography, and the exhibition. The publication also catalogs the 100 posters on display and their creators.
The heart of the publication is the infographic in the center. In addition to the content index, it lists and analyzes the design elements of the posters. The decomposition of the posters into 11 of their design elements (for example reading levels, title wording style, word count, paper color or printing material) demonstrates how various typographic designs and atmospheres were created despite the limitations. The graph is like a heat map showing what was used the most and what was used the least. Just by looking at it, you get an overview of all the posters that you could not get just by looking at the 100 posters in the exhibition.

How the publication came about

For example, the graph shows that 81 participants used linoleum as their printing material. This illustrates that you really do not need a fancy material or metal/wood type to print typographic posters. A simple and versatile material allows you to realize almost all of your design ideas. 
72 posters use only sans fonts. Well, this is due to the fact that Dafi has many more sans than serif fonts. But people do not start by choosing a font for their poster—meaning it is not the primary factor that leads to it. People start with visualizing their concept, and one of the very last steps before producing the poster is choosing a font. This figure suggests that after a rigorous design process, people end up using (similar) sans because they do not feel they need an extravagant font to convey their message. Their composition already does the job.
Another interesting fact is that 37 posters use only two font sizes, but almost as many (36 posters) use more than 5 font sizes. I think this is also due to the analog approach. When you draw by hand, it’s much easier to change the size of individual letters. In fact, it’s automatically done because it’s very hard to keep your font size perfectly consistent. As graphic designers, we are often trained to reduce design elements to the maximum. The software supports this attitude because it is much easier to use the same font specifications in a text box. But somehow, through this manual approach, people realize that many font sizes for individual letters help their message. They end up using many font sizes, and yet their posters have a reduced look and do not look chaotic.

What you can learn from this infographic

If you want to know exactly who used which parameter, you can trace it back using the link numbers. It will probably take some time, but it will show you the recipe for each poster. For those who still cannot get enough of the publication, it includes a supplemental blue inlay. For 8 of the 100 posters on display, this inlay provides detailed information about the event concepts that participants had to write before designing their poster, as well as the individual printing process. 
Yes, the publication is only 8 pages (plus inlay), but there is a lot to explore!

100 posters in a nutshell (Bilder fehlen noch)

The new poster for 2024 Typographic Disillusion sessions are ready. Freshly printed on the most glossy paper we could find.

It is official: the topic of the 2024 TPP sessions is «Typographic Disillusion». So please stop believing the illusion of bad typography! To reflect the topic visually, the posters has been printed from hand-cut linoleum and Ludlow slugs on the glossiest of all papers. And yes—this poster has no wavy or curved lines. Everything is dead-straight. Enjoy your disillusion.

Typographic Disillusion 2024

Typographic Printing Program doesn’t have a direct sign up process, but is asking for applications. What’s the use for such a process? I’ve asked five questions to Dafi Kühne [DK] about the application process and his vision behind it.

[DK] «For all our sessions ins Switzerland and in Pasadena, there are limited number of spaces. So to makes sure we get a diverse field of great participants, we introduced an application process right from the start TPP in Switzerland in 2016. The goal is to find a broad range of motivated participants. Our sessions are intense, filled up with as much content as we can, therefore we want to make sure that all the participants are motivated and have a profound interest in typography and analog processes. We want to work with a group of diverse backgrounds to have rich discussions and great exchange within the group.»

Why is there an application instead of a direct sign up process?

[DK] «With your application, we are asking for a simple letter of motivation and a CV. The letter of motivation is really just a one-page PDF with 4–5 sentences why you want to participate in the program. It is important for us to see that you are expecting the right things from this workshop and you really want to study typography, poster design and letterpress printing. The CV (Curriculum Vitae) allows you to summarize your education, skills and experience. This second one-page PDF contextualizes your background and helps us to select a broad range of participants.»

What does the application need to include?

[DK] «To participate in our sessions, it is not that relevant what you already know or are able to do. All we need to know if you are motivated to work and learn with us. We have had participants with diverse professional backgrounds, different professional levels and of course different origins and age groups. All our exercises are designed to pick up participants at any level, from very experienced professionals to very young students at the begin of their career. For us it is most important to work with a group of devoted typography nerds (or future typography nerds) that are open for new approaches and willing to learn—and that really includes any entry level.»

Why are you not asking for a portfolio?

[DK] «The applications end up on my desk. I am reading through them and if I can, I reply in batches of 3–4 applications. Besides the criteria of motivation, I am trying to select a good diverse group of participants, this includes professional levels, professional backgrounds, gender identities, ages, ethnicities, and nationalities. To make sure this is not just a one-man show, for the sessions in Switzerland, I pass the applications through Julia Marti, who also is co-teaching in the summer sessions to help me select from the field of applications. A second pair of eyes really helps to make a good selection.»

Who is looking at the applications?

[DK] «As much as the application is an active filter—it much more is a passive one. This means, only those that really want to participate, will submit an application. So if you take the efforts to write a few lines why you want to participate and send us a CV this already proofs your true interest in the workshop. That’s half the battle. The earlier you apply, the more likely it is go get in. Sometimes you might get offered a different session, but we really help you to make your participation possible whenever we can. Don’t get scared off by the application process—it really makes sure you can work with a crazy cool and diverse group of cohorts and type geeks, who all share similar interests… Yay!»

Is it hard to get accepted?

We just finished two successful summer sessions of TPP and celebrate with the 14 happy participants holding their brand-new certificates of attendance.

Typographic Printing Program is an intense program where you’ll get instruction in type theory, type history, semantic typography, layout composition, and letterpress production. The focus lies on intensive. In 13 days, you’ll get to know many new things and enter a whole new universe of typography, leaving Switzerland with your own designed and letterpress-printed poster. That will be a lot of fun but also a lot of work.
To record and value all the sweat, participants get a certificate of attendance stating that they have completed the 120-hour Typographic Printing Program. The certificates are linen-bound and all letterpress hand-printed from hot-metal Ludlow slugs. They are elegant proofs of a rigorous and comprehensive time here and you can list it in your CV, show to your friends and of course, your grandparents—they will be so proud of you. 
One of those could be yours. Apply now for one of the 2024 sessions. (Not just for the certificate, but because of the experience you’ll gather while working on getting it.)

Ashley Fuchs [AF] participated in Typographic Printing Program in summer 2022. Ashley is an Assistant Professor of Graphic Design at Montana State University in Bozeman, MT, USA. She studied Architecture and Graphic Design and was first introduced to letterpress printing in graduate school. Since then she has continued to develop the studio at MSU and has formed her own studio Hacienda Paradiso Press. I’ve talked to Ashley to ask her about her experiences and takeaways from her two weeks in Switzerland.

[AF] «I got to know Dafi through his talks during COVID, specifically the <a href="https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=gDqxqMgrr0s" rel="noreferrer" target="_blank">Hamilton Hangs</a> and the blog he runs. From these talks and following him on social media, I became aware of the TPP and its offering both in California and Switzerland. I can always go to California, but not Switzerland so it was an easy choice for which location to choose from. It did not disappoint!»

How did you get to know about TPP?

[AF] «I applied rather quickly after learning about it. No hesitations, I just hoped that there were enough spots open in the program.»

Did you apply immediately, or did you have any hesitations at the beginning?

[AF] «I had experience with letterpress before so there weren’t so many surprises in the analog process, however, the key difference between learning in this program and elsewhere is the extreme precision and attention to detail when printing. The program brought to light hidden invisibles about ink mixing, dryers, type height, packing, and details and information about printing that isn’t easily accessible. It was so refreshing to have transparency in printing and quality expectations in a judgment-free zone.»

What are your most surprising takeaways from this traditional analog process?

[AF] «What I have implemented from my digital work, specifically digital work that gets translated to analog is that almost anything created digitally can be used as a blueprint for physical reproduction. The ability to use digital processes first helps elevate analog work because planning and organizing digitally helps you be more accurate with type size and spacing alignment in printed work. Digital helps establish a highly refined and accurate sketch of what can be made physically and that is an incredible takeaway to not only know but have experienced first hand in this program.»

How did you implement your digital experience in analog processes?

[AF] «My experience at TPP has also influenced my digital design practice and my teaching curriculum at my university. Instead of working solely digitally or physically, finding a strong interplay between the two in my work has been a main take away from TPP. Recently, exploring how physical type manipulations can inform digital design layouts and content has been at the forefront of my design decisions and has been included in an updated project I’ve developed for my students at Montana State University. The ability to think about how objects and typography forms exist physically, how they can be manipulated, interpreted, and used digitally is a huge conceptual and learning outcome from TPP. Without my involvement in the program I wouldn’t have been able to explore a symbiotic relationship between digital and physical design—furthermore making sure that physical and digital design decisions relate back to conceptual developments of design content. A huge learning experience for me was not only what I can do digitally and physically, but how what I’m making relates back to an informed conceptual driver aligned with rationales for form rather than decisions based on style or preference of the designer.»

And what about the opposite: How did the knowledge acquired at TPP influence your digital practice? 

[AF] «Inspiring, energetic, and intensive in the best way possible. As a professional, it is almost impossible to donate a large amount of time to developing my skills because of other work obligations. The fact that this program was two weeks and was filled every day with processes, explorations, and ideation helped create an intensive study that propelled my conceptualization and printing techniques beyond any other learning experience I have had in the past.
Unforgettable is another good description—every time I print or conceptualize a piece now there isn’t a moment when I don’t think about the concepts and processes I learned in the program.»

After finishing it, how would you describe TPP in your own words?

Images by Dennis Wittmann and Ashley Fuchs.

Typographic Printing Program is not only for designers or letterpress printers. We encourage people with all levels of background to join the program. As long as you are motivated to learn and try out new approaches, anybody is welcome!
Angelina Lippert is a poster historian, dealing daily with curating but not exactly designing posters. She is the Chief Curator &amp; Director of Content of <a href="https://posterhouse.org" rel="noreferrer" target="_blank">Poster House</a> in New York City. In order to truly understand the medium her work is focused on she spent her summer vacations in 2023 in Switzerland to participate in the Typographic Printing Program.
She wrote a detailed, personal, and honest review of her experiences in these two weeks for Poster House. Thank you for that, Angelina! We wanted to share her valuable thoughts, so here are some quotes extracted from her reflection:

«The next day, we focused on kerning—mastering how the spaces between letters are determined by a typesetter. […] Never has a hairspace weighed so heavily on my soul.»

«I should also mention that the end of the work day did not generally mean the end of our time in the studio. We had a handful of great evening lectures throughout the program, introducing us to working designers outside of the field of letterpress.»

«This was without a doubt one of the most rewarding poster experiences I could have hoped for—and I really want to encourage anyone out there who thinks they aren’t enough of a designer to participate in something like this to reconsider that reflex. No matter what your skill level, being in an environment that meets you where you are and raises you up along with a group of beautifully supportive people is so rare.»

If you want to read Angelina’s review in full length, check out Poster House and read her article <a href="https://posterhouse.org/blog/how-i-spent-my-summer-vacation-as-a-letterpress-printer/?mc_cid=158becb597" rel="noreferrer" target="_blank">here</a>.
Quotes and images by Angelina Lippert.

Every session on three evenings, we have a variety of guest lectures from fantastic Swiss designers. This is a great opportunity for the participants to get to know different aspects of typography and poster design.

These presentations are usually analog with physical examples. Because the setting is intimate, there is plenty of room to ask questions and get to know the designers, their projects, thoughts, and processes. And because the Typographic Printing Program is all about having a good time, the talks mostly end at the local kebab restaurant to really ask all the questions you might have.
Last year, among others, Jiri Oplatek and Balmer Hählen joined the groups to show their work. 
Jiri Oplatek is based in Basel and co-founder of the studio Claudiabasel. He brought a large selection of stunning F4 posters he has been working on for various cultural institutions and events over the past few years. His posters have a strong focus on typography and are mostly produced with silkscreen printing. He told us about his design process and how it doesn’t end with a PDF because of all the factors you have to consider when using silkscreen printing. He also talked about his early career and how his first long-term poster client gave him freedom to explore and develop himself and how series for long-term clients evolved.
Priscilla Balmer and Yvo Hählen of Balmer Hählen came all the way from Lausanne to Näfels. They also brought a large number of great physical typographic posters and print products, which they have been working on since they founded their studio in 2013. Their work is strongly influenced by a very structured use of typography, their choice of materials, production possibilities, and above all their curiosity to try out complicated new techniques and push the limits of their producers. They showed us their final printed products, but also how the (sometimes messy and rough) sketches of their first thoughts or iterations of testing turned into these fantastic final haptic results.
Thank you, Jiri, Priscilla and Yvo for joining the program. It was truly inspiring!
And for those who don’t know them—check out their work: Jiri Oplatek (<a href="https://claudiabasel.ch/" rel="noreferrer" target="_blank">Website</a>, <a href="https://www.instagram.com/jiri_oplatek/" rel="noreferrer" target="_blank">Instagram</a>), Balmer Hählen (<a href="https://www.balmerhahlen.ch" rel="noreferrer" target="_blank">Website</a>, <a href="https://www.instagram.com/balmerhahlen/" rel="noreferrer" target="_blank">Instagram</a>)

Jiri Oplatek and Balmer Hählen at Typographic Printing Program

While organizing a workshop for type nerds and print lovers—it also needs a good printed poster for advertising. Check out the production videos for the letterpress printed posters from 2017–2022. Perfect for binge-watching. And stay tuned for next year’s poster.

The detox posters have been printed from both sides on transparency paper. And they really worked. If you stick them on top of any bad typography posters, they immediately detox the environment! Laser-cut linoleum and freshly cast Ludlow slugs.

2022 Typographic Detox

Well, if we are talking about pollution, you got to see it somehow visually. So the question just is: is this poster part of the typographic pollution? You decide! Printed from hand-cut and laser-cut linoleum, and freshly cast Ludlow slugs.

2021 Stop Typographic Pollution

Printed black on black! Yes, our cult is dark. Yes, you can’t get out! Yes, it is the most fun!
And look at the crazy justified layout on the back. That took at least 2 days to cast and work out all the details.

2020 Join the cult of type

The pow poster was a provocation in it self. We are staying away from type-bashing here at TPP since we strongly believe that you can produce good work with almost any typeface—if you use it right. 
A few years back, I got in to a discussion with a German typographer and I said something like I didn’t like type-bashing. He said something like «…but you definitely would’t make a poster with Comic Sans, would you!?». Well, the Pow!-poster was my reply to that! Haha. And it was awarded by the 100 best posters of Germany, Switzerland and Austria in 2019.

2020 Pow!

Just a plain old hand-set poster, that’s all. Composed from: so. many. pieces.

2018 Typographic Summer Program

A true manifesto for print. You say print is dead? We agree, until we disagree!

2017 Death to the print

Do you know the feeling when you made the decision to redesign a website and you just can’t wait until it is finally live! This is it. Here we are. I can’t wait for everyone to see it. Yes.

The new website contains a lot of informations on the sessions in Switzerland and in Pasadena for you to get everything you need to know to participate. Check it out and apply! It is worth it. 
Besides all the information on the Sessions, on the new site we also introduced this blog. Yes, yes, I know… Blog posts are so 1999! Haha. But in the discussions about this new site we decided that we need a tool to give a bit of insight to the organisation, backgrounds and interviews with TPP alumni—and just simply a bit more context. So it is not only the voice of Dafi, but also different points of view.

I would like to thank my employee and program assistant Sabrina Öttl for the great work she has done with the complete redesign and coordination of the website, as well as Mathias Gmeiner for the great programming! 🖤

I love pulling out the physical artifacts of our typographic history for the participants of Typographic Printing Program. We call it story time here. «C’mon uncle Dafi, tell us an other story!» And everybody’s happy. Okay, here we go…

Superba is the name of a beautiful Egyptian style slab serif designed by Edmund Thiele and offered by Haas’sche Schriftgiesserei (Haas Type Foundry) in Münchenstein, Switzerland. It was cast in foundry metal type from 1934 on. It also was licensed and and offered as poster type (wood type) by the Swiss poster type manufacturer Roman Scherer a few years later.

However, in 1940 Edmund Thiele designed Commercial Grotesk, a condensed sans serif for Haas Type Foundry. In that process, he basically cut off the serifs of Superba Condensed. The similarities between Superba Condensed and Commercial Grotesk are astounding–and what’s even more impressive was how well Commercial Grotesk worked as a condensed sans, which basically was just a slab serif with chopped of serifs. Commerical Grotesk was very common as a foundry metal type face and still can be found in many letterpress print shops throughout Switzerland.

But the transformation process of Superba was not finished yet. The next chapter was written an other 30 years later when Helvetica by Haas Type Foundry was in full bloom. Around 1970 Haas needed to expand the styles they offered for their most important face of that time. Since the competition was on between many European foundries offering similar sans serifs in many styles. To quickly expand the styles of Helvetica, Haas simply transformed Commercial Grotesk to Helvetica Schmalfett and Helvetica Schmalhalbfett by changing just a few letterforms. Alfred Hoffman, former director of Haas once told me, it was basically done over night. The features of Commercial Grotesk were very close to Helvetica. And cutting all completely new sets of punches would have been very labour intense, when competitors already had large typeface families ready on the market. So basically Commercial Grotesk mainly got renamed (with a few slight changes like the «t» or the «4») over one night.

Since at the studio in Näfels I have Superba, Commercial Grotesk and many styles of Helvetica, it is the perfect chance to take a little break from all the sketching work the participants do. So we pull out the physical artifacts of this incredible story, take that break for story time! And really, everybody’s happy—including me.

For more details see: Lars Müller and Victor Malsy (eds.). Helvetica forever: Geschichte einer Schrift. Baden: Lars Müller, 2008.

Audrey Solomon [AS] started getting interested in letterpress during her bachelor in visual communication and product design and one of her internships that was heavily focused on typography. The more she read and saw about letterpress, the more she really wanted to extend her knowledge in this field. After finishing her master in publishing she is now working in the field of editorial design in Munich. Audrey and I talked about how TPP helped her to build a foundation of (typo)graphic understanding for her daily—mainly digital—work.

[AS] «Firstly: I wanted to get my hands dirty and be in a workshop again, learning a new «tool». Secondly: I wanted to learn as much as possible about type and was interested in Dafi’s design process, having seen his work.»

What were your expectations of the program? Why did you participate?

[AS] «An absolute blast. Admittedly, I was pretty exhausted when it was done, but it was definitely worth it. Besides a lot of new knowledge of design processes and typography and letterpress, it was the people I met that made the course so enriching and fun. And of course, now I got a cool poster for my portfolio.»

How was your experience at TPP?

[AS] «Firstly: Detail makes the difference. I learnt to allow a process to take the time it needs and invest care and attention into the smallest detail to obtain good quality work. Secondly: Prepare every day of work and step well, no «cmd+z» on a letterpress printing press ;) You learn from your mistakes but you also stay more attentive that way. Thirdly: Know the (typographic) rules and where they come from, even if you then decide to break them.»

What useful lessons did the traditional analog process teach you?

[AS] «We have so few constraints when it comes to digital work and we are pushed more and more to work at an incredibly fast pace, and I do not mean in a very productive way. The course really helped me appreciate how physical constraints and the before-mentioned care and preparation needed in a letterpress workshop and in analog production, can actually enrich your process and design. When I feel lost in my process when working purely digitally, I often return to analog methods, some of which acquired during the TPP, combining them with our digital possibilities nowadays.»

How do you apply these approaches in your daily digital work?

[AS] «Apply, have fun, be open, absorb it all and make sure you get everybody’s number and email in the end.»

What is your concluding advice for future participants?

Images by Audrey Solomon, Dafi Kühne and Sabrina Öttl.

This post is the start of a new series of upcoming blog posts where we’ll introduce you to the most important tools we use at TPP. It’s a non-systematic or non-alphabetical and work-in-progress glossary of typographic tools and techniques. Various tools that you might already know or that might make you curious. The one thing all these tools have in common is that they are sometimes tricky, but always fun to use.

The most frequent used and therefore most important material at Typographic Printing Program definitely is Linoleum. I counted, 81 out of 114 posters produced at TPP from 2016 to 2023 used linoleum for their poster.
Linoleum is a great material. It is versatile
Materialbeschaffenheit (Haptik, Farbe, Duft) 
Seitenverkehrt übertragen 
mounted on wooden block–type height (wird in einem anderen Eintrag erklärt) 
Werkzeug zum Bearbeiten 
trickyness + Vorteile