February Meeting

The group was treated to a fascinating talk on the art of book-binding and letterpress printing by Ron and Jean Watson from the British Printing Society.

Ron explained his experience of the printing process and described various methods of printing and binding. He brought a large collection of books and cards that he and Jean had bound or printed, which were passed among the group. This was a showcase of a wide variety of publications, from an astonishingly detailed and beautiful alphabet book to a hand-stitched short book of poetry and a ring-bound publication for a rugby team.

Ron also shared insights into how books are printed on letterpress, a beautiful craft involving precision, accuracy of eye and sound knowledge of papers and printing materials. He also enlightened the audience on the subject of recycled paper, which, he said, is not as “green” as many people believe. Apparently if you buy FSC paper 3 trees are planted to replace each one cut down, and you get a better quality as recycling destroys the fibre length of the pulp. Not that recycled paper can’t have other uses! Getting a hand-bound book printed was an easier process than people might think, Ron said, and is clearly a stunning and precious way to present your work.

After the talk, Jean went on to demonstrate letterpress printing using a small press from the 1960s. She brought along a batch of cards to advertise the British Printing Society's 2010 convention, which had already been printed with red, and demonstrated the process of adding a second colour – in this case the black ink text. Bournemouth Creatives members were invited up-close to see exactly how the press worked and were then given the chance to try printing some cards themselves. Lining the cards up correctly was aided by paper guides and the lever of the press felt surprisingly light when pulled down. The result was perfectly printed cards, and a group who found great enjoyment creating them. Many agreed the card printing process was surprisingly therapeutic.

Following the demonstration, Elanor McBay thanked the Watsons and shared an exciting announcement: as part of the Bournemouth 2010 Bicentenary celebrations, Bournemouth Creatives will be producing a book of poetry, containing work from members. The deadline will be sometime before the May meeting on the 19th of that month.

Elanor also announced the dates of the next Bournemouth Creatives meeting, which will be at The Winchester on Wednesday 17th March, featuring a talk on sculpture by Andy Kirkby who has been commissioned to produce six works in Sea Road, Boscombe. The British Printing Society are holding their annual convention on April 9th-11th at the Marsham Court Hotel in Bournemouth. There will be demonstrations, talks and meetings about on the subject, along with a range of craft stalls. Some stalls are currently still available, and artists, jewellery makers and other craftspeople are invited to share their work on one of these stalls for a small fee. For information about the convention, to enquire about stalls or to find out more about getting your book hand-printed, contact Ron Watson by email, This e-mail address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it or telephone 01202 429642.