Archetype Press, housed under the HMCT, offers the opportunity to students and the public to learn and practice setting type and printing by hand. Now the largest educational letterpress facility on the West Coast, it was originally established with more than 2,500 cases of rare American and European foundry type, wood type, and ornaments from the collection of renowned L.A. typographer and printer Vernon Simpson. HMCT Archetype Press continues the tradition of an older—but not outdated—technology, as an experimental typographic workshop.

For the Archive, we have historical type specimen books and ephemera, and an Archetype Press bibliography is constantly being expanded and updated. Educators, designers, and researchers are invited to visit the collection by appointment. Tours, demonstrations, and workshops can also be arranged.

Below are specimen sheets from our wood type collection.