Hot Off The Press
07.27.06 By Derek DahlsadIf you nearly lost fingers during the Linoleum Block Carving lessons in art class, you know a little bit about how printing blocks work. Both processes are 
far rarer today: offset presses and digital processing have ended the hand-setting of printing. While the process hails back hundreds of years, modern technologies made the development of type and other blocks simpler and faster. Linotype machines, huge typewriter-like mechanisms that melted lead and cast entire lines of text at a time, sped up production of text, and photographic processes made images and logos easier to produce. To create a single page, letters and images were laid out by hand, filled in with spacers and tightened with quoins, and sent to the press. When the printing was done, the frame was loosened and all the tiny pieces of the single page clattered out onto the table. The letters went back into their organized drawers or were remelted for the Linotype machine, and the images went into storage for possible reuse later. When printing was done, the only pieces recognizable from the page were the images, logos, designs, and borders.
In the late 1960s or early 1970s, many presses phased out the letterpress printing in favor of newer, simpler processes. The printing supplies were divided up and scattered, quite often into the hands of collectors. Type often followed the press, but the custom non-type blocks went elsewhere.
The miscellanous printer’s blocks could be a boon to collectors for their size and rarity. Because the blocks were often re-used, and if not they were stored poorly and possibly
ended up in the dump just to get rid of them, specific printer’s blocks can be exceedingly rare. Remember, for it to have shown up in print, a corresponding block would have been produced. Every Ford dealership ad had a logo, every Harley-Davidson repair manual had images, every packaging sticker had to be cast in metal. For the thousands of copies printed, an extremely small number (possibly only one) of print blocks would have been produced. Memorabilia collectors often overlook printer’s blocks in favor of the printed end product, not realizing which one is the rarer of the two.
Print blocks are often quite small, making them easy to store and display. With a little ingenuity, mirrors can be used to make them a bit easier to read, as printing blocks are a ‘negative’ image in reverse. Most print blocks are also quite resilient. Designed to withstand several tons of pressure experienced during 
the printing process, very little can destroy them. They can, however, be scratched, and in some cases the metals used will corrode, resulting in an unattractive block. Depending on the severity, these could be overlooked. A sharp, readable printer’s block should have clearly defined surfaces, without rounding or dents, and the raised ‘ink’ surfaces should shine like a mirror when buffed.
In my experience, brewery and industrial equipment print blocks have sold quite well, but automobile brand and household products sell less often than I’d expect from the number of collectors. Collectors who focus on collecting a single brand, association, or product should not overlook printer’s blocks as a source for unique and rare additions to their collection.
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Article Tags: Linotype, offset press, print, print blocks, printing, type================
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