The Printer’s Workshop

The 15th century saw the invention of modern letterpress printing – a technique that remained in use well into the 20th century. The technique involved putting together loose letters, or ‘types’, to make up words and sentences. The types were then inked and printed onto paper. Letterpress printing technology made it possible to created printed messages that could be read by many people.

With the Freedom of the Press Act in 1766, Sweden became the first country in the world to introduce a law on freedom of expression. For many years, most homes had only two books: a Bible and a hymnal. However, as the barriers to free speech were removed, technology advanced and literacy increased, the market for books also grew. By the 1830s, reading newly published books had become more common. Adventure novels and romance stories were particularly popular. The criminal Lars Molin’s autobiography ‘The Strange Tales of Lasse-Maja’ and Carl Jonas Love Almqvist’s novel ‘Sara Videbeck and the Chapel’ were two books that generated considerable debate.

Types and the history of the keyboard

Skansen’s Printer’s Workshop has a large room for both typesetting and printing. When a text was to be printed, the typesetter began by making up the sentences. The types were kept in trays, with different sized compartments. The letters that were used most often, such as a, e, n and r, were stored in larger compartments in the middle. Less commonly used letters, such as b, c and f, were placed less centrally. The same system has been carried over to today’s keyboard, with the most commonly used letters being placed in the optimum positions. Once the typesetter had completed the text, he handed it over to the printer who printed the text.

Iron printing presses and early newspapers

Iron printing presses were introduced in the early 19th century. These were more stable than the older wooden presses. They were also more efficient, because they made it possible to print on a larger area. The Printer’s Workshop has two iron presses from the early 19th century that were used to print books. The printing area also has a larger press, a Haga press, which was used to print newspapers. The first issues of the Swedish newspaper Aftonbladet were printed on a similar press. In the smaller room of the Printer’s Workshop, there is a small hand press that was used to print visiting cards, invitations and headed writing paper in smaller quantities.

A vanishing craft

The technique of using moveable type to make up text was used until the 1970s when it was replaced by film strips. Computers arrived in the 1980s, and the technique of printing text using loose type quickly disappeared. Today, the art of letterpress printing is a vanishing craft. Only a few people have mastered the profession, and it is no longer possible to train as a letterpress printer. With the Printer’s Workshop, where real[JK1]  craftspeople can demonstrate and describe the art of letterpress printing, Skansen wants to promote the preservation of craftsmanship and intangible cultural heritage.

Original fittings from different printing companies

The building in which the Printer’s Workshop is located was built in the 1730s on Södermalm in Stockholm, and originally housed a provisions shop and a home. In 1929, the building was due to be demolished to make way for an apartment building. It was donated to Skansen instead, at the time when the Old Town Quarter was being built. When the building was moved to Skansen, a printing press and a home were installed in the building.

The fittings and presses in the Printer’s Workshop came from various printing workshops in Stockholm, Närke and Blekinge. The desk and the counter that divide up the room came from the Beckmanska printer in Stockholm, which was originally owned by Lars Johann Hierta, founder of the Swedish newspaper Aftonbladet.