For the Love of Type!

Before doing photography professionally, I received a Bachelor of Fine Arts degree in Graphic Design. A large part of that degree involved learning and gaining an appreciation for typography. I can honestly say that I love type.

We live in Santa Fe, New Mexico where the Palace of the Governors is one of the oldest buildings in the country. It is a museum and has an equally impressive Print Shop. I volunteer in the art class of our ten year old twin boys. One day last semester, their wonderful art teacher, Mary Olson, planned a field trip to the museum and all the kids got to witness a demonstration of print making on one of the nineteenth century presses. It was amazing, I saw it too.

Here are our boys in the almost 400 year old courtyard of the Palace. My sister and I are planning a 50th wedding anniversary party for my parents. After the 4th grade class visited the Palace Press, I had the impulse to see if they could print the invitations for us. What a privilege that would be! I contacted them and kept my fingers crossed.

They said that as a "rule" they don't normally do private jobs but happened to have the time and supplies for our small job of only twenty five invitations. Here is the way the type was set on the sixty year old press they used.

The amazing men who ran our job, James Bourland and Tom Leech.

Just look at the way the type is set. I choose the word luscious to describe how that looks to me. Proving what a geek I am about type.

The final invitations wrapped carefully and beautifully. We feel so lucky!