Letterpress Forward Foundation is dedicated to preserving online letterpress history and supporting the new generation of printers who are keepers of a centuries-old craft.
Chandler & Price Platen Press. Manufactured in 1912. Its current home is Portland, Oregon. The press id still printing after 113 years.
Rehomed through Briar Press in 2018. Still in use today.
We preserve and modernize Briar Press, keeping letterpress knowledge, tools, and expertise accessible for practitioners, educators, and future generations.
We support artists, students, and print shops through micro-grants that increase access to resources while extending learning throughout the community.
We support the ways printers connect, recognize one another, and participate in a broader community of practice without imposing formal credentials or barriers.
Briar Press is a premier online community dedicated to the preservation of letterpress printing and antique typography. Established in 1995 by the mother-son team of Elizabeth and Eric C. Nevin, the platform bridges the historic 15th-century craft of the printing press with modern web technology.
The history of the organization breaks down into two primary parts: the physical printing press and the expansive digital community.
The Physical Press
1973: Elizabeth Nevin established her private press, named "The Briar Press," in her basement. It began as a pastime after she purchased a $15 table-top press at a garage sale.
Growth: What started with a single press blossomed into a massive, working collection of over 40 historic presses, cabinetry, and type.
The Digital Community
1995: Eric C. Nevin gifted his mother a custom-coded webpage for her press, merging her vast offline collection of antique printing machinery with the nascent internet.
Early 1996: The site was officially announced to the broader printing world.
Evolution: Over the following decades, Briar Press grew into a massive digital hub featuring a public letterpress community, classifieds for buying and selling equipment, technical help forums, and a museum archive.
The Present Day
The site continues to serve as an indispensable repository of knowledge for letterpress printers and book artists globally.
To protect irreplaceable historical and technical records contributed by thousands of printers, a larger conservation initiative, Letterpress Forward, was created to sustain the platform for future generations.
Briar Press Community
Through thoughtful modernization, we aim to build a digital platform that is accessible, reliable, and welcoming to all. Enhanced tools, improved navigation, and sustainable technology will make it easier to discover knowledge, connect with others, and participate in the letterpress community.
Our goal is not simply to preserve an archive, but to support a living practice and ensure its continued growth for generations to come.
Our goal is not simply to preserve an archive, but to support a living practice and ensure its continued growth for generations to come.
From our community
“About fifteen years ago, I bought my first letterpress through the Briar Press classifieds. Whenever I ran into a problem, someone had already asked the same question, or another printer was willing to help. I learned everything from setting type to maintaining my press through the knowledge shared by this community.”
“I was in love the first time I set a line of metal type and pulled a print from the press. It's rewarding to help keep that cycle of knowledge going.”
“Briar Press is where I found my first press, solved countless technical problems, and connected with printers who were willing to share decades of experience. Fifteen years later, it's still rewarding to help keep that cycle of knowledge going.”
Found in a grandfather’s garage. Restored by hand. Back in action.
A Kelsey Star gets a second life, with help from the Briar Press community along the way—sourcing parts, sharing sketches, and answering questions.
One press, one printer, and a whole community helping keep it in circulation.
