There are 1000s of papers to choose from... How to know what to look for and what challenges await?

An excellent companion class to Secrets of Inking for Letterpress and Paper Cutting for Production, we will discuss paper attributes: surface texture, grain direction, differences between commercial and handmade papers, why and when to print on damp paper vs. dry.

We will print on six very different kinds of paper, examine the results and discuss the pros and cons of paper selection for various projects.

Prerequisite:
None

Materials to bring:
All tools and materials will be provided.

About the Instructor:
Alan Hillesheim (he/him) has been wrenching around printing presses for 35 years. Printing presses need to be moved, oiled, inked, cleaned, and maintained, in short they need attention like a six year old. Maintenance is a dirty business, but a necessary one for beautifully printed anything. Alan has a passion for the mechanics of the print studio and enjoys encouraging others to roll up their sleeves and grab a wrench. His 35 years in the letterpress business and “all-ten-fingers” count speak for themselves. Join him and wear old clothes.

Oh, and once the press is in fine order, Alan has a few secrets to divulge about perfect inking and stellar printing.

In this introductory class, students will gain a basic understanding of the history, techniques, tools and styles of European marbling.

Students will get hands-on experience of all aspects of Western marbling techniques from paper priming and preparatory mixing of water medium and paints, to the creation of classical patterns. Specific attention will be given to learning how to obtain particular designs using a diverse array of rakes and combs. Students will have ample time for experimentation with guidance from the instructor and will leave with a sampling of papers they've marbled themselves.  

*Please note that paper marbling is a wet process and papers made in the workshop may not be dry at the end of class. Students may return to SFCB after the workshop to retrieve any papers left to dry at the of the day or request mailed returns. 

Prerequisite:
None

Materials to bring:
All tools and materials will be provided. Please wear comfortable shoes for standing that you don't mind getting wet.

About the Instructor:
Pietro Accardi (he/him) owned a Bookbindery in Turin (Italy) for 12 years. He worked for Turin’s main Library, Municipal Archives, and University Libraries restoring and binding documents and books. He also runs his own paper marbling and decorative box making business. Now he lives near Lake Tahoe with wife, cats and a studio. He is currently working for the library of special collections of University of Reno doing restoration work and teaches workshops.

Leather paring requires patience, practice and, of course, sharp tools. This workshop will introduce you to both accurate leather paring — using the knife and the paring machine — and covering.

We will be begin by assembling a small open-necked box useful for note cards, made from pre-cut materials. The box is lined with coloured card and is made with double walls for strength. Then we’ll cover the box in leather.

The leather for the box is fine goatskin from Harmatan, which is pared down to 0.6mm for elegance and easy handling. The paring process is in three parts, and begins with a piece of leather rather bigger than is needed. First is the turn-in. This is achieved by a process known as ‘abrupt paring’: the leather is scored, folded and hammered to create a pronounced ridge. This hammered line allows you to feel the edge as you pare. The turn-in is pared in the machine down to 0.4mm, then sanded against aboard until the edge is crisp and even.

Second, the turn-in is trimmed to the correct width (no edge paring is necessary). Third, the leather is cut to the precise length to wrap around the box, and where the two ends overlap, feathered edges are made with the paring knife on a stone. The feathering allows the beginning and end of the leather cover to overlap invisibly. The box is then covered and finished.

Taken together, these techniques should allow you learn the fundamentals of accurate paring of leather, and you’ll go away with a little jewel of a box, for your messages.

Prerequisite:
Practical Leather Skills or Orientation to Leather plus additional experience. Orientation to Leather alone is not sufficient practice for this workshop.

Tools/Materials to Bring:

• SHARP paring knife: if you don’t have one, I recommend the Premium English knife from Hewitts. New knives often don't come sharpened; you will need to have it sharpened before class.
• Strop
• Scalpel with straight blades
• Sharp bone folder
• Small thin bone folder
• Wax pencil

About the Instructor:
Dominic Riley (he/him) is an internationally renowned bookbinder, artist, lecturer and teacher. He has his bindery in England, from where he travels across the UK teaching and lecturing. He spends part of the year teaching in San Francisco and across the USA. His work is mostly restoration and Design Binding, for which he has won many prizes in the Designer Bookbinders competition. He was elected a Fellow of DB in 2008 and is Patron of the New Zealand Association of Book Crafts. His bindings are in collections worldwide, including the British Library, the Grolier Club in New York and the San Francisco Public Library. In 2013 he won first prize, the Sir Paul Getty Award, in the International Bookbinding Competition. Dominic is a past President of the Society of Bookbinders. Dominic and Michael Burke are co-founders of Book Camp, an immersive residential bookbinding experience which aims to teach new generations of binders.

He has taught masterclasses in the USA, Brazil, Australia, New Zealand, at the Centro del Bel Libro in Switzerland, the Czech Republic, and Canada.

In the world of paper marbling, metallics are rare due to the heavier weight of these types of pigments. Since marbling pigments must float perfectly on the surface of the water bath, metallics prove challenging; but when handled correctly, the shining hues of copper, silver, bronze, gold and pearl will transform a sheet of paper into an iridescent wonder.

The use of rakes and combs is also tricky, requiring carefully manipulated movements of these heavy paints in order to achieve the desired effects without sinking or breakage.

In this workshop, students will learn to handle metallic paints and be introduced to new and more intricate patterns. They will also explore the exciting territory of “Over-marbling”, where one pattern is superimposed upon another to create a magnificent and complex play of pattern. Students will receive instruction during the morning half of class, then spend the afternoon dedicated to personal practice with hands-on guidance from the instructor.

*Please note that paper marbling is a wet process and papers made in the workshop may not be dry at the end of class. Students may return to SFCB after the workshop to retrieve any papers left to dry at the of the day.  

Prerequisite:
Introduction to Western Paper Marbling, Pietro's Paper Marbling online workshop, Introduction to Fabric Marbling, or other marbling experience.

Materials to bring:
All tools and materials will be provided. Please wear comfortable shoes for standing that you don't mind getting wet.

About the Instructor:
Pietro Accardi (he/him) owned a Bookbindery in Turin (Italy) for 12 years. He worked for Turin’s main Library, Municipal Archives, and University Libraries restoring and binding documents and books. He also runs his own paper marbling and decorative box making business. Now he lives near Lake Tahoe with wife, cats and a studio. He is currently working for the library of special collections of University of Reno doing restoration work and teaches workshops.

This is a three session online workshop meeting on Tuesdays, March 3, 10 and 17.

A visual notebook of ideas and experiments can be an invaluable resource for all artists, visual and otherwise. Even writers can find inspiration and source material in visual images, collected in one spot for easy reference. This workshop will focus on using collage as a quick and fun way to generate ideas, make visual notes, and generally enhance creative practice.

Over the course of three class meetings, students will receive an introduction to the basics of collage, then develop and test compositions and colors, play with mixed media methods, and explore layering. The class will emphasize play and experimentation as well as more focused topics such as how to solve compositional problems. Ideally, it will instill a habit or practice that students can continue in the new year and beyond.

Sessions will include the opportunity for class discussion and work sharing, as well as group troubleshooting.

Open to all levels of experience; there will be exercises to challenge even lifelong artists.

Online workshops are recorded; video links will be emailed to registered students after each session, and recordings will be available for eight weeks after the final class meeting.

Prerequisite:
None

Materials to bring:

• a blank spiral bound notebook
• various papers (colored, magazine, old books, decorative, gift wrap, etc.)
• clear packing tape for tape transfers
• waxed paper
• glue stick
• x-acto knife and scissors
• drawing supplies: pens, pencils, etc.
• tracing paper
• burnishing tool: bone or teflon folder, or a spoon

About the Instructor:
Hope Amico (they/them) is a visual artist, writer and educator who believes we could all use a creative practice. Through classes, collage meetups and the Keep Writing postcard project, they are excited to share ways we can work together and support each other creatively. Co-founder of the New Orleans Collage Collective and previously known as gutwrench press, they relocated to Portland, OR in 2020. They teach online and in-person through the MCBA, SFCB and privately through their own studio.

Bookbinding Core Certificate Program

The San Francisco Center for the Book celebrates the craft and art of bookbinding. Our Bookbinding Core Certificate Program introduces students to four different binding models, leading them through the history and evolution of bookmaking. It provides students a comprehensive foundation to delve into the practice of binding and qualifies them to rent studio time in our bindery. Core classes must be taken in order, 1 through 4.

Click here to learn more about the Bookbinding Core Certificate Program and how to receive a discount!

Bookbinding Core 1: Coptic Binding

This class introduces students to the craft with the Coptic stitch, one of the earliest structures in binding. Students will spend the morning making their own decorative pastepapers, then use them in the afternoon when binding their book.

In addition to coming away with a finished book made by hand, students will also be introduced to the tools and terms of bookbinding. Basic practices and equipment will be discussed as students familiarize themselves with both skills and safety measures needed for working in a bindery.

SFCB's Windgate Scholarship Fund is dedicated to providing need-based financial support to individuals interested in learning bookbinding, letterpress printing, and related book arts. Click here to apply.

Prerequisite:
None. Beginners are welcome. 

Materials to bring:
None. All tools and materials will be provided.

About the Instructor:
Jane Knoll (they/them) was the San Francisco Center for the Book's 2025 Type Devil. After an undergraduate in writing and printmaking from Bennington College and a diploma in bookbinding from North Bennet Street School, Jane was awarded two fellowships at the Boston Athenæum's conservation lab and worked as Assistant Book Conservator at the Northeast Document Conservation Center. Currently preparing for a master's in book conservation, Jane studies the archaeology of the book, with special interests in seventeenth- and eighteenth-century structures, folk repairs, and personalized bindings, and has two publications on the American scaleboard binding.

Cylinder Core Certificate Program

The four class Cylinder Core Certificate Program allows students to move quickly through press basics while also addressing relief printing in general. Students who finish the four Core classes are qualified to rent press time as well as move on to more advanced classes and techniques. Core classes must be taken in order, 1 through 4.

Click here to learn more about the Cylinder Core Certificate Program and how to receive a discount!

Cylinder Core 1: Experience Letterpress!

Dig in to the tradition and history of letterpress printing and get your hands dirty. Learn about the process and practice of setting type, mixing inks and pulling impressions. Students will design and print a small edition of a single-color folded greeting card using the type and cuts (images) in the SFCB collection.

SFCB's Windgate Scholarship Fund is dedicated to providing need-based financial support to individuals interested in learning bookbinding, letterpress printing, and related book arts. Click here to apply.

Prerequisite:None

Materials to bring: All tools and materials will be provided. Students can come with a few phrases/ideas for their greeting card.

Please note: Class projects are for learning particular skills and supporting class dynamics. Project ideas should be flexible, open to what class time and communal studio use will permit.

About the Instructor:
Alan Hillesheim (he/him) has been wrenching around printing presses for 35 years. Printing presses need to be moved, oiled, inked, cleaned, and maintained, in short they need attention like a six year old. Maintenance is a dirty business, but a necessary one for beautifully printed anything. Alan has a passion for the mechanics of the print studio and enjoys encouraging others to roll up their sleeves and grab a wrench. His 35 years in the letterpress business and “all-ten-fingers” count speak for themselves. Join him and wear old clothes. Oh, and once the press is in fine order, Alan has a few secrets to divulge about perfect inking and stellar printing.

Discover how to make a star book mobile using decorative papers and collage.

In this class students will learn how to combine the basic structure of a star book with the theatrical 3D effects of a tunnel book. Using decorative papers, collage, and other mixed media they will find out how construct three dimensional tableaus in each alcove of the star.

The resulting mobile will rotate when suspended and create a playful sense of narrative as each scene is revealed.

Prerequisite:
None

Tools/Materials to bring:
Optional: decorative papers or ephemera to use in/on your mobile

About the Instructor:
Stephanie Jucker (she/her) is an exhibiting artist who uses mixed media and printing techniques in her paintings, books, and art installations. Originally from London where she earned her BFA, Stephanie has an MFA from Syracuse in painting, printmaking, and ceramics. With 25 years of teaching experience, she currently runs art classes at College of Marin, Kala, and Art Works Downtown in San Rafael.