Blinc Publishing | Hamilton Wood Type

« Return to the portfolio The Making of Hamilton Offset
	The design process began by experimenting with an "offsetting" technique that was discovered by accident. Using an existing Hamilton wood font, the design team at Blinc inked and took an impression of a complete alphabet.
	Taking a first impression on the proofing press.
	The first proof had to be generously inked to yield a strong image for the second step.
	That proof then was laid upon a clean sheet of paper and both were placed back on the inked wood type, but slighted shifted in placement.
		The roller was passed over both sheets, then the top sheet was peeled back to reveal where the ink had offeset on the the sheet below. A closeup example of the type is on the right.
	A variety of results were produced depending how far the paper was shifted from its original location.
	The best results were selected and scanned into the computer where they could be traced and refined.
	Those digital tracings then were used to produce six inch tall templates cut out of thin fiberboard. To ensure a perfectly horizontal letterform, those templates were mounted on squares of plywood at the Hamilton Wood Type and Printing museum by Norb Zylski.
	Using a tracing maching known as a pantograph, the volunteers at Hamilton Wood Type and Printing Museum routed blocks of dried maple to produce the final wood type.
	Here is the final type being inspected.
		Finally, here is a scan of the alphabet.

The Making of Hamilton Offset