MISSION

The Press at Colorado College is a letterpress and book arts studio, dedicated to education through the arts and histories of the book. The Press is an interdisciplinary, imaginative, and creative enterprise. We make books and prints, we teach people how to make books and prints, and we provide other educational opportunities to broaden and contextualize those activities. The Press is framed around the questions:

• What is the role of a letterpress studio at a small liberal arts college in the Rocky Mountains?
• How can our work utilize the strengths of immersive teaching on the Block Plan?

In our daily practice we address the minute and practical problems of the space between letters as well as the messy, theoretical questions around what it means to print and publish today. The Press at Colorado College is a resource for the entire CC community: students, faculty, staff, and alumni. It is a space to gather, a space to learn, and a space to give voice to our ideas and ideals.

LOCATION, HOURS, and CONTACT

The Press is located in Taylor Hall (920 N. Cascade Ave.), adjacent to the Bemis Residence Hall.

Hours are Monday - Friday, 9 am - 5 pm. Appointments are recommended. Students with permission to use The Press have 24-hour access. 

Jillian Sico, the Printer of The Press at CC, can be reached at 719-389-6376 or by email.

CLASSES AT THE PRESS

The Press regularly works with faculty to incorporate printing projects into their classes. Faculty in all departments are welcome to work with The Press. Projects can include letterpress typesetting and printing, bookbinding, posters, zines, digital typography, publication design, etc., and can be as simple as an afternoon demo and as complex as a block-long project. Contact Jillian Sico, the Printer of The Press, to discuss options. You can see some past class projects on our portfolio site.

There are currently four full-block classes taught at the Press:

• AS110, Book Arts & Letterpress, Summer Block B (odd years)
• AS210, Topics in Book Arts: Environmental Book Arts, Summer Block B (even years)
• AS226, Book & Book Structures, Block 6
• AS126, Letterpress Adjunct, Fall semester

The Press also teaches occasional workshops open to the general public through the Bemis School of Art at the Colorado Springs Fine Arts Center at Colorado College. Look for the Press classes under "Printmaking."

POSTERS BY THE PRESS

The Press can be hired to design and print posters for CC events. All of our posters are handmade by CC students. Please contact us at least three weeks before you need the finished posters. We cannot guarantee that we can accommodate all requests, but we do our best based on student availability and our class schedule.

In general, we do not print posters for private clients outside of Colorado College.

STUDENT, STAFF, & FACULTY INVOLVEMENT AT THE PRESS

There are a number of ways for CC students to get involved at The Press: block classes, student worker positions, poster printing, etc.

We organize various programs that are open to students, staff, and faculty, including letterpress and bookbinding workshops, an annual Open House, exhibitions, and workshops and lectures with visiting artists.

We work with students, staff, and faculty on a limited number of projects that have a service or activist component. Projects will need to be funded from the sponsoring department, club, or individual. The Press can provide training and oversight for two projects per academic year.

Contact Jillian Sico (jsico2023) to learn more.

PUBLICATIONS BY THE PRESS

Publications by The Press at CC can be viewed and purchased through our portfolio site.

HISTORY

The Press at Colorado College was founded by James Trissel, a professor in CC's Art Department, in 1978. Under Trissel's guidance, The Press became one of the most notable academic letterpress studios in the country, regularly producing beautiful books on a variety of subjects, from Color for the Letterpress, to Twelve Mammal Skulls, to A Selection of Poems by Helen Hunt Jackson and Emily Dickinson. Since Trissel's death in 1999, The Press has continued its work under the supervision of Brian Molanphy (from 1999 - 2004), Chris Forsythe (from 2004 - 2006), Colin Frazer (from 2006 - 2010), and Aaron Cohick (2010 - 2023). Jillian Sico has been the Printer of The Press since 2023.