Community Print Shop Studio

In this class, students will design and help give shape to the new printshop collaborative hub for creative expression and community engagement, located in the heart of the Product Realization Courtyard. Students will spend time understanding the needs of their peers and the broader Stanford community around the topics of visual communication, 2D media, printmaking, and beyond, and what tools, resources, and programming would equip community members to realize their visions. As part of this exploration, tThis course offers foundational training in letterpress and risograph printing, centered around the vision of building a community printshop. Students will create posters, postcards, zines, and limited edition prints while learning file production basics using Adobe Suite and Spectrolite. They will gain practical experience in operating and maintaining a printshop. Letterpress instruction covers printing on platen and cylinder presses, setting and printing from metal and wood type, and using photopolymer plates. Risograph training includes printing from drawings on paper and producing multicolor images from raster and vector files. Students involved with this studio will help launch and catalyze a fully functioning visual design makerspace for the Stanford community in AY24-25.