Phone +1 310-515-7166 | Established 1988 | |
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Location 315 W. Torrance Blvd.
Carson, California Address 315 W Torrance Blvd, Carson, CA 90745, USA Hours Closed today TuesdayClosedWednesdayClosedThursdayClosedFridayClosedSaturday10AM–4PMSundayClosedMondayClosed Similar Printing Museum - Tokyo, Hamilton Wood Type and Printi, National Print Museum, The Museum of Printing, The Printing Museum Profiles | ||
International printing museum miehle vertical press
The International Printing Museum, in Carson, California, has one of the largest collections of antique printing presses in the United States. It offers educational programs for school groups at the museum, and also has a Ben-Franklin-type printing press on a trailer that travels to schools and public events for living history programs.
Contents
Located in Southern California, the museum consults for Hollywood and has provided rentals of vintage printing presses for numerous television and movie productions.
History and Collection
David Jacobson of Gutenberg Expositions and collector Ernest A. Lindner started the museum in 1988 to house the Lindner collection of antique printing machinery. The collection has grown with significant donations and acquisitions under the leadership of the museum's board of trustees and its founding curator and executive director, Mark Barbour.
The museum's collection includes a replica Gutenberg press. Gutenberg's invention of movable type was rated by Time magazine as one of the most important developments of the millennium. Prior to his invention, ordinary people could not afford to own a book. With the efficiencies created by Gutenberg, printing costs dropped dramatically, and book ownership became common in Europe. People could now buy their own Bible, and interpret it themselves, rather than have to rely on their priest or minister. This led to people thinking for themselves as well, which led to the Protestant Reformation, the Enlightenment, and democracy.
The museum also has the third oldest printing press made in America, which was referred to 200 years ago as a "common press," which is what Ben Franklin used in his business as a printer. Franklin had little formal education, but honed his skills with language as a printer's apprentice. He made his living as an adult as a printer, publishing the Pennsylvania Gazette and Poor Richard's Almanac, and was quite proud of his occupation. Even when being introduced to royalty in Europe, he wouldn't refer to all his scientific or political accomplishments - he would simply say, "I am Benjamin Franklin, a printer."
The collection includes printing presses from the age of Mark Twain, who also had little formal education but gained knowledge as a printer's apprentice for the Hannibal Journal. Later, he was an editor/reporter for the Virginia City Territorial Enterprise and other publications. Numerous Linotype machines, and other presses and related newspaper machinery are also housed in the museum.
Programs
The museum hosts the annual Los Angeles Printers Fair every first Saturday of October as well as numerous school programs and special events, including the following:
The museum also has a trailer which houses a Ben-Franklin-type press which is used to take the museum's living history programs to schools and public events.