Press at Colorado College

The Press at Colorado College, founded by Jim Trissel in 1978, is a letterpress studio dedicated to the art of making limited edition books and broadsides.

Under Trissel’s guidance, The Press became one of the finest letterpresses in the country, producing stunningly 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,” and “Silence.” Since Trissel’s death in 1999, The Press has continued its work under the supervision of Brian Molanphy, Chris Forsythe, and Colin Frazer. Aaron Cohick is the current Printer of the Press.

From its inception, The Press has served as a classroom for students interested in book arts and literature. Students at The Press learn to design books and broadsides, set type by hand and with the computer, make photopolymer plates, print on the letterpress, and bind books. The Press also creates broadsides and books for events connected to visiting writers and lecturers at Colorado College, including work by figures like Seamus Heaney, Kay Ryan, Richard Wilbur, Billy Collins, David Quammen, and Darren Wershler.