Chandler & Price Platen Press


This is my Chandler & Price 8x12 (Old Series).  I am told that it was manufactured in 1907.  It had been modified to operate by motor (see the switch below the feed board), but I reinstalled a treadle that I got from John Hern.

Scroll down to see what a C&P looks like when it isn't surrounded by the clutter of my garage.

Illustration from American Specimen Book of Type Styles, American Typefounders Company, 1912

To see a schematic of the press -- with the major components labeled, click on SCHEMATIC.  To see an image and description of the 8X12 New Series press, click on CATALOG.

Some good resources for information on these (and similar presses) -- and on letterpress equipment in general, can be found at the following:

Briar Press
The Briar Press site hosts an online museum of letterpresses, a classified ad section, and an exhaustive list of useful links.

C&P Printing Press Information
This site is pulling together information on C&P presses -- including history, maintenance information, and a parts diagram.

Don Black Linecasting Service
Located just outside of Toronto, Don Black has pretty much anything you might need for letterpress printing -- presses, equipment, type, etc.

M&H Type
Advertised as the oldest and largest typefoundry in the U.S., M&H offers hundreds of typefaces (newly cast) for commercial and hobby printers.

Woodside Press
Located in the Brooklyn Navy Yard, Woodside Press offers both printing and typesetting services.  They have Ludlow, Linotype, and Monotype typesetting capabilities.

Those should keep you busy for a while.

 

R. Campbell


This animated gif shows a C&P in operation.  (The operator is John Upchurch, co-founder of Fireproof Press.)