The modern world’s demand for rapid, large-volume printing has led to the steady decline of screen printing, a traditional printing technique that has its origins in China’s Song dynasty.  Hoping to remind the public of this fading craft, NTU Press teamed up with One-Ing Studio, a printing studio devoted to spreading the joy of screen printing, to hold a screen printing workshop on March 15-16 during the 2015 NTU Azalea Festival.

Reflecting the spirit of the annual festival, the NTU Press booth offered visitors a selection of three limited-edition screen-printed canvas tote bags and book covers bearing quotes from three of Taiwan’s intellectual giants, Hai-Kuang Yin, Wen-Hsing Wang, and Cho-Yun Hsu.

Screen printing, also called silk screening or serigraphy, is a traditional technique that requires patient attention to detail during every step of the process.  The intricate process includes shaping the stencils, mixing the colors, applying the ink, and finally drawing the squeegee across the screen to transfer the image.  It is slow work, but only by taking things slowly and appreciating the details can a printer produce a work of true beauty and quality.

The hands-on workshop paired participants with professional instructors who provided one-on-one guidance through each stage of the printing process.  The budding printers were given the choice of one out of three colors, cyan, magenta, or black, which they matched with an image they wished to print over a tote bag or book cover.  Then, with the support of their personal instructors, the participants were able to produce their own unique screen printing creations.  Though it was open for only two days, the workshop drew more than 300 people who enjoyed the opportunity to indulge their newfound curiosity in screen printing.

The booth also included a shop that sold NTU memorabilia produced by NTU Press.  Among the hottest-selling items were miniature building-block replicas of iconic NTU buildings and limited-edition illustrated postcards of the campus and its buildings.

During last year’s Azalea Festival, NTU Press worked with the venerable Ri Xing Type Foundry in displaying an antique circular press printer.  The historical organization is home to the sole fully-operational movable type-printing press in Taiwan.  These efforts to introduce the public to the various forms of printing demonstrate NTU Press’s commitment to fulfilling its responsibility as an academic publisher that works for the preservation of knowledge and culture.