In the heart of the University lies the Fab Lab, home to the Skeuomorph Press & BookLab, an experiential and creative studio dedicated to studying and researching the printing press.
Skeuomorph was founded in Spring 2022 when equipment from a personal print shop was delivered to FabLab.
Ryan Cordell, associate professor in LAS and Information Sciences, serves as the press’s director. He also uses the lab for his research and work, studying the history and art of books.
Cordell’s current project is printing science fiction author Ursula K. Le Guin’s “A Rant About ‘Technology’” in a letterpress edition. Mounted linoleum is carved with illustrations, and letter tile keys are placed, forming words and creating type. They are then inked onto the paper using iron hand presses to produce the book’s text and drawings.
Printed media became integral in Cordell’s research due to its physicality. The effort, dedication, typography and material aspects are essential to digesting and understanding a piece of print.
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According to Cordell, you can make many mistakes doing big computational work if you don’t have an understanding of the materials that have been remediated over and over.
When consuming physical media digitally, its origin, aspects and details can be altered, jumbling the understanding of it. By printing media, there is an attachment and sentimental value that can only be appreciated when viewed physically.
“For me, the point of doing this is, in part, the time,” Cordell said. “You’re saying, ‘This is important, this is worth the effort.’”
The studio is home to four presses: a proofing press, a jobbing press and two iron hand presses.
The most recognizable iron hand press is one nicknamed “Ole Minty” due to its hospital-green paint. “Ole Minty” was on display at the School of Information Sciences for two decades before being reconditioned and moved into Skeuomorph by the ironworkers for use in the studio.
Along with “Ole Minty,” the other iron hand press was donated to the studio by the Noble Ink Lab. The iron presses sit next to each other at Skeuomorph Press and have been used to print newspapers since the early 20th century.
Besides Cordell and the Champaign-Urbana community, Skeuomorph is home to The Skeuomorphics, a club dedicated to book and printmaking.
Club president Aaron Mukhopadhyay and treasurer A.G. Samaniego, both seniors in Information Sciences, started the club in Fall 2024. Mukhopadhyay and Samaniego met Cordell in English 475: Literature and Other Disciplines. Through Cordell, they learned about Skeuomorph and the printing press.
The Skeuomorphics believe Skeuomorph is usually gatekept within graduate student communities. The club hopes to cater more to undergraduates, connecting them to the wonders of print media and the studio.
The club specializes in book arts and print culture, typesetting with antique presses, linocut and, their most popular, zine workshops. Each week, the club focuses on an aspect of printmaking, either collaborating on a piece or individually creating media.
“I was able to express my identity and form a persona,” Mukhopadhyay said. “As an international student, I work and reconcile myself through America with the press.”
The Skeuomorphics and Cordell often collaborate, creating pieces and examples that Cordell uses for future classes and showcases, exhibiting the creativity of print.
“Whatever vision you have or purpose you feel drawn to, we want to be able to accommodate you, and we hope to provide you with the means for you to do so,” Samaniego said. “If you want to be a part of the press, we will find a space for you, no matter what your training is; it’s a wonderful place to find for you.”
The Skeuomorphics meets every Thursday from 6-9 p.m. at the Skeuomorph Press & BookLab. Anyone is welcome to attend and learn the basics of print with a welcoming community at hand.
“Printing is for the public,” said Luisa Matzner, graduate student studying library and information sciences and membership director of The Skeuomorphics. “Print culture is the way information has been shared for years. We’re keeping it alive here.”