The Art of Wood Type

A stationery set for fans of the beloved San Francisco printer

San Francisco–based printer Jack Stauffacher’s (1920–2017) bold experiments in letterpress expanded the ideas of wood type’s formal possibilities. Born in San Mateo, California, Stauffacher began his study of printing at the age of 16 and went on to design and print outstanding books for 80 years. He was the owner and operator of Greenwood Press, located in the San Francisco Bay Area. After receiving a box of discarded wood type in 1966, Stauffacher began playing with the mismatched letterforms as a break from his daily work. His resulting typographic experiments, often featuring bold layers of letters in black, bright blue or red, are a testament to type’s more expressive capabilities. Stauffacher’s refined yet graphic sensibility brought him acclaim in the worlds of both traditional fine printing and modern art. Examples of his wood and metal type designs can be found in the San Francisco Museum of Modern Art and the Los Angeles County Museum of Art. This set of notecards and envelopes, each pair unique, displays Stauffacher’s abstract yet exquisite treatments of typography.