Letterpress, a Chinese invention from the 10th century consisting in movable types and later adopted in the western hemisphere about 1440, forever changed the face of communication and the speed in which information could be passed along from person to person. It gave birth to the press. Today letterpress is in revival and widely used in books, posters, bespoke stationery like invitations, name cards, letterheads and so on. Letterpress designers like Alan Kitching or Jesús Morentin crave out their names in the computer-generated design world with beautiful-composed types. This book introduces the history and the process of letterpress printing and includes a list of classic movable types arranged in style order. The volume also includes letterpress designers, artists, type foundries, institutions, or even museums from all over the world, each with an elaborated biography and exclusive interviews with the most relevant professionals in this area. It will prove to be a handbook for type designers, letterpress designers, type lovers, design students and ordinary readers who enjoy crafts and prints.

Wang Shaoqiang is a professor at the Guangzhou Academy of Fine Arts (China) and Doctoral Supervisor at the College of Arts and Humanities of the Macau University of Science and Technology. He is a prolific editor whose titles focus on design, art and life. He is also the editor of Design 360° magazine and the Asia-Pacific Design yearbook. He has been invited to lecture at numerous universities, design academies and organizations, and he has been a jury member for China's most prestigious design and illustration awards.