The Extraordinary Times is on a mission to explore the cultural and historical landscape of southwestern Ohio. This week, we’re excited to catch up with Gary Walton, founder of the Cincinnati Type & Print Museum in Lower Price Hill.
Gary was originally an offset press instructor. He trained himself in the art of color separation, pre-press, advance color printing and digital color printing, and is now sought for his print media expertise. He has consulted and trained printers in Ohio, Kentucky, Indiana and other parts of the country. He is devoted to the printing craft, and continuously promotes the industry. He has trained over 3,400 graphic communications students at Cincinnati State. * What is the mission of the museum? Our purpose is multifold. We were founded in 2016 with the goal of preserving the history of printing, which played a big role in the fortunes of Cincinnati. Many people don’t know, but Cincinnati was the second biggest printing center in the United States at its peak. We also want to make people aware of career opportunities in print media, as well as to create an environment for artists to make handmade paper and print letterpress items. Finally, we aim to break the cycle of addiction by providing training, jobs, and dignity to men and women of Price Hill. * Tell readers how you fell in love with type and print! I truly believe, as a man is called into the priesthood, I was called into the printing industry. In 1968 I took an eighth-grade class on printing at Schwab Middle School, and was hooked. I fell in love with it immediately. In many ways, I wish we still had shop classes in our middle school education programs. * What is your favorite object in the collection? That would be the Franklin press made right here in Cincinnati by the Franklin foundry in 1857. * Why does print technology still matter in this digital age? False reports are out there when it comes to printing. People assume that printing is not needed but that is so wrong. Printing surrounds us. You’re Formica countertop is a printed piece of paper, your wallpaper is a piece of printed. Just look at all the packages in a Wal-Mart. Printing real soon will be producing all electronic devices, printing them on a traditional printing press. This is called Printing Electronics. It’s fast and it’s very inexpensive. * How can visitors discover the museum? We are open now to groups of three to five people, and in July open to large groups again.
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AuthorMatthew Smith, PhD (History). Public Programs at Miami University Regionals. Historian of Appalachia, the Ohio Valley, & the early American republic. Archives
February 2024
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