Halfwood: A Beautiful and Functional Printing Press

Blending Tradition and Technology

Visually, structurally, and intelligently designed, the Halfwood printing press blends wood, steel, and information. Its form resembles old-world style and craft with hand finishes and contrasting metal details. Structurally, the press works for intaglio, relief, planar, and stencil printing, yielding rewards to beginners and professionals alike. Bedding a USB flash memory drive in the woodwork enables the user to connect to an expert’s Web for displays and linkage to an online help desk via the Internet.

Press mechanics dating back centuries were combined with aesthetics and reduced size to produce a beautiful, portable press with a balanced design. Cutting and welding plate steel, turning rollers, fitted bearings, gearing and chain drives clad in fine woods cut, rounded, oiled, and rubbed by hand, plus brass appointments etched, shaped, and inset into the wood result in a beautiful, functional artist’s instrument. Finally, a USB flash drive adds a Subject Matter Expert instructional data PressGhost.

The Halfwood printing press has the following technical specifications: Length: 457.2 mm; Width: 228.6 mm; Height with wood base: 241.3 mm; Bed length: 444.5 mm; Bed width: 152.4 mm; Bed thickness: 63.5 mm; Roller lengths: 152.4 mm; Rollers diameter: 38.1 mm; Press weight: 6.4 kg; Bed width allows 127 X 304.8 mm printing plate; Top roller raises to 22.25 mm from bed; Sizing Catcher: 139.7 X 406.4 mm; Pusher: 139.7 X 393.7 mm; Allen wrench, 3.175 mm; USB extension cable; PressGhost included.

The Halfwood printing press was developed in Seattle, USA, in 2004 with the intent to offer a beautiful and functional etching press to printmakers. Four successive models followed, with improvements developed from user feedback, making the press easier to operate. Professional instructions via online videos and web pages were also provided. In 2010, the Subject Matter Expert feature was built into the woodwork, allowing computer-equipped users ready access to the expertise of a designer and practitioner in the art of printmaking.

Bill Ritchie, the designer of the Halfwood press, has twenty years of experience in university teaching fine art printmaking and twenty years in new art technologies. His goal was to create a beautiful and functional printing press that aligned with his art, craft, and teaching goals. By adding digital communication through the fitting of a USB flash memory SME, he created the world's first smart art instrument in his small, beautiful Halfwood printing press.

The Halfwood printing press was awarded the Silver A' Design Award in 2013. This award is given to top-of-the-line, creative, and professionally remarkable designs that illustrate outstanding expertise and innovation. The Halfwood press, admired for its strong technical characteristics and splendid artistic skill, showcases a remarkable level of excellence and introduces positive feelings, amazement, and wonder.