The Laboratory Press at Otis College (AKA Otis Lab Press) is a fully functioning letterpress studio with four Vandercook proof presses, an extensive collection of wood and metal type, and machines for various binding methods and producing photopolymer plates. Some equipment, including letterpress types, was inherited from the Women's Building.
The Lab Press was opened in 1984 by Sheila de Bretteville (former Chair of Design at Otis during the 1970s-80s) as part of the Communication Arts Department. Over the years, it's hosted popular classes for students to practice bookmaking and letterpress printing, teaching them about graphic design, typography, and using the book as a vehicle for visual communication. Prominent book artists like Susan King, Simon Toparovsky, Cindy Marsh, and Katherine Ngall have taught as faculty over the years.
Books published by the Lab Press are especially unique. Most of the items have been produced as editions of two or three, and they are prime examples of innovative structure, fine typography, and interesting content.
Our books from the Lab Press are a part of the Artists' Books Collection, and we continue to acquire these items as they are produced.
Browse digitized items from the Lab Press collection through Otis Collections Online.
Divided We Stand by Kathleen O'Reilly (1985)
Cooking 1A by Debbie Dritz (1985)
Steamed Chicken with Black Mushrooms and Tiger Lily Buds by Cynthia Kwok (1987)
The Holy Tortilla by David Ige (1988)
Chirp of the Cicadas by Stanley Chiwai Ng (1990)
The Big Cake by Amorisa Lynn (1992)
Gilgamesh: The Postmodern Replica by Ludmill Trenkov (1997)
Lost & Found by Ryan Franks (2003)
My Pockets by Ruby O'Campo (2004)
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