The museum celebrates the history of printing from the fifteenth century to the present. It is located in the cultural centre built by the city of Nantes in 1985 for the Médiathèque Jacques-Demy. The museum first traces the history of paper and then shows a range of printing equipment. These include early hand-carved wooden printing blocks, Gutenberg’s movable type, and Voirin’s 1823 cylinder press, which is capable of printing sheets up to 1 m by 1.3 m. All machines are in working condition and there are live demonstrations. Visitors have the opportunity to try using machines and tools and the prints produced during the visit can be taken home. The museum is a living workshop for artists practicing typography, lithography, linocut and intaglio printing. The museum’s collection includes over 2,000 original prints by artists from around the globe. Presses can also be rented for a day at a time.
Nantes Printing Museum
Musée de l’Imprimerie de Nantes
24 Quai de la Fosse
44000 Nantes
France
+33 (0) 240 - 732655
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