Book Arts

Founded in 1982, the Elliott Press is a hands-on workshop for students in PLU’s Publishing & Printing Arts (PPA) Program and for others interested in the history and artistry of the printed word.

Students in the Elliott Press focus on traditional typesetting, printing, and bookbinding techniques as they create broadsides, artist books, and ephemera. But with the evolution of technology and aesthetics, some students also choose to use modern graphic design techniques in their work. Work by students at the Press has been exhibited at King’s Books, the Karpeles Manuscript Museum, and the University of Puget Sound.

The Elliott Press is in Ingram Hall, between the graphic design and printmaking studios. The Press features two platen letterpresses from the early 1900s and a Vandercook proof press from 1940 along with a small, portable parlor press, dubbed Baby Elliott. The Press houses more than 300 different cases of type, many intricately carved ornaments, and stamps depicting everything from dental charts to 1920s roadsters.

Meet the Faculty of Publishing and Printing Arts