FAU celebrated it’s second annual Letterpress Open House on Sept. 18.

The event was hosted by the Arthur and Mata Jaffe Center for Book Arts in the Boca campus library. John Cutrone, director of the Arthur and Mata Jaffe Center for Book Arts, spent his time teaching those in attendance the proper way to use a hand-operated machine press. Attendees included students, professors and alumni. All were allowed to ink the machine, press and print their very own souvenir from the event.

According to Jonas McCaffrey, student assistant at the Jaffe Center, “The hand crank Wesel Iron Hand Press which was built in the late 1880’s, was donated to FAU by a family from South Carolina. The machine was shipped in separate parts and reassembled inside the FAU Jaffe Center for Book Arts, where it still used today.”

Dr. Arthur Jaffe, the Center’s former director, stopped by the event and allowed attendees access to the Center’s library. Attendees viewed centuries-old books Dr. Jaffe has collected throughout his life. The crowd continued to grow throughout the day as guests spent their time using the 19th century printing press and perusing the Center’s collection of over 3,000 books from across the world.