Tartu exhibition explores last century’s printing craft

An exhibition tracing how printed works were made before the digital era has opened at the Annelinn branch of Tartu City Library, ERR reported. It follows the process from turning materials into paper to binding books.

Before computers, printers had to work among thousands of individual tin letters. The job required quick thinking, nimble fingers and knowing where each letter was, said Heldin Riga, social media specialist at the Typa printing arts centre.

Because the noise and distinctive smell of an old print shop cannot be recreated in a reading room, the exhibition uses objects to evoke the period. These include an ink roller still stained from use and worn type, said exhibition organiser Kirke Rumvolt.

Computers and digital solutions eventually replaced mechanical printing in the final decades of the last century. The transition upset many printers, Riga said, but digital methods were much faster.

The organisers of the exhibition, titled “White field, black seed,” hope it will help visitors value books as physical objects. The exhibits come from the Typa museum collection and former printing houses in Estonia. The exhibition will remain open at the library branch until the end of the year.