MAKING AN IMPRESSION – Letterpress Printing in Early Ontario – June 3, 2026
Paris has almost always been a printing town. The Paris Museum recently acquired a 1890s Golding Pearl platen press from Thompson Printing – a potent symbol of this industry and its importance locally.
“I have two very similar presses that I use to print posters, linocuts, wood engravings, broadsides, and chapbooks,” said Ian Bell.
Ian will give an illustrated talk that tells the story of rescuing, restoring, and learning to use these amazing pieces of 19th-century technology and the role that they still play in the letterpress revival of recent years. Ian will bring examples of his work and demonstrate a 1896 Excelsior tabletop press.
Over the past five decades, Ian has worked as a visual artist, a folk musician and a museum curator – often all at the same time. In recent years, Ian has explored the world of printmaking and old-time letterpress printing, creating original artwork using century-old equipment and even older techniques.
Ian Bell’s prints have been featured on CD and book covers, and he recently illustrated and designed a book for CBC classical music host Tom Allen using block prints and letterpress – Tom Allen’s Classical Musick Almynack.
Ian currently resides and works in a 19th-century former general store in Villa Nova, Ontario