The term “fine press” is used in the book arts to refer to limited editions of exceptionally beautiful books. A fine press edition may have a very limited print run of fewer than a hundred copies, and the total number of books produced is rarely more than a thousand. For a variety of reasons, people create this type of text edition, and collectors, as well as museums and institutions, often pay a high price for them.
A fine press book has several characteristics that set it apart from other books. The first consideration is the level of quality. The book is simply better, with higher-quality paper, hand-bound pages, and other details that distinguish it from mass-produced commercial books. Hand-made or painted elements, such as hand binding or individually painted frontispieces or illustrations, are frequently used. The paper is usually of archival quality, and the texture is often rich and creamy. Handmade papers will be used in some cases.
Letterpress printing, rather than the more common offset printing, is commonly used to create fine press books. The fonts are frequently ornate and beautiful, and a combination of fonts and engravings will be used to create a visual feast when reading the book. The book is almost more like a work of art than a book, and many of them are never read despite their great acclaim.
A successful fine press book relies heavily on typography and graphic arts. Poetry, short stories, and monographs are all examples of content. Although many are about printing and the book arts community, anything could theoretically be used in such a book. The book is usually the result of collaboration between the author, illustrator, and printer, though all three roles are sometimes filled by the same person.
By preserving traditional techniques and creating a demand for them, these limited editions keep the art of printing and handmade work alive. Several organizations, such as the Fine Press Book Association, keep people in the book arts industry connected and host annual events and trade fairs where displays of these books can be seen, purchased, and compared. Fine presses are a small but important part of the book publishing community, as they help people connect to the origins of early printing.
If you want to see a fine press book, check with your local museum to see if they have any in their collection. You can also join a letterpress printing association or go to a letterpress print shop if one is available in your area. The majority of printers and members of the book arts community are eager to share their work with the general public.