When the ancient Chinese developed woodblock printing sometime between 600-900 C.E., they probably didn’t think of themselves as “trendy.” 1,400 years later, the folks at Detroit Wood Type Co. might feel similarly, but their design and manufacture of movable wood type, along with other original print materials, are helping to foster a resurgence in hand-printed letterpress goods. Illustrator Don Kilpatrick and graphic designer Joe Benghauser opened DWTCo.’s studio space in Corktown last fall, where their hand-pressed greeting cards, notebooks, and posters are available for purchase, including a limited edition poster illustrated and printed by first-graders at the Detroit Achievement Academy. All proceeds from the poster go toward the students’ request for a one-acre farm on the school’s property.
2020 14th St., Ste. 102, Detroit; detroitwoodtypeco.com. Products can also be found at City Bird, Nora, and Signal-Return. —Jeff Waraniak
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