Category Archives: Bookbinding

The Smyth book sewing machine is an extraordinary device

Posted on March 4, 2025 by Brian Lawler

For over five years I have been working to restore a 1935 Smyth book sewing machine. You can read several posts on that topic here, mostly related to the mechanics of getting the machine running after a long dormancy, and … Continue reading →

Posted in Bookbinding, Building things, Gadgets, Printing and Printing Processes | Tagged , , , , , , , , , , | 2 Comments

The Smyth book sewing machine is now running!

Posted on January 29, 2023 by Brian Lawler

Some of you may recall my obsession with a 1935 Smyth book sewing machine and all of the steps it took to restore it and get it running again. After my return from Germany last September, I worked a lot … Continue reading →

Posted in Bookbinding, Printing and Printing Processes | Tagged , , , , , | 2 Comments

Running the Landa Nanopress

Posted on June 5, 2022 by Brian Lawler

Part III [Part II] [Part I] After numerous visits to the printing plant where the Landa Nanopress is running, I have a pretty good idea of how that machine works. I am assisted by a very nice diagram on the … Continue reading →

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From variable-frequency drives
to hand-bound books

Posted on March 20, 2020 by Brian Lawler

It’s been about a month since I wrote my last blog. It was about variable-frequency-drive high voltage motor controllers and a 1935 book sewing machine. The relevance of that is cloudy, but suffice it to say that I have been … Continue reading →

Posted in Art, Bookbinding, New technology, Printing and Printing Processes, Typography | Tagged , , , , | Leave a comment

Electronic motor control
and my obsession with a 1935 bookbinding machine

Posted on February 25, 2020 by Brian Lawler

This is the second part of my obsession story. To read the first part, please click here. And that’s where my odyssey began. Alternating current induction motors use the frequency of the line power (60 Hz in our case) to … Continue reading →

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Obsessing on a 1935 bookbinding machine

Posted on February 22, 2020 by Brian Lawler

I get obsessed about my projects. My current obsession is the restoration of a 1935 Smyth book sewing machine in the Shakespeare Press Museum at Cal Poly (I was the faculty advisor before I retired). That machine sews the spines … Continue reading →

Posted in Adventures, Bookbinding, Education, History, Imposition and Pagination, New technology, Printing and Printing Processes | Tagged , , , | 14 Comments

Papierherstellung in Deutschland

Posted on July 9, 2017 by Brian Lawler

On Thursday we took a tour of the Gmund Paper factory in Gmund, about one hour south of Munich. Gmund is the maker of some of the finest papers in the world. In their shipping area I saw pallets marked … Continue reading →

Posted in Adventures, Art, Bookbinding, History, Printing and Printing Processes, Technology | Tagged , , , , , , | 4 Comments

Burning questions, answered

Posted on September 4, 2014 by Brian Lawler

My wife and I went to Burning Man last week. It was something we had wanted to do for several years, and now we have done it. The legendary counterculture festival is held on a dry lake bed in northern … Continue reading →

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China, day four-point-three

Posted on November 14, 2013 by Brian Lawler

We awoke yesterday and boarded a big green bus, heading north from Hong Kong into mainland China. Our objective was to visit three of China’s largest commercial printing companies, each known for quality and high volume. Crossing the border from … Continue reading →

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ePrint is setting records in Hong Kong printing community

Posted on November 11, 2013 by Brian Lawler

It’s VistaPrint for Hong Kong. But less aggressive and irritating. On our tours yesterday of printing plants in Hong Kong, we visited a company called ePrint, which is a largely web-based commercial printing company. They specialize in – everything. Their … Continue reading →

Posted in Adventures, Bookbinding, Business, Color Management, People, Printing and Printing Processes | Tagged , , , , , | 1 Comment