Space Exploration

12” x 19”

A handy guide for keeping order in the print shop. Space Exploration is a guide for printers to quickly identify sizes of spacing material, while pondering the order and wonder of the universe. 

This piece was created using actual letterpress spacing material composed by hand. When I came across images of what are called “emission spectrums” I was struck by their similarity in appearance to the varying thicknesses of letterpress spacing material. I learned that each chemical element emits a unique pattern or “emission spectrum” and scientists use these patterns to determine the elemental composition of objects in space. The material that composes the majority of  letterpress type and spacing material is lead, a chemical element that emits a unique spectrum. I used images of the electromagnetic spectrum of lead to inform my creation of  “The Spectra of Letterpress Lead” depicting all of the point sizes and thicknesses of spacing material.