At Simon Fraser University’s Burnaby campus, students are discovering what it takes to print, one impression at a time. The Dick Kouwenhoven Book Arts Studio (DKBAS), named in honour of Hemlock’s founder, has been welcoming learners since summer of 2024. Since then, the studio has given students from different faculties a place to explore traditional letterpress printing.
Made possible by a gift from Dick Kouwenhoven’s estate, the studio carries his connection to print into a new setting: a university space where curiosity, experimentation and hands-on learning come together. Having begun his career as a letterpress printer, Dick understood the craft firsthand. The studio honours those roots by giving a new generation the opportunity to bring their own creative ideas to paper. Through first-hand experience, they discover the care, skill and creativity that go into making something in print.
Learning Through Letterpress
Located in SFU’s W.A.C. Bennett Library, DKBAS is part of the library’s Media and Maker Commons. With tools like 3D printers in the same space, the letterpress studio is situated within a broader community of making. Students can take advantage of this to work directly with the materials and processes that shape physical space and cultural realities.
Students don’t need to be studying art or design to engage. The studio welcomes learners across disciplines through guided workshops, class visits, and individual appointments. It gives students the opportunity to examine print as a medium for expression. As well, it provides the means to understand typography, book history, and the relationship between words and their physical form.
The Tools of Letterpress
Letterpress makes every step of printing tangible. Students select individual pieces of wood or metal type, arrange them by hand, then apply ink with a brayer and press onto paper one sheet at a time. Spacing, alignment, ink coverage and paper all become decisions they can see and feel.
The studio houses six printing presses alongside a substantial collection of wood and metal type. Most of it dates back to the 1940s and 1950s. Working with these tools introduces students to a different pace of creation. Unsurprisingly, it necessitates patience, close observation, and a willingness to adjust and try again.
A Lasting Connection to Hemlock’s Founder
For Hemlock, it is meaningful to see a space bearing Dick Kouwenhoven’s name become part of students’ creative lives.
The studio honours Dick’s legacy through active use: type being set, presses being operated and ideas being explored. Now, more than two years after opening, it continues to connect new learners with the historical craft of print and the possibilities it still holds.
As students from across SFU bring their interests into the studio, they add their own perspectives to a long printing tradition. We’re proud to see Dick’s legacy help create room for that discovery.
SFU students and faculty interested in visiting the Dick Kouwenhoven Book Arts Studio can contact lib-dkbookarts@sfu.ca to learn about workshops, class visits and individual appointments.