Wellington Centre for Book Arts, New Zealand

[John Nixon]

WCBA in Wellington, New Zealand.

Cheers, John

https://i.stuff.co.nz/entertainment/books/124312659/wellingtons-littleknown-book-arts-centre-desperate-to-expand

[Dave Hughes]

Thanks for posting that, John. Interesting article and video.

Is the centre's model of selling type to fund the preservation work viable?

Do they have a Monotype system as well, for that work?

[John Nixon]

Most of our growing income is from our Monotype casting operation.

We recently salvaged all the Monotype equipment from the defunct MOP in Melbourne, Australia, (2 containers worth brought to New Zealand). In which was the complete Monotype library of mats from The Australian Agents.or leading, borders etc.

We currently run 2 composition casters, 2 Display casters, one for American mats, and another for leading and borders.
We also have 3 working keyboards.

Our next challenge is Palace Script, as we have all the necessary bits to cast.
We have been fortunate to be able to get the required mats for setting Macrons for use in the Maori language from The Type Archive.


https://youtu.be/br9LpPwjqDI

The interface in the video is how we produce tape from text files to run the composition caster.
We were lucky enough to get the punch unit from Australia. Works a treat.

John has also posted this video on our main thread on Monotype computer interfaces here: Monotype Composition Caster Interface - Admin.

[Les]

Good on you John, I hope to visit you one day before I am too old. The Wellington Publishing Co is still in my blood even after all these years. I left "The Dominion" for Australia in 1968 and never looked back until now, some 50 od years later.

[John Nixon]

Hi Les
We actually arranged a visit to the museum for George Taucher (night printer) and Peter Cowan (ad setter extrodanaire).
Had a great reminisce. They We're both there during the Sunday Times strike in the late 60's. We have the union records from that time, must do an article sometime. Cheers, John