The Guild of Hand Printers

Proprietors
Gallery
List of Works

Proprietors

In the late 1950s, typography, design and the printing arts in general were in a state of flux in Canada. Printing technology was changing rapidly and the ongoing development of photo-mechanical typesetting and offset lithography held exciting possibilities for the future of design and printing. In 1956 a group of dedicated designers, including Carl Dair and Sam (Leslie) Smart, formed the Typographic Designers of Canada (renamed the Society of Graphic Designers of Canada in 1968). Their objective was to promote communication within the Canadian design field, concurrent with the development and growth of professional practice.

On a September evening in 1959 a group of friends gathered at the home of Carl Dair, the "spiritual leader of the Canadian post-war graphics world" 1 to talk about type and printing. They were interested in forming a group of "like-minded typophiles and printing enthusiasts to discuss things of common and uncommon interest." They agreed to launch the Guild of Hand Printers to stimulate discussion of design, typography and the book arts among printing enthusiasts, both amateur and professional. There were five charter contributors: Carl Dair of the The Orchard Press, Gus Rueter of the Village Press, Harold Kurschenska of the Purple Partridge Press, E. J. Mulrooney of The Clipper Press and John Robert Colombo of the Hawkshead Press agreed to produce an annual publication of the members' own experimental printing work. Wrongfount was to be circulated to members and friends.

John Robert Colombo writes in the mission statement of Wrongfount 1 that "[the Guild of Hand Printers] hopes to introduce Canadian printers to one another and to the Canadian public. Indirectly it hopes to encourage individual work in the private press field and to develop, in Ryder's 2 phrase, 'a taste for experiment.'"

More than 50 individuals or private presses contributed over nine issues of Wrongfount produced between 1960 and 1976. They read "like a roll-call of young Canadian book and print designers and members of the Toronto literary scene: Carl Dair, William Rueter, Roy Gurney, Don Duncan and Harold Kurshenska all of the University of Toronto Press. Sam Smart, designer, Leslie Smart and Associates; Peter Dorn, designer, Queens University. Stan Bevington, founder of Coach House Press in Toronto. Donn Purdy and Hugh Michaelson of the Toronto Star and Industrial Designer and teacher Bill Poole. John Robert Colombo, Douglas Loughead from Massey College Library and Alan Suddon of the Metro Toronto Reference Library". 3

1. Roger Burford-Mason. Madly Off in All Directions: How Wrongfount Helped Change Canadian Typography. Unpublished.

2. The British typographer, John Ryder, published Printing for Pleasure in 1955. It was arguably the book which triggered a renaissance in private printing in the post-war world.

3. Roger Burford-Mason