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The typographic tour took the participants on a trip that covered some of the landmarks on the island of São Miguel: the print shops A Crença, Esperança, Micaelense, Oficina Museu das Capelas and Gráfica do Norte. Places that bring together a considerable collection of letterpress material, in some cases still in frequent use, in others it is a not-too-distant memory. Please come in.
R. do Castilho 33 B, Ponta Delgada
Monday to Friday 9h30-17h00
T: 296 284 262
Probably the print shop with the largest asset in São Miguel island, established since 1957. The present owners, Dinis Botelho and Eduardo Furtado are in the house since 1996. Dinis Botelho, the master printer, started at 14 as an apprentice, in 1974 and, since then, has worked in several print shops in the island. Eduardo Furtado is in charge of the pre-print and the finishing. Micaelense still uses letterpress regularly: in 2014 they started to print the Agenda da Tipografia and since 2016 they print their own calendar.
They also welcome artists in residency, amongst other jobs using letterpress. Featuring hundreds of type families, this print shop has 17 cabinets, one A4 Heidelberg Windmill, one A3 semi-automatic minerva platen press, one A5 table top minerva and a proof press.
Rua Gonçalo Velho Cabral, 38, Vila Franca do Campo
Monday to Friday 8h -12h / 13h – 17h
T: 296 582 196
Tipografia A Crença was founded in 1930 in Vila Franca do Campo by priests João Melo de Bulhões and Manuel Ernesto Ferreira, with the main goal of printing the weekly parish newspaper that goes by the same name. Since 1915 that the newspaper was printed in Ponta Delgada, in Tipografia Aníbal. In 1989 José Vicente enters A Crença as an apprentice with masters António Rodrigues and Roberto Ferreira.
José Vicente is the present printer at A Crença and took part in the transition from letterpress to offset, having still operated a Lynotype.
R. Estrada da Relvinha 13, Lagoa
Monday to Friday 9h – 18h
T: 296 912 290
Situated in the city of Lagoa, Esperança has two Heidelbergs Windmill, A3 and A4 formats, a minerva table top press so small that looks like a toy, and five cabinets with 25 drawers full of type.
Delmiro Luz is the master printer, having begun as an apprentice more than 30 years ago. Al though nowadays he only prints in offset, let terpress printing machines are still used for die cut and crease. In 1966, Altino Moniz Res endes acquires the print shop from it’s first owner, José Leandro.
Established by that time near Porto dos Carneiros, in 1972 the print shop fi nally moves to where it is now. Until the year 2001, Esperança printed only in letterpress. This was also the year when Altino Resendes passed away and was replaced by João Pacheco, his son in law and present owner.
Rua do Loural 56, Capelas
Monday to Friday 8h – 12h / 13h – 17h
T: 296 298 202
In 1999 Gráfica do Norte opens at Rua do Rosário, in Ribeira Grande parish. At the time it started working only with movable type, equipped with 3 minervas platen presses and operated by the two master printers Edmundo Lopes e Luis Rates.
The last of these had been an apprentice in Papelaria Neves print shop. Edmundo Lopes, the owner, was an apprentice at the institution «Lar para Jovens» with master Eugénio. He started by cleaning lines, aged only 9. Gráfica do Norte was in Rosário for five years and in 2004 it moves to the street where it remains. It has five cabinets that add up to 86 type families.
In 2005 Edmundo acquires a RISO HC 5500 digital printer and since then they mostly print digitally, although they still do some smaller works in letterpress.
R. East Providence 31 A, Ribeira Grande
Monday to Friday 08h30 – 17h30
T: 296 474 156
In 1999 Gráfica do Norte opens at Rua do Rosário, in Ribeira Grande parish. At the time it started working only with movable type, equipped with 3 minervas platen presses and operated by the two master printers Edmundo Lopes e Luis Rates.
The last of these had been an apprentice in Papelaria Neves print shop. Edmundo Lopes, the owner, was an apprentice at the institution «Lar para Jovens» with master Eugénio. He started by cleaning lines, aged only 9. Gráfica do Norte was in Rosário for five years and in 2004 it moves to the street where it remains. It has five cabinets that add up to 86 type families.
In 2005 Edmundo acquires a RISO HC 5500 digital printer and since then they mostly print digitally, although they still do some smaller works in letterpress.
