25 Bookplates: Engraving and Printing the Colophon

The colophon says something about the production and limitation of the book. Although I have many cases of type, I have decided that the text of books made by Oak Apple Press should be engraved on wood.

I started by marking out the lettering in Roman capitals on a boxwood block. The next step was to carefully engrave around the letters and then - with equal care - start to clear away the wider parts of the letters:


This is a lengthy process, but it is satisfying when it has been completed. At this point I check the text in a mirror - fingers crossed!


When the text was cut, I drew decorative elements - oak leaves and an acorn - onto the block and started to cut a line around the shapes:


Using a medium sized round scorper, I started to cut away the wood around the decorations:


Again, I cut the wood around the design to a lower level. Finally, I engraved small dots in a regular pattern around the letters. It was time to proof the block which would show any small adjustments that I need to make.



I made a series of small extra cuts, taking the block through four states until I was happy.


In the book, this will be printed on the final page, above the press device already described below.