19th-century Printing Press Experience VR

Would you like to experience how books were once printed? Take the role of a printer as you are guided step-by-step through printing on a 19th-century cast iron printing press. The printing press you will operate is a virtual reproduction of one owned by William Morris (1834–1896), who used it to print The Works of Geoffrey Chaucer (1896) for his Kelmscott Press. The “Kelmscott Chaucer,” as it is more commonly known, is one of the most beautiful books ever produced, and you will print its title page. The Kelmscott/Goudy Press now lives an active life at the Cary Graphic Arts Collection at the Rochester Institute of Technology (RIT). The following team of students, led by Professor Shaun Foster and Curator Steven Galbraith, brought the press to life in a VR setting.