Richard Lawrence

Richard Lawrence is a letterpress printer in the centre of Oxford who produces commercial items and collaborates with artists and designers to create highly distinctive work.

He has been printing letterpress for more than thirty years. Former workplaces include his home in Oxford and Bath Artists’ Studios (formerly Widcombe Studios); He is now based in Hurst Street, Oxford.

Richard specialises in handset type and in printing from blocks and lino on a wide range of papers and boards. His equipment can also deboss, crease, die-cut and crash-number (printing serial numbers onto blank or pre-printed stock). His workshop is equipped with a Heidelberg automatic platen (also known as a ‘windmill’) and 15 × 20.5 inch (380 × 520 mm) cylinder presses. There are also a Vandercook SP20 (20 inch wide by 30 inch long) proofing press, a royal (20 × 25 inch) Albion hand press and other small hand-operated presses.

He can produce single or multi-colour work. The workshop’s output ranges from posters through books and packaging down to record labels and business cards. Richard has worked with the artist Stanley Donwood on a range of projects including the large linocut London views.

He also carries out letterpress and linocutting courses for St Bride Foundation in London. Richard occasionally teaches students in the workshop in Hurst Street. He can also be found at art and printing fairs in Oxfordshire and the region.