Thin Ice Press is the newly-built in-house printing studio in the Department of English and Related Literature at the University of York.
Our iron presses chart the evolution of print from 1838 to 1926. They offer the opportunity to experience the relationship between writing and printing practices through publication, practice-led research, teaching and public workshops.
The project to build a replica wooden common press will extend the timeline of our studio back to the early 18th century. Our press, based on the deconstructed remains of one owned by the York printer Thomas Gent, will allow us to preserve and share this lesser known aspect of York’s history and create links with the wider letterpress community of today.