Episode 165 | Martin Schneider

Published November 8, 2022

Miranda Metcalf  00:27

Hello, print friends, and welcome. I'm your host, Miranda Metcalf. Each week, I chat with artists who use print based media to do something beyond the expected. This is a bilingual podcast, so if you subscribe to us, you'll be getting episodes in English with me, as well as in Spanish with Reinaldo Gil Zambrano. Together, we speak to printmakers around the globe about their practice and passions in the world of printmaking. Hello, Print Friend is brought to you by Speedball Art Products, who have been offering a diverse range of high quality products to your creative practice since 1997. But we all know that those products do not use themselves, and that is why Speedball works with a fantastic lineup of contemporary printmakers who make up the Speedball team of Demo Artists. Artists like: Myles Calvert. This cheeky Canadian uses his wit and whimsy to make every demo as educational as it is fun. In his personal practice, major bodies of work include mass installations of screen printed toast - you heard that right, toast - and the idolization of popular British celebrity culture. So if you want to learn a few tricks of the trade and expand and improve your practice, head on over to Speedball's YouTube channel, and you can see how it's done. There's a link in the show notes. My guest this week is Martin Schneider, founder of the Open Press Project. We talk about creating the world's first widely accessible model for the 3D printed printing press - which started as a University project and kind of came to take over his whole life - why he gives the design away for free, and his traveling exhibition of tiny prints made on this special little press. So without further ado, sit back, relax, and prepare to get rolling with Martin Schneider. Hi, Martin, how's it going?

Martin Schneider  02:21

It's going really well. Thank you, Miranda. Thanks for having me. It's a great honor to be on this podcast.

Miranda Metcalf  02:26

Oh my gosh, I'm so excited to get a chance to talk to you about your project and how you came to it, and that story, because the Open Press Project is something that I've been following along since it came on my radar. And I just think it's such a cool, unique thing to have in our print world and our global print family. So I'm really excited that you could join me.

Martin Schneider  02:49

It means a lot to hear that from you, definitely. Yeah.

Miranda Metcalf  02:52

So before we start getting into the story and the narrative and this cool thing that you've got going on, would you please introduce yourself and let people know who you are, where you are, what you do?

Martin Schneider  03:06

Sure. My name is Martin Schneider. I'm a designer and printmaker from Cologne, Germany. And some people may have seen the little 3D printed printing presses that have been going around on Instagram and social media, and I'm the initial designer of it. So that's me.

Miranda Metcalf  03:25

Wonderful. And where are you now?

Martin Schneider  03:28

I am in Cologne.

Miranda Metcalf  03:29

Okay.

Martin Schneider  03:30

I was born and raised in Cologne, and I have not been able to get away for a long time.

Miranda Metcalf  03:36

Yeah, yeah. A lot of us have been been in one place, for sure. There's been a little pandemic going around, making travel a bit more difficult.

Martin Schneider  03:45

Yep!

Miranda Metcalf  03:46

So I did my Masters in Northern Renaissance art. I traveled in Germany, and got to see the museums there. And so I really associate Germany, personally, with printmaking, and with the kind of birth of the European traditions. And some of the great masters, like Durer and Schongauer and people who were working in what's now modern-day Germany. Was that a part of your childhood growing up? Did you feel the art historical tradition of the land that you were growing up in as a part of that landscape of your childhood?

Martin Schneider  04:22

That's a good question. I'm not really sure. Like, I [started] printmaking when I was 15 years old, but I only started in the local printmaking workshop, and basically in Cologne, there's just one institution that is really doing that. Like, where you can take courses and have an open workshop where you can do your printmaking. And, well, before the Open Press Project, I wasn't really into the printmaking community at all. It was more like a local thing in Cologne. I was definitely aware of it because of it. But yeah, not so much, because I think Cologne is... not as vibrant in that community, not like Berlin or Leipzig, all of these other cities, maybe.

Miranda Metcalf  05:07

Yeah. Did you go to museums growing up, and have art [as] a part of your life in a more general way?

Martin Schneider  05:13

Yeah, I did, definitely. I have a twin brother, and we were always going with our dad to exhibitions, to local exhibitions, but also to museums around the country. Definitely.

Miranda Metcalf  05:26

And was that something that you enjoyed? Or was it kind of more of an obligatory family outing?

Martin Schneider  05:32

Oh, no, no, not at all. No, I was really enjoying it and getting all of the inspiration, and it's what maybe led to what I'm doing now as well.

Miranda Metcalf  05:42

And so you said you started at a local workshop at 15, getting your introduction to printmaking there. When and how did that happen? Did you just see it on the street and decide, this is something I want to be involved in? Or...

Martin Schneider  05:56

Kind of. It was kind of sudden. Yeah, it was for an internship. So when I was in ninth grade, there's this usual internship where people kind of have a look [at] a job they like. And I found this printmaking workshop. I didn't know what it was about, actually, I just liked drawing, basically. And I walked in, and I asked if I could be an intern. And they never had an intern up to that point. And I'm kind of the historic intern there that never left. So I did my internship for, like, three weeks there. And then they adopted me. It's become my second home. And it's a very special place in Cologne, with really nice people. And yeah, it's my second home.

Miranda Metcalf  06:35

Yeah, it sounds like you were able to connect with some of that printmaking community, the printmaking sense of place, that I think a lot of us find in print shops. Would you say that's true?

Martin Schneider  06:48

Exactly, yeah.

Miranda Metcalf  06:49

Oh, lovely. And so when you were there... were you doing etching, intaglio, relief? What was your focus within printmaking?

Martin Schneider  06:58

Yeah, I always liked printmaking because I come from the drawing side of things. So I really like drypoint etching, and soft ground, hard ground etchings. That's always been my focus, kind of, but I've tried all of the things, basically, at my internship, and then moving forward being there once a week, and doing my own stuff. So yeah.

Miranda Metcalf  07:19

And before we get into the Open Press Project, what is your art? How would you describe your practice that you do personally?

Martin Schneider  07:28

Well, I started off as an illustrator, basically, in the world of game design, concept art. I really liked character design. So lots of characters for me. Lots of... in the sense of game design... that world is a whole different word. But I can kind of connect it with printmaking too. And I had a couple of exhibitions. But I was more doing illustrations and experimenting with - now I'm experimenting with new new techniques, trying to come up with my own techniques. That's kind of what I do now. But the Open Press Project has been kind of my main project. And since I published it, or since I'm working on it, my personal art has kind of been in the background. Which is not a bad thing. It's like, I get much more fulfillment out of the Open Press Project right now.

Miranda Metcalf  08:21

Yeah. And so how did the Open Press Project come to be? What's the story of its founding?

Martin Schneider  08:29

So I was studying design - I'm actually still studying design - but it was a course called Integrated Design, where we do all kinds of disciplines in design and try to make projects that incorporate a lot of different techniques or disciplines. And there was this exam coming up. So I needed a topic, and I always wanted to combine the printmaking with my design studies, because I felt like lots of my fellow students didn't even know what an etching is, or they didn't know intaglio printmaking, which is kind of a shame. Like, most of them have done linocuts, or maybe potato printing in kindergarten or something.

Miranda Metcalf  09:09

Yeah, classic.

Martin Schneider  09:10

Exactly. But they never tried etching. And I kind of wanted to... I was thinking about what the reason behind that is, and because I was doing lots of product design at that moment, and 3D printing, I kind of... yeah, the idea emerged [from], could I design a printing press that is 3D printed and make it work? Especially for intaglio printmaking, because etchings and engravings and drypoint and stuff need much more pressure to print. I feel like it's much less accessible than a linocut, for example. Where in theory, you could always use a spoon to print a linocut if you really wanted to. Which is great, which is one of the best things about linocut, I think. And I've heard lots of people don't have access to all of these other techniques, because the [cost] of having a press is so high. They're usually so expensive, so heavy, and kind of difficult to get. You have to have space. And I was thinking that an open source project could kind of fix that, or kind of counteract [it]. So I was planning on coming up with a design of a press, and [putting] it online for free for people to use. So people with access to a 3D printer in a school, or maybe University - or a lot of people who go to local libraries - they could manufacture their own tiny press for free, and have access to all of these techniques.

Miranda Metcalf  10:35

Yeah. So how do you actually go about making that leap between, 'I want to design a 3D printed press,' and, 'Here's the design for a 3D printed press?' That seems like such a huge undertaking. How did you even begin to figure out what was needed, and all the moving parts, and the coding? Like, where does all that come from?

Martin Schneider  11:00

Well, luckily, there's no coding involved.

Miranda Metcalf  11:02

Oh, really? See, I always figured - see, this is my total brand newbie-ness when it comes to 3D printing. I was imagining you'd need coding, but that's not... so maybe you can start there. What is the design for anything 3D printed? What does that even look like?

Martin Schneider  11:18

So... well, maybe I'll explain it with the press. I would come up with a prototype or design in my head, and then I would design it in CAD - a computer aided design - it's a 3D program on the computer where you design your 3D part. And then you have a slicing program, a separate software, where you prepare it for printing. So you basically slice the 3D model into layers, and that kind of sends it off to the 3D printer. And it's then gonna make it for you, basically. That's the short explanation.

Miranda Metcalf  11:55

It sounds like there's programs that are already out there in the world that you can use to make your design and create something that you're looking for. Have you gotten exposure to those through your design classes?

Martin Schneider  12:07

Yes, exactly. And luckily, these programs are all open source. There's lots of free software, and a huge community behind it, where you can get help if you have any questions. So it's a whole new community to get into. But yeah, it's really fun. And you get so many possibilities with 3D printing. I really like it.

Miranda Metcalf  12:27

Oh, that's so cool. And I feel like I've heard about that kind of culture of free access to things on the internet, that it's really almost like an ideology, that certain corners of the internet have, about information not having a paywall of any kind. And accessibility is somehow inherently important, and that the democratic possibilities of the Internet are really important to take advantage of. And I feel like there's a lot around 3D printing that falls into that narrative.

Martin Schneider  13:03

Yes, exactly. There's also... well, it's kind of always a juggle between, can I make a living from it and have it open source as well, at the same time, right? So... it's an interesting thing, and a challenge to juggle, but for the Open Press Project, luckily - because it was a university project - I was totally fine with it being for free. It was not for profit. I was getting my credit points, I got my A, I was fine. And then anything further was just on top. Luckily, lots of people were so excited about it.

Miranda Metcalf  13:44

Yeah. And the presses themselves, I'd love if you could speak to the physicality of them a bit. So how big are they - I know I've got one here that attaches to a table, which is a brilliant way to get it to be secure - because they are quite light. They're 3D printed, and they need to have, as you spoke to, to print intaglio, you need a fair amount of pressure. And so there needs to be some kind of counterbalance. How many moving parts do they have? All of that.

Martin Schneider  14:13

So yeah, there's just one size. That's kind of the only size that we've been able to make it work, and we spent a lot of time to make it work with international shipping and stuff. Because if it's too heavy, then shipping costs increase exponentially. It's crazy. So it was always kind of an in-between of making it big enough so people could make artwork with it, or print with it, but then at the same time, make it as portable as possible too. It's fairly small. It's like 7.5 centimeters by 23 centimeters, which is like 3 inches by 9 inches, I think. That's kind of the maximum size of paper that you could print on. And especially when you do intaglio printing, it's always better to have smaller plates than that. Not use the full size bed. So the prints that come out of it are really tiny, which is so fun to see. Because usually, people are always like... kind of the bigger the better, in a way. Like, it's more challenging to print bigger. And then at the same time, kind of challenge people to, what if you make it smaller? And how small can you go? And it's been really fun to see what people print with it.

Miranda Metcalf  15:25

Are there limitations in terms of size beyond shipping? Is there a certain structural thing that breaks down if you were to make one that was 4 feet by 4 feet or something? Of course, access to a 3D printer that size would be a huge barrier, too, but is there also something about the material as well that puts a limitation on?

Martin Schneider  15:44

Probably. I mean, I'm not an engineer, so I [haven't done the math]. But yes, probably. At some point, it's not useful anymore, I guess. At some point, it's better to have a metal press, to have cast iron, like the usual presses you get. And... you're mostly limited by the size of your printer. So there are people that have printed it much larger, and it seems to work. But because this project is all about accessibility, or access to printmaking, I wanted to make it work with most 3D printers out there. And that's kind of the size that... like, 15 by 15 centimeters cubed, every 3D printer is able to do that.

Miranda Metcalf  16:25

And so where have you seen the 3D printed presses out in the world? What are some of the fun places you've seen them pop up since you started the project?

Martin Schneider  16:36

Yeah, I mean, because I'm based in Germany, it's always fun to see them on the other side of the world. So there [are] presses in Hawaii. There's actually one person that printed a linocut on an airplane. Which was so fun, to see the tiny table, and... which, I always joke that this might be the highest linocut ever printed.

Miranda Metcalf  17:00

Yeah, I reckon it is!

Martin Schneider  17:01

I don't know how she got that through security, especially with the ink and stuff. But yeah, it's really fun. And then there's, of course, New Zealand, Japan, and Mexico. So it's always fun to to see them pop up in totally different places. And then, at the same time, it's really fun to - because I'm in England every year, basically, I'm attending an art fair called Woolwich Print Fair in London. And it's all about printmaking. It's so fun to then meet people that have your presses. It's so surreal to talk to people that only know you from online, social media. And this has been kind of increasing with the years. I really love it there.

Miranda Metcalf  17:49

And as you spoke to the accessibility of printmaking, do you see them getting used in schools much? I know that was one of the first goals, and you're seeing that come to fruition?

Martin Schneider  18:00

Yes, definitely. I mean, especially during the pandemic, people didn't have access to a workshop. And that's when teachers started to - because they had access to the schools, but the schools were closed in some areas - they started to do collaboration with their technical teachers there, 3D printing teachers. And there have been schools that have equipped a whole class with sets, where every student gets a press and materials and stuff, they get a package, and then they can do it all at home and do Zoom calls with it. So yeah... and this has been increasing. Another thing is museums. So the educational people at museums [do] workshops with it to kind of ease people into printmaking. Because it's much less daunting, I guess. It's not having this big press, but a really small one that you can use to get really quick results. And for kids, it's so much fun to figure out how printmaking works and how a press works.

Miranda Metcalf  19:00

Yeah. And again, I'm looking at kind of the physical structure of the press I've got here, and it does have a metal roller in that one. And so that's, I assume, not 3D printed, correct?

Martin Schneider  19:14

So the version you have is the version that we manufacture. There's two versions, basically. There's the open source version, where the upper roller would be 3D printed as well. So it's really easy to manufacture your own press, you just need two bolts, basically, and a blanket. And that's it. And then you can start printing. That's the concept of the open source version, whereas the version we manufacture is more focused on durability, because if you don't have a 3D printer, you can't just reprint parts that break. So to make them more durable, that's where the ball bearings and the stainless steel roller comes in. And this is all followed by... this was all set up after the Kickstarter that we did. So in 2019, we ran a crowdfunding campaign, and I was expecting maybe like 100, 150 orders, maybe. And I was overwhelmed. We ended up with 1500 orders. And it was crazy - terrifying and amazing at the same time - and then kind of the whole journey of figuring out how to found a company and get these made, basically, setting up production, and then finally being able to ship all of them, has been... it's been very challenging, but really fun to now be able to work on new products, new projects, because we have 3D printers now.

Miranda Metcalf  19:17

That's great. That's great. And so you're saying "we." Who else is involved in the project?

Martin Schneider  20:42

Oh, yeah. Before the Kickstarter, it was only me. Because it was just nonprofit, I was just doing it beside studying. And then, because I got so many orders, luckily, my good friend Dominic Schmitz decided to join in, even though it didn't look very good at the beginning. I had miscalculated quite a bit. I was just focused on getting them as affordable as possible. And I ended up not incorporating certain costs. So in the beginning, it was really a challenge to kind of figure out how to manufacture them without going bankrupt immediately. And he was kind of... he joined in, and now it's just the two of us, basically, working on it.

Miranda Metcalf  21:27

I mean, I feel like that's such an interesting part of this story, as someone who, myself, I like to take on projects even if I don't really know too much about doing them. But you know, that way of how you had this idea, and then the demand for it was so much greater than you anticipated, and then on top of that, you realized that there's more to this than you had initially anticipated... that must have been kind of terrifying!

Martin Schneider  22:01

It was. It was. Yeah, I was not expecting it. It took a while to get used to it. I wouldn't want to miss this. Like, 2019 and 2020 have been so much work, but we got out ahead, I guess.

Miranda Metcalf  22:19

Yeah. And then on top of being a student, which is a whole other thing.

Martin Schneider  22:24

It kind of is. Yeah, I must say that my study... hasn't gotten as much attention lately. I'm basically just right in front of my Bachelor's. So I just need to do my thesis, basically, and then I'm done. And I'll be doing that soon.

Miranda Metcalf  22:44

And so in terms of... I always am interested to talk to people who have had this idea for a project, and then - not that it's done yet - but already moved through some of the wobbly, up-and-down, shaky beginnings. If you were to go back and talk to 2018 Martin before this project, what would you want to say to him about taking on Open Press?

Martin Schneider  23:10

That's a good question. I don't know if I would say anything. Like, maybe... I guess, if I would have known how much work it would be, and how many problems would arise, I might not have done it. So it was probably a good idea to not know what I [was] getting myself into, in a way.

Miranda Metcalf  23:31

Totally. I totally understand that, I honestly do. Yeah, I think there's really something about the blissful ignorance when you're on the precipice of taking on something.

Martin Schneider  23:43

Oh, yeah. I was so naive. Exactly, yeah.

Miranda Metcalf  23:45

But like, you need that, as you say, that naivete, to make it into fruition. So you mentioned in passing just now that you're looking or thinking about other projects, because it sounds like, more or less, you've gotten most of the kinks worked out of the Open Press Project. In the sense that you've got the open source version that people can just use. But then, as you say, you also are selling these wonderful little, slightly more durable presses that... they're so cute. I'm just looking at one right now, like, they're so cute! Those, actually, you can sell to people, and that's, of course, at a cost [that] is just astronomically lower than a full-size etching press.

Martin Schneider  24:25

Yes, and on that point, we also sell them for our own costs. So we have this concept of, people can choose if they want to pay on top to enable us to work on future projects, for example. But we are trying to keep the cost as low as possible...

Miranda Metcalf  24:47

Oh, wow. And so it's sort of like a choose-what-you-pay kind of tiered structure?

Martin Schneider  24:51

Exactly, yeah. You have three tiers, and you can pick one, whatever kind of suits your situation right now. And it's kind of a donation-based system, yeah. And luckily, people are choosing to pay us a bit more so we can pay ourselves a small salary.

Miranda Metcalf  25:10

Yeah, oh, that's wonderful. I love that. I feel like any project that comes from that place, it's such a great sense of hope for what humans are, and where their values are. And this idea that you can set something up where, if someone truly can't afford to pay more than the cost of it, they still get a press, and then just having faith that other people will be like, 'Oh, well, I actually can afford to pay a bit more. And so I'll cover some of that, and step up and do that.' And I love that. And I always love that it's such a wonderful shot in the arm to people who want to make a case for more socialist systems. Where the argument against it is always, people will never work if they don't have to, people will never give more, you know? And it's like, no, they will, though!

Martin Schneider  26:03

Exactly. Yes. And it's, I mean, at the same time, it's scary too. Not being able to rely on this, kind of. But yes, luckily, it's been working out. And I'm really fortunate to be able to make a living out of it, even though I'm still a student, and my costs are not as astronomically high, I guess. But yes, I'm really fortunate to be able to do what what I love at the moment.

Miranda Metcalf  26:26

And you said it was - I remember originally, you talked about it as a nonprofit? So is it still an a nonprofit, or is it a for-profit business, I guess, now?

Martin Schneider  26:36

Well, it wasn't a nonprofit business in legal sense, it was just a project, basically. And I was not making any money with it. And now we have founded a company. So I guess we are a for-profit company, but we do a couple of things differently than the regular, I don't know, manufacturing company.

Miranda Metcalf  26:57

When you're building things and doing things in the arts and making projects, there's almost sometimes a sense of guilt to want to be - for me, to want to be compensated for my time, you know - but then people around me often have to remind me, that's not a good attitude to have. Because what I'm bringing is of value, and I should be compensated for what I'm bringing. And to be compensated makes it sustainable to keep doing it. And it's just a funny side, I think, of people who maybe have big hearts and work in the arts, where we're just like, 'No, no, no, I'm just in it to help other people!'

Martin Schneider  27:37

Yes, exactly. I know exactly what you mean. And it's been a curve as well, getting from that point to more, 'Okay, how is this gonna be in five years,' maybe? How's that gonna work? If it's gonna work? Are we flexible enough to pivot things if it doesn't work out? But so far, it... like, as long as people are ordering presses and interacting in this awesome community, then I'm just gonna keep making presses.

Miranda Metcalf  28:04

Yeah. And so you mentioned perhaps maybe other projects. Do you have some dreams for what Open Press Project is going to be working on?

Martin Schneider  28:14

I don't know about dreams... I mean, the thing that gives me a lot of fulfillment right now is the print exchange that we ran last year. Because as I said, it's really fulfilling to see what people make with the presses. And having a print exchange was a really fun initiative to reach out to all of them with tiny presses and ask them, do you want to participate in this, and you'll get prints in return, and we're gonna set up exhibitions. And the first exhibition just ended in Cologne. And we had another one that was kind of at the same time in Japan. And we set it up so it's easy for us to scale. So it's really easy for a printmaking workshop to show the exhibition somewhere else around the world, because it's tiny prints and they're all in tiny 3D printed frames. So it's really light, we can just ship it around the world. And then everything that goes along with it - a catalog, a book, an online gallery - and it's really been fun to see the variety of things, because especially in these exhibitions, a print that was maybe from someone who just started in printmaking is right next to a print that's obviously from someone who has done it for years. But they're on the same level, and there's not even labels under them. They just have a number, and you can look up the number online to get background information on the prints. And it's been really fun to see them next to each other, and I'm still going to the website and checking them out, because there's always a new print that I haven't looked at.

Miranda Metcalf  28:15

Oh, that's so cool. How many participants did you have?

Martin Schneider  28:48

We had a bit more than 350, I think.

Miranda Metcalf  29:10

Oh, my gosh!

Martin Schneider  29:11

So I had, like, three and a half thousand prints to kind of handle.

Miranda Metcalf  30:04

Oh, my gosh!

Martin Schneider  30:07

Yeah, it was really fun. It was our first one. We were more careful than the initial Kickstarter to set this up. So we ran a test run, asked a couple of people to join in, and then tested out the shipping stuff. And all of the sorting and how we're going to do the photos. Luckily, Dominic is a professional photographer, so he can do really high quality photos of all of the prints that we can use for the online gallery. And the book, for example. And yeah, it's been a really... a round project. It's been really fun to work with these people, and then people travel to the exhibitions as well, and it's so great to meet them.

Miranda Metcalf  30:47

It's a print exchange as well as the exhibition, so what's the edition size? And then how many prints do people get back?

Martin Schneider  30:56

So it was an edition of 10 each. People would send in 10 identical prints and get 9 back from other participants. And one of them would be kept for the exhibitions and for the online gallery to be photographed and be shown in exhibitions. That's the thing. And they were always - all of them were 7 by 7 centimeter sized. So all of them were square, and we could - because the quality of the photos are so, so good - we could scale them up to 60 by 60 centimeters without having a loss in quality. And then you can really see the texture of the paper and the deckled edges.

Miranda Metcalf  31:35

Very cool. And then so you 3D printed... was it 350 frames? Was the exhibition every print, or did you curate it?

Martin Schneider  31:44

Well, we were not curating in any way. Because we feel like it's not our position to judge what is a good print, what is good enough to be in the exhibition. So we are always either picking random collections of prints - for example, for the Japan one, we just picked 99 random prints and sent them off. And then, yes, we have printed 150 tiny 3D printed frames, which is not that much of a deal because of the Kickstarter. We have set up our 3D printers to work automatically, so they spit out finished parts for us. It's always [work] to get them dialed in, but then it's like they are working for us 24/7. And a couple days later... I think it took three or four days to print all of them. And then you have to set them up and frame them. That was much more work.

Miranda Metcalf  32:34

Yeah, I'm just imagining you coming into, like, a literal pile of 3D printed frames that this machine's just spitting out for you.

Martin Schneider  32:45

It's really slow, though. Like, each frame takes one and a half hours or something. Yes. But basically, it's coming back to a box of 30 frames and then having to check them and prepare them.

Miranda Metcalf  32:57

Yeah. And then did you get little squares of glass as well? Are they all under glass?

Martin Schneider  33:02

No, they're not. Glass would be too heavy.

Miranda Metcalf  33:05

Yeah. And then delicate again with the shipping.

Martin Schneider  33:08

Exactly. And we have a special box for it. So they are always neatly sitting in foam, and you can package them up really neatly in a small box and then ship it. And it's really easy for people to set up the exhibitions that way.

Miranda Metcalf  33:23

That's super exciting. And I believe that you will be sending out an invitation again this year, for anyone who'd want to participate. Is that correct?

Martin Schneider  33:34

Yes, exactly. I mean, we're aiming at doing this every year now, because it's so much fun. And it's probably going to be really similar. But we're planning to run another one in November, and have people register in November, just like last time. And then there's going to be a deadline to send in prints, which is going to be next year. But yeah, that's all to be decided.

Miranda Metcalf  33:59

Absolutely. Oh, that sounds really exciting. So where could people see - because you said the archive is there, of these very nicely documented works - and then also where could they sign up for this year's? If they're keen to join in the fun?

Martin Schneider  34:17

Yeah, so the official website is openprintexchange.com. That's where the the online gallery is. And there's going to be a link for the next one as well. But then, again, it's all going to be on social media. We have a newsletter, too. So yeah, we're not going to be... it's gonna be everywhere.

Miranda Metcalf  34:33

Yeah. And I know you said that you've got a curatorial neutrality when it comes to it. But do you have any particular favorite prints that you've seen someone make? Not even necessarily part of the exchange, but just in the years you've been doing it, ones that stand out that you just are really delighted by what someone took with your project and took on creating?

Martin Schneider  34:59

I... yeah, I always like the Japan ones. Because most of them are really intricate. And I really like the intaglio ones. So having a really detailed hard ground etching of [an] illustration is really, yeah, what I really like. And then, at the same time, it's so fun to see them from Mexico as well. I feel like they have a really special style. And it's very different in a way. It's mostly linocut. And you've got skulls, and I really like them both equally, I guess.

Miranda Metcalf  35:36

Yeah. Well, I was thinking actually about Japan, particularly with the scale of the work, because I've traveled in Japan and I have stayed in Tokyo for a while with friends. And the flats there are quite small. I mean, it's true that you can be in an apartment that's the size of an American kitchen, in a studio. And they make it very cozy, and it works. But there just truly would be no way to have any kind of traditional press in a space like that. You wouldn't be able to walk from one side to the other. And so the fact that you've got this press that just attaches to a table or a desk, I mean, it would be perfect for people who are living in cities that do have the smaller square footage. So I can see why people would be very excited about that.

Martin Schneider  36:26

Definitely. And like, I guess we are planning to focus more on different languages as well. So like, right now we're only communicating in English. And that kind of leaves us with lots of people from the US, Australia, and all of the English speaking countries. UK. And it would be really fun to... we're just two people, but maybe we can kind of expand that and have Spanish as well, have all of the Spanish people in the community too, and Japan, and maybe Korean. Yeah, that would be really fun, to open this up even more and make this even more international.

Miranda Metcalf  37:03

Yeah. I mean, would you like to make a little call out right now on the podcast for anyone who might be willing to offer some translation?

Martin Schneider  37:14

That would be amazing. I guess we have to figure out the technicalities. Because if it's too much trouble to implement this in all of our material, than we have to kind of think about this. But yes, in general, that would be really cool to have translations to all kinds of modern languages.

Miranda Metcalf  37:30

Yeah, definitely. So if someone's just listening and is interested, they can shoot you an email, it sounds like, and you can kind of figure it out as you go. But there's a lot of international listeners to the podcast, I see on my analytics, so if anyone's listening and they're like, 'Hey! I could translate this into Mandarin!'

Martin Schneider  37:53

That would be amazing. Perfect.

Miranda Metcalf  37:54

You've got the two aspects of the project, and you've got this print exchange. Do you have any other ideas that, if you were kind of in unlimited time and resources, that you'd like to see Open Press Project expand into? Not that it's not enough, already, what you're doing, but I always think it's interesting. If you had all the time in the world, what you'd like it to be?

Martin Schneider  38:18

Yeah, I mean, I would probably focus a lot more on the community. That's kind of - we're trying to do that already. But having more community challenges, having more projects like the open Print Exchange, having more exhibitions around the world - and then at the same time, because basically, I just love tinkering and making stuff and coming up with new projects and new products - and that's where I would put most of my time, probably. Like, work on new press related products that are 3D printed, and yeah, make it available to the community.

Miranda Metcalf  38:57

And you said that the press is designed for intaglio, but people can use it for relief printing. How do they go about doing that?

Martin Schneider  39:04

So the press is capable of printing blocks that are up to 2.5 centimeters, so almost an inch, high. And lots of people would actually use them for linocut as well, and do monoprints, all kinds of techniques, basically. And for bigger blocks, it's probably useful to use runners. So you would have strips of the same material next to it so the roller doesn't fall down, and keeps it [at] the right height. And that's what people are doing.

Miranda Metcalf  39:36

Yeah. That's so cool! Well, where can people find Open Press? And I know you mentioned the exchange, but just in general, where are you out there on the internet? Where people can see what people are making, and get involved, and maybe download what they need to to make their own presses?

Martin Schneider  39:58

The best address is probably Instagram, it's @openpressproject. And that's where we are reposting other people's work. So people can tag us, and then we'd kind of share it with the community. And if you're planning to print your own press or order them from us, it's openpressproject.com. And there's instructions on how to keep an eye out, if you're 3D printing them, there's a couple of aspects that you kind of need to make sure to do to make a durable press. That's openpressproject.com, and then the online gallery would be at openprintexchange.com.

Miranda Metcalf  40:36

Very cool. Well, Martin, I'm so happy that you're out here in the print world working on this project, because it's so neat. And I know that I have just really loved seeing what people make on these presses. They're so creative. And I love what you spoke to earlier in our conversation about how people think that larger is harder, larger is more challenging, but really, making a really successful image that's quite small is so challenging, too. And so it's really amazing to see the way people take that on, and the way they're using your presses to do that. So it's very exciting.

Martin Schneider  41:18

Thank you so much!

Miranda Metcalf  41:19

Yeah, absolutely. And so, for sure, if people make something, they can tag you in it. And yeah, definitely, I'd love to see anything - if anyone hears this and makes something, definitely tag the podcast, too! I'd love to see what comes out of our conversation and gets [put] into the world from people who are introduced to this cool thing that you're doing.

Martin Schneider  41:41

That's awesome, yeah.

Miranda Metcalf  41:42

Awesome! Well, thank you so much, Martin. It's been really fun chatting and learning more about what you do.

Martin Schneider  41:47

Aw, thank you. I've been listening to this podcast whenever I'm assembling presses, so I feel like I should be downstairs assembling them. I need something to fidget [with]. So it's really surreal to be on it. Thank you so much for having me.

Miranda Metcalf  42:03

Yeah, this has been great! If you liked today's episode, we have a Patreon where you can help us keep the lights on and get bonus content, like Shoptalk Shorts, where our editor Timothy Pauszek digs deep on materials, processes, and techniques with past guests. And if monetary support is not in the cards for you right now, you can leave a review for us on your podcast listening app of choice or buy something from one of our sponsors and tell them Hello, Print Friend sent you. But as always, the very best thing you can do to support this podcast is by listening and sharing with your fellow print friends around the world. And that's our show for this week. Join me again next week, which will be the last episode in our IFPDA print fair trilogy. It'll be a doubleheader episode in which I talk with the incredible artist Derrick Adams and our patron saint of printmaking, the philanthropist Jordan Schnitzer. You won't want to miss it. This episode, like all episodes, was written and produced by me, Miranda Metcalf, with editing by Timothy Pauszek and music by Joshua Webber. I'll see you next week.