Andrea Torres rookie

How long have you been printing?

I bought my first press in 2014; that was my first encounter with movable lead type.

Describe your first encounter with letterpress

My first encounter with letterpress printing was when I bought my first press in 2014. The person who sold it to me, Don José, a retired printer, came one afternoon to teach me; that was my first exposure to the world of printing.

Where did you learn?

After Don José came to teach me for a couple of hours, all my learning was self-taught, with a lot of trial and error and reading old books about typography. Many years later, I met people more involved in typography with whom I was able to answer some questions.

Who was your most influential teacher?

Most of my learning was self-taught, but one of the books that helped me the most along the way was «Técnica Gráfica» (Graphic Technique) by Mauricio Amster, a Polish designer and typographer who arrived in Chile in 1939 on a refugee ship from the Spanish Civil War, run by Pablo Neruda (then Chilean consul in France), called the Winnipeg. In nearly four decades of work in Chile, he was one of the great promoters of book and graphic design in printing.

What super power would you like to have?

I would like to speak every language and be able to write and print in each one.

Do you prefer to work alone or with others?

Without a doubt, with someone! Collaborative work fills my heart with joy. Discussing ideas and thinking in two or more voices is unparalleled.
There are few women working in letterpress printing in Chile, which is why the Taller Tipo Móvil has become a very comforting meeting point for women focused on typography and design. Seeing the workshop full of women printing and talking about letters makes me think it's all been worth it.

What do you most value in your friends?

Their huge hearts, the great conversations in which we fix the world, and the care we have for each other.

When do your best ideas occur to you?

When I'm at peace.

If you were to die and come back as a typeface, which would it be?

I'd love to say I'd come back as a Garalda, but maybe I'm much closer to a geometric one like Futura.

What tool do you use more often than any other?

The graphite pencil! I always carry one with me, and all projects are born first on a sheet of paper.

What books are currently on your nightstand?

On average, there are always between 10 and 15 half-read books on my nightstand.
But the one that's been accompanying me on my travels lately is a book from Argentine publishing house Ampersand, titled: Aldo Manucio. De re impressoria. Prologue Letters from the First Editor. by Ana Mosqueda.
https://www.edicionesampersand.com/product-page/de-re-impressoria-aldo-manucio

If you could study with any printer throughout history, who would it be?

Aldo Manucio! Without a doubt.

If you have your own shop, what equipment do you own?

– 1/8 platen press unbranded  with handwheel and motor (black)
– unbranded A4 platen press (green)
– Otto Hohner KG A4 Platen press
– Adana platen press, 8" x 5"
– Cefmor England A3  proof press
– Chalesgraf Argentina motorized A4 platen press, 1989
– A3 proof press, made in Chile by Prensas Villazán
– Two A4 proof presses, made in Chile by Prensas Villazán

If you could change one thing about your shop, what would it be?

The space. I'd like to have twice the space so I can accommodate twice as many people working collaboratively.

When and where are you the happiest?

In the workshop; it's a refuge from the hustle and bustle of the city.

What is your greatest fear/worry?

Not having a place to set up my workshop, or not having the resources to pay for it.

What do you think is useful about what you make?

The printed word has immeasurable power, and the printing press has the power to create it. How useful is it? All the usefulness in the world.

What’s your day job?

Ultimamente, paso gran parte de mi tiempo en la universidad, enseñando diseño y tipografía, entre Santiago y Valparaíso.

These days, I spend most of my time at the university, teaching design and typography, dividing my time between Santiago and Valparaíso.

Do you use any other techniques or media besides letterpress?

We have good relationships with all the analogous techniques related to the book arts, printing, wodcut, binding, and finishing.