Claudio Rocha

How long have you been printing?

It was in 2002...

Describe your first encounter with letterpress

I was commissioned to design a book (my first one) which should be set in hot metal composition, back in 1976..!
At that time, phototypesetting was expensive to set text books...

Where did you learn?

I didn't have formal education in letterpress... my knowledge came from old letterpress masters, from books and practicing...

Who was your most influential teacher?

the books..!

What super power would you like to have?

teletransportation!!

Do you prefer to work alone or with others?

both! no problem at all...!

What do you most value in your friends?

friendship...

When do your best ideas occur to you?

when they come to my mind...!

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

any variable font...

What tool do you use more often than any other?

the eye...

What books are currently on your nightstand?

“Livro do Desassossego” (The Book of Disquiet) by Fernando Pessoa...

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

Hendrik Nicolaas Werkman

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

Together with Marcos Mello, I stablished almost two decades ago a letterpress print shop, named OTSP - Oficina Tipográfica São Paulo, and there we have a few platen presses, two Heidelberg Windmills, two Linotype machines model 31, one Ludlow machine, three Vandercooks proof presses and almost 500 metal and wood types...

What do you think is useful about what you make?

visually stimulating people!

Do you use any other techniques or media besides letterpress?

drawing, collage...