Wood Type Posters: 19th century and Today
The history of the wood type letterpress poster begins around 1828 with Darius Wells' development of wood type--a welcomed alternative to metal type which was only successful and practical for smaller-size print productions. As the demand for large-scale posters grew, so did the need for larger size type. Wood type could be made at any size, without the problems associated with creating large-scale metal type, such as surface unevenness due to uneven cooling of poured metal, the heavy weight of the type, and the overall expense of its creation. As I mentioned, the development of wood type solved these and other problems for printers. Below are some examples of both 19th and 21st century posters.