Have a go on the World Record-holding People Powered Press and take home a print featuring letterforms you've designed and printed yourself.

Try your hand at making giant prints, up to 1m by 70cm*, on the largest letterpress printing press in the world, using Brico – our modular type system – to design a letter in your own, unique typeface. And you’ll be able to take your print home with you.

Brico is a collaboration between Oli Bentley of Split; designer, visual artist and printmaker Anthony Burrill; and wood type maker, designer and printer Thomas Mayo. Comprising just four shapes cut into small, square wooden blocks, it offers near endless possibilities of letter forms, weights, sizes and styles. Brico was created so that anyone might share in the joy of type design.

Your tutor

Oli Bentley has worked as a graphic designer since he set up Split whilst a music student in 2007, opening the studio of the same name 3 years later.

He works extensively in the music, arts and non-profit sectors, also creating self initiated work as a designer/graphic artist, letterpress printer and type designer.

Born from his award-winning exhibition and book, These Northern Types, Oli is the founder of the People Powered Press and designed its large steel typeface – Graft. More recently he has created the Brico type system in collaboration with Anthony Burrill and Thomas Mayo – created to work with community groups on large-scale murals and so that anyone might share in the joy of type designing at a massive scale.

What to expect



You’ll work in a team of four, including Oli, for three hours. Couples can attend to make one print together, or to make a matching pair, two tickets would be needed.

Working on the People Powered Press can’t be rushed – it’s a leisurely, creative process that brings people together, always provoking really interesting conversation while you’re making your prints.

You’ll design your letterform using Brico blocks on the press, ink them up and print your giant prints, guided by Oli to help you do a beautiful job.

You’ll also get to hear the whole strange tale behind the creation of the People Powered Press – designed to amplify local voices and spread words worth spreading as part of Split’s 2018 project, These Northern Types – and its accidental world record.

What to bring with you

• Clothes that you wouldn’t mind getting a little bit dirty, though we'll provide you with a fetching apron.
• If you have long hair, please bring something you can use to tie it back, and don’t wear anything too flowy, especially baggy sleeves, to avoid getting trapped in the press’s roller or dangling in the ink.

Price includes refreshments and a free, limited edition visual booklet telling the story of the People Powered Press and the creation of Graft.

* Not big enough? Keep your eyes peeled for our giant Brico workshop to be published soon, using the full press bed to make prints up to 1x1.5m!

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All proceeds from this workshop will be used to support the People Powered Press' work with community groups around the Bradford district, amplifying local voices and spreading words worth spreading.