Ben Franklin Print Shop

Posted on by Stephen Edwards

Philadelphia, Pennsylvania

Benjamin Franklin was an 18th-century Renaissance Man, excelling as a writer, scientist, inventor, statesman, diplomat, publisher, and philosopher. However, Franklin’s primary career was as a printer, one that he entered at the ripe old age of 10. After serving as an unpaid apprentice with his brother for seven years, Franklin ran away to Philadelphia as a fugitive seeking to start a new life.

The National Park worker showed us one of the many blocks used in the printing press. Printers had to meticulously add each letter in a format for the printing press. If I were typing a blog using this format, it would have to be a full-time job as opposed to using a smartphone and a laptop computer.

Printing was the primary paying profession for Franklin through the first part of his life. Franklin printed newspapers, books, pamphlets, and eventually the wildly successful Poor Richard’s Almanac.

Quotes from Poor Richard’s Almanack. Benjamin Franklin brought many phrases into widespread use in the American colonies through the efforts of his printing press.

Today, two reproduction printing presses are available for demonstration. The National Park staff still demonstrate the techniques of 18th-century printing. The park staff highlighted the importance of lowercase letters, which printers used most often and stored closer to the printing press. The staff also emphasized the importance of uppercase letters, noting that these prominent letters, used less often by printers, were housed further from the press in the upper storage case.

The National Park Worker demonstrated the very messy art of applying ink to the press using the 18th-century technique of ink balls that contained the ink.
The etymology of archaic terms that we use for modern practices is quite fascinating. Who knew that upper and lower case letters had such a practical naming convention? Speaking of letters, the National Park staff also explained the importance and use of the long S or ſ.

Watching the printing process was fascinating and a cool excursion in the city. If the printing press is open during your visit to Independence National Historic Park, it is worth adding to your itinerary. While I’m typing this reflection on an electronic device, I appreciate how important the printing press was to the mass dissemination of information.

Printers at the time used cotton as the primary type of paper in their operations. We still use cotton for printing today, as it is the primary material found in our paper money supply. The National Park workers hung the pages to dry in the shop and made them available for sale to help cover the costs of the demonstration.

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