The Collection

The National Print Museum is the only museum on the island of Ireland dedicated to telling the transformational story of letterpress printing and its impact on the world.

The collection is a working one: we collect machines and artefacts from the printing industry that enable us to preserve the traditional knowledge and skills of letterpress craft, and we strive to maintain each object in working order. The collection is a working one: we collect machines and artefacts from the printing industry that enable us to preserve the traditional knowledge and skills of letterpress craft, and we strive to maintain each object in working order.

The collection of printing presses at the Museum ranges from richly decorated hand-operated iron presses that date back to the 1830s to fully operational cylinder presses such as the Wharfedale Printing Press – the same type of press that was used to print the Proclamation of the Irish Republic in 1916. We also hold a significant array of printing blocks, wood and metal movable type, as well as tools and equipment relating to the processes of composing and finishing. Explore some highlights of the collection below, and keep an eye out for our full collection catalogue, coming soon!