Entry No. 29 — the Buffalo file — filed under: letterpress
Western New York Book Arts Center
WNYBAC's downtown storefront at Washington and Mohawk holds antique printing presses and type cabinets of a kind rarely found outside university collections, and the whole point is that you get to use them: workshops cover letterpress, screen printing, bookbinding, and printmaking, with a gallery and a shop of handmade prints and books up front. The calendar is the tell that this place is alive — the 15th annual BookFest ran June 6, 2026, complete with the signature steamroller printmaking spectacle, in which an actual construction steamroller drives over giant inked blocks on the pavement, and the Members' Show hung through July 18. December brings the long-running Last Minute Panic holiday marketplace; summers bring Zinefest. Between events, the gallery and shop are donation-friendly and browsable.
→ Three more hands-on workshops & classes in Buffalo — never the same twice
The story
In 1994 Richard Kegler and Carima El-Behairy started P22 Type Foundry in Buffalo, digitizing historical typefaces. Twelve years later the same two founded the Western New York Book Arts Collaborative, which incorporated as a 501(c)3 in 2008 and bought the storefront at 468 Washington Street shortly after. The stated mission is to promote 'greater understanding of printing and book-related arts through education, creation, and exhibition.' In practice it means a downtown building where the machines are not behind glass.
What's inside is the part that is genuinely hard to find outside a university special-collections room: several presses that each weigh a literal ton, Vandercooks kept in working order for short runs of hand-set type, and cabinets of wood and metal type. Olga, a 1930s press, is the one hauled out for public demonstrations. The front of the building is a gallery running rotating exhibitions and a shop stocking handmade prints, books and paper goods from more than 100 regional artists. It has hosted Typecon and the National Trust conference.
The calendar is the proof of life. The 15th annual BookFest ran June 6, 2026 — free, 11am to 4pm, indoors and out, with typewriter poetry, screen printing onto whatever fabric you brought, and the steamroller printmaking spectacle, in which a construction steamroller drives over giant inked blocks laid on the pavement. The members' show, 'Good Impressions,' hung from that same day through July 18. Zinefest lands in summer, and the Last Minute Panic holiday marketplace lands in December, at exactly the moment its name describes. Between all of it the workshop schedule keeps rolling: letterpress basics, Coptic-stitch bookbinding, woodblock relief, screen print, papermaking, origami.
What it's like
Walking in and taking a workshop are two different visits. Walking in gets you the gallery and shop for free, donations welcome, on a short week — Wednesday to Friday 11am–5pm and Saturday 10am–2pm, closed Sunday through Tuesday, so this is not a spontaneous Sunday plan. It reads as a storefront rather than a museum: staff are usually mid-project, and asking what's on the press is a normal thing to do. Workshops are where you actually touch the equipment, they fill up, and they want you registered ahead — figure two to three hours, ink on your hands, and instructors who are working artists rather than docents. The building is fully ADA compliant with elevator access to all floors and an accessible restroom.
The move: Register the two of you for the same workshop on their calendar — set lead type side by side and crank your own posters off a century-old press — or, lower commitment, hit the gallery and shop before dinner downtown and leave with a hand-printed broadside instead of a bar tab.
📍 Before you go Storefront hours are limited — confirm at wnybookarts.org or (716) 348-1430 before making the trip. The presses themselves are workshop-access, so register in advance; walk-ins get the gallery and shop, where donations are welcome. Metered street parking and ramps nearby at Washington and Mohawk, a short walk from Lafayette Square.
- 📍 Buffalo
- 💸 $$
- ⚡ Up for anything
- 🌗 Indoors
Where: 468 Washington St, Buffalo, NY 14203
Hours: Added 2026-08-25 — confirm current hours before you go.
⚠ Seasonal or scheduled — always check before you go.
Pair it with
- Mark Twain Room, Buffalo & Erie County Central Library — The Central Library is a block away on Lafayette Square — set your own lead type by hand in the morning, then go look at Twain's actual handwriting on the Huckleberry Finn manuscript.
- Papercraft Miracles — Janna Willoughby-Lohr's studio up on Niagara Street closes the loop: here you print on the paper, there you pour and pull the paper itself.
- Hartman's Barrel Room — Ten minutes toward the Old First Ward, and the obvious 'after' once the shop shuts at 5 — a distillery bar where the aging barrel house is the view.
More weird in Buffalo
Good to know
What does it cost?
Nothing to browse — the gallery and shop are free and donation-friendly. Workshops are the paid part, recently running from about $45 for a refillable sketchbook up to $185–$200 for Letterpress Printing Basics, with members paying roughly $10–$15 less across the board.
When are they open?
Wednesday through Friday 11am–5pm and Saturday 10am–2pm; closed Sunday through Tuesday, plus a short summer recess (August 26–29 in 2026). Confirm at wnybookarts.org or (716) 348-1430 before crossing town, because the hours are narrow enough to burn a trip.
Can we use the presses without waiting for a scheduled class?
Yes. One-on-one instruction is $65 an hour ($55 for members) with a two-hour minimum, and semi-private runs $50 per person per hour ($45 for members) — email [email protected]. There is also open studio access and an artist residency track for people who already know what they're doing.
Where do I park?
It's the corner of Washington and Mohawk, with the Central Library and Hotel Lafayette as your landmarks. Metered street parking is free after 5pm and on weekends, and there are AllPro lots and the Mohawk ramp within a short walk. Large vehicles can use the building's east side for a temporary drop-off.
Is it accessible?
Yes — fully ADA compliant, elevator access to all floors, ADA-friendly restroom. Call (716) 348-1430 ahead if you need a specific accommodation.
Plan a visit & invite your people →
Further reading: buffalorising.com · iloveny.com · visitbuffalo.com
last checked: 2026-08-25