Typography of Independence: Join us for an event celebrating Common Press's acquisition of a set of ink balls with special guest Sara Karpinski.
Hosted by: Common Press
Before inking rollers were invented in the early 19th century, all printmakers used ink balls to ink their type for printing. Ink balls are made by attaching wool and leather to wooden handles. While quite ubiquitous prior to the 19th century—used by everyone from Gutenberg to Ben Franklin to John Dunlap—ink balls are rare to find or see in use in 2026.
Join us for an event celebrating Common Press's acquisition of our own set of ink balls. Special guest Sara Karpinski, Park Ranger at Independence Hall and Printing Office Coordinator at the Franklin Court Printing Office, will share her extensive experience using ink balls while instructing Common Press Director Jessica Peterson on the making of our own set. She will share other printing materials from the Revolutionary era, such as wooden composing sticks.
This event is free and open to the public, but you will need either a PennCard or a photo ID to enter the building. If you don't have a PennCard, you will need to bring a photo ID and sign in at the security desk at the entrance to Fisher Fine Arts Library for access.
This Open Studio is part of Common Press’s The Typography of Independence program.
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As part of the Penn Libraries America 250 programming, join the Common Press for The Typography of Independence, a year-long program celebrating the papermaking and printing techniques that created the first edition of the Declaration of Independence.
This blog serves to document the Typography of Independence project and contextualize it with monthly essays honoring the people and processes important to document production in the late 18th century.