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.
Through monthly letterpress printing sessions, typesetting workshops, a city-wide rag collection and papermaking project, and a series of public lectures, workshops, and tours, the program highlights the production processes behind this Philadelphia-made foundational document.
Join us throughout the year for free, public hands-on workshops and live demonstrations.
Dr. Emily Sneff, a leading expert on the history of the Declaration of Independence, will share some of the stories behind the first printings of the founding document of the United States. ONLINE EVENT.
In this creative typesetting workshop, the Declaration text will be split amongst registered participants, and each participant will have the freedom to choose to include, edit, or redact the words in their segment. The workshop runs January 30 & 31 from noon to 5 p.m. at Common Press.
To honor the 250th anniversary of the Declaration, Common Press will host a 12 hour, two day community typesetting event during which all are invited to hand-set metal type to help create a historically-accurate replica. The final forme of metal type will remain available for printing on our 19th-century hand press through August 2026.
Visit Common Press during the Summer 2026 to print a copy of the Declaration of Independence for yourself.
Throughout fall 2025, donate cotton and linen fabric that will be processed and made into sheets of paper. This community-wide cloth collection mimics the papermaking process in 1770s when rag collectors circulated the city to collect the base material for making paper. Find when and where we'll be collecting materials, along with guidelines for donations.
A broadside or broadsheet is a historical term for a one-sided letterpress print (like the Declaration of Independence), meant for public display. Each month, visit the Common Press for an Open Studio Session and print a broadside for yourself! The theme of the broadside changes each month, exploring the people and processes important to document production in the late 18th century.
The printing activity takes less than 10 minutes, so feel free to drop by anytime. These events are free and open to the public, but you will need either a PennCard or a photo ID to enter the building.
Join us for a drop-in Open Studio at Common Press to print a broadside about how the pace of time impacted life in the Revolutionary era!
Join us for a drop-in Open Studio at Common Press to print a broadside commemorating the important role iron played in Pennsylvanian and American history!
Join us for a drop-in Open Studio at Common Press to print a broadside about the Lenape, the original users of the land around the Historic Rittenhouse Town papermill!
Join us for a drop-in Open Studio at Common Press to print a broadside exploring a key ingredient used to produce ink, fabric, and paper during the Revolutionary era: flax!
Join us for a drop-in Open Studio at Common Press to print a broadside that celebrates our newly acquired Caslon metal type!
Join us for a drop-in Open Studio at Common Press to print a broadside about rag collectors and papermaking in 1770s!
Join us for a drop-in Open Studio at Common Press to print a broadside on the reprinting and distribution of the Declaration of Independence!
Special holiday card printing in candlelight!
According to historian James Mulholland, “The Schuylkill River and its tributaries became the locations of the greatest concentration of ironworks in the colonies, with more than fifty furnaces and forges built before the Revolution."
Time in the Revolutionary Era
This will be an interesting experiment to try to see what printing was like before modern illumination. Without strong lighting, it may take us a little while longer to print copies of the broadside, but slowing down and enjoying the process is not a bad thing at all.
The University of Pennsylvania, located in the heart of the city, was at the center of the dramatic events of 1776 and the Revolution that followed. 250 years later, partners across the university are exploring how history can help us better understand the present and create a sustainable and inclusive future.
