Building the press

The press used at the event to reenact the first printing of the Declaration of Independence is an English Common Press, built for the Colonial Heritage Foundation in 2012 and 2013 by a volunteer team of skilled craftsmen. It closely resembles the presses in use during the American colonial period. The basic form of the movable-type printing press changed very little from the 15th century through the 18th century; the most notable engineering advancement during that span was the introduction of a steel screw, which converted the horizontal pull of the press operator's lever into the vertical pressure that pressed the paper against the inked form. The Industrial Revolution would bring rapid innovation in printing-press design in the early 19th century, but in colonial America the wooden English Common Press — along with its close cousin, the Dutch Common Press — was the technology of the day. Below are images from the construction of this press. For full details about the build, see the website that chronicles its construction.