Printmaking

School of Fine Art

Printmaking Facilities

The Academy of Art University’s Printmaking facility is over 10,000 square feet located in San Francisco’s South of Market/South Park area, within walking distance of prestigious galleries and modern museums. The world-class Printmaking Department provides a multi-faceted program that focuses on intaglio, relief, stencil, planographic and monotype as well as book arts and letterpress.

The Academy’s program provides students both the ability to master the important technical skills needed in Printmaking, as well as to evolve conceptually as artists. We pride ourselves in creating an atmosphere that fosters a balance of technical proficiency as well as a strong aesthetic sensibility.

Our main 4,000 square feet Printmaking facility includes a general work area with a computer system and digital output station and 2 separate studios for advanced and beginner students with a total of 6 presses to accommodate intaglio, relief and monotype printing. The Intaglio studio embraces both traditional as well as sustainable approaches with support for both zinc and copper etching.

The 1,500 square foot Silkscreen studio concentrates on the photo emulsion process and includes an expansive darkroom. The studio is fully stocked with ink, screen and materials for enrolled students. A computer system with digital output is available for students interested in combining digital with their traditional screen-print separations.

The Lithography studio is well equipped with 4 presses and 100 stones in a wide range of sizes. This 1,100 square foot studio encourages students to master the old-world techniques of stone-based drawing and printing.

The Book Arts/Letterpress facility is a combined studio of over 3,000 square feet. Students have contact with a variety of equipment including drill presses and paper cutters, laminating machines and book presses. Letterpress students learn to print broadsides on Vandercook presses, business cards on a Platen press, and have use of an exposure unit for the creation of Polymer Plates from film positives.

Fine Art Masters Degree students have exclusive access to an 800 square feet shared private studio, which includes a tabletop press. This shared studio is situated directly next to the main Printmaking studio for ease of access.