Press & Print: Discover Singapore’s Printing Heritage

Printing in Singapore had its beginnings in the early 19th century when Sir Stamford Raffles granted permission for a printing press to operate here in 1823. Back then, hand-operated letterpress printing was the dominant technology. Over time, mechanised processes that allowed for better and faster printing were developed, though printing was still based on letterpress technology. In the last few decades however, letterpress printing has been overtaken by more modern printing techniques, which led many printing companies to jettison their outdated equipment.

Join Sun Yao Yu, founder of Typesettingsg, in this online session to learn more about the activities of type foundries in Singapore during its heyday and explore his private collection of wood and metal type, printing presses and tools, and more.

About the Speaker

Sun Yao Yu is a traditional letterpress educator. He is the founder of Typesettingsg, a privately run traditional letterpress studio. The studio mainly uses movable type, lead type and wooden movable type for printing. It also runs typesetting workshops, letterpress printing lectures and design, and is committed to preserving and documenting Singapore's printing culture.

About the Rare Gallery Exhibition

This display traces the history of early presses and printing in 19th century Singapore through a selection of the oldest local titles from the National Library’s Rare Materials Collection.