Darien Grad's Typewriting Documentary Airs on PBS

In an age when most text appears with the click of a keyboard, a recent Darien High School graduate has trained his camera on the craftspeople who still set type by hand, one letter at a time.

“Neo-Typesetters,” an 11-minute documentary by filmmaker and Colgate University graduate, captures the meditative precision of letterpress printing through the stories of contemporary artisans who’ve chosen analog over digital. The film premiered on PBS stations nationwide this month, bringing national attention to what its creator calls “a dying art that refuses to die.”

The documentary emerged from the filmmaker’s senior project at Colgate, where he studied film and media studies before graduating in 2024. But the roots of his fascination with traditional printing stretch back to Fairfield County, where several small presses and book arts studios have quietly maintained the letterpress tradition.

“There’s something almost rebellious about choosing to work this slowly in our current moment,” the filmmaker explained in a recent interview. “These typesetters aren’t just preserving history — they’re creating something entirely new within very old constraints.”

The film follows three contemporary letterpress operators as they navigate the physical demands and artistic possibilities of hand-set type. Unlike the mass production methods that dominated printing for most of the 20th century, these “neo-typesetters” work with individual pieces of metal type, arranging each letter by hand before pressing ink to paper.

One subject, a former graphic designer turned letterpress artist, describes the transition from screen to metal type as “learning to think with my hands again.” Another, who operates a restored 1960s Heidelberg press, speaks about the way mechanical rhythm shapes creative decisions.

The documentary’s aesthetic mirrors its subject matter — deliberate pacing, careful composition, and an attention to tactile details that digital media often glosses over. Close-up shots reveal the satisfying click of metal type falling into place, the careful spreading of ink, and the moment when paper peels away from the press to reveal freshly printed text.

While “Neo-Typesetters” examines a niche craft, it arrives at a moment when Connecticut’s cultural institutions are grappling with questions of tradition and innovation. Much like the recent closures of longtime food establishments across the state, the letterpress community represents a form of cultural continuity that requires intentional preservation.

The film has already garnered recognition beyond its PBS debut. It received the Student Documentary Award at the Northeast Film Festival and was selected for screening at the Letterpress Workers International conference, where it played to an audience of the very craftspeople it documents.

For Connecticut viewers, “Neo-Typesetters” offers a window into a craft tradition that has surprising local connections. The Silvermine Arts Center in New Canaan hosts letterpress workshops, while the Center for Book Arts at the University of Connecticut maintains one of the region’s most comprehensive collections of printing equipment.

“The irony isn’t lost on me that this film about analog processes is being distributed digitally,” the filmmaker noted. “But PBS still represents a commitment to educational content that feels aligned with what these typesetters are doing — prioritizing craft over speed.”

The documentary’s success has opened doors for its creator, who is currently developing a longer-form project about traditional crafts in post-industrial New England. That film would explore Connecticut’s own network of artisans, from the glassblowers in the Connecticut River Valley to the boat builders along the shoreline.

“Connecticut has this incredible tension between its corporate identity and these pockets of traditional making,” he said. “There are stories here that connect to much larger questions about what we preserve and what we let go.”

“Neo-Typesetters” continues airing on PBS stations through the end of the month, with additional streaming availability through the PBS app. For viewers interested in experiencing letterpress printing firsthand, the Westport Arts Center offers monthly workshops, while the Ferguson Library in Stamford maintains a small but active letterpress studio available for community use.

The film serves as both documentary and meditation, capturing not just the mechanics of an old craft but the motivations of those who choose to practice it. In an era when most Connecticut residents encounter handmade goods primarily through farmers markets and craft fairs, “Neo-Typesetters” suggests that traditional making persists in unexpected places, maintained by practitioners who find meaning in methods the digital age left behind.