Elam School of Fine Arts Printing Research Unit records

In 1985 the Elam School of Fine Arts purchased a high-end Heidelberg KORD 64 Single colour sheet-fed offset lithograph press, and other high-end printing and photographic equipment with a special funding grant. To accommodate and make best use of the new equipment the Elam Fine Arts Printing Research Unit (EFAPRU) was created with John B. Turner as Director, and Robin Lush as Manager.

Finding the space required to accommodate the EFAPRU delayed the official opening of the Unit until 1988, but once in operation it pursued its vision of producing high quality offset print publications with an emphasis on the visual aspect rather than the literary print content.

An absence of commercial time constraints enabled experimentation with different inks, papers, and processes, the results of which were fed back to the wider print industry. The EFAPRU also enabled students to have a total experience in publishing, from initial design all the way through to production and promotion.

In 1995 the Unit was officially disestablished and the equipment disbursed.