David Smith from England has recently solved an important Mathematical problem. He found a single polygon shape that can tile an infinite flat plane creating a non repeating pattern. Smith was not a mathematician, he had worked as printing technician. I have always felt that printing and especially letterpress printing with moveable type was a very mathematical art form.

Dikko Faust is a master printer who develops beautiful tessellation patterns. Here are some of setups on the press.

If you are interested in exploring the mathematics behind printing, I recommend Faust’s Continuing Education course at SVA in Chelsea, New York.

Susan Happersett