Pineapple Press & Design

10/06/2026

It’s been one year today that Pineapple Press & Design moved from home shop to a brick and mortar in . It’s been a wild & fantastic adventure growing this business over the past 25 years to be able to share this space and equipment with so many people. Not only to the hundreds of people that have come in, but the amazing multitude that view digitally through videos and posts like this. Thanks to so many of you for the support by purchasing prints, creating in workshops and studio time, and liking & following. It means the world. I would be a fool to not mention Amanda Bichlmeier Nelson who is constantly pushing my ideas to fruition. And it would be silly to leave out Steven Engel who fosters everywhere. ARK Companies, is a better place because of the opportunities you’ve opened for people like me, thank you! MVM Moving & Storage thanks for you’re willingness to move heavy weird things! I could go on all day with all of you. T H A N K Y O U !

09/28/2026

This is so cool to be apart of the story of this Liberty Press. Alas, it will not be staying with me, but it will be going to a print shop aptly named Liberty Press of West Liberty, Iowa. But so glad to be saving this incredibly rare nineteenth century press from the scrappers.

09/28/2026

give you a real taste of using antique equipment and type right here in the heart of UpTown ! Whether you want a quick burst of tactile creation in the middle of the work day for a , prefer to set your own pace on projects in Open Studio, or want to join themed workshops like printing on dictionary pages or Print Spooktacular, I have experiences tailored to your needs. Check them out at PineapplePress.net [link in bio]

09/08/2026

Back in the shop after a bit of a vacation. While traveling back from vacation, we stopped in Kansas City, Missouri and visited the Negro Leagues Baseball Museum. It’s a great museum and worth checking out if you’re in the area. It’s funny how you can take a printer out of the shop, but you can’t take letterpress printing out of a printer. As we walked in the doors the first thing I saw was a Comet, a machine that was made for newspapers to typeset quickly using one font of matrices. This one came out of which is still in operation. Since I had my camera out taking selfies with the Comet, I thought I’d spend some time capturing ephemera from Negro Leagues Baseball era.
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Side notes, has great connections to the museum foremost is Moses Fleetwood Walker who was the first African-American to play professional baseball for the Toledo Blue Stockings in 1884 (I knew this fact by watching Mudhens baseball for so many years). Also, night baseball games were first played by the Negro Leagues in 1930 when Andrew “Rube” Foster recognized the fans had day jobs and created mobile lighting rigs to take to ballparks. How cool is that!

09/02/2026

Hello, I’m Sven Olaf Nelson of and I’ve noticed a few new folks following along and wanted to share a little about me and in Ohio. Whether you like the look and feel of the old craft, in need of a unique way to add something special to your printed pieces, or your a letterpress printer yourself, theres a good chance I’ll talk about it here.
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If you have specific questions, make sure to DM me and I hope I can help. Check out my website [link in bio] and also some longer films on my YouTube channel [link in bio].

08/28/2026

Using a 100-year-old printing press to create your very own poster might be one of the most unique things to do in Toledo 👀

If you love art, design, creativity, the written word, or history, then this is definitely the place for you!

On every third Wednesday of the month, Pineapple Press & Design hosts ✍️ Wood Type Wednesday ✍️, a two-hour workshop teaching the basics of creating a poster on a printing press using wood type. You get to do everything from sketching out the design, placing the type in (just make sure it goes in backwards!), inking the type and then printing your poster!

Owner Sven Olaf Nelson makes the class truly memorable with fun history facts, incredible patience and a commitment to cultivating your creativity ☺️ We cannot hype up Pineapple Press & Design enough.

The next Wood Type Wednesday is on September 16 from 11:30 a.m. to 1:30 p.m.! Book your spot for just $35 and step back into history on your lunch break.

Pineapple Press & Design also offers greeting cards, graphic design services, bespoke letterpress printing, and other additional workshops! Check out 👉 pineapplepress.net to learn more.

If making your own piece of art on a century-old printing press sounds like your jam, save this for later! 📌

08/28/2026

are such a fun way to introduce people to printing. Don’t just take my word for it, check out this great piece!

08/25/2026

September Workshop Schedule

Attend a workshop this September. Bring a friend or two. Get some food at one of the great places on Adams Street before or after. Make some memories (and some fun letterpressed ephemera).

September 11 - Open Studio - Afternoon
September 13 - Concerts & Lyrics Posters - Afternoon
September 16 - Wood Type Wednesday - Mid-Day
September 22 - Open Studio - Evening
September 29 - Birthday Cards - Evening

Fall Workshops
I'm planning my workshops for October - December and would love to know what you'd like to see offered. Simply reply to this email to share your ideas.

Looking for more events downtown? Check out downtowntoledo.org/events/list

There are 121 Days till Christmas

(eek). It's not too early to start thinking about your holiday plans. I'm currently booking holiday parties and accepting custom orders for holiday cards and gifts. Your December self will thank you for thinking ahead.

Shop Closed August 28 - September 7

Even letterpress printers need time away from paper & ink, so I'm letting you know that I'm taking some time away to be with family and travel West. I'll be checking messages - but any orders placed will be shipped or ready for pick up when I return. See you soon!

Click here for a free 10% off coupon at Pineapple Press & Design. Get 10% off Pineapple Merch the next time you visit!

08/21/2026

A question I received after posting a video last week pulling a proof of the “New Constellation Ampersand Flag” was “What are this orange stars and will they print?” They are stars I created to hold the negative space of the stars as I print the blue field. They are below so they will not print. I used the holes to melt bees wax with a heat gun. They stick great and won’t shift at all on the platen. Great solution, try it!

08/15/2026

First color proof of my “New Constellation Ampersand Flag” broadside project. I’m still working on it but really felt motivated to see progress by seeing ink on paper. It’s working and I love it. This is one of two passes I’ll make to each one using this R. Hoe & Co. iron hand press from the late 1800s. The red strips are fully locked in and ready, the blue field is what I’m still tweaking. I wanted to keep to all ampersands however the smaller sizes are sparse in my collection so I’ll pull out some 36pt to 72pt and make it happen.