proofpress.ch
This webpage is dedicated to share information about FAG proofpresses built from the early 40ies until the late 90ies. With a special focus on the Swiss built letterpress proofpresses.
FAG letterpress cylinder proofpresses, especially the Swiss built models ‹FAG Control› and ‹FAG Swissproof› (1962–1994) have been exported to all five continents, serving printmakers, photoengravers, repro services, lay out, composing rooms and laboratories of ink and paper manufactures as helpful and economic tools in the process of production and quality control. Since these machines were massive and very much built to last, still today FAG letterpress and also offset proofpresses are often not only used by traditional printmakers, but also by a growing scene of young graphic artists, do-it-yourself and also professional printmakers, not only proofing, but also producing series of prints. Some of them might be bored by the perfection of digitally produced prints, others want to go back to analog layout, typesetting and traditional printmaking. There are some who are strictly luddites, some like to combine old and new technique. But probably all of them are fascinated by the quality of the autonomic production and full design control from the first sketch to the delivery of their products.
Since that scene of artists is growing and probably the number of ‹still in business›-printmakers is shrinking and the fact, that there might be still many FAG proofpresses around this webpage should be a helpful database for all users, wanting to share information about their FAG proofpresses and maybe help each others with some of their issues.
www.proofpress.ch is provided and maintained by the Swiss graphic designer and letterpress printmaker Dafi Kühne, babyinktwice.ch. Idea and Concept by Dafi Kühne. All the information has been collected and digitized from the original FAG Catalogues, Manuals, Sparepart-Catalogues and some interviews with Mr. Philippe Orville (GM at FAG Lausanne) and Mr. Horst Grebien (Former Chief Production Ingenieur at FAG Avenches). Thank you very much!
Disclaimer
This Webpage does not contain any official information about FAG Graphic Systems SA, Lausanne, Switzerland and is not directly related to www.fag.ch. This is a fan page dedicated to some historical FAG products from 1940–1990. It does not even present the full information about all FAG products of that period, only a small part of the collection (only the proofpresses, none of the related ‹Form-Test› tools manufactured by FAG). The Name FAG and the Logo are worldwide legally protected!