BookFest Speaker Series: Becky Almeter | Hodgins Engraving Co.

FREE

To celebrate Summer of BookFest, we’re hosting a Speaker Series of experts in the book arts biz! Sponsored by Printing Industries Alliance. 

Presented by Becky Almeter, owner and president of Hodgins Engraving Co./Tag Print Shop.

Intaglio is an age-old process of creating printed artwork that is little-known today. While it has a long history as a traditional technique used within the fine arts, intaglio is also used in commercial printing production. It’s a process unlike any other technique out there and produces stunning results unlike any other printing method. We’d love to give you an inside look into what it is, how it’s done, and how you can collaborate with a printer to produce intaglio prints.

This session will present an introduction to intaglio, or engraving, as it is sometimes referred to, including:
• A brief history of intaglio
• Description of terminology used in relation to the process
• Step-by-step details about how intaglio is done
• Artwork/Design considerations for intaglio (including digital file setup tips)
• Overview of products and applications
• Update on the status of the commercial intaglio and die-making industries
• A brief Intro of Tag Print Shop and Call for Entries
• Q & A session
• Collection of further resources

After attending this session, you will come away with:
• A better understanding of what intaglio is and why it is a valued technique for producing fine art
• A collection of resources including where you can learn more, order dies, create prints, get
involved, etc.
• For interested designers/artists, a Call for Entries to work with intaglio
• A copy of our guidelines “Creating Art for Intaglio” and “File Setup for Intaglio Plates”

Becky Almeter is owner and president of Hodgins Engraving Co., Whitman Printing LLC, and Tag Print Shop. She is the third generation of printers in her family, carrying on a business started by her grandfather, John Hodgins, in the barn on their family farm with a used Heidelberg letterpress in 1957. Since those early days, the family business has evolved to include a variety of types of printing and related services that the companies offer today.

Becky holds degrees in International Relations and Spanish, which were fun and informative to learn about, but never put to use in a career setting. After roaming around the south for a while, she returned to Batavia, NY to join the family business in 2007. Since then, she has worked in all areas of the shop including production, shipping, customer service, marketing, and found herself taking over for her father officially in 2017 when he retired. Her husband Jeremy also works in the business as production manager and chief die-maker. They have four children and also run a small farm on the side. When Becky is not in the print shop, or taking care of daily life at home, she likes to steal quiet moments for walking, biking, skiing, reading, or napping.