Potato Typography

Inspired by having seen Stephen Fry's documentary on the Gutenberg Printing Press.

Preparation:
1) Cut potatoes in half width-ways.
2) Using a mandolin on its thickest setting, cut the potato pieces down to create discs all with the same thickness.
3) Count how many characters you will need for the longest line of your text.
4) Hammer short nails into a strip of wood (like a carpet grip-strip). I did 4 per letter.
5) Work out how many of each character you will need to make to print a line at a time (there are tools that will do this online). You may not require every letter of the alphabet

Activity:
1) Optional explanation and history lesson about the production and value of print media and mass-production of books.
2) Issue a list of characters to make, everyday table knives and first potato pieces
3) Inking with paint and a mini-roller, demonstrate how a typewriter works using with the same carved character being over and over again along a line. There may be a quicker way...
4) Stick the potatoes onto the nails in the wooden board, ink and then press onto paper - more than once if you like! (I used lining wallpaper).