Experience the analog joy of letterpress and print a little piece of Calgary history by hand! The Sprawl’s pop-up press is a vintage printing press on wheels—a 1967 Kelsey 5 x 8 mounted into a cargo e-trike and hauled around the city by Sprawl editor Jeremy Klaszus.

It's a a family-friendly curiosity and an ongoing experiment in community engagement. Learn about Calgary's past and experience firsthand how journalism—and everything else, including books—used to be printed.

The Sprawl has been experimenting with letterpress printing since 2023, when Meta blocked news from Facebook and Instagram in Canada. This inspired us to get a (rather small!) cast iron press. Since then, we've taken our press to various festivals, libraries and schools around the city, sharing the joy of letterpress printing with Calgarians.

We rolled out the cargo e-trike version in May 2025, fulfilling a long-held dream of putting the press on wheels.

If you have an idea for where The Sprawl's pop-up press should go next, drop us a note at hello@sprawlcalgary.com. See you on the road!

Saturday, May 17 - InglewooDIY Festival
10 a.m. to 4 p.m.
(We'll be starting at the Alexandra Centre Society and working east along 9th Avenue)

Tuesday, May 20 - Forest Lawn Library
4807 8 Avenue SE
12 to 2 p.m.

Saturday, May 31 - Tree Party
Alexandra Centre, 922 9 Ave SE
9 a.m. to 1 p.m.

Sunday, June 1 - BikeBike Cargo Bike Meetup
Tuxedo Park & Playground
2925 Centre St NE
12 - 3 p.m.