Pierre Pané Farré

"Pierre Pané-Farré is a type designer born in Germany. With a background in graphic design and illustration, Pierre studied at the Fachhochschule in Wismar and, later, at the Hochschule für Grafik und Buchkunst in Leipzig, from where he graduated Cum Laude in 2012.

His thesis focused on the development of the book cover in the early 19th century, while his practical work explored and revived the technique of compound-plate printing, using Pierre's own woodcut poster types." (><)

compound-plate printing allows to print two colors simultaneously.

Congreve compound-plate printing:
Congreve’s scheme was outlined in an 1820 pamphlet. It comprised two main processes. First, the banknote printing plate would consist of two parts: the upper one would have shaped holes in it, into which identical protuberances in the lower one fitted. Once interlocked together, the two parts would be engraved simultaneously with complex geometric patterns that overlapped across both of them. Secondly, when in use on a specially devised printing press, each plate would be inked in a different colour before being brought together to produce a two-colour image from a single impression. So, the process was ‘compound’ in two senses: it used pairs of plates to make two-colour images but, most importantly, its strength came from employing both geometric patterns and multiple colours in such a way that the two elements could not be used separately to achieve the same result. In Congreve’s words, the process was ‘indivisible’.
(British Library ><)

"The two parts of a compound printing plate. The projections on the right-hand plate correspond to the holes in that on the left. Each plate made a different coloured impression."
© Science Museum/Science & Society Picture Library






















A side view of the geometric lathe built by Bryan Donkin. The tool holder is on the right, the headstock and mandrel that held the plate being engraved is in the centre, and the mechanism to produce the geometric patterns is on the left.
© Science Museum/Science & Society Picture Library