Large rectangular lead chase used for setting wood/lead printing blocks in letterpress printing printing. The frame has marks etched in incremets around the perminiter. The frame has a manufacteuer printed on the top, but it is too damaged to read "???? Prico". There appears to be a number on the oppisute side of the name and the roman numers "IV" inscribed into it.

Donated by John Damianos. Letterpress printing is a technique of relief printing using a printing press. A worker composes and locks movable type into the bed of a press, inks it, and presses paper against it to transfer the ink from the type. In practice, letterpress also includes other forms of relief printing with printing presses, such as wood engravings, photo-etched zinc "cuts" (plates), and linoleum blocks, which can be used alongside metal type in a single operation, as well as stereotypes and electrotypes of type and blocks. With certain letterpress units it is also possible to join movable type with slugs cast using hot metal typesetting. This printing block was used by the Chicago-based, Greek Art Printing Company that was owned and operated by Aristotle Damianos. The Greek Art Printing Company was responsible for the printing of a wide range of materials, including wedding invitations, invoices, flyers, programs, letterhead, etc., for Greek businesses, organizations, institutions, and individuals in the Chicago area, and elsewhere.

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