Mini-exhibition: Beautiful Marginal (Mooi Marginaal)

From January 15 to March 29, 2026, the Dutch Museum of Lithography presents the exhibition “Mooi Marginaal” (Beautiful Marginal). This carefully curated display features 50 works that highlight the diverse applications of marginal printing. In typography, a “margin” denotes the edge; within this context, it refers to practices at the boundaries of traditional printmaking. Marginal prints are occasionally produced by professionals but more commonly by amateur printers and hand bookbinders who create finely crafted books and booklets in limited quantities. Such endeavours are typically not commercially viable within the industry. These printed works often employ distinctive techniques, frequently executed by hand, resulting in pieces that are both labour-intensive and costly to produce.

Marginal editions are unique and produced in small, non-commercial batches. Typically, one creator selects the text, materials, and illustrations. Production often uses both traditional tools like wooden type and old presses, as well as modern techniques such as Risoprint and digital printing, with careful finishing for each piece.

Every other year, a panel of experts selects 50 printed works for Mooi Marginaal, highlighting the most beautiful, enjoyable, original, and well-designed marginal publications from the Netherlands and Flanders. These selections feature writings on topics like seasons, wars, plagues, landscapes, the world, darkness and light, alongside poems and stories that might otherwise go unnoticed. The chosen works are presented here, offering a stunning overview of creative achievements in the margins over the past two years.

The Mooi Marginaal catalog, with images and details of each exhibit, will be available for €10 in the museumshop.

On the website mooimarginaal.org, you can find flipbooks of the described publications, and the works can also be viewed via QR codes near the objects. Mooi Marginaal is an initiative of the Laurens Janszoon Coster Foundation and is made possible by: Pictoright, ASF/Charity Fund, Drukwerk in de Marge, Drukkerij Holland, Abbringh Bookbinding, Paper Trade Antalis, Frederik Muller Fund, De Gijselaar-Hintzen Fund, Sander Pinkse Boekproductie, Hinderickx & Winderickx, Auction House Bubb Kuyper & 12 private sponsors.