Musée de l'Imprimerie, Printing museum in 2nd arrondissement of Lyon, France
The Printing Museum occupies a Renaissance building called Hotel de la Couronne and displays printing presses, lead type collections, and fonts from different periods. The collections show how printing technology evolved from its origins through modern times.
The museum was founded in 1963 and opened to the public in 1964 to document Lyon's printing history. The building itself dates from the Renaissance, when the city was a major European printing center.
The museum reflects Lyon's role as a major printing hub during the Renaissance, when the city served as a key center for book trade and knowledge distribution. Visitors can sense how printing technology shaped daily life and communication during this period.
The museum is closed on Mondays. Its permanent route was reorganised in 2014 into nine sections, from printing before 1450 to the information society, with bilingual French-English labels and panels. A major restoration began in autumn 2025, with reopening planned for autumn 2027.
Since 1988 the museum has housed a working printing workshop, equipped with the cases, lead type, vignettes, initials and proof presses of Maurice Audin's own print shop. Its equipment also produces the museum's internal publications, such as exhibition catalogues and postcards. Each year the workshop runs courses in Latin calligraphy, illumination, bookbinding, screen printing and illustration.
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