Cadratin - Jean-Renaud Dagon

This book marks the anniversary of 25 years of activity at Le Cadratin and presents, year by year, all of the titles printed under the watchful gaze of its exacting founder. Each chapter is embellished with photos, extracts from published articles and photographic reminders of events that have punctuated the life of the workshop.

Le Cadratin represents the passion of its founder, Jean-Renaud Dagon, guardian of this vast collection of printing heritage. Le Cadratin was created in 1988, at Clarens, in a space of 40m². It all started with 2 presses and a few drawers of lead characters. Several years later, Le Cadratin moved to Vevey, Quai Perdonnet, taking over the premises, and purchasing the material that was Imprimerie Liard. Over time, authors and publishers of note have trusted the realisation of their works to this creative and attentive workshop; encouraged by the fine workmanship. With time, the workshop continued to acquire printing materials and fonts to further expand the heritage preserved within its walls. These days, Le Cadratin is situated at 10 Rue de la Madeleine, Vevey; an area of 300m², entirely dedicated to typography. The larger area has allowed the preservation of an exceptional quantity of material that would otherwise be destined for scrap: Linotypes, printing presses, binding machines. During 25 years of activity, more than 100 titles have left the presses of Le Cadratin. The 25th anniversary is the moment that has been chosen to collate these works and create a tangible memory of a period of rich activity. A diversity of themes and authors abounds, of particular note: Maurice Chappaz, Aimé Corbaz, Corti, Anne Cuneo, Nancy Huston and Marcel Imsand.

Jean-Renaud Dagon
An artisan with a passion for books that possess a charm and quality from another time, with a love of traditional techniques, Jean-Renaud Dagon is a letterpress printer by trade and can claim forty years of experience in his profession. Throughout the 25 years that Le Cadratin has existed, this disciple of Gutenberg has formed important links in the world of typography and believes strongly in the preservation of the integrity of the French language. His passion and his talent were recognised in 2012 when he was named "Chevalier de l'Ordre des Arts et des Lettres" by the French Minister of Culture in recognition for his contribution to the fields of art and literature.