The first phase is the conversion of the museums building to house its typographical heritage collections, which celebrates 500 years of printing with movable type.

The museum will exhibit all the raw materials of print in this country, from the 16th century to today, said Type Museum director Sir Piers Rodgers. It consists of every language, every alphabet, every typeface and every size. Were looking at 9m individual pieces, which must be kept in perfect order as evidence and as an inspiration to designers.

Print was the major industry in London, but theres nowhere devoted entirely to the art of printing, he added.

The Trust must raise 675,000 to create an archive for the 9m letterpatterns, punches and matrices that it has saved since it was founded in 1992.

Its development plans consist of three phases, but the money raised through 150 grant-giving organisations for the first stage, will count as partnership funding in an application to the Heritage Lottery Fund for phases two and three.

Not until the first stage is complete will the Trust open its doors to the public. It aims to do this by the end of this year.

The completion of phases two and three will see it become an actual working museum, offering courses from as basic as How to get the best from your PC to specialist in-job training for printers, publishers and graphic designers. These will include The History of Type, Copy Preparation and Typography for a Digital Age.

Contact: The Type Museum 020 7735 0055.

Story by Rachel Barnes