Arion Press

Arion Press is named for a mythical Greek poet, Arion. Kimmelman of The New York Times wrote in 2006 that Arion Press "carries on a grand legacy of San Francisco printers and bookmakers." It was founded by Andrew Hoyem, continuing the tradition of the Grabhorn Press of Edwin and Robert Grabhorn. Hoyem had been partners for seven years with the younger Grabhorn brother, and after his death started Arion Press, preserving the Grabhorns' historic collection of American metal type. In 1989 Arion acquired M&H Type, which like Graborn had been established in San Francisco in the 1910s, and constitutes the oldest and largest hot metal type foundry in the U.S. for letterpress printers. M&H's collection of antique type is the second largest in the United States, after that of the Smithsonian Institution, and is used by other small presses in addition to Arion. The press's nonprofit branch, the Grabhorn Institute, was designated in 2001 by the National Trust for Historic Preservation as part of "the nation's irreplaceable historical and cultural legacy" under its Save America's Treasures program.

In 2001, Arion Press leased space in a former laundry in the Presidio. In 2024, it moved to the Fort Mason Center for Arts & Culture. The press has a gallery and offers tours. Hoyem retired in 2018. As of 2024, Blake Riley is lead printer and creative director.