Adventures in Letterpress: Wedding Invitation

Way back in April 2010, I posted about a run of Save the Date cards I printed on my Anchor Easy Photo (makeshift) printing press. Several months, I created and printed a run of invitations on Crane Lettra 110 lb. paper, for the same wedding. The above card was affixed on top of another card containing directions and website information, separated by perforation from the response card, with black grommets. To summarize the process for wedding guests, the below video was posted to the front page of the couple's wedding website.

As I've mentioned before, my printing process is a tad unorthodox. Maybe it's just to make me feel better about the finished product, but I like to think the imperfections, e.g. the uneven ink coverage, add character - helping pull together the vintage and modern design elements.

From feedback I received, the invitations were well received! To continue the design theme, I also created wedding programs, dinner menus, and dance cards for the event, using the same production method.

I haven't done much letterpress printing lately... but who knows when inspiration will strike.

Adventures in Letterpress: QR Code Calling Cards

Because correspondence is communication by letters, I don't see why the definition should exclude written communications between individuals that are face to face at the time of delivery. Enter: the personal calling card. Lacking a card of my own, I set out to create one that represented me as an individual. That card needed to honor the traditions of the past, while still being innovative and fresh... with a dash of mystery. Really, I wanted a card that was artistic, yet functional.

A QR (quick response) code is a lot like a barcode, in that it contains information that is displayed when read. However, unlike a barcode, a QR code can carry up to 4000 characters of information, direct a device to a URL, load contact information, or queue up GPS coordinates. Already big in Japan, QR codes are slowly making their way over to the States.

The moment I learned about QR codes, I knew that they were for me. So, I created a code of my own (using the free QR code generator at Kaywa.com) and letterpressed them onto 110 lb. florescent white Crane Lettra paper, using my unique letterpress printing method.

My QR code doesn't hold very much information, only my name and personal e-mail address. So the card doesn't make full use of the QR technology, but that wasn't really my objective. With these cards I wanted to blend the hi-tech with the low-tech. I think it's amazing that early 20th century technology can be used to transmit information directly to modern, 21st century devices.

Unfortunately, I can really only hand these cards out to other technological early adopters, as only smart phones, such as the iPhone and Android devices, can run the software necessary to read QR codes. However, while smart phones and QR codes become ubiquitous, I'll still continue to hand out my QR cards to the people I meet. If anything, they'll be a conversation starter. After all, isn't good conversation what correspondence is all about?

Adventures in Letterpress: Calling Cards En Vivo

Last week I had the pleasure of printing up some personal calling cards for the brother of a friend. In barter for the cards, the brother sent me a set of lock picks, which I really enjoy fooling around with. Figuring that a guy who barters and plays with lock picks is probably a giant nerd, I decided to record the printing process for his cards. And, because he gave me permissions, and so did the other friend whose cards are being printed in the video, I figured, "why not just share the video with the Everyday Correspondence community?" And so it was.

Without further ado I present to you: Hacking Letterpress, letterpress printing on an 1890s squeegee. Please, enjoy.

Adventures in Letterpress: Save Our Date Edition

Finally! I am in the calm between the mid-semester flurry and the final exam crush. To fill my time, I've put in many hours on the printing press to turn out a couple of projects for myself and some friends.

I finished this run of 75 save the date cards a couple of days ago. The hand lettering was done by the delightful Lisa Ridgely. The rest of the design was done by me, using my new favorite tech toy, Adobe Illustrator. The cards were printed on 110 lb. florescent white Crane Lettra, a luxurious paper designed specifically for letterpress printing.

Every time I do a run on one of my presses, I find new ways to increase the efficiency of my process. This time around, I took a tip from Boxcar Press that they made for hand inking photopolymer plates (seen above) and requested that they not trim the edges of my photopolymer plate order. I then took those edges and used them as bearer strips along the sides of the plate I was inking. These bearers keep my roller (also known as a brayer) level and at the same height as the plate while inking. This little trick facilitated more uniform ink coverage on the plate, and it saved me a bunch of time in not having to wipe up smudges accidentally left by my uneven hand on parts of the plate I didn't want printed (the blue areas in the image above).

I also took the sage advice of a poster on the letterpress listserv from the University of New Brunswick that I subscribe to, and built my own drying racks. The above rack cost me a total of $3 to make. I used two slinkies ($1 each at Target) and taped them to a piece of scrap wood ($1 in the As Is section at IKEA). It was super cheap to construct, holds a good amount of paper, and saves me tons of space. Before, I was laying cards out flat on every flat surface in my home!

Next project: personal calling cards.

Sigwalt Chicago No. 10

While I have largely kept my latest hobby out of my posts on Everyday Correspondence, I have actually gotten quite into printmaking. I began with cut linoleum stamps, and moved on to letterpress style printing on a repurposed cylinder press to make cards and invitations for friends. That entire time, I had my eye on purchasing a tabletop platen press. And a couple of weeks ago, I finally purchased one.


This little baby is a Sigwalt Chicago No. 10 printing press. It has a printable area of 3" x 5", small, but what I could afford. It's in relatively good shape, all the parts move properly, and it came with a roller in decent condition (not pictured). I plan on doing mild restoration to the piece, as there is some rust and peeled/worn paint.

Notice the still vibrant hand painted details on the sides of the press and the gold piping that adorns the contours of the cast iron pieces.

I have a can of WD-40 and a 3M scrubby at the ready, and boy, am I ready to get to work!

Non-Postage Stamps, aka "Cinderellas"

I've been getting into letterpress lately, and have begun following a number of press blogs. Today, I came across this blog entry about Cinderellas, also called poster stamps, or stamps for non-postage purposes. The author of the blog operates a Front Room Press, a hobby press run literally from the front room of his house, and has just finished fully restoring a vintage pin-hole perforator. His next venture, obviously, is to make his own stamps! I recommend taking a gander.

Breaking News: Man Finishes Project

Ta-daa! In a rare feat, I actually finished a project that I only days ago planned out. I couldn't find a frame with a 2" x 4" window to tightly frame the stamps, nor could I find one with matting that did the same. So, I bought myself a $5 frame at Marshalls. I think the thickness of the frame substitutes for matting by drawing the eye inward toward the framed object. I'm not too wild about the frame by itself, but I think it looks kind of neat as a finished product.

Now, if only I could find a suitable place in the studio/office to hang it. Hm...

New Office Decor

Given my recent printing mania, when I stumbled across these stamps, I knew I had to have them. I'm thinking of having them mounted and framed (already marked on my to do list as a DIY project) for hanging in my sometimes printing studio, aka my living room.

...I'm pretty excited about it.

What sort of things do you have hanging on the walls of your work space?

Update: Check out the finished product.