LETTERPRESS PRINTING
Our focus is and always has been on fine letterpress printing, whether from wood, metal, or (let’s face it...) plastic! The times and some of the materials may have changed, but for 550 years the fine art and craft of letterpress printing has not. Our projects range from one-of-a-kind prints to commercial runs in the tens of thousands, so please contact us if you have a project and are unsure if it is something we can do. Information on our presses and printing capabilities can be found here.
DESIGN
We offer a full range of graphic design services. This can involve creating a new design with you or adapting existing designs to take better advantage of the letterpress process. In addition to printing from a digital design via polymer or metal plates, we also work from our extensive collection of wood type, handset type, and newly cast metal type. Design fees depend on the complexity and scope of each project, so please indicate if you are interested in design services when contacting the shop for a quote.
HOT FOIL STAMPING
We can foil stamp from newly cast type or magnesium plates made from digital files. This method of letterpress printing uses heat and pressure to transfer a very thin opaque foil onto a printable surface, completely blocking out any of the original surface color. Hot foil stamping can add the perfect accent, and is particularly useful when using very light colors on a much darker surface. We have many metallic, opaque, and even holographic foils available, so let us know if you have a particular color or style in mind.
HOT METAL TYPECASTING
We have an ever-growing library of original brass type matrices which can be used to cast hot metal type for your project. Newly cast type prints like new (because it is!) and is cast from the original designs as they were drawn and punched. This foregoes the cost of having to make photopolymer plates, and the type is melted to be reused when the printing is finished. We are equally excited when using these machines for the exact purpose they were designed for (book and display work), as well as exploring new avenues for artists and designers to see what this older technology can do.
Please see our typecasting page for more information and/or to order slugs.
PENCILS
Yes, we print on pencils!
Custom pencils sets can be ordered directly here.
We take orders for short and long runs, from a minimum of 25 to thousands of pencils. There are some restrictions as to line length and available colors. If you have any questions or are looking for particular typefaces or foil colors not offered on the order form, please contact us directly.
FINISHING/BOOKBINDING
We have a wide range of finishing options, from trimming on our 32" digital paper cutter, to corner rounding, paper-drilling, padding, and die-cutting.
We offer sewn and saddle stitched binding and assembly for small book publishing, CD and LP jacket assembly, and edge-painting on thicker cards to a close PMS color match. Addressing and assembly for wedding and invitation suites is also available, as is referral to select fine calligraphers.
DIGITAL SERVICES
We are not afraid of the modern age! Although we collaborate with local offset and digital printers when needed, we are pleased to offer our own digital printing services such as addressing invitation envelopes from a guest list, individualizing letterpress printed place cards, and other digital inkjet printing when most appropriate to the job at hand.