Services
We specialize in letterpress and relief printmaking. We’re more of an art studio than a commercial print shop, and we’re passionate about keeping the art and craft of letterpress alive. We print with polymer plates, hand-cut linoleum, vintage printers cuts, hand-composed type—anything that can be relief printed.
Letterpress & Relief Printing
What brightens our day is printing beautiful, hand-crafted paper goods with time-honored techniques. We love working with our hands and running our old presses with human power. Every project is treated with special care and attention to detail. Each sheet of paper becomes a little work of art.
From a traditional “kiss” impression to a deep, textural deboss, we can help you achieve the look you desire. We print smaller and thicker items on our platen presses, and larger items on our Vandercook SP-15. The largest sheet size we can print is 14 x 18 inches. Please note, we do not offer foil stamping or die cutting.
Outsourcing Photopolymer Plates
We are happy to work with you or your designer to have printing plates made for your project. We prefer to receive files as native Adobe Illustrator files or editable PDFs.
If you’re designing for letterpress printing, please review our “Designing for Letterpress” page. It has helpful information and details to be aware of before submitting any designs or files for letterpress printing.
Before you get too far into your project, you’re always welcome to reach out with any questions you might have about the design.
Hand Typesetting
When we print with hand-composed type, the history of letterpress printing really hits home. We’re essentially using the same methods Gutenberg used 500+ years ago! We are fortunate to be the caretakers of a growing collection of metal and wood type; from tiny 6 point metal, to large 6 inch wood letters. Much of it is quite old, and with the right care we’ll be able to pass it along to future generations.
If you would like us to use moveable type in your project, we are happy to accommodate within some boundaries and understanding. Metal type will wear down with heavy repeated impressions, so we avoid deep impression printing with handset metal type. Older type is not always perfect. Nicks and imperfections will be visible, but sometimes this can be a great way to show character in a print.
Graphic Design
If you need help with the design of your letterpress project, Christy has a 30+ year career as a graphic designer working with a wide variety of clients. She earned a BFA with a concentration in Graphic Design in 1991 from the University of Wisconsin – Stout. Please note, we are no longer offering design services for wedding invitations.
Christy will start the design process by getting to know you, your personal style, the vision you have for your project, and your printing budget. A typical presentation back to you will include two or three design options with up to two rounds of revisions. Design services are billed separately from our printing services.