My Letterpress Obsession Explained...

Basically, my love for wedding related design or stationary in general, stems from my passion for beautiful printed pieces that are letterpressed. Nothing can compare to the handmade, as well as the unique quality that comes with choosing letterpress. It is an art form that has an emphasis on craft, tradition, and authenticity. Through this method, you are able to add a special personal touch to any special occasion. Designs are created and then translated into a piece of film, like a photonegative, which through the rest of the process is turned into a hard plate. Water-soluble, rubber-based inks are used for the printing colors. It is surprising that just a teaspoon of ink can be enough to print several thousand cards. Ink is usually mixed by hand and some even use an old fashion scale to weigh paint proportions. NUTS! The plate is mounted, ink is applied to the rollers, and the rollers begin to move over the plate, laying down the ink. Paper is fed into the press, comes in contact with the plate (similar to a shell clamping shut), and the piece is printed! It is hard to find a press these days, (there are many letterpress printers out there, but i mean one of your own...) but hopefully since this process is becoming more and more popular, that will change. I hope to soon be able to own a small tabletop 5x7 press like the red one pictured above. {Hello Lucky}, with location in both San Francisco and London, is a great resource to be able to create your own designs and have them printed. They start the process with an Illustrator file if you are interested.