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Monthly Archives: March 2008
And the medallion winners are….
The medallion hunt is over! Though it’s sad to bid farewell to those pretty little medallions hidden throughout our site, let’s applaud our winners — these incredible adventurers who scoured page after page and emerged victorious with five Boxcar medallions in their teeth. We’ll be sending these folks a choose-your-press t-shirt along with lots of love. Thanks for playing along. Congratulations, ye letterpress lovers!
Website update
Thanks to everyone who placed orders over the weekend and today! Here’s an update of the status of website problems that we’ve corrected and the ones we’re still working on.
wHaT wOuLd wAlteR dO?
Once upon a time, back when photopolymer was a newfangled thing for letterpress printers, Chuck Izui gave me a call from Aiko’s. Aiko’s Art Materials was founded by Aiko Nakane in Chicago fifty years ago. Chuck Izui worked there nearly 30 years, taking over ownership and continually providing exquisite art supplies in a warm-fuzzy-yet-zen environment. The store will close this April leaving a huge void. He was putting together a show at the store for Walter Hamady Book artist, professor, papermaker, letterpress printer Walter Samuel Haatoum Hamady was born in Flint, Michigan in 1940. Species: homo ludens. and wanted a little card to announce the event. It should be understated (like Aiko’s) yet not too stuffy or serious (like Walter). I was honored, yet petrified at the prospect of designing and printing work for a book arts luminary. Chuck broke out some gorgeous handmade kozo for the project, adding to my fears. I wrestled with a decision for days over what to do. I had limited type and the piece called for a lot of “P”s, propelling me towards the use of photopolymer. Wouldn’t Mr. Hamady be horrified?
More Random Ramble: So What, Some What’s in the So
by Walter Hamady, The Perishable Press Limited
A note from Jessica Spring: “Walter sent me the following never before published text, one of several Random Rambles transcribed by Anna Hamady, that gives some insight into what makes the artist tick (or what tickles the artist?)”
In 1988 I called a friend (you’ll wonder what kind of friend) and said, filled up with myself: “Geez, I’ve been printing books for half of my life!” to which he said: “So what.” It is 2000 and so I’ve been printing books for six-tenths of my life and so what. I supposed there are a lot of “what’s” and let’s see if any can be specifically located.
Our favorite places to wander in the new site
We commissioned our favorite photographer-superstar Doug Lloyd to create portraits of our presses. The results are sigh-inducing works of true love. You’ll also find stories about our presses’ past lives here.
Flurry: a Journal Among the Printers launches with articles about the eco-green letterpress scene; a profile of fine press genius Walter Hamady; and Hamady’s never before published essay that will inspire and rekindle your passion for printing.
The new site is live!
Welcome to the newly birthed Boxcar Press web site!
Just because we’ve been working on our new web site for most of our lives, please don’t feel obliged to go lovingly through every single section and then call us at 315.473.0930 to read us your favorite parts. You are under no obligation to send us flowers, dark chocolate with a 70% minimum cocoa content, or long e-mails to explain how pretty the new site is. Under no means should you allow us to bribe you into memorizing the jsp code, tattooing the urls of your favorite pages across your elbows, writing poetry about the new site, or mailing us hundreds of gold stars.
Green: The New Primary Color
Everywhere, from supermarkets to superstores, the move toward more environmentally friendly products is growing exponentially. What used to be offered only at stores like Whole Foods are now common at Target. Letterpress printers are joining this trend in an attempt to show their true color: green.
The renaissance of letterpress has been one huge reduce/reuse/recycle extravaganza. Proof presses considered obsolete twenty years ago are now selling in the thousands of dollars, with prices for small hobby presses rising similarly. Everything is snapped up, from orphaned wood type and single cuts to pied lead, with demand outpacing supply. As new printers join the fray, there are numerous possibilities for creating a greener shop that’s easier on the environment and makes for a safer workplace too.