Why Use Us For Your Plates

…k); Words of Courage (letterpress broadsides written in their own words by children who are patients with life-threatening illnesses) and coordinated by Partners in Print; the BC Medical Brigades through Brooklyn College; and Liberating Literature (dealing with banned books) at the University of Arizona. (if you have a large-hearted project coming up and need plates, email community@boxcarpress.com for details) Fine press discounts We give a 10% d… Continue reading Continue reading

Letterpress City Tour: Seattle Style

…t TV show, Treehouse Masters, has become quite popular! SIGNATURE LOOKS IN SEATTLE Seattle is all about individuality and independence. Our letterpress printers are no exception! The work that comes out of Seattle is pretty diverse. Everyone gets to letterpress on a different path and focuses on different styles, methods, etc. when they get there. I love seeing how different printers infuse their personality into this historic craft. BUSINESS SUPP… Continue reading Continue reading

2016 Seattle Children’s Hospital Broadsides: Part 2

…ollaboration between Writers in the Schools program, long-term patients at Seattle Children’s Hospital, and the School of Visual Concepts in Seattle, Washington. These six printers share with us how they brought each writer’s words to vivid life in the 2016 edition. Nicole Cronin 2016 marked my fourth year participating in the Children’s Broadside Project. Each time, I am excited to create art for a good cause alongside my fellow printers! I was i… Continue reading Continue reading

2017 Seattle Children’s Hospital Broadsides: Part 1

…WITS worked with big-hearted printers as well as long term patients at the Seattle Children’s Hospital in this exceptional opportunity for fun, creativity, and stirring works of art. This first installment of a two part blog showcases four printers who share their creative printing process and capture the wonder of the children’s writing. Sarah Kulfan I was very excited to print Merrick’s poem for this year’s Seattle Children’s Hospital Broadside… Continue reading Continue reading

Part 2: 2020 Seattle Children’s Hospital Broadsides

…Peyton’s words!  Sarah Kulfan This is my seventh year participating in the Seattle Children’s broadside project. I was so happy to join in on its 10th year anniversary! This year, I printed a poem that was written by 16 year old Darren Lagbao, titled ‘My Mom And I’. This poem is a loving tribute to his mom and his words honor her strength, patience and attentiveness, whether she is making adobo with pork sauce and boiled eggs or reading him to sle… Continue reading Continue reading

2020 Seattle Children’s Hospital Broadside: Part 1

…lks at the Writers in the Schools program working with the children at the Seattle Children’s Hospital, and the letterpress printers of Partners in Print (formerly part of the letterpress family at Seattle’s School of Visual Concepts – SVC).  Together, this collaboration crafts memorable letterpress broadsides of poetry.  At Boxcar Press, we are honored every year to be a part of this project.  This first installment of a two-part blog covers the… Continue reading Continue reading

2019 Seattle Children’s Hospital Broadsides: Part 2

…ollaboration between Writers in the Schools program, long-term patients at Seattle Children’s Hospital, and the School of Visual Concepts in Seattle, Washington. These five printers share with us how they brought each young writer’s words to life. Justin Gonyea I was very excited when I first read AJ’s poem because it would allow me to mix my love of comic books and letterpress. I love that AJ wrote a poem about the Incredible Hulk that a lot of k… Continue reading Continue reading

2016 Seattle Children’s Hospital Broadsides: Part 1

…chool of Visual Concepts in Seattle. WITS works with long term patients at Seattle Children’s Hospital to write poetry, out of which printers & artists create beautiful letterpress broadside prints. Boxcar Press supports this project with photopolymer plates for the limited run of broadsides. Participating printers share their experiences bringing each poet’s words to life in this year’s edition. This first installment features six printers who sh… Continue reading Continue reading

2018 Seattle Children’s Hospital Broadsides: Part 1

…S), the School of Visual Concepts in Seattle, and young local poets at the Seattle Children’s Hospital was 20 cleverly crafted broadsides. Each print had a limited run of 110 editions. This first installment of a two-part blog highlights four printers who share their heartwarming experience bringing their young poets words to life. Bonnie Thompson Norman The process of working on the Children’s Hospital broadside project each year is a combination… Continue reading Continue reading

2019 Seattle Children’s Hospital Broadsides: Part 1

…earted printers bringing alive the thoughts of long-term patients from the Seattle Children’s Hospital. The result is nothing short of fun, colorful, whimsical, and inspiring.  This first installment of a two-part blog highlights four printers who share their creative processes and showcase the magic of the children’s writing. Enjoy! Amy Redmond   When we gathered at SVC to kick off this year’s series with the reading of the kid’s poems, I was con… Continue reading Continue reading

2018 Seattle Children’s Hospital Broadsides: Part 2

…and Ann Teplick), the School of Visual Concepts, and long-term patients at Seattle Children’s Hospital all joined creative forces to produce original stories that come to life in beautifully crafts printed works. Sarah Kulfan reflects on this year’s printing experience of adding in fun & color to their special young writer’s words. “I am always blown away by the talent and commitment of our young poets and this group of printers. Many have been in… Continue reading Continue reading

2015 Seattle Children’s Hospital Broadsides

…e letterpress printing with children, and none is more dear to us than the Seattle Children’s Hospital Broadside project. This collaboration with 22 artists and pediatric patients always yields beautiful art and prose. The children’s ages range from 5 to 20, and through the Writers in the Schools program (WITS – a poetry program spearheaded by Sierra Nelson and Ann Teplick) the children create amazing imagery with words. The printers at the School… Continue reading Continue reading

2017 Seattle Children’s Hospital Broadsides: Part 2

…ogram spearheaded by Sierra Nelson and Ann Teplick), long term patients at Seattle Children’s Hospital, and the School of Visual Concepts. These five printers share with us how they brought to life the young poets’ colorful imagination in a cornucopia of color, text, texture, and fun imagery. Jane Suchan While at Seattle Children’s Hospital, 14 year old Mary McCann learned to knit and wrote the two poems used for her broadside. I was drawn to Mary… Continue reading Continue reading

Letterpress Printing Journeys: Amy Redmond of Amada Press

…taken care of. And as a participant in SVC’s Poetry Broadside project with Seattle Children’s Hospital and Seattle Arts & Lectures, I know that the project would not be financially possible without plate donations from Boxcar and paper donations from Neenah. On behalf of the printers at the School of Visual Concepts, thank you! PRINTING TIPS Roller bearers are my best friends — I never lock up a form in a chase without them. Also, always use prote… Continue reading Continue reading

2014 Seattle Children’s Hospital Letterpress Broadsides

…lick from the WITS program worked with long term pediatric patients at the Seattle Children’s Hospital to write poetry, and the artists use the poetry to create beautiful letterpress broadsides. This year, 20 artists worked on the project to create 20 prints for the Seattle Children’s Hospital Broadsides project. We supported the project by donating photopolymer plates to help offset the product costs involved with creating this limited run (only… Continue reading Continue reading

Born in the Sky- Letterpress Poems by Pediatric Patients

children’s groups and hospitals to be auctioned off as a fundraiser. There is a limited edition of 75 on each. Many thanks to all who were involved: Seattle Arts & Lectures, Seattle Children’s Hospital, School of Visual Concepts, Mohawk Fine Papers, Puget Bindery, Ecological Fibers, Boxcar Press…. Continue reading Continue reading

The Second Annual Letterpress Broadsides Project

…n. For the last two years, WITS has worked with terminally ill patients at Seattle Children’s Hospital to write poetry, out of which artists create beautiful letterpress broadsides. At Boxcar Press, we were privileged to be included yet again, and gladly offered up free photopolymer plates for the project. Below are photos of the process, as well as few shots of the incredibly inspiring poetry written by these kids and young adults. The second ann… Continue reading Continue reading

Boxcar Press donates letterpress paper to children’s art museum & elementary schools

…days ever, where we get to help out cool local teachers dedicated to art & children….so when we received this email message and photos about our paper donation — well, it just made our year. “Thank you so very much for all of the supplies your company donated to MOYA, The Museum of Young Art and also to Chestnut Hill Elementary School. Attached are photos of the museum space and the artwork created on your papers and cardstock. The photo of the yo… Continue reading Continue reading

Let’s See That Printed: Washington Poetic Routes, Poems of Place

…he transitions from the mountains of Steven’s Pass (about 80 miles east of Seattle) to the ocean, and how he depicts change in the environment. And he really captured the mossy green wetness of our area. Here’s the poem: By Luther Allen, at Steven’s Pass this is it. the smell of green of damp rot, of slugs and ferns and staggering grand trees the smell of festering tidal flats the burst of orcas through a rain-matted sea. the smell of gulls and se… Continue reading Continue reading

Sisterly Surprise Makes For a Wonderful Boxcar Visit

…ey got to our studios. It was more of a meeting of minds and souls than a tour, as we spent a couple of hours with Amy and Carrie. We traded stories, shared tips and tricks printer to printer, and discovered how Amy got to where she is now, a Seattle-based freelance graphic designer and instructor of an introductory letterpress printing class at the School of Visual Concepts in Seattle. We are thankful to Amy for being a mentor to many students of… Continue reading Continue reading

Casting Off With Debra Barclay of Ancora Press

…m letterpress print shop located about fifteen miles Northeast of downtown Seattle. We do custom designs working directly with clients as well as printing for graphic designers and other print shops who come to us with a pre-existing design of their own. My shop feels like home. Mostly because it’s attached to it – in my garage! I have two 10×15 Heidelberg Windmills and an 8×12 Chandler and Price. I also have a photopolymer platemaker and a small… Continue reading Continue reading

Inquisitive Printers – More Curious Items To Intrigue

…try cards and other literary variants became popular educational tools for children. The card ban wasn’t formally lifted until late in the Meiji period, when Japan was “westernizing”. Clandestine cardplayer Fusajiro Yamauchi founded Nintendo in 1889 and began manufacturing the popular Hanafuda (“Flower Game”) deck, which has 12 suits of 4 cards each. (Photography courtesy of user digitalhypnosisi (via imgur.com) I imagine that Nintendo, innovative… Continue reading Continue reading

Letterpress inspiring hope this holiday season

…and Matt Tennis live their cause – Orphan Care. All three of their amazing children were adopted internationally, as orphans, so this cause is very personal and dear to their hearts. There are over 150 million orphans in the world. “Orphan” doesn’t just mean a boy or girl who has lost one or both parents, but it can describe a child who faces the world without the provision, care and nurturing that a family provides. There are also many ways to he… Continue reading Continue reading

Boxcar Press’s Donated Letterpress Paper In Action

…ose students used the donated paper to create books that they then read to children in the local area. The visit was a happy reminder of why we do what we do to help the kids in and around Syracuse. As show of their appreciation for our recent donation, the seventh grade students at Christian Brothers Academy in Syracuse made us our own book full of their praise and thanks. Each student wrote us a personal, heartfelt and touching letter. The book… Continue reading Continue reading

How to eco letterpress (hint: join a CSA!)

…h take a stewardship of our land and create hope for a safe planet for our children and their children, too. For some of us, it introduced us to vegetables we had never experienced before and for others it reminded us of the wonders of nature and the bounty our very own upstate New York land can provide. Best of all, it allowed Boxcar Press to enrich the community by providing Syracuse with its first every downtown POD (Point of Delivery), which m… Continue reading Continue reading

Letterpress That Changes the World

…ed to me right off the bat. I knew I wanted to do something with women and children who needed more than they had or were in bad situations. I found Safe Horizon through Charity Navigator and we support them now with 5% of the sales from our Autograph Cards. They assist victims of domestic violence and child abuse and have offices in many of the NYC courthouses, so they’re very present and accessible. We also had a dear friend from high school, Jo… Continue reading Continue reading

Mirka Hokkanen: Linocuts and Letterpress

…roceeded to drive an hour and a half to take letterpress classes at SVC in Seattle and met Carl Montford who then taught and got me involved with wood engraving. PRESS HISTORY My very first press was a blue Dick Blick etching press. I used it quite a lot, but when I started getting into letterpress, I first got a tiny Sigwalt from eBay for almost nothing (because it was in horrible shape). Obviously that did not take me too far after fixing it up… Continue reading Continue reading

Sweet Prints at Typebee

…hopefully coming soon Nakuset (nah-goo-set) a Heidi 10 x 15 Windmill from Seattle. Much needed for my poor back. BOXCAR’S ROLE Letterpress in the modern would not exist at its current capacity without Boxcar Press. This is where technology and old world methods meet. As I’ve said before, letterpress is a process in a non-process oriented world. People want to push buttons and enjoy instantaneous gratification. If it weren’t for platemaking servic… Continue reading Continue reading

Boxcar Talk With Isabel Ibanez

…e. I searched long and hard for the right press and finally found a C&P in Seattle. Of course, I wasn’t a huge fan of the zip code that press lived in. A C&P weighs 1800 pounds or some such, which made my stomach turn whenever I thought about how on earth I was going to move the C&P across the continental United States. But then by some miracle, Sheli (my partner in crime) and I found a C&P 15 minutes down the street from my house. The owner had b… Continue reading Continue reading

Letterpress On The Move: Chris Fritton of the Itinerant Printer

…lingua, TX, among the Chisos Mountains to the School of Visual Concepts in Seattle, WA, with a view of the Space Needle. It’s impossible to choose a favorite. PRINTING MENTORS Although I look to the past for ideas sometimes, I tend to appreciate the work of my contemporaries just as much, if not more. I really like the work of modern letterpress printers who are combining analog & digital technologies to get intriguing results. Right now, off the… Continue reading Continue reading

Printing Heritage at Old North State Press

…questions and keep asking until you understand. WHAT’S COMING NEXT This might actually be the year we get more of our custom stationery line up and running. This is a goal we’ve had for some time…but…life is what happens when you’re busy making other plans! Now that our children are older, we have more time to dedicate to our various printing projects. We also held our first letterpress workshop recently, partnering with the Charlotte Chapter of A… Continue reading Continue reading

Taking the Plunge Into Letterpress

…as much experience as I could, start a family and begin raising two small children to name a few. By 2007, totally over the ever changing climate in my garage I was ready for a change. I attended the National Stationery Show in New York as an artist with my youngest child strapped to my chest. Needless to say I was in awe of and I’ll admit pretty intimidated (still am!) by what I saw there and decided I wanted to bring all that glorious paper and… Continue reading Continue reading

Melissa Livingston: Falling For Letterpress

…O THE PRINTING ARTS After taking a long sabbatical to raise my 5 wonderful children, I decided I wanted to get back into design. By that time everything in the design world had changed from waxed columns of type placed by hand on the art board to being completed on a computer screen. I missed the hands-on experience, so one day on a bit of a whim I decided to buy a 6×10 Kelsey Excelsior Victor tabletop press that came with a Boxcar Base, despite n… Continue reading Continue reading

Have Press, Will Travel

…ooklyn told me about how he printed on a hobby press in high school. Young children were especially amazed at the instant nature of printing, that they could pull one lever and make an image—no waiting for something to come out of a machine; they had the power to do the work. I handed out pamphlets to anyone who printed since most people didn’t have time to hang out and chat. I wanted everyone who encountered the Press Cycle to know that they were… Continue reading Continue reading

Inking up with Shauna Rue of Purple Ink Press

…e been married to my husband, Mark, for 7 years, and we have two beautiful children together: Wyatt, 2, and Emerson, 8 months. FOR THE LOVE OF LETTERPRESS Like many new printers, I first discovered letterpress when I was looking for my own wedding invitations back in 2005. Two years later, I was still OBSESSED with letterpress, and I found John Barrett with Letterpress Things out in western Massachusetts. I took a few classes and I was hooked―John… Continue reading Continue reading

Whimsical Fun At Fugu Fugu Press

…magazine. She did storyboards for movies and illustrations for a number of children’s books, and a regular column for the LA Weekly. It was interesting and fun to get different assignments and work with various art directors, but she’s very glad to be her own “art director” now with Fugu Fugu Press! Ken is a California State University, Chico grad and has a history of joining bands and roaming around the country playing music. He’s also done a fai… Continue reading Continue reading

Green printing: tips for being an earth-friendly letterpress printer

…ach press cleaning. We printed for a long time inside our home, with young children afoot and I use a lot of natural cleaning products with my home cleaning, why would I want dangerous and flammable chemicals in the house? Not only do we appreciate the print quality and shelf life of the rubber-based inks, but the lack of the need to use harsh solvents during cleanup has been a game changer, especially when we were printing out of our kitchen. Bec… Continue reading Continue reading

Tell us about your printing mentors: a Valentine for the people who taught us how to print.

…y with a kid—his, mine, anybody’s—it never made any difference to him. All children were golden, and he loved them all. This was one of the things I most admired about him. That and his generosity. He never withheld anything as he dissected and exposed the mysteries of printing to an entire generation of printers, designers, printmakers, and typographers. When Alan Mandelbaum heard that Mac had died, he wrote to me saying that it was praise—not sa… Continue reading Continue reading

Trailblazing At Appalachia Press

…g them with more skill and patience. I cut my teeth screening t-shirts for children at a summer camp while in college and I honed my scrappy, low-to-no budget skills into some crazy good shirt designs. It dove-tailed my obsession with primitive printmaking and soon enough it became a technique that I was known for. Years later, my non-profit design clients needed their events to look professional and beautiful without looking like they misspent th… Continue reading Continue reading

Clean Prints at Spotty Boy Press

…ase and my reduction prints have never been better! I’m a teacher of small children and used to planning for the worst case scenario. Planning for a press move took months for me, and I was blessed with a wonderful seller (a great stationery printer in his own right – Matthew Wengard) and very enthusiastic & almost dangerously cavalier movers. If you’re a control freak, my only advice for a press move is to surround yourself with optimists experie… Continue reading Continue reading

In search of the perfect printing ink – why not do it yourself?

…t get a try-out or two from someone. However, it is also fun to note that within the 598 other receipts in this book, you can also find a recipe for peppermint cordial, a cure for the bite of a mad dog, and treatment for scabby heads on children and toothaches. Back to our original question, we truly are interested in hearing about your favorite black printing ink, either ones you have used in the past and can’t find anymore or one you use everyda… Continue reading Continue reading

The Letterpress Roundtable, Part II: Letterpress love affairs

…dden of Evanston Print and Paper: That’s kind of like asking which of your children you like best. I’d have to say my favorite press to print on is the one I get to print on the least. Our big Vandercook 325 – serial number 6086. It’s my very first press. I bought it in 2007 from Columbia College. That’s where I learned to print, and I never saw anyone use it while it was there. It was mostly used as storage, I’m sorry to say. I guess I’d say it’s… Continue reading Continue reading

City Series: Magnificent Miami

…st thirty years of teaching in Title I Public Schools introduced me to the children of all the cultures that make up our city. They were generous to this gringo who grew up in the Midwest. I wake up each day in West Coconut Grove, the original historic Bahamian settlement that became the Black Grove. Think peacocks, huge Banyan and Tropical Almond trees, and a short walk to Biscayne Bay. My pre-WW2 apartment is around the corner and down the stree… Continue reading Continue reading

April Showers Free Vector Set

…ng season, letterpress lovers, with a spiritedly Spring vector set! The festive set includes two Mother’s Day Greetings, a beautiful engraving of a lop-eared rabbit, an adorable pair of puddle splashing children, a clever note card header, and a delectable set of strawberries & raspberries for the gardener within us all. All are free for use and in both EPS and PDF format. Enjoy!… Continue reading Continue reading

Keeping Creative in California with Alissa Bell

…ns to catch up on her beautiful letterpress greeting card line and how her children are growing up with letterpress all around them. CREATING BALANCE WITH LETTERPRESS I run a letterpress and design studio in Los Angeles with two girls, Hanna and Audra, and my dog Henry. Before I got into letterpress, I worked in public accounting for 4 years. I’m naturally a classic, type A person, but also love exercising my creativity. Creating my business gave… Continue reading Continue reading

Letterpress, Type, and Bears Eat Berries, Oh My!

…and animals. I also love a little twist of humor. I pull inspiration from children’s picture books, Japanese design, and any great use of negative space and clean design. I start each design by sketching it out on paper. Then I’ll recreate it on the computer. I love the process of designing by hand, manipulating the design digitally, and then turning it back into a tangible object. But it’s not an easy process for me. There’s a lot of erasing, cr… Continue reading Continue reading

Graham Judd: A New Zealand Printing Gem

…kland with my wife in 1975, and we are still here. We now have three adult children. They all love what I do, but all have their own careers outside of printing. FALLING FOR LETTERPRESS I left school with few qualifications and no idea of a career, but a friend who was a compositor in a local printing company suggested I look at an apprenticeship in the printing trade, which I did. And I loved printing from day one. My apprenticeship was as a lett… Continue reading Continue reading

Standing Together – The Printing Community

…n someone, let us know! We’d love to hear from you! Live Daily Readings of Children’s Books With Mary Bruno (of Bruno Press) via Instagram. Come share a good time from Minnesota with Mary every day starting at 12 Noon Central Time! (image courtesy of Mary Bruno of Bruno Press) Wilderness of Social Distancing letterpress card from Waterknot Press (from Portland, Oregon). (image courtesy of Waterknot Press) Waterknot will be offering a buy 4 get one… Continue reading Continue reading