Magnificent Printings of The Mandate Press

Posted on March 15, 2013 by Cathy

Today George Graves of The Mandate Press gives us a look at how the beginnings in hand-processing plates to running automatic presses (and the joys and headscratchers that go with it) gave him a sharp eye, a cool sense of printing logic, and a overflowing passion for all that is letterpress. We sat down with George to go over the finer details of press work, polishing opinions of modern letterpress, and of course the cool happenings of the AIGA Salt Lake City.

(left photograph courtesy of Angela Klempner)

EAST MEETS WEST I’m an East Coast boy with Maine roots, some Boston blood, and a passion for craft and quality.

LOVE AT FIRST SIGHT My faculty advisor and typography professor, Cynthia Roberts, first introduced me to letterpress after recognizing my appreciation for handwork. This was during my first or second year in the design program at Endicott College. It wasn’t until the second semester of my senior year that I was able to get my first taste of printing thanks to an introductory course at another school across town: Montserrat College of Art.

I spent my time in that course learning the basics of hand setting type and operating a treadle-powered C&P and a Vandercook SP-15. My first real exposure to photopolymer plates came when I printed a nine piece series of two-color posters for my senior thesis at Endicott. Limited by a college student’s budget, a tight schedule, and the need to hand-process each plate, that project taught me the finer points of imperfections and “happy accidents”.

In the spring of 2011, I was offered a 90-day internship at The Mandate Press in Salt Lake City, Utah. It would be a nearly 3,000 mile cross-country trek, in a 20-year-old Volvo. I couldn’t remember ever being further west than New York, but it was also the one gig that I had told myself I would move anywhere for. My moment of truth had arrived.

I started at Mandate in late June, it had been a year since the last time I had cranked a press, and I quickly realized just how little I knew. After I had reacquainted myself with the Vandercooks, I stepped up to our automatic presses.

Expecting to have some aversions to printing other designers’ work rather than my own, it was somewhere in the process of learning to operate the automatic presses that I realized the design and printing of a project were equally important pieces. My confirmation that this is what I want to do with my life came from making that discovery for myself and finding an intense pride in the trade I have chosen and the work I do each day.

BRILLIANCE IN THE BEEHIVE STATE The Mandate Press is 10 blocks south of downtown SLC in a brick and mortar building on Main Street. The shop is just under 8,000 square feet and split between front and back. The front end of the shop serves as a gallery space, storefront, and our “office” space while the production all happens in the back. We have two glass garage doors in the front with a treadle powered platen press (a Chandler and Price and a Challenge Gordon) sitting just inside each one. While we run almost every job on automatic presses, we do run some lower quantity jobs on one of our Vandercook 4s in the front end of the shop. We actually have two 4s but one is in the middle of a rebuild.

Besides the four presses in the front of the shop, we have five automatic presses in the back. Two Heidelberg Windmills, Two Heidelberg Cylinders and a Frontex Automatic Cylinder. All built in the 50s or 60s, our lineup of automatics each has different muscles to flex. While the windmills are our workhorses and we have them cranking all day every day, our cylinders allow us to do larger work, heavier floods, and deeper impressions. The more comfortable I get with each press as I learn it, the more I appreciate the variety of abilities and each press becomes another tool in the shed or weapon in the arsenal.

As cheesy as it might sound, my favorite part of the shop is literally just being a part of it. From being a part of the planning that went into the show now hanging in our gallery, to learning the ins and outs and quirks of each press, to clearing room in the back of the shop so that we could drop our newest press into place with a forklift, each day at the shop reaffirms my desire to be a part of it. Especially considering my own doubts and the doubts that others had about my ability to make my letterpress goals a reality.

PRINTING MENTORS I owe every part of my daily routine to Ben Webster – owner, bossman and original pressman of The Mandate Press. He taught me the in’s and out’s for routine setups, he has patiently helped me develop the skill set necessary to solve new problems as they arise, and we are constantly discussing and polishing our opinions about the finer points of modern letterpress.

One of my biggest motivations at Mandate is a desire to repay Ben for the chance he took on an East Coast Luddite after a single Skype interview. I don’t think I’ll ever be sure if our chat really went that well or if he just wanted better access to fresh New England seafood.

Although Ben is the most obvious mentor of mine, I can’t forget the people that encouraged me to consider this path in the first place. Without the support of a core group of my professors at Endicott College (Specifically: Cynthia Roberts, Sanford Farrier, Larry Volk and Barbara Burgess-Maier), I may have never seen my current career path as a realistic option. Without Sarah Hulsey’s course at Montserrat College of Art, I might still be itching to try my hand at printing. And, although it was never a “mentorship” of any sort, without a heads-up from Mike Dacey of Repeat Press in Somerville, Massachusetts, I wouldn’t have known about the internship at Mandate. I will always be thankful for the role each of these people have played in allowing me to connect the dots on my path.

DESIGNER IN THE PRINTER As the Lead Printer at The Mandate Press, I don’t currently have the bandwidth to do any design for the shop but I try to stay active in design outside of Mandate. In June, I joined the board of AIGA Salt Lake City as Membership Director. Just recently, I designed a piece for a gallery show at the shop, and each year, I try to design a piece as a thank-you for those who support my Movember efforts.

THE CREATIVE PROCESS In a word: inefficient. I run in circles with too many different ideas and too many different sketches that get scanned and tweaked and printed and altered and scanned and tweaked etc, etc, etc… Until the final piece comes together during the last 5-10% of the process. Maybe one of these days I’ll streamline my design process but, for now, I’m content to focus my efforts on my performance in the pressroom.

PRESS HISTORY My first press is an 1880s Kelsey Excselsior tabletop press. When I started working with letterpress, it came to light that Red, a friend of my grandfather, had the press just sitting in his basement collecting dust. Not sure what Red wanted for the press, my dad and I went ahead and made plans to go get it. Red had inherited the press from his father, an old union printer who did some hobby printing at home, and it turned out that he was happy just to see the press go to a happy home. What I didn’t realize was that our haul included six cigar boxes of wooden type, a couple drawers of printer’s cuts and a small cabinet of lead type. After paying in handshakes and friendly banter, we headed home with the van riding low.

A trip to John Barrett’s Letterpress Things in Chicopee, Massachusetts quickly rounded out my small shop with a Hamilton cabinet, composing stone, and a few other odds and ends. I barely got things set up at home in Maine before heading to Salt Lake City so the press is in my dad’s custody now and he has been patiently tracking down rollers to fit the press. The press is old enough and the dimensions are odd enough that he has been sent two sets of misfit rollers and is waiting on the third round now.

PRINTING FEATS My number one point of pride is simply the fact that I packed up and moved across the country on the off-chance that I might hack it as a letterpress printer. Making that choice and now seeing the progress I have made as a printer is extremely gratifying.

From less of a selfish standpoint, my biggest point of pride would have to be the show currently hanging in our gallery space at The Mandate Press. We have held a variety of events in our space but this was our first curated, letterpress specific show. We asked 21 artists to create a 2-color piece (Red 032 and Cool Grey 6) within the theme of “The Ghost in the Machine”, which we then printed in-house. The variety of interpretations and styles were held together by the consistency of paper, color, and the loose theme. Being involved in every aspect of the show from the early planning stages, to printing promotional materials, to final set up for the show made the opening night feel like that much more of a success. The prints from that show are still available for purchase from our Big Cartel store or in our Salt Lake City storefront.

BOXCAR’S ROLE Although we do have an assortment of type – both wood and lead – and printer’s cuts at Mandate, we use photopolymer plates for all of our client work. I hate to place those plates on anything but a Boxcar Base. In a commercial shop, where we pride ourselves not only on the quality of our work but also on our efficiency, the Boxcar Bases are one of the most useful tools in the shop because of their grid. When running two or more colors on a job, the grid allows me to quickly drop the next plate into place even if I’m running that plate on a different press.

SHOP TIPS “Slow is smooth and smooth is fast” ~ Phil Dunphy, Modern Family

Ben will quote this here and there around the shop and although its source is amusing, the point made is incredibly relevant. With the quantity of work that we see come through the doors at The Mandate Press, it could be easy to become focused on the timeline of each job and just push things through the shop. By slowing down and taking our time with each setup, or any process around the shop for that matter, the jobs run more smoothly, curveballs are eliminated, and things actually get done more quickly.

WHAT’S NEXT We are just now catching our collective breath from the efforts put into The Ghost in the Machine as well as a heavy shop involvement in AIGA SLC’s second Design Week. Jim Sheridan of Hatch Show Print visited SLC in early December to give a lecture and used our space to do a workshop as well. Hatch was one of the first shops I was exposed to when I first became interested in letterpress and getting a chance to meet Jim and work with him is an opportunity I never really expected to have.

Big round of thanks to George for letting us take a sneak peek at The Mandate Press!

Ink Meets Paper: A Story Behind Every Card

Posted on March 8, 2013 by Cathy

If you’ve followed the world of letterpress this past year, you’ll recognize Daniel and Allison Nadeau, the pair behind Ink Meets Paper. The former designer & English major team turned letterpress powerhouse become a duo to watch this year, as their innovative “Every Card Has A Story” films (which capture the detail and work that goes into each piece) are receiving rave reviews. Their work is as sharp as an X-acto, colorful as a Pantone Color Guide, and they’re a team with a penchant for letterpress brilliance. Daniel and Allison sat down between runs to talk shop and about the little things of letterpress that make their world go ’round. And don’t forget to say “Hi!” to them as they’ll be making their first National Stationery Show appearance in New York City this coming May (Booth#2267)!

CLOSE UP WITH DANIEL & ALLISON We’re husband and wife, Daniel and Allison Nadeau. Daniel’s background is product and interaction design, and I was an English major. We grew up in Nashville, TN, spent a few years in Savannah, GA, and ended up in Charleston, SC.

FROM CORPORATE TO CREATIVE Our interest in letterpress started with a desire for hands-on interaction and creation. We both had corporate jobs where we sat in front of computers most of the day, and longed to create something more tactile and physical. After taking a printmaking and letterpress class at a local art studio, I was hooked.

PRINTING IN THE PALMETTO STATE Our shop is in our house, which is in the Park Circle community of North Charleston, SC. We had initially looked into renting a storefront studio space, but the timing just didn’t work out. Instead of continuing the search, we converted a spare bedroom into a studio (added French doors to allow access for the press, pulled up carpet to expose the concrete floor, and added a concrete overlay). Keeping the studio in the house was probably one of the smartest moves we made. It allowed us to grow slowly (without stress from additional rent) and made it easy to print at crazy times (we both had other full-time jobs at the time, so there were many late nights printing). The studio is also climate controlled, which is a huge perk for the hot, humid Charleston summers. We’re lucky to have lots of natural light and a really nice view of the backyard.

THE CREATIVE PROCESS We are always creating. Our greeting card line keeps us pretty well aligned with the retail industry in terms of product releases ( i.e. Christmas cards in May, Valentine’s cards in September, and so forth). Daniel and I usually run through sketches, concepts and ideas to narrow down a direction and refine from there. Most of our card designs are hand drawn first, and then scanned and vectorized to be made into photopolymer plates.

Our production process is a bit different, as we are really interested in the dialogue that occurs when a customer wants to learn more about the card they purchased, or received. One of the ways we have addressed this dialogue was to create Card Stories. We make a unique video story for each of our card designs (accessed by scanning a code on the card back or by entering the Story Code number at our website). This meant, as we printed, we would also film (and eventually edit) the printing process. As our volume has increased, we are working to find other ways of letting our customers know what goes into each card. Our mobile site has always been closely tied to each product, and we’re excited to continue exploring how the digital and physical can support one another.

FULL TIME FUN We’ve both been focused full time on Ink Meets Paper since January of 2012. We also work as graphic/web design freelancers, and Daniel does programming as well.

PRESS HISTORY Summer of 2008 became the season of the great printing press search. We scoured forums and Craigslist ads throughout the South, hoping to find a floor-sized platen press. Daniel was so set on finding one that he made a list of every antique store in the state.

Finally, we located an 8×12 Chandler & Price at a print shop in Jacksonville, FL that was closing out the letterpress portion of its services. Hearing stories from and talking with a third-generation printer was an incredible experience– such knowledge and so much history. Good friends helped us move the press back to Charleston (and let us keep the press in their garage until we worked out a studio space).

PRINTING FEATS Probably our biggest accomplishment is that we’re both self-employed and working together. While it’s challenging at times, it’s so rewarding to be able to work from a home studio, refine our business, and explore new opportunities with each other.

We are so honored to be a part of the letterpress community, and have always found everyone to be open and willing to share knowledge. To complement fantastic sites like Letterpress Commons, we also organized the Letterpress Hotline in early 2012. It’s a volunteer-run telephone helpline so printers can call and talk to another printer if they’re ever in a sticky situation.

BOXCAR’S ROLE We use a Boxcar base and order our plates and ink from Boxcar. Boxcar’s top-notch customer service and easy online ordering mean our plates are one less thing we have to worry about. Not to mention, Boxcar’s online letterpress training videos and press manual PDFs (now a part of the Letterpress Commons) were extremely helpful as we were venturing in to the crazy world of letterpress printing. We’re big proponents of sharing information and helping others and love that Boxcar holds those same views.

SHOP TIPS Be thoughtful and don’t be afraid to go slowly (both in business and in printing). Building a business takes time, and it doesn’t happen overnight.

WHAT’S NEXT Ink Meets Paper will be making its first appearance at the National Stationery Show in May, Booth#2267.

A big round of thanks out to Daniel & Allison for letting us get the full story on Ink Meets Paper.

Photography courtesy of Olivia Rae James.

Inking up with Shauna Rue of Purple Ink Press

Posted on February 19, 2013 by Cathy

From a bizarre love affair with metal plates while crafting tailored social stationery to the dream of running a small business, Shauna Rue of Purple Ink Press exemplifies the drive and playfulness of letterpress printing. We sat down with Shauna to catch a glimpse of how all of the pieces came together to capture the happy-go-lucky heart of letterpress.

 BEAUTY IN THE BAY STATE My name is Shauna Rue and I am the owner of Purple Ink Press, which I created in 2010. I design and print customized letterpress invitations, baby announcements, business cards, and all types of social stationery. I live and work in the Worcester area of Massachusetts. I have 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 wouldn’t sell me a floor press until I put my time in on a tabletop, so I came home with my Kelsey 6 x 10, a cabinet, and drawers of type. I printed incessantly on nights and weekends and during vacation time from my corporate job, practicing the craft and familiarizing myself with different papers and plates.

In 2009, the timing was right so I left my full-time job and found a Chandler & Price 10 x 15 floor press in need of a good home. I have been printing happily since then.

 PARADISE IN THE PRINT SHOP My print shop is in the basement of my home, which luckily has great light and space. I actually love having the presses at the house, since I am a night owl and like to print at all hours. With that being the case, I still love using rubber based inks that I can keep open on the press. There is always a dog at my feet and I have drawers and drawers of type that I need to organize. I tell myself it’s all part of the creative process!

THE CREATIVE PROCESS The majority of my work is custom wedding invitations and accompaniments, so I like to talk to the couple about their wedding―when we can’t meet in person, we’ll talk on the phone or through email. I like to gather the details before I draft an idea for the invitations. To me, seeing a picture of the dress is often the most useful visual for creating an invitation suite that best reflects the event. From there, I put my ideas on paper―I still use a sketchbook and pencil to flush out my ideas before putting them on the computer. I always keep in mind to design to the letterpress’ strengths―i.e., I’ve only made the mistake of printing light ink on dark paper once!

FULL TIME FUN I design and print [and] yes, I’ve been printing full time since 2010. I can’t believe Purple Ink will be celebrating its third birthday in February! This year, however, I took an extended maternity leave, so I only printed a handful of select projects.

Back in April, I finished printing a job and went into labor 5 hours later, so I knew I needed to slow down a bit after the birth of my daughter.

PRINTING FEATS My biggest accomplishment was deciding to start and run a letterpress business full-time – that was very scary for me, but I am so happy that I took the plunge! Everything else is an extension of that decision and I feel lucky every single day I am working. Running a small business has been a dream come true, and I have the luxury of making every job unique and customized to each customer. To me, it is a huge accomplishment to see genuinely ecstatic reactions to my work or hear from a couple that I captured the true essence of their style, love story, and wedding through my art. I love being able to be creative and constantly work at my craft and try to improve. And being interviewed for a blog such as this one or speaking at a local college as a guest art professor definitely makes me proud!

BOXCAR’S ROLE The deep relief base and photopolymer plates, baby! At the beginning of December, I just started the process of transferring my entire shop over to polymer: I love that the plates can be recycled at the end of each job and the fact that the platemaking process is less taxing on the environment. I had dabbled with photopolymer in the past, but I held onto a bizarre love affair with metal plates. Happy to have finally seen the light! My favorite shop tool―hands down―is the Boxcar roller gauge.

 SHOP TIPS When I first started my stationery line, I tried to come up with cards that I thought people would like and it was a disaster. I quickly learned that if I print what I like, someone out there will find it. One of my most popular baby shower prints is the dog pushing the baby carriage, which I originally designed for my own shower invitations because I wanted to incorporate my current ‘kids’―my yellow lab and my French bulldog―into the celebration. Sure enough, I’m not the only crazy dog lover out there, and I have since printed bulldogs, dachshunds, cocker spaniels, and countless Labradors pushing baby carriages.

 WHAT’S NEXT I am very excited for 2013. I re-launched my website in January, which is perfect timing after my extended maternity leave. Recently, I have been designing invitation suites using a combination of paper textures, finishes, thickness, colors, fonts, and materials. I’m also doing more with ready-to-order letterpress cards and add-ons to invitation suites, such as letterpress coasters, table signs, and place cards for weddings. I can’t wait to show them off! I have definitely evolved over the years and in 2013 I really want to encourage my customers (and brides everywhere!) to be unique, creative, and fun. I love how all of the pieces of a suite eventually come together beautifully and can truly capture the personality and heart of a wedding or event. A goal for my bridal customers is to create wedding invitations that will make guests excited about their wedding!

Some other plans for 2013 include continuing to work with some charities that I partnered with in 2012. Giving back to my community and organizations that are close to my heart is an important aspect of my life and my business. In an effort to extend this sentiment to my customers, I am going to offer couples the opportunity to donate to registered charities in exchange for letterpress cards, coasters, and other specialty items. I’m trying to make 2013 the year of giving back!

Huge round of thanks out to Shauna for letting us catch a colorful glimpse of Purple Ink Press!

Counting the Many Brilliant Ways of Studio Three Four

Posted on February 6, 2013 by Rebecca Miller

Matt Robinson, the Georgia-based printer behind Studio Four Three, finds inspiration in the life-cycle of design, the kinetics behind architecture, turning out custom-based letterpress work, and accessing solace in his C&P’s. While sitting down with Matt, we found out that his love for letterpress flows strong as he mused about his newlywed bliss, his blossoming studio, and the mentors he’s been proud to work alongside.

LOVE & LETTERPRESS Studio Four Three was officially launched on April 3rd a while back when my wife and I exchanged vows and said ‘I do’. Specializing in custom letterpress invitations and stationery, we named our business Studio Four Three, which was chosen by the day we got married.

We initially met when I was asked by Lauren to design a logo for her blossoming photography upstart, and as they say, the rest is history. It wasn’t but 9 months later that I proposed to my former client and future bride. We are now expecting parents, currently live and work in Alpharetta, Georgia with our two dogs, Elvis and Libby, and they are eagerly preparing for the arrival of our baby boy (who is sure to be creative).

BEAUTIFUL BEGINNINGS As far back as I remember, I always loved art and architecture and thought that one day I would be an architect. After entering college to study architecture, what I found I loved most was designing something and watching it come to life. Whether it was drawing something on paper and building a scale model of the design, I loved that ideas had a life-cycle of their own. I left school and worked for a print shop for a while and learned how to take my designs on the computer and turn them into a final printed product. The same thing I loved about school [was what] I ultimately loved about print media as well.

It was only a matter of time before I encountered my first letterpress machine and immediately became enamored with the antiquity and complexity of the large moveable cast iron gears and parts. I knew without a doubt in my mind that letterpress was exactly what I wanted to do. That was several years ago and my love for letterpress grows stronger each day.

PERFECTION IN THE PEACH STATE We are blessed to operate out of our house; our garage hasn’t seen a car in a long time because it’s packed with all sorts of letterpress goodies. Everything from presses, shelves full of ink cans, drafting and composing tables, paper cutters, etc. This space is fully dedicated to our love and passion for letterpress. We are located just north of Atlanta, Georgia and conveniently a few miles from both my parents, sisters, and my in-laws. With a little one on the way, being close to family was our biggest decision in relocating to the suburbs. As it stands, we have a 1923 10×15 C&P, a 1910 No. 2 Potter Proof Press, a 6.5×10 C&P Pilot and a old style Gordon Press on its way down from New Jersey.

PRINTING MENTORS While I have had an opportunity to meet some of the best printers in my area, I have one person I could call a mentor. Chris from Farmwood Press has helped me beyond what words can express. I have worked alongside him and he patiently helped teach me the basics of letterpress and allowed me to use his machines before I bought my own. I also spend a substantial amount of time researching other letterpress printers, watching videos, and reading blogs. A lot of what I know has come from self-educating and asking many people a lot of questions, but nothing compares to what Chris has helped teach me.

My wife is from Orlando, Florida and has stayed in touch with her childhood friends- one of whom recently got married. My wife asked me if we could go to the wedding and I immediately said “yes, but only if we can go visit Mama’s Sauce while we’re there!” She laughed and said “yes dear, we can go see their shop.” While the wedding was a lot of fun, the highlight of my long road trip was visiting the shop that produces so much incredible work that I admire and meeting the guys who have built the business from the ground up. These guys have been probably my biggest inspiration!

THE CREATIVE PROCESS I do design for my clients, which is one of the things I really love about my job. While there are lots of printers that print other people’s designs, I enjoy seeing what I work on come to life in the form of a final product. Our business works with a lot of brides and grooms (mostly brides though) so we focus a lot of our time on developing custom design solutions for their upcoming wedding. Everything begins with a very organic approach to their project: we listen to the client tell us about themselves and what they have envisioned for their wedding. Based on the discussion, we begin working on their design. Once everything has been approved, we get the files ready to send off to Boxcar Press and when the plates arrive, we go to print. Everything we work on is custom, from concept to completion, as it’s all centered around their wants, their vision, and their budget.

DESIGNED FOR PRINT I went to a large art school and have been fortunate enough to cultivate friendships with some incredibly talented artists, architects, photographers, etc. and am constantly impressed with how talented they are! I have kept in touch with many of them over the years and am blown away by some of the work they’re currently producing. While I design for my clients (and they often love what we are able to produce), I think comparatively I have a lot of growing as a graphic artist left to do. I believe that if I ever stop learning, I will become stagnant and that won’t be a good thing. I print what I design, but I’m always inspired by what other people are producing.

FULL TIME FUN Thinking about what I want the future of the business to look like, I get a huge grin on my face because it brings joy to my heart to think about doing something I love so much for the rest of my life. I currently design and print full time; however, a majority of my mornings are spent writing and responding to emails, balancing books, and placing orders.

I do want to continue to grow the business and be at a point where we have a few people working alongside us designing, printing, and working on business development. I love all three aspects of the business but its difficult to print all the time if I am not generating projects and designing for clients, so my time right now is spread between the three areas.

PRESS HISTORY I guess in retrospect it’s a funny story: I had a client who wanted her invitations letterpressed and her deadline was to design and print her project in less than a week (needless to say, she waited a little too late in the game to work on letterpress invitations!) and I couldn’t find any company that could letterpress her project as quickly as I needed to have it back to her. This led me to think about buying a press so that I wouldn’t have to rely on someone else to do something I needed done for my design business.

I bought a small Kelsey 3×5 on eBay and when it arrived, it was a nightmare! It looked like it had been sitting outside for a few decades so I painstakingly restored it and brought it back to its original glory but realized that it was far too small to use for an invitation suite so I decided to sell it on eBay. I made quite a profit on that sale and I bought my second press, a 10×15 Chandler and Price new style platen press, and still had half of my profit left over! Like I said, I made quite a bit of profit. Since getting the C&P, we have been able to buy a few more presses.

PRINTING FEATS I’m really proud of my wife, Lauren, for sticking by me and encouraging me to do something I love. There’s nothing easy about working 70 to 80 hours a week, but its worth it if the job is something you love, and letterpress is definitely something I completely love. Needless to say, I married my best friend and that’s probably the accomplishment I am most proud of.

BOXCAR’S ROLE There is hardly a day that goes by that I don’t visit Boxcarpress.com to either place an order for plates, or to tinker around and do a little research.

SHOP TIPS Learn how to use your press and what its capabilities and limitations are. I have met a lot of people who look at the business of letterpress as a source of a making a quick buck, but profits often fall by the wayside if the printer doesn’t understand what their press can and cannot do. Develop and build your business organically; it takes time, effort and intentionality to grow so don’t expect your venture to be profitable immediately. Our personal relationships with our clients are our most valuable commodity and their recommendation to their friends and family is the best form of advertising that money can’t (and never will) buy.

WHAT’S NEXT Well, now that 2013 is officially here, we are looking forward to the arrival of our son (Judah Woods), who is due in a matter of weeks! We’re incredibly excited to welcome this little guy into our hearts and will be devoting a lot of time to him. If there is anything else I could add, I think I would like to say that I hope he will follow in his father’s footsteps (that’s me!) and letterpress as well….or at least find something he loves and pursue it with passion. I have been looking online for an old 3×5 Kelsey to restore for him. (Who knows, maybe I will restore it, sell it, and buy him a Heidelberg Windmill with the profits, right?!). In regards to business, it is our hope and prayer that we have another great year and work with some incredible clients.

Big round of applause and congratulations out to Matt for letting us catch the beat on Studio Three Four!

The Fresh Prints of Alice-Louise Press

Posted on January 28, 2013 by Rebecca Miller

We sat down with vibrant Amy Lesniewicz-Arndt — the printing powerhouse behind Ohio-based Alice-Louise Press — to talk shop about her first jobs, how her father (and printing mentors) influenced her, and why she won’t give up her cowboy boots without a fight.

MIDWESTERN MAGIC I grew up in a very artistic family who owns a graphic design agency and I worked there for 12 years or so, but fell in love with letterpress and left the family business to start something of my own. Lived in Bay Area, Chicago, but my heart has always been in the Midwest, especially Northern Lower Michigan. I religiously wear my cowboy boots until the bottoms are completely worn through and I won’t often be seen without my chai tea or dogs.

LOVE AT FIRST SIGHT Alice-Louise Press is named after my Grandmother, who ran a small offset print shop in the 1940s and ‘50s from the basement of her home in Toledo. She was one of the few woman printers back in her day and a super hard working woman. I’d say my mentor for letterpress is Alan Runfeldt from Excelsior Press in Frenchtown, New Jersey. He’s always been there to help me along the way and he’s really the first person that helped me get started.

BEAUTY IN THE BUCKEYE STATE Years ago I put my first real press in the basement of my house, and it sits there still. Maneuvering it down there was such a bear that I didn’t bother bringing it back up when I moved my shop downtown, and I swore I would never again move a press up and down stairs. The space I had in downtown Toledo was cool, but quite isolated, so a year ago I moved my business back into my house, in a quiet neighborhood with lots of trees and squirrels and a big back yard where our dogs Ben and Emma can run around.

My presses are set up in the garage, which we plan on expanding to twice its size in Spring 2013. My husband Todd has been very understanding as the business takes over more and more of the house. My friend/employee Jeff Nelson (Dischord Records/Minor Threat) has been a great asset this past year. Along with printing on all the presses, he’s crucial to the daily operations in getting orders out the door.

PRINTING MENTORS Aside from receiving some very helpful early tips from Alan Runfeldt, I’ve had to learn to operate my presses myself. It would help if Alan didn’t live in NJ, but the next best thing to being a phone call away from help is my Heidelberg Windmill Manual. I’ve read it cover to cover so many times. I never knew I could know so much about a hunk of metal!

THE CREATIVE PROCESS It has taken 6 years to build up Alice-Louise Press into a full-time job. As recently as last year I worked as a designer at my father’s ad agency, Lesniewicz Associates, but it got to be too much, and now I can focus all my energies on coming up with new designs, building relationships with stationers across the country, and helping them satisfy the last-minute and often irrational demands of frantic brides.

PRESS HISTORY I started out with a tabletop Kelsey that I drove out to New Jersey to pick up, and I ended up spending the day with Alan at Excelsior Press who taught me the ins and outs of letterpress. I don’t think he realized how motivated I was or how hard I planned on working. It only took about 2 weeks for me to realize that the Kelsey was more suited for people doing it as a hobby. I then purchased a larger 8×12 C&P New Style in Kalamazoo and it finally felt like I was getting the outcome I was looking for. Since then, I have added a 10×15 C&P and 10×15 Heidelberg Windmill, and am looking to eventually add a couple more Windmills.

PRINTING FEATS When I was still working at the ad agency, I earned my share of design awards which was certainly fulfilling, but I’m proudest of having created a small, successful business where I’m able to do what I love.

PRINTING ADVICE Phase out at least one bad working relationship that you have with a store every year. That energy you end up spending with a business that hardly yields anything is worth getting rid of and focusing your energies on the people you love to work with.

WHAT’S NEXT Coming out with a new album to replace all of our existing albums and doubling our space this spring!

Big round of thanks out to Amy for letting us get the full scoop on Alice-Louise Press!

Weaving history with letterpress: the story behind Primrose Press

Posted on January 22, 2013 by Rebecca Miller

Tia Blassingame has navigated a printing career with a historical passion and kinetic love for the design process. As the wise woman behind Primrose Press, she threads a dozen different creative experiences into one singular life—a life of letterpress and artists’ books. Tia sat down with us to discuss everything from the powerful draw of history to the genius of typesetting.

TALKING SHOP WITH TIA My training is in architectural design and history. My focus has been on the intersection of architecture, African American history, and perception.

BEAUTIFUL BEGINNINGS During an artist residency, a visual artist and I visited the resident letterpress printer. He was generous enough to open his studio to us, show us how to set type, use his press, everything. It was a perfect day. I still have the broadside that I made that day. Many years later I thought back to that perfect day, when I was thinking about what might make me happy creatively. Up until that point, my creative focus had been upon writing about architecture, African American architectural history, and art. I signed up for letterpress classes at the Center for Book Arts, and almost immediately knew that letterpress printing was for me.

I like the precision of it, the feel of lead type, the rhythm of setting type, and the freedom that comes with wood type, [as well as] how it shows its age. Overall I love how the type, the machines, and the process connects you to another time. You can almost see someone fifty, one hundred years ago doing the exact thing you are doing, in the same way. For someone interested in history, this was a very powerful draw for me. Particularly in considering how slave and freedmen apprenticed or owned by early American printers might have set sentences character by character, but would not have had the freedom to choose their words or sentiments.

LOVE AT FIRST SIGHT Primrose is the name of the first metal ornament that I purchased. It is a decorative border, and I use it as a symbol of the press, but also in many pieces. Also Primrose was the name of part of a mistrel duo that worked in blackface – Primrose & West. My press work deals with beauty, but also presenting issues of racism in a visually appealing way that might disarm the viewers initial instinct to flee or avoid the topic. Primrose, with this duel meaning, seemed an appropriate name.

THE CREATIVE PROCESS I currently have two veins of activity: letterpress papergoods and artists’ books. For me, the stationery and prints inform my books. I use the notecards to experiment or perfect a technique. For example, I have long been interested in overlay. This is something that I work with a lot. Not all attempts are successful, but over time I get better and more knowledgeable about what works for me. Other times, I want to gain a better understanding about how a material or paper prints or folds or takes ink. I am fortunate in that my customers do not seem to mind the experiments. And I have a group of customers that have been supportive since my first day and have seen my progress.

I am constantly sketching, doodling, thinking/obsessing about projects or sentiments for cards. Some pieces are thoroughly planned out before I get to the press, but I also enjoy figuring it out on the press.

FULL TIME FUN I print as often as possible. I would love to be a full-time printer. My goal is to better marry my stationery pursuits with my artists’ books and prints. I consider myself a book artist and printmaker. I am very hands-on and prefer to be perform all duties: writing the text, designing, creating illustrations, printing, bind, etc.

PRINTING FEATS “Past Present: DC”, my set of artists’ books on segregation in historic and contemporary Washington, D.C., was recently acquired by the State Library of Queensland. I spent over a year researching, made the paper from my own clothing, created the etchings, created the polymer plates, set the type, but at some point you find yourself in a vacuum. You hope the work has meaning to others. At some point you get so close to the project, it is hard to know. The fact that the library felt the piece would resonate with their patrons was very humbling.

BOXCAR’S ROLE Though handset letterpress has my heart, increasingly my projects require the use of typefaces that are not available in metal or wood. I find myself spending more time at my computer before getting to the press. Boxcar Press allows me to bring my designs from sketch to life.

PRESS HISTORY My first press is a very adorable 1906 Sigwalt.

HOME IS WHERE THE PRESS IS My home studio is crammed with paper and artists’ book projects – both finished and in process.

SHOP TIPS If you are in a rush or cocky, it is more than likely that the print gods will not be on your side. The print gods will humble you and remind you how little you know.

WHAT’S NEXT I am big on collaboration, and have had the good fortune to have met some talented artists over the years. In 2013, you can expect more limited edition collaborations. A few years ago, I started a valentine swap with a group of artists (writers, composers, printmakers, book artists, poets). 2013 will bring the 3rd annual Artists’ Valentine Swap. Photos of valentines in process and finished and details on how you can be part of the swap will be posted on the Primrose Press Facebook page.

A big round of thanks out to Tia for letting catch a glimpse at the wonderful world of Primrose Press!

Boxcar Talk With Annika Buxman

Posted on December 18, 2012 by Cathy

There’s a vibrancy when Annika Buxman of De Milo Design Studio & Letterpress speaks about braiding her foci of letterpress, responsible printing, faraway homelands, and her support of Fair Trade paper. Deftly she passes from one story to another, entrancing us, while her C&P mirrors her movements. Paper to ink. Printed piece to hand. Annika paused the press so we could ease in a few curious questions into the extraordinary printing tapestry around us.

THE CREATIVE CASE OF ANNIKA BUXMAN Machinery is in my blood. I mostly grew up in Bakersfield, California in the 1970’s. At that time the landscape, even in town, was covered with functioning oil wells. The “head” on a long “neck” was constantly moving up and down like a gargantuan horse leaning down to drink. I named dozens of them and felt a special kinship with these “creatures”. The oil wells combined with the farm equipment in my grandparents’ barn made me feel at home with wrought iron and rust. I didn’t learn how to use a computer until college in 1988, so mechanical rather than digital functionality is imprinted in my brain. A completely different childhood experience from Bakersfield was being born in Africa (Kinchasa, Zaire) and having those images and stories around the house. My family also lived in Manila, The Philippines, right after the revolution in 1987 and traveled around that part of the world for a year. Those experiences gave me a strong sense of poverty in developing countries. But it seemed like too big of a problem to solve. When I learned about how small businesses can make a difference through the practice of fair trade it was the perfect fit for De Milo Design.

Locally, I enjoy teaching the art of letterpress to people in my studio and working on custom invitations, business cards and personal stationery. Globally, I’m committed to promoting cross cultural business relationships with women in developing countries through the development and sale of their handmade paper via my fair trade and eco paper line “Sustain & Heal.”

LOVE AT FIRST SIGHT I first saw letterpress printing in the gallery at Art Center College of Design where I was a student in 1993 and was fascinated. I took their Archetype Press class. I thought it was just a fun elective. I never thought I would do it for a living so I didn’t pay very close attention. When I started up my shop I had to go back and take the class again.

STAYING COOL IN CALIFORNIA South Pasadena, California is a small town about 10 miles northeast of downtown LA. The entertainment industry does a lot of filming here when they need the “quaint-cute-midwestern-small-town” look. The front of my street level studio has huge windows that look out onto the main boutique shopping and gallery section of town. The Goldline light rail station and weekly farmers market is just down the street and the chamber of commerce organizes art walks 4 times a year so there’s a lot of foot traffic. I treadle my C&P in front of the windows every chance I get. Working the press with the backdrop of lovely marbled fair trade papers always attracts attention.

PRINTING MENTORS My first printing mentor was Regis Graden. I met him just in time because he died a few years later. But in those few years my skills improved by leaps and bounds largely due to his input. When I called him with a question often he would say “I could tell you but it would be easier to show you. I’ll be there in 20 minutes.” Here is a bit more about him on my blog. Today my mentors are other printers like me who are each doing their own thing with letterpress. Close to my studio there are at least a dozen printers — Maude Press, Lala Press, Anenome Press, Fugu Fugu Press, and Papermum Press, just to name a few. And we all rely on local printing legend Gerald Lange. The International Printing Museum puts on an annual printers fair and it’s fun getting together with other local printers to talk shop and exchange advice. The Ladies of Letterpress conference this past August provided me with a host of contacts and I love their discussion board.

THE CREATIVE PROCESS The unexpected juxtaposition of materials is the most fun way for me to design. At Art Center I learned the basics of a good layout (first, second, third read, and dynamic “white” space) and picked up an appreciation for meticulous typography. Applying those skills to combining different materials is my favorite way to design. Most of my work ends up being a collage of some sort. I could get a PhD in adhesives!

FULL TIME FUN I am both a designer and printer, and I’ve been printing full time since 1998.

PRESS HISTORY I bought a 8×12 C&P Old Style Treadle Press from the International Printing Museum in Carson and drove it to Pasadena on Los Angeles freeways on a little trailer that was only rated to carry 500 pounds. Dumb.

PRINTING FEATS In 2007 I designed and launched a line of fair trade and eco friendly papers called “Sustain & Heal.” It primarily features handmade & handmarbled papers and a specially made for letterpress Jute sheet. Later I traveled to Bangladesh to meet with many of the artisans who make the paper and see what a huge difference it makes in people’s lives when we buy fair trade. Taking “Sustain & Heal” to the National Stationery Show and bringing the message of fair trade to people there for the last six years has been a huge undertaking. I’m terrible at marketing and showing my work. I dread public speaking and talking to strangers, especially when they stare at me blankly after my passionate little speech about fair trade. Doing this show has been an area of personal growth and I’m proud that I rise to the challenge year after year.

BOXCAR’S ROLE When I first launched my website in 1999 there were not many other letterpress websites out there. Boxcar made me feel like I wasn’t alone, or crazy, to be doing what I was doing. They also gave me a laugh with the “What is Harold wearing” section. They continue to be ahead of the curve and leaders in this industry. Their habit of eco-friendly practices inspire me to do the same.

PRINTING ADVICE Regis [Graden], my first letterpress mentor, used to say “You know the only sure way to not make a mistake? Don’t ever do anything!” He also once consoled me when I called him with my latest printing woe, “You made a mistake? I can’t believe it. The last time I made a mistake was…let me think…ten o’clock this morning.”

WHAT’S NEXT So many “high on talent, low on bank account” folks walk into my studio each week with their wonderful designs that they want printed. Often they leave disappointed because they had no idea letterpress requires so much effort and is on the higher end of the price scale. So I’ve set up a “letterpress lab” program for people to come into the studio and print their own designs for a small equipment rental fee. So far it’s worked well with the few people who have tried it. I’m looking forward to expanding this program next year.

Again, a big round of thanks out to Annika for letting us catch a glimpse of the spectacular work of De Milo Design Studio & Letterpress!

Boxcar Talk With Bridget Elmer

Posted on November 9, 2012 by Rebecca Miller

In the pressroom, Bridget Elmer of Flatbed Splendor is creative heat, cool logic, a constant of undeterred printing desire. She is the definition of adroit; passing from typesetting, to teaching classes in both the academic & community settings, and comes back around as a deft, keen machine of printing prowess bent on devouring type, ink, paper, and bindery. Bridget peered in through the letterpress looking glass in the early 2000s and became immediately enamored with the letterpress community. She started up Flatbed Splendor in 2007, and stays on her toes at Black Mountain College Museum + Arts Center. Her style presses the printing frontiers (e.g. multiple colors on one run, dubbed the “Rainbow Roll”) while getting the job done and then some—drawing from a library of book art knowledge to specialized printing techniques. An American splendor, Bridget let us in on the wonderful workings of Flatbed and how the ink rolls these days.

SPREADING THE LETTERPRESS LOVE I am an artist, book maker and letterpress printer currently working in Asheville, North Carolina, and soon relocating to St. Petersburg, Florida. I am the proprietor of Flatbed Splendor, an independent press that I founded in 2007. Through Flatbed Splendor, I produce artists’ books, prints, broadsides, and ephemera. Flatbed Splendor is a member of the 7 Ton Letterpress, a collective devoted to letterpress printing, graphic design, calligraphy, paper goods, invitations and shenanigans.

My fellow 7 Ton members include Beth Schaible of Quill and Arrow Press, Kelly Kelbel of Tiny Story Factory, and Eleanor Annand of Two Step Press. I am also the co-operator of Impractical Labor in Service of the Speculative Arts (ILSSA), a membership organization for those who make experimental or conceptual work with obsolete technology, which I co-founded with Emily Larned in 2008. I am thrilled to report that I recently joined Jessica Peterson as co-owner of The Southern Letterpress, providing letterpress artwork, products and printing to the Southeastern United States. Jessica currently runs The Southern Letterpress print shop in Northport, Alabama. Upon my arrival in Florida this September, The Southern’s St. Petersburg location will soon be up and running!

I received my MFA in the Book Arts (2010) and Masters in Library and Information Studies (2011) from the University of Alabama. In addition, I teach book arts in a variety of educational settings. I have taught as an Adjunct Professor at Florida State University, a Visiting Art Professor at Colorado College, a Resident Artist at The Catherine Cook School, and an Instructor at Asheville Book Works and Ox-Bow. As a member of the College Art Association, College Book Arts Association, the Southeast Guild of Book Workers, and Ladies of Letterpress, I have also presented and published my work and my intersecting fields of interest.

BEAUTIFUL BEGINNINGS Ten years ago I arrived in New York City from Portland, Oregon, where I had been working in the non-profit sector for several years, advocating for affordable housing, transportation alternatives and police accountability. All of this advocacy work, as well as my interest in creative writing and poetry, led me to discover a continuing education class at Cooper Union entitled Self-Publication. The course was taught by Christopher Wilde, a book and collage artist who was a student of Walter Hamady’s and a co-founder of Booklyn, Inc., an artist-run, non-profit artist and bookmakers organization headquartered in Greenpoint, Brooklyn. Christopher introduced us to the history of the book and the artist’s book as a contemporary art form. One of our field trips for the class was a visit to MoMA to see the exhibition, The Russian Avant-Garde Book 1910-1934. I was hooked, and letterpress is what hooked me! Particularly the work of Olga Rosanova and Vasilii Kamenskii, which integrated collage, wallpaper, monoprints, and linocuts with letterpress printed, handset type and simple book forms.

Soon I was spending my every extra moment in Greenpoint, absorbing all that I could from the amazing alliance of artists that Booklyn convened. I started taking classes at the Center for Book Arts as well and bought my first press soon after.

OPULENCE IN THE OLD NORTH STATE It’s a crazy time for me, as I am smack dab in the middle of moving from Asheville to St. Pete. Currently, I print at 7 Ton Letterpress Collective in West Asheville. I’m going to be moving from this space on Labor Day weekend, which I must admit, totally breaks my heart. 7 Ton is an amazing, affordable studio in a mixed-use building, located in a primarily residential area of Asheville. We have a storefront with huge windows and a glass door, where we prominently display our logo, which my collaborators designed and I love so much! Behind the storefront is a large studio space, which houses two Vandercooks, one Chandler & Price motorized platen press, and two table top platen presses, as well as an extensive collection of handset type, a monster guillotine, a bunch of flat files and a collection of book binding equipment.

West Asheville is one of my favorite places, so I love our location. We’re just a few short blocks from Harvest Records, the best record store on the planet; Ship to Shore Shop, the studio of artist, designer, dressmaker, and one of my favorite collaborators R. Brooke Priddy; Asheville BookWorks, a community resource for book artists and printmakers; and The Dry Goods Shop, a studio, community center and store for locally made goods. We’re also a hop, skip and a jump away from the River Arts District, a hopping, ever-expanding neighborhood that is home to over 165 working artists, including Ladies of Letterpress founder Jessica White’s Heroes & Criminals Press, as well as Mark Olson’s Innerer Klang Letterpress. Asheville is located on the Blue Ridge Parkway, nestled in the Appalachian mountains, surrounded by natural beauty and grounded in a strong tradition of craft and creativity.

PRINTING MENTORS The Booklyn crew, including Christopher Wilde, Mark Wagner, Emily Larned and Sara Parkel. My Bama crew, professor Steve Miller and my fellow MFA graduates Jessica Peterson, Emily Tipps, Sarah Bryant, Frank Brannon and Ellen Knudson. The Asheville crew, Brandon Mise, Laurie Corral, Jessica White, Beth Schaible, Eleanor Annand and Kelly Kelbel.

THE CREATIVE PROCESS When I design, I try to start with the idea, intention or overall feel of the project. As such, I usually start from a draft text and any available source imagery. From here, I draw up a variety of possibilities in my sketchbook. I usually move from my sketchbook to my laptop, mapping out potential layouts, trying out different typefaces and color schemes, and making my way toward a rough draft of the project. At this point, I often make mock ups if the project requires complicated imposition and finishing. If I’m planning to print from photopolymer, I continue working digitally until the design is finalized. If I plan to work with handset type, then I work from a fairly rough digital draft. As I set type and proof, the finalized design emerges. If I’m working for a client, I arrange for a proof check, either at our shop or via a digital scan, before I commit 100% and start cranking!

PRINTER’S PARADISE After ten years of letterpress printing and over five years of owning my own press, I feel that I’ve evolved from a printer to a designer / printer. I’ve been trained primarily as a letterpress printer and book designer, but as my interests have expanded into experimental printmaking, custom letterpress work and the foundation of a full-fledge print shop and storefront, my design interests have also grown. I find myself doing a lot of research and self-educating with regard to the history of design and contemporary design practices. I strive to constantly be learning more in that realm.

Currently, I do not print full time. I work three days a week at the Black Mountain College Museum + Arts Center, and I will soon transition to a more flexible schedule as a consultant at the museum, working the equivalent of two days a week from home. In addition to my work at the museum, I also have a sporadic teaching schedule, which can range anywhere from a two-day workshop to a semester or year as an Adjunct Professor. I would say that I currently spend about two days a week in the print shop on average. Once my move to St. Petersburg is complete, I’m hoping to spend at least three days each week printing, with the eventual goal of The Southern Letterpress being my primary bread and butter. I want to continue teaching and making my own work, so I intend to always make time for those pursuits. In my dreams, the print shop becomes a community center where I can do it all (printing, teaching, making art) in a one-stop shop!

PRESS HISTORY I took Letterpress I with Richard Meneely at the Center for Book Arts, and learned how to print handset type on a small, table top platen press. When the class ended, I asked Richard if he had any suggestions for how I could find a similar press. He led me to a previous student of his, who was living in Brooklyn. She had purchased a Craftsman Superior years before after completing Richard’s class, but it was languishing on the floor in the corner of her apartment, collecting dust and cat hair. I made her an offer she couldn’t refuse and, thanks to a generous gift of type, ink and leading from Mark Wagner, I was able to set up the first incarnation of Flatbed Splendor in my apartment.

PRINTING FEATS I am most proud of the collaborations and communities that I have helped to found and build through letterpress, including ILSSA, 7 Ton and The Southern. I’m also very proud of the artists’ books that I have published, each of which gives me the opportunity to learn more about designing, printing and binding. I feel a sense of pride when the back-and-forth of custom letterpress work comes to fruition in ways that please both me and my clients. Finally, I’m super-proud of my students and always excited to watch them fall in love with letterpress.

BOXCAR’S ROLE Boxcar Press has been an invaluable ally in my both my letterpress printing business and my work as an artist. In addition to enthusiastic service and a consistent, reliable product, Boxcar offers a community of support that I am constantly tapping into, both with my own work and with my students. Boxcar also provides a successful, sustainable model for all of us hoping to move forward with a career in letterpress.

SHOP TIPS I think the best advice I’ve been given as a letterpress printer regards the importance of clear communication and the constant need to educate our clients and the public in general. Clear policies and accessible descriptions of the letterpress printing process translate to good business and ever-increasing interest in our field.

WHAT’S NEXT Funny that you’re asking right at this moment! I’m getting ready to make some big changes in the coming weeks–moving from Asheville, North Carolina to St. Petersburg, Florida, finding a new space for my shop, refurbishing a new-to-me Vandercook #4, giving my Chandler & Price motorized platen press some long-deserved attention, and hopefully, by the beginning of 2013, spending the majority of my time building clientele and making things happen at The Southern Letterpress! I’m also excited to report that I’ll be teaching a two-month concentration at Penland School of Crafts in the spring of 2013, entitled Book Structures: Innovative Forms. I’m super-psyched that Micah Currier from the Dale Guild Type Foundry will be teaching a class in Type Founding during the very same session. I can’t wait to check out their pivotal casters and get a rare peek into the type founding process!

Big round of applause and a tip of the hat out to Bridget for sharing the details on Flatbed Splendor!

Boxcar Talk With Amy Rau

Posted on November 2, 2012 by Rebecca Miller

Amy Rau, of Green Girl Press, has a candid smile and jingle of a laughter that steps in time with the rhythmic clicking of her presses and fantastically-detailed letterpress designs. She’s one of those printers that can be spreading ink on the rollers while gushing about her last memorable jaunt to the most recent Ladies of Letterpress Conference down in North Carolina (and, oh the stories she tells!). For Amy, printing weaves together a love of detail, history, and passion. This fellow Central New Yorker printing powerhouse talked with us about how she plays with her designs just as much as she does with her printing resume – read on for the full story.

WOMAN ON A MISSION I’m super detailed. I ascribe to the “more is more” philosophy, even though I admire clean minimal design. I have 2 dogs & 2 cats. Vacuuming is my favorite “chore” (I can’t resist the lines it makes on the floor!). Last year I endeavored on a quest to find the perfect vegetarian marshmallow recipe (haven’t found it yet).

LETTERPRESS LOVIN’ Totally by accident. I thought I wanted to take up calligraphy. By a stroke of luck, the calligraphy class I wanted to take at the GCAE wasn’t being offered for the next session so I signed up for “Type 1” now, “Lovin’ Letterpress 1” instead. I had no idea what Type 1 even was. But, within 5 minutes of my first class, I had fallen head over heels. By the second class, I knew that I was going to quit my day job and start my own press. I later took that calligraphy class and it turns out I don’t have even half the patience required to work with nibs anyway.

EXCELLENCE IN THE EMPIRE STATE I have 2 table top presses that reside in my garage and I also rent space from a community print shop in Rochester, New York. There is always something new coming into the community space.

A LETTERPRESS FAIRY GODMOTHER After listening to her keynote speech at the 2011 Ladies of Letterpress Conference, Judith Berliner of Full Circle Press became my unofficial “Letterpress Fairy Godmother”. Whenever I come across a sticky situation in the print shop, I conjure up a vision of her waving a magic wand and erasing my problems. It’s not really very helpful for problem solving but it does make me smile.

THE PROCESS The majority of my design process occurs in my head. I use sketchbooks to make endless lists. And I spend a lot of time procrastinating. That’s probably the biggest portion of my design process. Days and days of thinking. After that, I work in Illustrator playing with different typefaces and layouts. My designs usually come together pretty quickly once I move onto the computer. I’ll play around with 3 or 4 versions of the same project and those usually evolve into a dozen or so more complex but similar designs, one of which I find successful enough to print.

FULL TIME FUN I am both a designer and a printer, but I love to print other people’s designs as well. It allows me focus on printing everything perfectly without the distraction of wishing I could modify the design. I do, I do, I do print full time! I’ve been printing full time for the past year and a half, and loving every minute of it!

LOVE AT FIRST SIGHT The story behind my first press is relatively unremarkable. The story behind my second press, a 3×5 craftsman, goes like this: A lovely woman by the name of Shirley began emailing me telling me that her husband, Milton, had seen a newspaper article about me and wanted to sell me his guillotine paper cutter. We exchanged a few emails and then, after a brief telephone conversation, they invited me to their home. Milton had set up a personalized garage sale in his basement for me! Everything I mentioned liking was displayed on folding tables. I didn’t end up buying the cutter (that day) but I did go home with some beautiful Cheltenham wood type and my little Craftsman. It was hard not to buy up everything!

PRINTING FEATS I’m pretty sure I died from excitement the first time I saw my work on Pinterest.

BOXCAR’S ROLE Without Boxcar, I wouldn’t exist! As much as I love typesetting, my real passion is in printing designs that I have created digitally. Boxcar’s platemaking is top-notch.

Cathy, Rebecca and Anthony in plate making have all been SUPER wonderful whenever I have dared to spread my design wings and not known how to manipulate the files in order to print well. I also find the video tutorials really helpful.

SHOP TIPS Raise your prices.

Big round of thanks out to Amy for letting us get a glimpse into the wonderful world of Green Girl Press!

Boxcar Talk With Isabel Ibanez

Posted on October 24, 2012 by Cathy

Boxcar Press sat down with Florida native and letterpress maven, Isabel Ibanez of 9th Letter Press, to talk about her first jobs, how it took one business card to change her life, and why she won’t back down from a good printing press find. 9th Letter Press plans to open up shop with a little shindig on October 27th, so if you’re in the Orlando area be sure to stop by!

THE NINE LEVELS OF ISABEL I’m a Floridian/Bolivian hybrid who graduated from the University of Central Florida with degrees in English + History. I like giant cups of pumpkin flavored coffee, tall stacks of books, and heading to the cinema on an all the time basis.

Many people have been asking the significance regarding the name of my company. Well, here it is: the 9th letter in the alphabet is the letter “i”. My first and last name both start with this letter and I was also born on April 9th. Nine has always been my number. Since I’m essentially starting a printing press business, I added “press” to the name as a play on what my company is and what my company uses to print. Voila!

BEAUTIFUL BEGINNINGS I was working for a magazine as an editorial assistant where I would often get to observe the design process. It seemed like modern day art to me. I left my writing gig in order to go back to school to study graphic design so I can learn a little more about “modern day art”. In my very first class, my teacher handed out business card samples and one of them happened to be letterpress.

The effect was instantaneous. I absolutely loved it. From there, I was very proactive with my education and got an internship and a mentor. Both helped me pave a way to starting my own printing shop.

SERENDIPITY IN THE SUNSHINE STATE Oh, man. I have something of a nostalgic personality and I knew I wanted my studio to reflect that. When it came down to searching for the perfect place, my heart was set on the Winter Park area. It’s quite charming and old school. Lots of brick roads, quaint houses built in the early 1900s and the like. Our studio is decorated in a turn of the century feel. I wanted to mix the aesthetics of old New York style + the industrial revolution, creating a space where Edith Wharton would feel like she could step in for tea. On top of that, I knew I wanted to make the printing process accessible to the public. Not many people get to see a letterpress in action. The layout in our studio has our press out in the open juxtaposing our retail section. A client could come in and see their project getting printed while drinking coffee and checking out our newest paper products.

PRINTING MENTORS I interned at Mama’s Sauce, and afterward was mentored by Gary Johanson. Both have been valuable experiences.

THE DREAM JOB I am the designer + printer. 9th Letter Press is my full time job, thank goodness.

PRESS HISTORY I first started out with a tabletop but quickly moved to getting a 10 x 15 Chandler & Price. 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 been printing as a hobby and was looking to downsize from living on a paved street to living on a boat. The rest is something of a blur but within a week I was the owner of a C&P, the very press I had my heart set on!

PRINTING FEATS Honestly, I think my proudest moments have been recognizing that what I was doing wasn’t crazy. We all face a moment when we’re about to commit to something seemingly scary and we wonder for a minute if we’ve lost our minds. Was I really about to start a business in this economy? I never thought “working” could be so much fun. With each new thing that gets printed + designed and is well received by friends, blogs, retailers, etc., it further confirms that I’ve found my niche. I can’t believe I get to do what I do. I guess I wasn’t as crazy as I thought.

BOXCAR’S ROLE Boxcar is chock full of the nicest and most helpful people I’ve ever met. I can’t tell you how daunting it seemed to me to find a place where I could outsource my plates, buy ink, and receive excellent customer service. Boxcar has all that plus the added bonus of being super encouraging. Who doesn’t need a little pep talk here and there?

SHOP TIPS That timeless anecdote about no man being an island is completely true. Having a major role in so many areas in your business will take its toll, particularly if you’re wanting to go at it alone. There are resources everywhere, especially if you’re brave enough to ask for help. You’ll be surprised and moved by how much people are willing to give — whether it be proof reading an important email, hanging shelves, or packaging greeting cards, help looks like a lot of things and can come from anywhere. Just ask.

WHAT’S NEXT Growing up, I loved perusing the aisles of Barnes + Noble to see the newest journals, calendars, planners, and wrapping paper. 2013 will have me designing + printing some of my favorites things, and I couldn’t be happier to explore other paper products.

Extra heap of thanks to Isabel for letting us get a sneak peek over at the wonderful workings of 9th Letter Press!

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Category Archives: Printer Profiles