Field trip to Platemaking

Greg peels a plate off the washout unit on the platemaker. In the water are brushes that have taken off non-inking areas of the plate.

platemaking processplatemaking at the momentletterpress plates being made

Bon Apetit

It’s always fun to see what’s on the menu. The fine printing no doubt makes it taste even more delicious.

letterpress menus letterpress typology menus

Buy local: Holiday Letterpress Event at Smudge Ink to Benefit Boston Food Bank

We’re excited to share an event that Smudge Ink (one of our long time letterpress friends) is putting on next week. They’re teaming up with local vendors to put on a holiday sale, and will be donating a portion of the proceeds to the Greater Boston Food Bank! The Holiday Sip + Shop event will take place on Thursday, November 3rd (that’s a week from today!) from 4-8pm at their shop in historic Charlestown, Massachusetts. Because we think it’s so cool that Smudge Ink is supporting their local food bank with their event, we donated the plate for their letterpress posters, and we’ve gotta say — they came out pretty awesome, don’t ya think?

If you’re in the Boston area, be sure to stop by! There will be a drawing for a gift basket filled with awesome prizes like a calendar, gift wrap, boxed notes, holiday cards and coasters from Smudge Ink; a 2-box subscription from Boston Organics for home-delivery of organic produce; a soy candle from Crash, plus soap goodies from Stella Marie, a few bottles of craft brews from Pretty Things Beer + Ale , and a special gift from 2-Fresh-Threads!

Smudge will also be giving away a 4-pack of these amazing letterpress coasters to their first 50 customers, so be sure to stop by and support these local businesses!

Having a cool letterpress holiday event at your print shop? Let us know and we’d love to help promote it!

Early letterpress block

Here is a piece of Harold’s metal cut ( or illustration ) collection: A bride in classic form.
metal cut letterpress plate

Questions…

Can you guess what card Joe is printing today?

boxcar press letterpress with purple inksmock letterpress design

Boxcar Press: Letterpress Tips on Youtube

We may be into letterpress printing & doing things the old-fashioned way around here, but we’re into modern technology, too — did you know we’re on Youtube?? We’re sharing some of the printing tips and techniques we’ve learned along the way. We’re always looking to share new ideas, too, so get in touch if you have some tips to share! The video below gives tips on how to use 1 plate to print multiple colors, but that’s just a sampling of what’s in store (so be sure to visit)! And don’t forget, we’re on Facebook & Twitter, too!

Heidelberg Offset

Brian cleans an offset press, showing it who’s da bowss!

For Platemaking Needs

Inside this formidable cabinet lies a plethora of plate types that one can order from us. You can choose metal or plastic backed, and a variety of plate heights.