It seems like spring has finally settled in and what a better way to celebrate the sunny spring 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!
A delightful surprise awaited us in the pre-press department of Boxcar Press two mornings ago, bearing sweet tidings (and cookies!) from the baker/printer extraordinaire behind Igloo Letterpress, Allison Chapman. The last of the delicious cookies have mysteriously vanished but in its place is a big thank you going out to Allison for the wonderful present!
It’s been a while since we’ve done an Essential Q&A on the Boxcar blog, so we’re bringing it back! Today we’ve got some questions for Rebecca Miller, prepress extraordinaire — read on to find out more about her!
Job title: Pre-Press
Describe what you do at Boxcar Press in 10 words: Prepare press-friendly layouts and illuminate design, technical, and printing solutions.
My super power is: Making people feel at ease.
Hometown: Sault Ste. Marie, Michigan (pronounced “SOO”)
My favorite printing equipment: Heidelbergs!
What three places do you want out-of-towners to visit in Central New York?
1. Boxcar Press of course!
2. The Oncenter Arena to catch a Syracuse Crunch game
3. Fillmore Glen in Moravia, NY
Music that inspires me: MIDI music from old video games
The greenest thing I do: Recycle old clothes into nifty pillows and throws
Besides letterpress, I am passionate about: Typography, illustration, and hockey!
My favorite Pantone: 368: A green you can count on.
Most memorable meal: Bear jerky and deep fried smelt. Delicious!
What book do you think everyone should read? The Jungle by Upton Sinclair
What’s on your nightstand right now? The Prince by Machiavelli, ink pens, and a digital clock in 24-hour time.
Something about the Boxcar Press crew our customers don’t know: How extraordinary and cheerful we are… even under pressure or the weather. Such gifted talent in this group!
Boxcar Press goes one-on-one with colorful Nancy Hill, one-half of the dynamic letterpress duo of Hazel & Violet Press, (the other printing power is Beverly Wolfe) to talk shop, slip in a few amazing printing stories, and show how letterpress has shaped quite an adventure the two will never forget. Read on to get the full interview.
PERFECT PRINTING PARTNERS We are two long time friends who share a love of typography, paper, and letterpress printing. Although we both have full time jobs, we love printing every chance we get.
LETTERPRESS LUCK We had been watching, looking, hoping… for just a table top hobby press – when an opportunity came along to buy a complete letterpress shop. We learned to print by taking classes, personal instruction, and good old fashioned trial and error.
AWESOME ARIZONA Our shop is in a completely renovated garage – complete with cabinets, sink, insulation and flooring. Not sure if you can call it ‘decor’ – but, we definitely have a turn of the century industrial feel. Since there are no curtains on the windows, we would have to call it a shop, not a studio. We have a new style Chandler & Price 10×15 named Beauty and a Windmill named Baby. We also have a Potter #2 named Beatrix at our gallery in downtown Phoenix. Our favorite thing about our shop is that we get to print there.
PRINTING LEGACIES Ladies of Letterpress has been a great mentor for us. The team at our first NSS was just great and has led to many new friends. Many of our mentors we haven’t even met. They are the guys on Letpress.
PRINTER’S PARADISE We do not print full time – but that is really our goal!
PRINTING FEATS That our first job was a 3 color wedding invitation and we didn’t kill each other. Also being selected Best Letterpress of Phoenix 2011 by New Times.
BOXCAR’S ROLE Great patience and so much help from Cathy when we first started ordering plates. Even now Boxcar is so helpful when we call with stupid questions.
PRESS HISTORY Well…we saw an ad on Craig’s List for an entire shop for sale and we just jumped in. It took every friend we have and a horse trailer to get it to our shop.
SHOP TIPS Our favorite business advice – don’t break out the wine until you finished cutting the job.
WHAT’S NEXT While we are still printing our retail stationery, we are well on our way to growing our commercial letterpress business. We are really enjoying working with designers on their projects, and we are starting letterpress classes later this summer.
Big round of thanks to Nancy Hill for letting us get the full story on Hazel & Violet Press!
Letterpress love is in the air! Or at least that’s the case of this soon-to-be-hitched Central New York couple, Douglas Trojan and Erin Reynolds. The pair printed custom letterpress invitations for their upcoming Big Day, and the experience has brought them closer by means of laughs, inks, and whole lot of printing fun!
The couple caught up with us first with a nifty visit last month to get the full tour of Boxcar Press (as well as to get a few pointers on their project). Armed with good advice, Douglas and Erin purchased their custom made plates and the rest is history.
Check out their printing adventure from start to finish here and get a sneak peak at the finished invitation!
Jeff is mixing a mixing up a custom blend of light pink ink.
Take a large helping of letterpress love, add a smidgen of luck when finding the perfect press, pour in slowly more than a few cups of excellent design experience, add an enchanting creative streak, and you’ve got the divine recipe behind Paprika letterpress + design. Lenor Mirochna lets us in on the flavorful story behind the letterpress and design studio powerhouse. Read on to get the full scoop.
SPICING UP LETTERPRESS Paprika letterpress + design has been an adventure since day one with a serendipitous beginning. Short story about my background: I studied design at a number of different colleges and universities from Detroit to NYC. I began my design career in the mid 70’s; the beginning of computer typesetting where artwork was prepared using rapidograph pens, Xactos, photostats and hand done mechanicals. There is a LOT to be said for the fabulous resources and possibilities of today’s graphic design. My experience has included ad agency design and art direction, owner of several graphic design firms, freelance design, commercial printing sales and print services buyer.
INK IN THE BLOOD I was interested in the process of letterpress and looking for a creative venture where I could use my design skills and love of color. I began to think about a local printer I met about 10 years ago who had a print shop in my town. On a whim, I stopped in one day and asked Dan Dewechter, the owner of Constitution Press, a 120 year old, continuously operating print shop, whether he had any letterpress equipment he was interested in selling. As luck would have it, he did. In fact he was consolidating and liquidating much of his shop having decided to explore other career options.
That is where I first met my circa 1916 Chandler and Price 8 x 12 press, all 1250 lbs of iron. Along the way I also contacted Alan Runfeldt of Excelsior Press in Frenchtown, New Jersey. Interested in more hands-on-printing experience, I signed up for a day-long class with Alan and had a blast printing on a variety of presses.
FLOURISHING IN THE GARDEN STATE I am currently set up in a small garage studio. I hired some renovation help and we painted, insulated, refreshed and reorganized the space 6 months ago and now it is much more aesthetically pleasing as well as energy efficient. I am looking to expand my capabilities by purchasing another press by the end of the year.
PRINTING LEGACIES As a printer for over 30 years, Dan Dewechter has a wealth of knowledge and experience that you can’t find in a textbook. He not only worked with me, but also gave me pointers and patiently explained the idiosyncrasies of the process. He was generous with his time, talent and skills and is the person to credit or blame for what I ‘m doing now — right, Dan?
DESIGNED FOR PRINT I design and print. Currently, I am continuing to add to a line of greeting cards, notecards, and soon-to-come calendars. It’s been an adventure exploring the techniques and mechanics of letterpress printing. I have just scratched the surface of custom work and have collaborated with clients on custom pieces which has been extremely rewarding and a ton of fun.
PRINTING FEATS Letterpress printing is a beautifully complex yet simple process. I love the colors, the feeling and the fun exploration of papers and technique. I’m not really sure I’d call it “my life’s work”. I really like it and I’ll see where it takes me.
BOXCAR’S ROLE It was Alan who suggested I check out Boxcar Press to purchase plates as well as acquire more knowledge of the letterpress industry. Frequently posted videos and industry information on the Boxcar website has deepened my letterpress education. All of my plates are ordered through Boxcar Press and they have been an excellent, reliable resource for me.
GETTING STARTED When it was time to get my press, I contacted Dan, rented a trailer, asked my engineer husband to check out the situation and set the moving date.
When I arrived to pick up the press (haha- that’s a good story there) the fun began. (see the pictures) Dan was invaluable and incredibly generous in helping me get my shop set up. Along with the press he gave me just about every possible piece of equipment needed to get started and in fact things I didn’t even know I needed.
Seriously. He included quoins, 3 C &P chases, furniture, sets of guides, large roll of tympen paper, packing sheets, extra set of BRAND NEW rollers still in their box, cans of pre-mixed pantone ink colors, press wash, large “stone” on which to lock up the base, roller puller tool, sticky finger goo and stacks of different types of paper to get me started. And more. And he helped move the press. Dan was amazingly helpful and I like to think he was happy to see the press go to someone who would work it and not sold as scrap.
WHAT’S NEXT My plans for 2012 include adding a new press to my shop, working with more custom clients and continuing to create new pieces for the Paprika letterpress + design line. My retail outlets include stores in Charleston, South Carolina, New Jersey, Philadelphia, and other areas of Pennsylvania. My cards have been featured in Culture Cheese Magazine and soon to be in USEF’s Equestrian magazine. In the future I’d like to grow the Paprika Letterpress brand specifically within the specialty retail and hand-made-art market nationwide.
Many thanks to Lenor for letting us take a look into the wonderful world of Paprika Letterpress + Design!
A Type Lice bait that is effective on pests but safe for printers!
Print shops have long battled the ubiquitous type lice that settles deep into their metal and wood type drawers. The parasite is not life threatening but can leave dander that causes sneezing and rashes when the type is handled.
There are many different suggested treatments for luring, trapping, and eliminating these lice. We offer a natural bait that is irresistible to the lice and will clean up any infestation in less than one week. The bait is dabbed in small amounts onto a quarter size piece of paper and placed in the trap.
This works with all trap, but we have found the best type lice trap is this model created by Ivan Gulkov of Pillowface Press. It is simple in design, uses recycled materials, and works well with the type lice bait. We welcome the submissions of other trap designs and models.
The bait comes in a 3 ounce squeeze bottle where you can dispense small amounts at a time. The lice will flock to the bait, be trapped in the lice trap and can be disposed of quickly. The bottle will last for approximately 50 applications, leaves no residue and has no odor. It is
from natural organic compounds and hypoallergenic.
Contact local printer supply shops for this eco- friendly product for all print studios. This product offer may expire April 1, 2012
Welcome to the first Letterpress Roundtable Discussion – a new “venue” where we’ll ask a group of letterpress experts for their experienced opinions on a whole range of topics, one question at a time. We’ll ask the question and gather some answers to start things off, but we want all of you to chime in to keep the discussion going. This will be a fun learning exchange as more and more of the extended letterpress community participates, so please feel free to add your thoughts in the comments section below!
Let’s launch with our first question – What is the one book on printing that everyone should read?
The Elements of Typographic Style by Robert BringhurstWhy: Not a letterpress manual per se, but it’s still a book that every printer should absorb early on in their career, as most of the information therein applies to hand composition as much as computer typesetting. In one compact paperback, we have a well curated history of type, principles of typographic rhythm, proportion, and hierarchy, and Jenny’s favorite: a fascinating chapter on the geometry of page proportion. The book is beautifully written, but perhaps what makes it most unique and compelling is that Bringhurst draws parallels between typography and music, literature, and the natural world throughout. This book is readily available on line.
Why: This book speaks to printing on a Vandercook and platen presses, and references printing, makeready, typography, vocabulary, ink, presses, platen, proof presses, and much more. This was the text Casey used in Texas when teaching a letterpress class, and a printer would enjoy this book since it talks about current letterpress practices. Available at Oak Knoll and other online outlets.
Why: For the practicing graphic designer that wants to print without having typecases full of metal and wood type, this is a must have in the print shop and by the computer (currently out of print- Ebook available soon).
Why: Bixler calls the two volume set a terrific history of type. He admits it’s a little dry and not everyone will find it interesting, but it’s a #1 must read for anyone interested in type. It was printed in 1922, is very scholarly and worth it for the reproductions of 14th to 18th century type.
Why: Scott’s opinion is both poetic and practical:
To be somewhat glib, the one book on printing that everyone should read is all the books on printing. But if I had to choose one, it would be. Though focused primarily on book design, the amateur with ink in their blood would benefit greatly from the snippets of information on what makes a beautifully printed page. We all have access to an overwhelming number of typefaces, borders, decorations, and patterns. We can, in a day or two, receive a Boxcar plate with our own mental signature of what we believe good design to be, and then print from the plate with bottomless impression. What we desire, as letterpress printers and designers, is a beautifully printed page; this requires much more than a deep impression. It requires study, patience, character, and a careful examination of how design problems were solved in the past. Does the design look as though it were inevitable? That is success in printing.
I cannot state it any better than Rogers:
“Finally, it may be said that the decorative value of a simple page of beautiful type, beautifully printed, is a value quite apart from the esthetic pleasure given us by any other of the graphic arts. So elusive it is that it becomes difficult to analyze or describe; printing in its essential simplicity occupies a compartment all its own amongst the graphic arts. . . . You may be assured, however, that there is no golden road to fine printing. One must continually give his best effort, and only his best, to every piece of work he undertakes. The result will be a lasting thing of beauty—or not—according to his capacity as a workman and his taste as an artist.”
Recommendation: I cannot name just one book – my printing education came from many different sources. My advice? Seek out basic instructional texts and look for that one little hint that you have not read before.
General Printing: An Illustrated Guide to Letterpress Printing by Cleeton, Pitkin & CornwellWhy: Well, here is the book that everyone used at one time or another in their ‘apprenticeship’ to be letterpresser. It was used to teach highshoolers a trade in printing when all was hot metal. I was tickled to see that it is back in print and available from Amazon for $24.95 in a smart new yellow hardcover. No other book is going to show you the right way to tie a form for galley storage using kite string. My only concern is that every other contributor to this blog will recommend this book too, but hey, maybe in the end we are all just big highschoolers slaving away at the machines like it was still the 50’s.
Printing on the Iron Handpress by Gabriel RummondWhy: Everything, and I mean everything, about handpress printing, paper dampening, metal type handling, the works. Since nearly all of what we do at the studio is polymer, text and image, it’s interesting that the two books I’m recommending are for hot metal. Ah well, I guess plastic printing is a mast we all tie ourselves to at our own education and peril.
Finer Points in the Spacing & Arrangement of Type by Geoffrey DowdingWhy: It is a classic. One can still get the best education by looking at books designed by the best – W. A. Dwiggins, Bruce Rogers, Giovanni Marderstieg and his son, Martino, and don’t forget all of the private press people who have gone before – plus new(ish) designers – all of these people were considered great for many reasons – use of classic typefaces, clean use of white space, delicate arrangements of type on a page just the right size for a project – open your eyes and look. And another thing, read your heart out to become educated in how words are put together to make sense. Read books by authors whose work and words you love. Immerse yourself with language. A good printer/designer should be educated in all things dealing with printed pieces – so don’t just become a worker bee, become a well-rounded professional printer/designer/editor/artist.
Having a good teacher is still the best way to learn how to do most things. Books with instructions are fine up to a point, but particularly in this world of ours – if you can’t get to the teacher, at least study their books. If they are still alive, contact them, pester them, and ask your questions. Bring them cookies and ask to stay for a day or two to learn how to make decisions in type and space and materials. Be grateful and thank them. And then go on to make your own mistakes and learn from them.
Do you agree, disagree, or have your own must-read book for printers? Tell us in the comments section below. We all hope to take away some great suggestions to add to your printing bookshelves!
We had the honor of receiving some special guests recently. Bill Goldston, director of the renowned Universal Limited Art Editions (ULAE) and Andrew Saluti, curator of Pressing Print, a wonderful show of ULAE pieces at SUArt Galleries/ Shaffer Art Bldg. For decades, Bill has been inviting artists to come to his shop to explore the medium of printmaking using etching, silkscreen, letterpress, digital, anything to make the artists’ vision come true. He has worked with artists such as Jasper Johns, Jane Hammond, Carroll Dunham and Kiki Smith performing technical feats that my eyes have seen the amazing results of at the show currently in town. Highly recommend seeing it in person if you can! For show info. For info on ULAE.
From left in photo: Cathy, Bill, Andrew, Harold
