Spring seems to be coming a bit early here at Boxcar Press and we thought you’d enjoy a free spring themed vector set to kick the season off right! This vector set includes a festive pair o’lucky St. Patrick’s Day graphics, a typographic spring greeting, and to top it off… a trio of finely crafted Ukrainian Easter Eggs! All are free for use and in both EPS and PDF format. Enjoy!
As a coin collector, it’s very easy to appreciate the art, colors, and designs of all the national currencies in our world. And when a beautiful currency note reveals a printing press? It doesn’t get much better than that. We have two examples of small but oh so detailed works of art depicting presses and pressmen.
On the Colombian Cien Pesos Oro – circa 1990 – is a little jewel in the corner of a common press. There is an interesting story behind this currency and explains why a press image. On the front is General Antonio Nariño, who was a political activist and founded a political newspaper in the 1800’s. He was a great admirer of Benjamin Franklin and translated the Declaration of the Rights of Man, which he printed and distributed from his own private press, much to the ire of his government.
On the 50 Kronur from Iceland, circa 1981, is a wonderful illustration of two pressmen on a Gutenberg Press. On the front is Bishop Gudbrandur Thorlaksson, who lived from 1570 to 1627. He edited and published over 80 books including the first complete Icelandic translation of the Bible. He set up a press in his home and was also the engraver of the woodcuts in this Bible. A rare first edition of this Bible is in the National Library of Scotland.
Not only can we appreciate the art but the stories remind us that people today are still printing books and broadsides from similar presses.
Boxcar Press started off February with a tour group from the local branch of the AIGA. These tours are a great opportunity for us to not only show what our company has to offer, but also helps us encourage and inspire people to pursue designing for letterpress projects. The group size consisted of about seven graphic designers. They showed great interest in the process from design to platemaking all the way to finishing. Everyone enjoyed watching the printers at their windmills and rubbing their fingertips over the impression in the paper. As letterpress continues to grow in popularity, we find graphic designers who visit are more knowledgeable about the craft than just a couple of years ago. A big thanks to these designers for stopping in!
Right before the holidays, Boxcar enjoyed a visit from designer, printer, letterpress instructor, and sister: Amy Redmond. 
Amy’s sister, Carrie, called and arranged the tour as a surprise. She kept Amy guessing until a short time before they got to our studios.
It was more of a meeting of minds and souls than a tour, as we spent a couple of hours with Amy and Carrie. We traded stories, shared tips and tricks printer to printer, and discovered how Amy got to where she is now, a Seattle-based freelance graphic designer and instructor of an introductory letterpress printing class at the School of Visual Concepts in Seattle.
We are thankful to Amy for being a mentor to many students of letterpress and for giving us a fun day at Boxcar!
It’s always a happy experience when we meet our customers at shows and conferences. However, we get particularly excited when we can come to your place and meet you in your creative space!
Recently during winter travels, I was able to visit two customers in the Boston area. It meant navigating the Boston subway and bus system but it was such a kick to visit and get a tour from women printers and entrepreneurs, Smudge Ink and Albertine Press.
Shelley Barandes of Albertine Press is in Somerville, Massachusetts in a warehouse that also houses not one, but two chocolate companies. That is the aroma you smell when you follow the signs that direct you to her space. 
She has a large, open studio with plenty of natural light for printing and finishing.
I admired her Vandercook where her printer Matt was working and her Heidelberg windmill, not to mention seeing a pilot, a cutter and some tabletops. On occasion, Shelley will teach a class to spread the love of letterpress, but not as often now that she has a pre-school daughter. Shelley is busy!
A bus and another warehouse later, I was able to a have nice visit and tour with Deb Bastien and Kate Saliba of Smudge Ink. 
They are in Charlestown, Massachusetts along the waterfront. What amazed me was the quantity and variety of presses our customers have. I lost count of presses at Smudge after five. Smudge Ink actually has a long history tied with Boxcar Press and we feel like we’ve grown in this business with them. 
They have a nice blend of letterpress with offset and everything was printed in gorgeous, vibrant colors (you should see their shelves!). Everyone was hard at work while I was there and yes, I took note of their polymer plate recycling box.
While my visits were brief, it was special to see these talented ladies and where they find their creative energy. I was impressed above all at how they have built their businesses and thrive. And I especially appreciated their warm welcomes on short notice. Our Boxcar doors are always open should you ever want to reciprocate and drop in here!
The offset press starts feeding, first gulping air then feeding delicious text weight sheets.
Here at Boxcar Press, it’s not all about the photopolymer. People shouldn’t be surprised to know that Harold has a secret room with California Job cases and type cabinets. Some have never even been unwrapped.
So many of you can understand the feeling, then, when we get a chance to pull out drawers and search through for treasures. I am partial to the larger wood type and the ornaments. We hope you enjoy a few of the ornaments and type we find.
These two images are sending the silent message that we should go get a cold one and a jumbo burger – loaded!
The other one is our salute to the military with insignias from the United States Marine Corp, United States Navy W.A.V.E.S (anchor with propeller) and the United States Coast Guard.
Remember Dave from our First Friday Potluck when he played guitar for us? He is caught here on candid camera.
The man behind the up and coming Parklife Press, Travis Friedrich, lets us in on the things he can’t do without, his insatiable love for letterpress, the curious journey of his beloved C & P, and his vintage paper cutter.
Friedrich carved out a few minutes to tell us about the things that keep his rollers inked.
(photo credit: Annemie Tonken)
EAST OR WEST, LETTERPRESS IS BEST I grew up in Oregon but have lived in North Carolina for most of my post high school life. I’m 31 now. Although my college degree is in engineering, I’ve always loved print and design. I enjoy making grilled cheese sandwiches, watching tennis, playing ping pong, drinking fancy cocktails, and printing with headphones on.
(photo credit: Annemie Tonken)
INK IN THE BLOOD I’ve enjoyed printmaking since I was about 13 years old — although it was mostly linoleum cuts and a little bit of lithography early on. It wasn’t until about 2005 that I learned about letterpress. At the time, I was living in Portland, Oregon and working at my first post-college job as a mechanical engineer, but I wasn’t wild about what I was doing. I came across a letterpress shop not too far from my apartment, and I thought how cool it would be to be doing something like that rather than sitting in front of a computer all day. By the end of that year, I was very seriously considering trying to find a way to make printing my career.
STUDIO WITH SOUTHERN CHARM Parklife Press exists in a cozy studio at my home. It houses a C&P 10×15, a C&P 12×18, and a 123 year old Challenge paper cutter. My favorite thing about the studio is probably the lax dress code.
PRINTING LEGACIES Aside from two days of a community college letterpress class (I couldn’t stick with the 2 hour commute required to stay in the class), all of my letterpress education has been “virtual.” The Briar Press discussion boards, the Letpress list-serve, and Boxcar training videos have been invaluable.
DAILY GRIND Most of the design work I do is for wedding clients. I start by asking for as much info about design preferences and inspiration as the client can give, then I put a few initial first drafts together for the client to look at. At that point, the client inevitably loves my least favorite draft, and we go from there, tweaking and refining. It’s amazing though how often I end up loving the final design and am glad that I was pushed away from my initial preferences.
FULL TIME FUN I’m definitely both a designer and a printer. I split my time pretty evenly between the two. I’ve been doing it full time since shortly after I started in 2005, and I’m certainly amazed that I’m able to do this full time. The cubicle job that I had after college was not that awesome. During that time I remember mentioning that I’d love to have a print studio at some point in my life. But I definitely didn’t think it would happen so soon, and I didn’t think it would be a career.
BOXCAR’S ROLE The speed and ease with which I can order and receive a plate is huge. As for the plates themselves, my tiny studio appreciates that Boxcar’s plates take up so little physical space and I love how easy it is to trim, alter, and reposition them. It’s much more flexible than other plate systems.
PRESS HISTORY My first press was a Kelsey 5×8 tabletop, which quickly frustrated me. After just a few months I upgraded to the press I still use — a C&P 10×15 Old Style. I was in the bay area at the time, and came across a guy who had been storing an old press in his warehouse for years, and I bought it from him—despite the fact that I knew I would be moving across the country three months later. Transporting the press to NC from California was not easy, but it was totally worth it—I love that press.
SHOP TIPS Occasionally, take on a job that you’re not sure you can pull off.
WHAT’S NEXT The new Parklife Press website just went online in early February and folks really seem to be liking it. I designed and printed a bunch of brand new invitation designs and re-photographed everything. I also added a bunch of new business content.
Big thanks to Travis Friedrich for letting us shine a spotlight on his creative letterpress talents at Parklife Press!
Just in case you didn’t know, it is very satisfying to stamp one’s name with a giant rubber stamp.
