LetterMpress: A Virtual Letterpress on Your iPad

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Well, it seems that they want to do more than just virtually letterpress.  According to John Bonadies, the project's creator, their goal is to give designers, artists, students, lovers of type—anyone—the ability to produce their own authentic letterpress designs and artwork virtually, and then to ultimately have those designs letterpress printed in "real life". 

Letterpress, met the iPad 2.  iPad 2, letterpress. 

Creating Coasters (and Fighting Piranhas)

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Mike Dacey a.k.a. Repeat Press of Somerville, MA created some sweet custom coasters.  Check out his intricate process from beginning to end and listen to Jack White play the blues.  Some might print as well, but few can make it look cooler.

Video by: iloveqp.com                         Music:  "I Fought Piranhas" by The White Stripes

Repeat Press is a letterpress studio located within The Fringe Movement in Union Square, Somerville. Since I started printing rock posters in 2003, Repeat Press has grown from a small corner of a college art building to a full-scale studio specializing in contemporary custom letterpress printing.

Jessica Hische Loves Letters

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Brooklyn (by way of Philly) designer/illustartor/typographer/artist Jessica Hische came on our radar this week via her Drop Cap Project. In her words:

Daily Drop Cap is a project I started in September of 2009 in which I illustrate a decorative letter every day (or at least every work day). The project will continue for approximately twelve alphabets and are available for non-commercial use as drop caps on your personal blog.

She also made limited edition 8x8 letterpress prints of each letter for sale individually or as a set.  (If you buy the whole set she'll send you a cake as well!)  They're currently on display at Art in the Age in Philadelphia.

Only a few years removed from art school, she's already very accomplished - she was featured as one of Step Magazine’s 25 Emerging Artists, Communication Arts “Fresh”, Print Magazine’s New Visual Artists 2009 (commonly referred to as Print’s 20 under 30), and The Art Directors Club Young Guns.

Here's a short look into Jessica and the project:

 

 

Disappearing acts: Printing with letterpress

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The UK's Guardian put together a great video on letterpress printing featuring London's Hand and Eye Letterpress.  

Hand and Eye was formed in 1985 by Phil Abel and has done a great assortment of work including posters and books (they are one of the printers of The Letterpress Shakespeare for The Folio Society.)  Most of their featured work is done on Somerset and Zerkall papers.

Check out the video