Nice article from the Rochester City Newspaper on letterpress. It discusses letterpress and the beauty of handmade things. It features Pistachio Press and Dock 2 Letterpress. No better place to be than in the Studio, since these folks won't be seeing sunny and seventy any time soon...
We went into the paper vault in search of all things red and pink. Have a look and see what we found.
We came across this post from Dingbat Press about experimenting with new papers. They tested out the new Legion Bamboo and found it to take their letterpress impression beautifully.
The photography on the site is gorgeous. In fact, they might want to consider offering their services as a letterpress photographer because they really capture the beauty of their designs.
Alli Bozeman, founder of Colorado-based BirdDog Press is a fellow paper person we can get behind. In her words:
From fancy to alternative from local to european, we offer recycled, tree-free, plantable, cutsom handmade, cotton, linen, bamboo, wood veneer, ultra thick, brightly colored, finely textured and duplexed papers.
Sounds familiar...
See more of BirdDog's work.
Which would you rather get:
Personally, I'm for "b". Nobody said writing cards would be quick and easy but as I look at the cards I keep, it's the personalized ones that make up the majority. (The other ones are all just ridiculously creative or printed and belong in a frame.)
Go the extra mile!
Found this short movie on Letterpress by Strawberry Militia and Graphic Fury presents in association with the University of the Arts London.
All these videos make letterpress seem very rock and roll!
Here's a great video of Don Kilpatrick, of the College for Creative Studies, showing his printing process.
The 3rd Annual UNIQUE LA Holiday Show hits Dec 11+12, 2010!
The largest independent design show in the country, attendees get the rare chance to meet and shop directly from over 300 hand-selected designers and artists, including some of our favorite SoCal letterpress printers.
On top of shopping the wide variety of offerings, the event boasts many exciting Extras & Amenities, including free workshops, an eco lounge, and two cafes featuring some of LA’s best restaurants and gourmet food trucks.
All you had to do was ask! We've added Lettra letter sized sheets for everyone asking to get 8.5x11 without having to cut down larger sheets. Everything should be in stock early next week & the prices are great (the 600gsm especially.)
Enjoy!
By popular demand, we've created a sampler of some extra thick papers. The sampler includes 14 sheets of paper including Rising, Somerset, Lettra, Legion Eco Rag & Legion Bamboo.
Visit the Sample Department to order one now.
I keep promising that I won't get sucked into blogging about all of the amazing calendars we're coming across but I couldn't not show this one (even if it means using a double-negative). This calendar, by Lizard Press in San Francisco, was printed on Kitakata handmade (and tree-free) paper - only 30gsm. (Samples available here)
In their words:
The Lizard Press artists' calendar los santos obvidados is a remembrance not only for the saints removed from the Roman Catholic General Calendar in the revisions of the 1960’s, but also for all those who do peaceful saintly deeds for their spiritual beliefs, not for the notoriety.
Each month features a well-known, but displaced saint, represented with an iconic image. Their feast day is noted by a palm leaf, a symbol of victory.
The calendar is a linear one, recognizing that time is continuous and repetitive, but for daily reference, outlines are supplied for the Sundays.
We know, we know. There must be 100 blogs dishing about their favorite 2011 calendars. We're not going to join in with a big list of our own (though check these out if you want) but here's one we thought was pretty cool and unique from Pistachio Press.
We'll let the video do the talking, but a great way to spend 12 minutes from Studio on Fire.
We've been getting a lot of requests for paper with which to make coasters. So...we'll be adding our Blotting paper in the next week or so. The paper is 370gsm (heavy) and is super absorbant. Check back for it soon.
Also coming soon: Canaletto, a 100% cotton paper from Italy.
Not much else to say other than "why didn't I think of that"?
More here on this work by Justin LaRosa andSamuel Cox
Brooklyn-based husband and wife team Maggie Campbell and Matt Raw have been churning out gorgeous letterpress creations for just a few years but have already become favorites of ours. Maggie's been studying bookbinding for over 15 years but only recently took her gig full time.
Their recently created 2011 calendars are gorgeous. Of the one shown to the right, they say: 
From the binding, to the handwritten lettering, to the intricate vine drawings in the background, this was a labor of love, from start to finish. Each calendar is covered with Japanese silkscreened paper (a.k.a. chiyogami) and bound by hand in a Coptic stitch (knotted, visible stitching that lies flat when open) with waxed chocolate brown Irish linen thread.
With one month per page, 2 blank pages follow every 2 months (perfect for making notes of birthdays, holidays, appointments, etc.). The background of the pages features different sections of a drawing of Maggie's: a delicate and intricate layered pattern of vines, printed in two soft tones of yellow-y, spring green. The handwritten months are laid over the green background in a chocolate brown ink, and the entire piece was letterpress printed by hand on heavy, soft white [Legion] bamboo stock.
Even with ALL of the trade shows that our company attends, walk’s through, exhibits at, etc. we will definitely be adding this small and local event to our annual to-do list. Suits were not allowed…briefcases shunned, cell phones...well, tough to get rid of those, right? All that was required was a passion to print and an excitement for people to show the final results of their hard work.
The L.A. Printer’s Show was held half in the actual museum and the other half flowed out into their parking lot where (thank goodness) they had an enormous tent for all of outside exhibitors to escape the dreaded sun and crazy heat that So. Ca. went through (110+ degrees!) Legion Paper (our mother ship) proudly shared a large table’s worth of our ever popular Letterpress Paper Selections paper sampler that contained labeled pieces of our Arturo, Bamboo, Stardream, Coventry Rag, Somerset, Sorbet, Rising Museum Board, and many more.
We met students. We saw old friends & customers who either came by to say hello or were also displaying their work and what their companies offered. And, the one thing that everyone had in common on this hot day in September was the true passion for the art of the print.
Nice job, L.A. Printing Museum. See you next year.
Although this really has nothing to do with letterpress printing, we thought this was so cool that we had to post (or re-post) this story.
Composed of four copies each of four different parts laser cut from a single 18×24 sheet of Plike 122# Bordeaux Cover paper, it stands about 22″ tall and is assembled without tape, glue or fasteners.
Mark your calendar for September 25th to experience the Los Angeles Printers Fair at the International Printing Museum. This daylong event is a colorful celebration of printing, book arts and paper. Vendors from a wide spectrum of the printing world including papermakers, letterpress printers, printmakers, specialty invitation and card companies, bookbinders and book artists, used printing equipment sales and more will be there!
Stop by the Legion Paper booth (D28) to pick up some free samples and talk paper with our paper expert, Scott Conry.
For more information please click here.
Dan Wood has been a favorite of ours for years and this print is part of the reason why.
"Tramps! A Miscellany of Printers Portraits", by Dan Wood and Katherine Cummings, is a two color letterpress print from polymer plates, with the title hand-set in Bernhard Gothic lead type. Using images selected from the hundreds of recently scanned printers portraits at the Daniel Berkeley Updike HIstory of Printing Collection in the Providence Public Library, the print focuses on early printers of the 15th and 16th centuries, with Benjamin Franklin and a few other later eccentrics thrown in for good measure
Dan and Katherine used Somerset Textured 300gsm softwhite for this project.
A portion of the sale of this artwork will be donated to the Daniel Berkeley Updike History of Printing Collection at the Providence Public Library Special Collections.
We're happy to provide you with recommendations, help solve any paper-related issues or help you design your own paper.
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