A nautical themed design makes extensive use of holographic foil. Two striking examples of letterpress projects – a wedding invitation and a holiday card appear on the Paper Specs website. Even more resources are available to professional paid members, including a searchable online paper database extensive Binding, Printing and Paper Facts sections where designers can learn the latest techniques on-demand webinars and even a live concierge for out-of-the-box questions. Print designers have a vital resource in an online paper warehouse called Paper Specs ( Started by print designer Sabine Lenz, it includes lots of up-to-date information about choosing and working with paper for print projects. Online warehouse A nautical themed letterpress design makes extensive use of holographic foil. In a typical day, he may set up and run several different jobs, typically from one to 85 pieces each. He mixes inks by hand using the Pantone book, runs the presses, guides the foil stamping operation and even sets type in a pinch. Although LSP does not make its own dies, Prentice does just about everything else in the shop, with unhurried, methodical care. Rusty Prentice, pressman at Locust Street Press, has been running letterpress machines and finishing equipment, “for oh, about 50 years,” he chuckled. ![]() Since letterpress printing is very much a manual process, that hand must be experienced. ![]() The strengths of a letterpress design are crisp, sharp lines pattern or grid work and of course, typography. Without the dot patterns needed to reproduce photography, the basic typography can truly be an art form. In a letterpress project, typography is king. These “softer” sheets accept the heavy pressure and accentuate the type impression without cracking the paper’s surface. Yet, the fact that Crane’s Lettra® Papers are unsized and uncalendered leaves the fibers relatively uncompacted, giving the sheet an extra bulky, even fluffy feeling that absorbs ink while remaining soft to the touch. ![]() According to the Crane website, Lettra papers are engineered to stand up to the great pressures of letterpress printing and have the complex structure and strength of cotton papers, allowing them to withstand multiple press operations with correct registration. Made especially for letterpress, Crane’s Lettra 100-percent cotton papers have the feel of fabric and the look of handmade art paper. LSP stocks Crane Lettra papers in several thicknesses. We work with each client on an individual basis and individual quotation.”Īccording to Steines, the three main components of a letterpress wedding invitation order, for example, are deciding what paper to use, creating plates for the invitation design and determining the printing schedule. We can suggest stocks for clients: however, many times they know exactly what stock they would like. In describing working with clients online to process letterpress orders, Steines summarized it this way: “It is actually pretty straightforward. They add beauty, dimension, feel and pizzazz,” said Tom Otto of Otto Printing. “In a digital, one-dimensional world, consumers are discovering and loving the look and tactile feel of hand-crafted finishes. “In an age of hurried, digital communication, the intimate, deliberate feel of letterpress printing is a personal touch that won’t be overlooked or forgotten,” read a statement on LSP’s website. When combined with thick cotton papers and finishing effects, such as foil stamping, letterpress printing lends an Old World touch to social communications. Locust Street Press further promotes letterpress by using the technique to decorate its shipping boxes.In much the same way that baby boomers are rediscovering the joys of vinyl record albums, graphic designers and printers are coming to a new appreciation of the strengths of letterpress. The rest of the communication with the customer is via the LSP website ( where old meets modern. “Most of our orders come in online.” Usually the graphic designer already has created the design for the invitation when Locust Street Press gets involved. “We work mainly with graphic designers who have their own clients,” said Steines. The shop features some 15 presses – the oldest was built in 1890 – and also houses machines for diecutting, embossing/debossing, scoring and foil stamping.īut the process of obtaining orders from graphic designers, or directly from consumer clients, is strictly up-to-date. Shop manager Heather Steines explained that her business straddles the old and the very modern. This letterpress printing shop – which once seemed to be a fading business – is riding the wave of popularity for a variety of applications, including wedding invitations, baby announcements, business cards, greeting cards and stationery. On a quiet side street in Belvidere, Illinois, in a building that once housed a social club, is Locust Street Press.
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