I wanted to make something to thank Amy and Jeff for making me a part of their day earlier this summer, and I had been toying around with ways to utilize my set of wood numerals and incorporate more hand lettering for quite some time. The resulting print—featuring the date of their wedding and a cut made from my own handwriting printed in their wedding colors—turned out great and I can’t wait to make them for other couples and even new parents! Get in touch or order them here.
You guys, MY PRESS STILL ISN’T HERE. I haven’t printed in more than two months! I think I’m starting to show symptoms of withdrawal… The only upside is that without the joy of production to distract me, I’ve been checking things off my business development to do list.
One of those items is bringing back the Card Club! It’s an even better deal this time around: Each month more than $20 worth of stationery, prints, coasters and other goodies will be delivered to your door—for just $10 per month! A membership also makes an awesome gift for anyone who loves letterpress, getting mail or sending letters! Purchase here or get in touch directly here!
As promised: My latest print! While not quite the way I imagined, I’m really excited about it because of what I’ve learned in the process of creating it. First of all, the type: this is the first time I’ve locked up a mixed type layout this large and it went pretty well! It’s also helped me determine what typefaces I need to add to my collection.
The design: I always love letterpress prints with a lot of depth created by overlapping transparent imagery. My inks this time around weren’t as transparent as they should have been–I’m learning just how much tint base medium I need mixed into my pigment. Overall, I’m pretty happy with the outcome and I know exactly what direction to pursue in future work.
–Plato
I believe human nature is inherently good. Why is it so easy to allow greed, carelessness and, perhaps worst of all, wanting to be right to get in the way of our nature? This last year has been a period of introspection and personal growth, and I think one of the most important things maturity teaches us is that our struggles are no more difficult than anyone else’s. Everyone has their own cross to bear; whether it’s an ailing loved one, a failing relationship, a never-ending to-do list, or financial woes. Yours is no more important than your neighbor’s, theirs is no more important than yours. With a little compassion we might just all make it through unscathed.
Be kind to each other. There are more important things than being right, looking better or getting people on your side. Treat those you encounter with kid gloves, you never know what’s just beneath the surface.
I’ve never written about arguably the most well-known and respected letterpress studio in the U.S. until now because, well, almost everyone else has. But last night I watched Jim Sherraden of Hatch Show Print present the shop’s work and history and I’m so inspired I can’t resist.
Hatch is the longest running letterpress studio in the U.S., operating continuously for well over a century. Jim has been instrumental in not only keeping the shop running through the hard times (also known as the ’80s) but preserving its historical accuracy. He doesn’t allow any new wood fonts into the shop, believing the Hatch brothers (founders, originally from Wisconsin!) carefully curated the collection to work well together; and by only allowing new artwork that’s been hand carved—no digitally-created photo-polymer cuts.
Hatch does, as you can see, regularly employ the magnificent collection of historical printing plates, adhering to a theory they call “Preservation by Production”—or the belief that vintage wood cuts and fonts fare better with regular use. I would rather see these artists create beautiful work than gaze at plates behind glass any day. They have a cut of nearly every famous artist that ever played Nashville, as well as some of the earliest printing plates in the states—and they’re still printing all of it. I’m thinking of planning a trip to Tennessee just to visit Hatch!
The days are getting longer. Every day this week, I’ve gotten up with the sun and every morning I’ve sent a little thank you out into the universe for letting me wake with such joy. It’s funny how each year, just at the point when you think you just can’t stand the dark and the cold any longer, winter releases its grip and almost overnight it’s spring. I’m so thankful we had a short and mild winter, I’m not sure I could have held out much longer this year.
I’ve been working on a series of prints to celebrate. It’s a small reminder to myself to take a moment to be grateful, to enjoy what nature has to offer, to see the beauty in everything around me. Wake up five minutes early tomorrow morning, before you’re rushing to get ready, while your world is still quiet. Really look at your surroundings, take them in and be grateful for them. The world is a beautiful place.
622 press | LETTERPRESS GOODS MADE BY HAND 