Letterpress printing

In 2007 I did an identity project for La Luz Photography. My client wanted a logo and business card design that were sophisticated, classic and conveyed elegance—all qualities of her photography. She was also in love with letterpress because of its rich, tactile nature. We chose a lovely brown and robin's egg greyish blue for the color palette. At that time I didn't have my press up and running so we printed them at Bison Press in Bellingham who did a fantastic job.

Letterpress success

About a year ago I acquired something that I've wanted for awhile—my very own letterpress. It's a C&P Pilot Press, which is a table top platen press originally manufactured for schools. As eager as I was to get the press, it has taken some time to get it up and running—between keeping up with my design projects and figuring out how to work it, its been slow going. A 50+ year old piece of equipment doesn't exactly come with a user's manual (although I have been discovering an impressive amount of information online). There are many diehard old timer pressmen out there, as well as a whole generation of enthusiastic newcomers. I originally planned to print mostly with polymer but now I want to experiment with some linoleum cuts. I have a few pieces of old wood type which give a lovely impression, hopefully I can add more to my collection. I just finished my very first project—my business cards. There was some trial and error of course, but as with most things it's a learning process. My letterpress mantra continues to be, "It's an art, not a science."