Letterpress studios by Chenwen

Thanks to Dikko for teaching me about the letterpress printing, and special thanks to Veronica, who helped me filming the letterpress printing instructional video.

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The History of Letterpress Printing General Tools

Letterpress Printing Instruction

NYC Letterpress Studios 20 Manhattan Greenwich Letterpress 22 Publicide Inc. 26 Brooklyn The Arm 30 Sesame Letterpress Swayspace 38 Credits

CONTENTS

Introduction

NYC Letterpress Studios

INTRODUCTION Letterpress printing is the old-fashioned standard for putting ink on paper, much the way Gutenberg himself did it. Raised type is coated with ink on a hand-cranked, decades-old Vandercook press, fed one sheet of paper at a time by hand. It’s a beautiful process to watch, and the results can be the most elegant printing there is—the bite of cold type into paper gives it a fabulous, almost sensuous texture. –New York, Best of New York Letterpress is one of the oldest methods of printing. Nowadays there have a lot of fast ways to print, but letterpress still remain its uniqueness, the wonderfully tactile and simply attractive, and it has a rich, warm feel that one can’t help but appreciate. This book is going to bring you into the world of letterpress printing. There have brief history intro of letterpress printing and introduction about how the letterpress printing process work. Also this book includes interviews of five letterpress printing studios. You can have a sneak peek to these five studios around NYC. The founders are sharing their thoughts about letterpress.Lets discover how they think what letterpress is, and find the reasons why they are in love with letterpress.

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NYC Letterpress Studios

PRESS ROOM CIRCA 1990 5

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THE HISTORY OF LETTERPRESS PRINTING Letterpress printing is a relief printing process, which initially utilized raised metal type and engravings to imprint words and designs on a page. Letterpress printing is a relief printing process, which initially utilized raised metal type and engravings to imprint words and designs on a page. It originated in the 1400s and was the primary form of printing and communication for more than 500 years. For centuries it was the primary method of publishing books, but over time it has evolved into an art form more than a standard printing practice. Now, letterpress printing allows modern printers to create commercial works that have an appealing tactile quity in comparison to current offset and digital printing methods.

When Johann Gutenberg invented the printing press in the 15th century, his goal was to bring books to the common people. In the decades just preceding the 1440s, printing of any kind required craftsmen to carve entire pages of text into wooden blocks. Once the text was carved, the space around the letters had to be whittled away so the text was the only surface that would touch the page. The blocks would then be inked and paper placed on top, and rubbing the paper

onto the wood would createan impression. Each page required its own wooden block, which was a time consuming and difficult process. However, wood-block printing did allow books to be copied more easily than the earlier method of transcribing by hand. Gutenbergâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s efforts to create an easier way of printing took an extensive amount of time and funding. It is believed that his first forays, between the 1430s and 1440s, were through his own version of wood-block printing, with individual, reusable letters carved into wood blocks instead of entire words or pages. This allowed for a movable type, where individual letters could be used to form words for one page of print, then taken apart and re-ordered to create the next. While this method was a significant improvement on wood-block page printing, the wooden letters did not print with clarity, so Gutenberg began working with metal type instead. The metal type included individual capital and lowercase letters, as well as punctuation symbols; these charactersâ&#x20AC;&#x2122; reverse impressions werecast in steel. Letters and symbols could then be assembled on a wooden forme to create entire pages of text, complete with spacers and lead rules

Wood-cut phantasy-portrait of Johannes Gutenberg made after his death

NYC Letterpress Studios

for legibility. In order to transfer these impressions from form to page, Gutenberg used a lacquer-like ink he created himself out of soot, walnut oil and turpentine. Gutenberg’s printing press was called a “screw press” or handpress, and allowed ink to transfer evenly between the page and the forme. With this new way to print, Gutenberg could print books at a rate of approximately six pages per day. His most notable print job was a copy of the Bible, which was 42 lines of text in two columns on each page, and consisted of two volumes that totaled 1,282 pages — a task that took a staff of 20 and two to three years (between 1452 and 1454/1455) to complete. One hundred eighty copies were made of this Bible, and 48 copies can still be found in museums today.

For the next 350 years, Gutenberg’s press was used to print with virtually no changes to the design. While the printing press itself changed very little over the next few centuries, the ability to print more quickly and efficiently gave rise to new ways of thinking. The publication of the Gutenberg Bible

The image of Gutenberg's supposed printing press

A Specimen, by William Caslon, Letter-Founder, Cyclopaedia, 1728 not only allowed the printed word to reach the common people, it also encouraged the spreading of information and ideas. The first English book was printed in 1473 in Bruges, Belgium, by William Caxton. His printing press and subsequent standardization of the English language are said to be the reason for the expansion of English vocabulary and introduction of inflection in writing. Typeface designer and gunsmith William Caslon created a type that was legible and distinct, which became popular for use in printing important documents. After his death, Caslon’s typeface was used in the printing of the United States Declaration of Independence in 1776, which was sent out to all the states. Individuals continued to find ways to improve the look of the printed page over the decades. In the 18th century, printer and typographer John Baskerville created a way to make paper whiter and smoother so that in printing, the ink showed up strong and crisp. He also was the pioneer for adding wide margins to the printed page, as well as spacing — or leading — between lines of text.In 1798, Alois Senefelder invented lithography printing. Unlike with letterpress,

A detail from Gutenberg's 42-line Bible

The first English printer William Caxton(ca. 1415~1422 – ca. March 1492)

lithography printing allows the entire printing space — both the text to be printed and the white space surrounding it — to remain on a level surface with no raised areas. Lithography was less expensive than letterpress printing, due to the availability of cheaper paper options and that, driven by steam power, these presses could print large quantities of pages more quickly than with letterpress. Printers immediately attempted to print color images with these new lithographic presses, as multiple litho plates could be used one after another on the same page. Within 100 years, lithography was the primary method for advertising and magazine printing. However, lithography did not completely remove the need for letterpress printing in the 1800s. The Industrial Revolution brought improvements to the design of the hand press, including improved leverage and weighting to get the correct amount of pressure put on the form each time. In the mid-1880s, high-end tabletop

NYC Letterpress Studios little to no attention required. Despite these updates, there were still issues when printing with a letterpress. When printing magazines or newspapers, each page’s ink took time to dry, and if assembled too quickly, the ink would smudge. In 1939, Walter Huber filed for a patent for his ink that dried solidly and instantly upon contact with paper, due to fluctuations in the ink’s temperature. This solid ink was resistant to smudging and allowed for cleaner, sharper printing than previous letterpress inks.These improvements allowed the letterpress to remain relevant throughout the first half of the 20th century, despite the growing popularity of lithography and later, offset printing.

Johann Alois Senefelder (6 November 1771 – 26 February 1834)

platen press was invented that left a clear impression on each page, thanks to a side arm whose length provided better leverage. By the end of the century, a smaller, “low-end” tabletop press had been developed as well for use in smaller print shops. While previously full-sized presses had to be operated by foot while paper was hand-fed to the press, they were updated to include individual motors. Later, automatic feed presses were introduced that were not only motorized, but independently fed paper; these presses could print up to 5000 copies in an hour with

Offset printing came about by accident in 1903. American printer Ira Washington Rubel owned a lithograph press, and when he failed to insert paper, the stone plate’s image transferred onto the rubber cylinder used to make the impression. After putting paper back in the machine, the stone printed on one side of the page while the rubber cylinder printed on the other. Rubel was surprised to find that the image from the cylinder was significantly sharper than the image from the stone litho plate. Later, he invented a machine that re-created his “accident.”

The appeal lies in the deep impressions on the page, as a beautiful, imprinted work of art rather than just a printed page. As offset is now the primary printing method for both professional and home print jobs, letterpress printing takes the recipient back to a time when printing was a craft that took time to create. It’s now about the look and feel of the paper, and quality is key. While some printers still utilize Gutenberg method of individual characters to print letterpress, others have embraced

Original letterpress printers used a “kiss” method of printing; that is, the press only touched the paper enough to transfer the ink. However, it wasn’t for another few decades that offset printing began to gather momentum. Compared to lithograph presses, which utilized stone plates, offset printing was imprinted from rubber, and the image could be transferred onto not only paper, but other surfaces such as wood and metal for versatility. Within 50 years of lithography’s rise, offset lithography and digital printing had taken over the scene. By the 1950s, offset printing was the most popular method of commercial printing. With the rise of computers came the downfall of letterpress printing. Everything could now be accomplished through digital or offset printing, either through a print shop or out of one’s own home. Most commercial printers utilized digital offset printing, which places the ink directly on the surface of the page and cannot imprint the page the way modern letterpress does. In the

Lithographic Machine

late 1980s, letterpress printing had its own revival among small printers who still wanted that tactile, quality feel that offset print-ing cannot provide. However, it wasn’t until the 1990s that it became popular among individals for their personal printing needs. It was around this time when Martha Stewart Weddings featured letterpress weding invitations, sparking a renewed interest in the printing method Modern letterpress enthusiasts, however, are interested in deep impressions in the page — more commonly referred to in the industry as “debossing,” which make it immediately obvious that the page is, in fact, letterpress and not printed by any other means.

digital methods that make the process simpler. With computers, designers are able to use software to combine the text and designs to be printed. They can then produce a digital pageand create a photopolymer plate of the page’s design. The design can then be pressedinto the paper, creating a colorful, tactile work of art. Now, letterpress printing is used

Platen Press

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Wedding Invitation card

This elegant, tactile quality of current lettepress printing is now the primary reason for choosing to print with this method rather than offset. for all kinds of work. The most popular option is letterpress wedding invitations, which can be as simple as a single invitation card or as complex as an entire letter-press suite, complete with reply cards, intricate and detailed maps, and enve-lopes pressed with unifying design elements. In addition, couples are now sending letterpress save-the-dates prior to their weddings, as well as featuring letterpress throughout their big day in the form of programs, place cards, beverage coasters, menus and even thank-you cards once the celebration is over. Weddings arenâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;t the only big events that are letterpress-worthy. Bar and bat mitzvah invitations, birth announcements and shower invitations have also appeared, as have letterpress greeting and holiday cards. Gift tags can be imprinted and used for holidays and birthdays, and more people are using letterpress stationery in correspondence, combining two old art forms: typesetting and hand-written cards. Outside of per-

sonal use, businesses have embraced letterpress to print business cards and event promotion posters,and have even had QR codes imprinted onto their advertisements that take the viewer to the companyâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s website. The letterpress technique can even still be used to print books, despite the hefty price tag. The finished product is high quality, demands to be touched and brings a sense of class to the business that offset printing could not accomplish.

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The Basics Any good art studio will have a variety of everyday tools that keep their studio running smoothly, and a print shop is no different. These include: 1. Brayers 2. Gauge Pins 3. Pencils 4. Scissors 5. Maker 6. Exacto Knife 7. Apron 8. Masking Tape 9. Nitrile Gloves 10. Loupe 11. Simple Green 12. Ruler 13. palette Knives

NYC Letterpress Studios

GENERAL tools While no one can deny that the printing press is at the heart of every print shop, there are a multitude of print shop tools and supplies that are either incredibly helpful or downright necessary to a functioning shop. Some tools are “compositor’s tools,” useful for the person printing with handset wood and metal type. Most are applicable to both traditional and photopolymer letterpress printing setups.

NYC Letterpress Studios

~ General Tools ~ ~Gauge Pins~

~Furniture and Reglets~

~Quoins~

One of the most remarkable devices of all is the simple gauge pin. On the hand press, the function of keeping the paper in register was supplied by “points” on the tympan, which pierced the dampened paper easily and kept it from shifting. The point-holes on incunabula leaves can be useful bibliographical indicators.

Furniture is the wooden blocks that surround your form or plate base to hold it in place. Furniture is absolutely necessary for every letterpress shop, and the more complete your set, the more versatile you will be.

Quoins were, for over 400 years, simply pairs of wedge-shaped wooden sticks. When one of them was driven alongside the other by taps from a mallet, they filled a wider space in the chase while still remaining parallel, and had the effect of locking the surrounding metal type into place. A tap or two from the mallet in the opposite direction would loosen them and enable the compositor or pressman to make corrections in the form. Like most other appliances in printing, this simple device was changed in the nineteenth century. Mechanical quoins were invented; most were metal but they continued the use of pairs of wedges. The most basic, the Hempel quoin, had teeth along the inside edges; by turning a toothed key, the wedges could be tightened without a mallet. Later improvements included enclosing the wedges in a metal casing and changing the tightening method. The highest development came with the invention of the “high-speed quoin,” where the amount of tightening pressure on the form can be calibrated and repeated. Wooden quoins continued to be used well into the twentieth century although they were becoming obsolete. The 1923 American Type Founders’ catalog still sold them by the barrel of 7500. Today it is rare to find any. Even rarer are the old “shooting sticks” used to transmit the force of the mallet to the wooden quoin. Although some are still around, they are mostly in the hands of collectors who consider them relics.

On the nineteenth century platen press, this function was filled at first by bent pins inserted into the tympan, or quads pasted on the tympan, to which the sheet of paper was fed. Soon more elaborate devices were made, culminating with several varieties of gauges that clamped to the tympan paper, made by the Edward L. Megill Co. of New York (and later Brooklyn). These patented gauge pins were in general use over 100 years ago. Today they are still made and sold; the gauges have not changed over the years. Megill pins include a sharp end that punctures your tympan, and a brass tongue and square end which holds the sheet. These come in a variety of specific styles but are all essentially the same. Higher-quality guides lock into the press on both ends with a lever system and are called Quad Guides.

Cut to be shorter than type high, furniture comes in a standard series of lengths and widths. The sizes are measured in picas. Available widths are 2, 3, 4, 5, 6, 8, 10, and lengths include 10, 15, 20, 25, 30, 40, 50, 60. This means the smallest piece of furniture available is 2×10 picas, and the largest commonly available is 10×60 picas. Furniture is commonly stored in a wedge-shaped cabinet, housing 5 or 6 pieces per size, short at the top, long at the bottom, and narrow on the left to wide on the right. Since the width and height are nearly the same, 4 pica wide furniture will usually have a groove cut down the top side signifying which side faces up. Furniture is cut to exact measurements, and should all match perfectly. Old or neglected furniture may not lock up evenly or solidly. Reglets are also made of wood but are only available in 1/2 and 1-pica widths. Often used as “leading” or “spacing” for wood type, they are commonly cut to any length.

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~Chase~

~Pantone Book~

~Roller Gauge~

This metal frame is used to hold type in place while printing, usually on a platen press. Type or a base is locked up towards the center of the chase using furniture to position it and quoins to apply pressure against the X and Y axis. Lock up is done on a composing stone to assure that type is level. Before quoins are tightened a planer is tapped gently on the type surface to confirm the feet are flush against the stone, completely level.

The Pantone Matching System is a standardized system of color for printers. If you do regular work with a designer, this is essential for matching colors long distance. The books come a variety of ways and you will most likely need the book for uncoated (matte) stock. Online retailers will have the best prices, and picky printers should replace their book every few years to be sure colors have not faded.

This is a metal tool that vaguely resembles a lollipop. One end has a metal cylinder which has a diameter of .918 (type high), connected to a long handle. When slid along the bed of the press under inked rollers, a the width of stripe of ink left on the cylinder will signify the height of the rollers. Proper roller height will leave a mark approximately 1/16” wide (~2mm, or the width of a nickel). No mark or a hairline mark shows that your rollers are too high. A wide mark shows that rollers are too low. When checking height, each roller should be checked on both sides of the press bed.

Typically made of cast iron, the size of a chase matches a specific press. The measurements, in inches, of the inside of the chase are also used to describe the press size. So an 8 x 12 C&P uses a chase that measures 8 x 12” on the inside of the correct chase. Some chases, especially large ones, have handles at the top to assist the printer in both transporting and placing the chase in position on the press. A spider chase is made for locking up small forms in a large chase by providing a small frame with “legs” that attach to the larger chase.

~Rags~ Fabric is always better than paper when cleaning rollers. Rags can be anything from old t-shirts to painters rags from the hardware store to rags rented from a uniform company. These should be kept in a fire-proof container after use, and disposed of in a safe and responsible manner, depending on your state or country laws.

~Polymer Plate Base~ A base is a milled block of either solid aluminum, aluminum with a magnetic face, or aluminum with embedded magnets. All work the same way, lifting an exposed polymer plate up to type high for printing. There are a few manufacturers around the country selling bases, and often, corresponding plates. Magnetic bases work with steel-backed plates, and nonmagnetic bases work with sticky-backed plates. Bases can also be manufactured by a skilled machinist, but are probably not much cheaper than buying one from a regular retailer. Plates and bases come as a matching pair.

~Type High Gauge~ This tool measures the height of a piece of type or a form and came in a variety of styles. The most common is a forked tool into which the type is placed. A set of marks scored into the gauge note type high.

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LETTERPRESS PRINTING INSTRUCTION This chapter provides basic information for the operation of Vandercook proof presses and similar brands such as Asbern, Challenge, FAG, Korrex, and Reprex.

OVERVIEW OF OPERATION After set-up is complete, a proof can be taken. Turn on the power ink distribution and lower trip roller lever. Pre-ink the form by shifting the trip/print lever to trip moving the carriage over theprinting form, and returning the carriage to the feed board. Now shift the trip/print lever to print. Depress the gripper pedal to lift the paper grippers and insert the paper. Turn the hand crank, walk with the press to end of bed and remove the sheet at the very end of the print stroke. Examine the proof after the carriage is returned to feed board. If the press has a power carriage, push the cycle start button and wait for carriage to return the sheet to feed board. Correct the form, sheet imposition, and ink level as needed. When ready to commence the print run, the form need not be double-inked between impressions; the exceptions are heavy forms with large solid areas such as linoleum blocks and wood type. Monitor the ink level during the run and add small amounts to the rider roller as needed, frequency will vary with each job.

More than 30,000 Vandercook presses (some ninety different models in all) were manufactured in Chicago between 1909 and 1976. Today, more than 1,700 presses comprised of forty models have been identified in an on-going, worldwide census compiled by Paul Moxon at Vandercookpress.info.

"The Vandercook 100: Celebrating 100 Artisans and 100 Years of Letterpress Printing on the Vandercook Proof Press" Heather Mitchell (Author, Editor)

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01 CYLINDER PACKING

Wood type printing set up and lock up

Packing is the material laid on the impression cylinder to cushion the force exerted during printing, and held in place by a covering drawsheet. The generally recommended material is tympan, a paraffin-treated paper that is .006" thick. The amount of tympan used is determined by the thickness of the paper to be printed and by the undercut of the impression cylinder. The cylinder undercut is the amount that the impression surface is lower than the cylinder bearers (the raised outer bands). The measurement, in thousandths-of-an -inch, is stamped into the channel separating the impression surface from the cylinder bearers. The standard undercut for most models is .040", but others are .070" or .105". It is visible on the operatorâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s side when the carriage is at the feed board.Measure the thickness of paper to be printed with a micrometer calibrated in thousandths of an inch. Subtract the paper thickness from the cylinder undercut to determine the minimum packing material needed. The operation manuals state that all material (including drawsheet and paper stock) should total .003" over To change the packing, move the carriage cylinder bearers. This results in a kiss to the center of bed (on trip, if there is a impression.For a deeper impression add form on the bed), so that the reel rod is a few thousands more. For example, on in the up position. Unlatch the reel rod a .040" undercut, if paper stock is .021" ratchet and loosen tail of drawsheet pack the cylinder to .026", for a total from the reel rod. With left hand, grasp of .047" or .007" over cylinder. Thick packing and drawsheet and allow them papers deserve a deeper impression: to fall over the feed table as the carriage add .004 to .010". is returned to the feed board. To replace the drawsheet, loosen the screws in the gripper bar. When moving the cylinder to center of bed to secure packing, hold packing firmly in position with left hand. Secure the tail of drawsheet to the reel rod. Be sure the packing is tight to cylinder at both sides of the gripper edge. Side play in the reel rod can correct unevenness inpacking. Tighten slowly. Overtightening will cause drawsheet to pull away from gripper assembly clamp bar or tear at reel rod. Tension is released by turning a wrench in same direction as when tightening.

Metal type set up

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02 INKING, ADDING INK To add ink to the press, lift the ink roller trip lever to disengage the rubber form rollers from the steel oscillator and riders. Add small dollops of ink evenly along length of the rider. Turn on the ink power switch and lower the ink roller trip lever to engage the rollers. Wait for the ink to thoroughly distribute throughout the rollers, oscillator, riders and ink drum. Some models do not have ink motors; for these, ink is distributed by either a handwheel mounted on the front form roller, a feeder roller with a handwheel mounted above the oscillator, or framed form rollers, mounted behind the carriage and roller over an ink slab under the feed board (320/325).

PAPER FEED Position the paper so that it is clamped by at least two gripper heads and two end guides. Adjust the inner end guides away from the paper so that the outer guides are used. If more than two end guides touch the paper, the paper will rock between them and compromise registration. Some SP15s, and Challenge 15 M series, have only four grippers and two adjustable end guides; a trimmed slug or en space can be adhered to the top of gripper bar as an additional end guide. Align the gripper edge of paper to score line or cross-hatching on top of the gripper bar. Adjust the end guide knobs as necessary and move the side guide to align with left edge of the paper. After a proof is taken, measure the position on form on paper. If type or image is to be shifted laterally, move the side guide in the opposite direction than desired position of the print on the paper.

ADJUSTING THE ROLLERS There are two basic styles of form roller adjustment: the frameless “quick change” rollers used on the Vandercook SP and Universal series and the old style framed form rollers found on all earlier models. To adjust the “quick change” rollers, loosen lock screw on bearings mounted on roller core ends. Turn black adjusting knob right to raise and left to lower. Tighten the lock screw after adjustment. To adjust old style framed form rollers, loosen the center lock screws on topside of frame. then turn the outer screws right to raise and left to lower. Adjust front and back roller on each side in tandem to keep the bearing bars parallel to frame, otherwise adjustment is inhibited and may strip screw threads. Tighten the lock screw after adjustment.Check the roller height with a roller setting gauge. Use a .918" gauge on standard beds or a .968" gauge on galley bed presses with its .050" galley bed plate removed. Lower the roller trip lever, move the carriage to the center of bed and slide the gauge under front form roller, then pull out and examine the width of the ink strike on the gauge. It should be about the width of a nickel for metal types, magnesium or copper engravings. When printing photopolymer plates the ink strike should be slightly narrower because of the shallow plate relief and high base, and significantly wider for wood type linoleum blocks. To check the back form roller, turn the gauge on its side, slip past the front and back form rollers, turn it upright, pull the gauge under back form roller, turn the gauge on its side, and slide it out. Examine proof quality with a loupe. Ink should not appear to extend beyond the edges of letterforms or illustration. Adjust the roller height as needed.

Position the paper so that it is clamped by at least two gripper heads and two end guides. Adjust the inner end guides away from the paper so that the outer guides are used. If more than two end guides touch the paper, the paper will rock between them and compromise registration. Some SP15s, and Challenge 15 M series, have only four grippers and two adjustable end guides; a trimmed slug or en space can be adhered to the top of gripper bar as an additional end guide. Align the gripper edge of paper to score line or cross-hatching on top of the gripper bar. Adjust the end guide knobs as necessary and move the side guide to align with left edge of the paper. After a proof is taken, measure the position on form on paper. If type or image is to be shifted laterally, move the side guide in the opposite direction than desired position of the print on the paper.

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05 LOCK UP

Lock up

Build a form in the press bed so that the paper has room for lateral adjustment in the grippers. When possible, use iron, aluminum or Resalite (Formica) furniture, as wood furniture may be warped and no longer square. Use a chase for mixed material forms to make it easier to add underlays to low spots or for a quicker set up on shared presses during workshops. Place quoins about 4 picas from side and foot of form. Do not over-tighten quoins or the form may buckle and rise above type high. A positive lock-up bar is a device used to quickly secure a printing form in the bed of a press. It better to use a dead bar, a steel bar that sits into notches in the bed bearers (No. 4) or abuts lock up pins inserted into the end of the bed. A positive lock-up bar is not recommended for editioning, but if needing to do so, place strip of toothy paper or leather between the bar and bed bearer to increase tension. Clean the ink on the wood type Registration

Clean Up

In addition to a side guide, mounted on the feed board, most models were originally equipped with sheet guides, which are wheels or flat springs mounted on carriage tie rod to keep paper snug against cylinder face during impression. Keep them clean and clear of the gripper heads and cylinder bearers. Lubricate tie bar brackets with graphite powder. Rub paste wax on spring if it marks paper. Some models were originally equipped with frisket and tape assembly towers.

Use a clean, folded rag soaked in solvent to thoroughly clean the rubber form rollers. Once the folded surface is saturated with ink, refold to clean the segment. Continue until the rollers are clean. Continue with remaining clean surfaces of the rag on the oscillator, riders and ink drum. Ink residue from light colors may not be apparent until the solvent hasevaporated.

Vandercook SP and Universal series and the 15-21 are equipped with automatic wash up units. With the ink motor turned on the and rollers engaged solvent is poured onto the oscillator. The solvent removes the ink as it works its way through the form rollers and drum. A tray below the ink drum has an attached doctor blade which squeegees the ink and solvent ink from the drum and into the tray. The doctor blade must be cleaned or dried ink formations will scratch the ink drum. If ink gets into scratched crevices it will make subsequent cleaning more difficult, cause unintended color shifts and possibly rust. For quick color changes from dark to light-colored inks, use a roller conditioner on solvent-dampened form rollers. A hard shiny surface means that the rubber is oxidized or â&#x20AC;&#x153;glazed.â&#x20AC;? This is the result of ink buildup from repeated improper cleaning. A glazed surface will not accept ink properly. Periodically, deglaze using a roller conditioner.

Examine other surfaces that may need cleaning: hand crank, adjustment knobs, form roller frame, bed bearers, power switch and feed board.

NYC Letterpress Studios

Letterpress

Studios ∧LOCATION∧

Manhattan Greenwich Letterpress Publicide Inc. Brooklyn The Arm Letterpress Sesame Letterpress Swayspace

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NYC Letterpress Studios

Phone: 212.989.7464 www.greenwichletterpress.com

GREENWICH LETTERPRESS

Address: 39 Christopher Street New York, New York 10014

Greenwich Letterpress is a letterpress studio and stationery gift shop located in West Village. It specializein letterpress weddings, baby announcements, stationery, and their own unique line of letterpress greeting cards. Started in 2006, by sisters Amy Swanson and Beth Salvini, Greenwich Letterpress has beenfeatured in such publications such as Martha Stewart Weddings, Vogue Magazine, New York Magazine Weddings, TASCHEN's New York,as well as numerous others.

Raised in New Jersey, sisters Amy and Beth come from a family of printers. Being third generation, they grew up around their grandfather's print shop which was eventually taken over by their father. Joining the family business was not in the cards initially as Amy pursued English and graphic design and Beth a degree in painting. After spending several years in different states, Amy convinced Beth to move to New York City where they both found themselves looking for a career change. Together they created Greenwich Letterpress, a shop where Amy could design custom letterpress invitations and Beth could curate a retail space of their favorite products.

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1. Custom letterpress business cards 2. Stationeries 3. Birthday greeting card

NYC Letterpress Studios

Interview with Beth from Greenwich Letterpress How old were you when you opened the store? Twenty-five. How did you know at such a young age you wanted to be a stationer? I always liked paper everything. So did my sister. I remember our parents taking us to paper shops when we were kids and always receiving journals,notebooks and little stationery gifts from them. Somehow stickers and sticker books and all of that Lisa Frank child-of-the’80s stuff spoke to us. Before wedecided to open Greenwich Letterpess, I was trying to be a professional painter, and

Amy was working in graphic design. We both found ourselves still uncertain about what we really wanted to do with our careers when our mom tore out an article about a letterpress printer in California and passed it along to Amy.

the risk of self expression is pretty important in our field. You and I share a similar sense of humor, so you know how exciting it is to see imagery/humor/ writing on a card that is shocking or unexpected or at the very least original.

You do custom work and wholesale and retail. How do you keep all of this going? At this point we have accepted that it’s probably too much, but there’s no turning back. We all drank the Greenwich Letterpress Kool-Aid, it’s just our way of life. We are in charge of different aspects of the shop and then we sort of overlap when necessary. There is a feeling that it’s all work all the time, but that is the nature of running your own business. With both our father and Pete’s father owning businesses when we were kids, none of us are strangers to seeing the work and sacrifice that go into this kind of lifestyle.

When people ask why “these cards” and not the endless wall of cards at The Big Drugstore, that’s why. It’s hard to find something there that takes a risk; they tend to be more mainstream with words somebody was paid to write. Indie designers don’t usually put greetings in their cards, so what starts as a cost or manufacturing issue actually puts the buyer in a great position by default. They have to write their own message, their own greeting, their own feelings inside that blank card. Blank canvases are terrifying to some people, and those people should definitely keep frequenting the card aisle at Duane Reade, where the work is done for you. That’s just not as interesting to me, and I think the people who buy indie cards feel the same way.

One of the things we love most about you is your passion for supporting independent designers? Independent designers, for the most part, have the ability to make more exciting, cutting-edge, fearless work. I know it’s not saving lives or jumping out of planes, but the ability to take

NYC Â&#x2022; Letterpress Studios

Phone: 212-629-6517 www.publicide.com

PUBLICIDE INC.

Address: 163 Varick Street, 6th Floor New York, NY 10013

Publicide is a printing and design company specializing in letterpress and custom offset printing for a wide range of businesses and individuals. Our printing capabilities and industry experience make us a great fit for many types of print jobs, large and small. From postcards and business cards to press kits and product launches; we take as much care in creating 100 wedding invitations as we do in helping our corporate clients with their trade show brochures and conference booklets. As a combined printing press and design company, Publicide offers unsurpassed attention to detail based on the idiosyncratic, creative and commercial needs of our clients. Whether you need a small run of quality business cards or a full scale graphic identity launch, together we will determine the best way to realize your goals.

NYC Â&#x2022; Letterpress Studios

Interview with Dustin from Publicide What do you like the best about letterpress printing? The results you can achieve are so tactile, and the physical process of the press really works for me. There's something about the rhythm of cranking and going back and forth that, while a lot of hard work, is also incredibly therapeutic and focused. What inspires you? I find myself going back to botanical illustrations and maps over and over again, particularly 19th century drawings and illustrations. Natural

forms, whether botanical, astral, or animal, appeal to me greatly and I love their gentle, malleable lines. I'm also crazy for hand lettering and beautiful type forms, so it's the perfect marriage for me to combine my love of imagery with text in letterpress designs. Which press(es), ink & paper do you usually use? In Brooklyn, I print mostly on a Vandercook 4-T flatbed cylinder press with Crane's Lettra, and I also have a small Golding Official No. 4 tabletop in our living room that I use for envelopes and small pieces. I also have two presses in Marion, Iowa in my dad's shop that I'm starting to use a Challenge MP-15 flatbed cylinder press, and a Golding Pearl No. 14 flywheel platen press that was made in 1898. I just got those cleaned up and functional and I'm hoping to use them a lot more in the near future! How would you describe your artwork?Â All of my imagery is original drawings that I've done. With the designs I do for letterpress I focus on using very fine lines, since those print beautifully. I like to incorporate botanical and map drawings where I can, and occasionally a little something else creeps in, as

well. I also like to hand letter as much as possible. I have sketchbooks filled with ideas in all stages of completion and am constantly drawing new ideas and new text to use in the future. My todo list is about 17 years long right now and I just check things off as I can. It's the best kind of problem to have! What kind of products do you create? I make wedding invitations, greeting cards, blank stationery, and personal stationery...and occasionally a broadside or two. I'm also a bookbinder, so I make lots of albums, journals, and guestbooks in a variety of styles. I love incorporating beautiful materials, vintage stamps, and rich textures into my work. Is there anything you wished you had known as a beginner? I think it's always good to remember that you don't know very much and it's ok to ask questions. I've been doing this full time for 4 years and I still feel like I only know about the very tip of the iceberg. There are so many different kinds of machinery and techniques and tricks and styles that a lifetime isn't enough to master it all.

NYC Â&#x2022; Letterpress Studios

Publicide Inc. office 163 Varick Street, 6th Floor New York, NY 10013

NYC Â&#x2022; Letterpress Studios

Address: 281 North 7th Street, Williamsburg, Brooklyn, NY www.thearmnyc.com

THE ARM

The Arm Letterpress is a public access printshop in the Williamsburg neighborhood of Brooklyn, New York. Owner Dan Morris first setup shop in 2004, using the studio as his personal printing space and as a dedicated location for his equipment, but that quickly transitioned into a public studio and The Arm opened its doors in 2005. With a family printing history going back four generations, Dan has a wealth of printing and equipment knowledge and saw opening his space to the public as a great opportunity to share his skills with anyone interested in learning. Many of the presses at The Arm have been repaired and restored by Dan. He is always working on press projects and often has equipment for sale at the shop. When heâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s not at The Arm, he also runs the letterpress shop at Cooper Union.

NYC Â&#x2022; Letterpress Studios

1. The arm studio inside view 2. letterpress printing tools 3. Studios corner 4. Type cabinets 5. Wood type

NYC Letterpress Studios

Interview with Dan from The Arm

Can you introduce yourself and the arm? Yes, I am Dan Morris, and The Arm is a letterpress studio in Williamsburg, Brooklyn. I set this space up as a place where I could print things that I wanted to print in my own little nest, but also, wanted to make it into a place where other people could come in and work. What first got you interested in letterpress printing? My family’s been in letterpress back to my great great grandfather, on my mother’s side and as a kid I was in the print shop a little bit. It was something that I had to do.

Do you teach the workshops, and what kind of workshops do you offer? There’s one workshop that I do here, and I do it over and over again. And then I have a couple of more specialized workshops that are taught by other people. The one that I usually do is the vandercook intro workshop. I know these presses really well, and I kind of figured out a little six hour session that I can do with a small group that can get them to the point where they have enough confidence to come back in and, with just a little bit of coaxing, run a job on the press. That is something that we do at least twice a month, and they tend to be full.. so we should probably do it more often. At the same time, I think it’s important to keep weekend days open for people who have finished the workshop and want to come back in and get press time. Is there any fine art made on these presses? I would like to see more of that, I have helped a few artists with things like art editions and poetry chapbooks and broadsides, and I love those types of things. I like printing that is about ideas. I like the fact that it’s a communication, and I like being around artists. I really

enjoy helping people with stationery projects too, but I feel like I’m happiest when that type of work is creating time for more indulgent printing…there’s a lot of untapped potential there. Do you have any advice for people who are looking to start up a community open studio? Yeah, move to a town with cheap rent. Don’t be afraid to buy presses that don’t work, as long as they’re all there.That’s something that I’ve learned, there is a really good support network and you can get things going. You don’t have to buy a press on ebay. It’s too competitive! people just like, mortgage their house or something, I don’t understand where this money is coming from! Do you have any favorite letterpress artists or designers? Yeah, his name is Dylan Fareed and he started doing artist prints in letterpress, mostly from photopolymer plates. His company is called I am still alive and he’s been doing some pretty cool things.

NYC Â&#x2022; Letterpress Studios

Phone: 347-768-8177 www.sesameletterpress.com

SESAME LETTERPRESS

Address: 55 Washington Street, suite 608 Brooklyn, New York 11201

Sesame Letterpress is a letterpress studio in Brooklyn, New York operated by the wedded team of Breck Hostetter and Matt Heindl. They specialize in custom printing projects from invitations to personal stationery to limited edition artistsâ&#x20AC;&#x2122; publications. Dating backto the 15th Century, letterpress printing is done by inking a plate with a raised surface of type or images and pressing this inked surface into a sheet of paper, creating a beautiful debossed impression. All Their printed goods are produced in their Brooklyn studio with cast iron platen presses. Each piece is hand-fed, one color at a time and one piece at a time on their Victorian machines. They are committed to reducing our footprint on the environment and use paper made from 100% recovered cotton fibers which require fewer chemicals and produce far less waste than papers made from trees.

NYC Â&#x2022; Letterpress Studios

1. Black Cat A creepy black cat letterpress coaster. 2. Letterpress lobster coasters Each coaster is printed one at a time on 19th Century presses. 3. Lobster coasters close shot 4. Golden fish coasters

NYC Letterpress Studios

The letterpress process is a slow but rewarding process and the attention to detail and labor-intensive process generates truly one-of-a kind stationery and paper goods. -Breck

Interview with Breck from Sesame Letterpress

When did you start letterpress printing? 1999. What do you like best about letterpress printing? Tactical process... timeless beauty. Using machines that people have made a living from for 5+ generations. What inspires you? Victorian curiosities. Art. Life. Which press(es), ink & paper do you usually use? Golding Jobbers are the presses we use mainly. Heavyweight paper only. How would you describe your artwork? Deep impressions, perfect ink coverage. What kind of products do you create? Wedding Announcements, cards, stationery, business cards, drink coasters, gift tags, invitations and other printed curiosities. Do you offer custom work? Yes. Where can we buy your products? sesameletterpress.bigcartel.com Do you offer workshops? If yes, what kind of: Yes. Please inquire directly. Mainly coaster printing, personal stationery and business cards.

NYC Â&#x2022; Letterpress Studios

Phone: 718.596.3520 swayspace.com

SWAYSPACE

Address: 232 Third Street, E104 Brooklyn, NY 11215

We tackle a diverse array of design projects for a wide variety of clients: technology companies, non-profit organizations, hospitals, fashion designers, musicians, professors, artists, and publishers have retained us to design logos, marketing collateral, websites, user interfaces, books, CD cases, software packaging, tradeshow booths, and building signage.

Swayspace is a technical term describing the amount of space or padding required to protect precious cargo from interference or damage from external elements. To us, Swayspace is a safe place for design, a studio practice grounded in strong, inspired ideas and a flexible, thorough project development process.

NYC Letterpress Studios

Interview with Patrick from Swayspace When did you start letterpressprinting? 2002 Can you introduce yourself? I’m William, a partner of Swayspace, a design letterpress studio. We started here at summer of 2002 in New York. I’m patrick Fenton, I have been working with Willy at Swayspace for 12 years. What first got you interested in letterpress printing? Our letterpress shop started in 2002 when me and Willy heard about a press for sale in their Williamsburg studio

neighborhood. With not a lick of letterpress experience, we set out to restore the press and learn to operate it. Luckily, their interest in type design, prowess with all things mechanical, and a helpful hand from some local experts led to a well-functioning print shop. Today, the our printshop is comfortably situated in a 2,000 square foot studio in the Old American Can Factory in Gowanus, Brooklyn, a building that is home to hundreds of Brooklyn artists and artisans. Which press(es), ink & paper do you usually use? Letterpress printing is a relief printing process, so that means that the printing plate has some sort of image that with ink and print into paper. That’s pretty common in most printing process, and the reason that it is really fun, actually print on the paper raised above the rest of it, so you got a one letter, one piece of moveble typethat’s the relief printing that has physical thing there that actually printing on the paper. Patrick: Neither of us knew exactly what we were doing as we started to become printer like that, but both of us had done different kind of fine art print-

ing, silk screen, monotype printing, and etching. It just like there’s something very mechanical about it, which really fit the product background that we had. And there’s something really satisfied about the artwork you can make, but there has something very practical, sort of like graphic design. What kind of products do you create? We design logos, books, marketing materials, packaging, websites, and software interfaces. We specialize in printing fine invitations, posters, business materials, and art editions.

NYC Â&#x2022; Letterpress Studios

1. 3D Book 2. Project for Bad Feather 3. Sleep No More ticket 4. The LetterPress Kit, filled with samples of Sway letterpress work.

NYC Â&#x2022; Letterpress Studios

California Job Case Layout

NYC Â&#x2022; Letterpress Studios

CREDITS Books cited

A 21st century guide to the letterpress business- How to acquire, restore, operate, and turn a profit with your platen press, Marty Brown Preparing art for printing, Bernard Stone and Arthur Eckstein Indie Publishing, How to design and produce your own book, Ellen Lupton, Letterpress now, a diy guide to new and old printing methods, Jessica c. White How to make books, Esther K. Smith

Websites Cited

www.designsponge.com/2008/12/wintern-podcast-the-arm-letterpress-studio.html www.hudsonmadeny.com/pages/sesame-letterpress animalnewyork.com/2012/the-romance-of-old-machines-brooklyns-sesame-letterpress/ www.feltandwire.com/2012/08/06/on-the-wire-greenwich-letterpress/ www.eljardinrojo.com/blog/2012/09/el-jardin-rojo-en-nueva-york-greenwich-letterpress/ swayspace.com www.newyorkwritesitself.com/2011/10/new-york-types/ www.brooklynbookbinder.com nymag.com/weddings/planner/2008/summer/stationers/ www.magnetstudio.com/words/2010/feltron-letterpress-annual-report www.thearmnyc.com elationpress.com greenwichletterpress.com/shop/index.php?cpage=splashpage www.centerforbookarts.org www.crane.com www.fontomtype.de/pages/2011/04/09/hot-metal-typesetting/ letterpresscommons.com roseledgard.wordpress.com/category/typography/ www.core77.com typographia.oszk.hu/html/uk/gutenberg_uk.htm www.briarpress.org www.weloveletterpress.com www.ramstudiofineartprinting.com typographia.oszk.hu/html/uk/gutenberg_uk.html

NYC Letterpress Studios

Type measurements 6 POINTS = 1 NONPAREIL 12 POINT = 1 LINE OR PICA 6 PICAS OR LINES = 1 INCH

NYC Â&#x2022; Letterpress Studios