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L E T T ERPR ESS PRIN T IN G

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L E T T ERPR ESS PRINT IN G

THE BEGIN n I NG The history of Letterpress

ST E P The precess

BRA N C H D ESIGN Branch design from Letterpress

PRESS

MANAG i ng Di r ecto r Rinrada Krusuansombat

M A N AGi ng e di to r Walin Burana

s ales Kanin Ravila Barane Taveeta Pamon Lawipan

e di to r i a l Palad Sarun

A RT Kanomjib Jaiyen Salapao Lava Ginjai Jandee Orkbaeb deemak

M a r ke i ng a n d c i rc u l at io n Rawin Jirawattana

Acco u nt ing Tamjai Media co.,ltd

OWNE R TAMJA I MEDI A co . ,ltd SUBSCRIPT IO N 0-2347-5689-50

Letterpress printing is a relief printing process, which initially utilized raised metal type and engravings to imprint words and designs on a page. Letterpress 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 quality in comparison to current offset and digital printing methods.

Pr int er o per at ing a Gutenberg-st yle scr ew p r ess

W hen 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 metal type included individual capital and lowercase letters, as well as punctuation symbols; these characters’ reverse impressions (or “mirror images”) were cast 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 for legibility. In order to transfer these impressions from forme to page, Gutenberg used a lacquer-like ink he created himself out of soot, walnut oil and turpentine.

The blocks would then be inked and paper placed on top, and rubbing the paper onto the wood would create an 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.

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 t o o k a s t a f f o f 2 0 a n d t wo t o t h r e e y e a r s (between 1452 and 1454/1455) to complete. O n e h u n d r e d e i g h t y c o p i e s we r e m a d e o f this Bible, and 48 copies can still be found in museums today.

Gutenberg’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.

For the next 350 years, Gutenberg’s press was used to print with virtually no changes to the design.

Nex t St eps In

W hile 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 not only allowed the printed word to reach the common people, it also encouraged the spreading of infor mation 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.

Ty p e f a c e d e s i g n e r a n d g u n s m i t h William Caslon created a type that was legible and distinct, which became popular for use in printing important documents. After his death, Caslonâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;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 c e n t u r y, p r i n t e r a n d t y p o g r a p h e r 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.

L et t e r p r e ss

I n t h e l at e 1 9 8 0 s , l e t t e r p r e s s p r i nt i n g h a d i t s o w n r e v i va l a m o n g s m a l l p r i nt e r s w h o st i l l wa nt e d t h at ta c t i l e , q u a l i t y f e e l t h at o f f s e t p r i nt i n g cannot provide.

However, it wasn’t until the 1990s that it became popular among i n d iv i d u a l s f o r t h e i r p e r s o n a l printing needs. It was around this time when Martha Stewart Weddings featured letterpress wedding invitations, sparking a renewed interest in the printing method. Original letterpress printers used a “kiss” method of printing; that is, the press only touched the paper enough to transfer the ink. Modern letterpress enthusiasts, however, are interested in deep impressions in the page — more commonly referred to in the industry as “d eb o s s i n g ” — wh i ch make i t immediately obvious that the page i s, i n fa ct, l ette r p ress an d n o t p r i n t e d b y a n y o t h e r m e a n s. The appeal lies in the deep i m p res s io n s o n th e p ag e, as a beautiful, imprinted work of art rather than just a printed page. This elegant, tactile quality of current letterpress printing is now the primary reason for choosing to print with this method rather than offset. As offset is now the primary printing method for both professional and home print jobs, letterpress printing takesthe 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’s method of individual characters to print letterpress, others have embraced 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 page and create a photopolymer plate of the page’s design. The design can then be pressed into the paper, creating a colorful, tactile work of art.

Now, letterpress printing is used for all kinds of work. The most p o p ul ar o p ti o n i s l etter p ress wedding invitations, which can be as simple as a single invitation card or as complex as an entire letterpress suite, complete with reply cards, intricate and detailed maps, and envelopes pressed with unifying desi g n el emen ts. I n addi ti o n , 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 aren’t the only big events that are letterpress-worthy. Bar and bat mitzvah invitations, birth announcements and shower invitations have also appeared, as have letter press g reeting 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 for ms: typesetting and hand-written cards. Outside of personal 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 company’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.

Imposition M a i n a rt i c l e : i m p o s i t i o n

Composition, or typesetting, is the stage where pieces of movable type are assembled to form the desired text. The person charged with composition is called a "compositor" [or typesetter], setting letter by letter and line by line. Traditionally, as in manual composition, it involves selecting the individual type letters from a type case, placing them in a composing stick, which holds several lines, then transferring those to a larger type galley. By this method the compositor gradually builds out the text of an individual page l etter by letter. In mechanical typesetting, it may involve using a keyboard to select the type, or even cast the desired type on the spot, as in hot metal typesetting, which are then added to a galley designed for the product of that process. The first keyboard-actuated typesetting machines, the Linotype and the Monotype, were introduced in the 1890s. After a galley is assembled to fill a page's worth of type, the type is tied together into a single unit so that it may be transported without falling apart. From this bundle a galley proof is made, which is inspected by a proof-reader to make sure that the particular page is accurate.

Composition M a i n a rt i c l e : t y p e s e t t i n g

P r i nt i n g M a i n a rt i c l e : p r i nt i n g p r e s s

LETTERPRESS

Your wedding invitation is one of the very first parts of the wedding that guests actually get to see, and it’s important to show your…

B U S I N E S S C AR D

Letterpress printing has been around for hundreds of years and yet remains one of the hottest trends in stationer y. Letterpress business cards still have the ability to turn heads. The ancient technique involves a surface with raised letters or artwork inked and then pressed into thick, soft paper, adding an exciting, tactile quality to the design. Known for producing a clean and elegant style, the letterpress technique is favoured by many designers for creating unique and creative business cards. Here we've picked 50 brilliant examples of letterpress business cards to inspire your designs.

L E T T ERPR ESS PRINT IN G