There's something about a handmade gift, like the ones we made for our parents for Christmas when we were 4. I remember wrapping a big box for my dad to open on Christmas. It's contents...a drawing of our stereo. Merry Christmas, Dad.
In all seriousness though, the thought behind the handmade gifts make them so much more lovely. The toiling over what ribbon to use, or the perfection you desire but never quite achieve...It really is the thought that counts.
But, when it comes to letterpress (sweet letterpress!), the handmade and the precision come together in a marvelous symphony of ink and paper.
I wish I had more opportunity to work in this medium. For those who aren't familiar, letterpress is the process of inking a raised surface and pressing it onto the paper, leaving the ink (and when desired, a depression in the paper) behind. Any kid who grew up in South Michigan has played with one of these at the Ford Museum.
Generally, this is done in small shops on small single presses lovingly monitored by blackened-handed pressman coordinating ink flow and press pressure. Oh, the novelty!
When one thinks of printing, it's usually a 2-dimensional process: Ink applied on flat paper. But, with letterpress, that depression of the paper adds another level of texture and dimension. The finished product is gorgeous.
One of my favorite press shops is Studio on Fire. I just came across them last week and don't know much about them, but their work speaks for itself:
So, if you're looking for a gift for me for my birthday or Christmas, which I now you all are, nothing says love like movable type.
1 comments:
I remember your grandfather running an old hand-fed press (a part time job for him) creating business cards, letterhead, posters etc for his brother-in-law who owned the shop. The "press room" was complete with the smell of ink and cabinets that had drawer after drawer housing "type" of various fonts and and styles. To top it all off there was a lazy old black cat (named Inky, of course) that would lay on top of one of the cabinets watching the sheets or card stock being fed into the press one at a time. Most of his work used traditional black ink, but for some reason I distinctly remember he also used dark green ink or red ink for some jobs...have no idea why that stands out. As a kid I remember getting a print set of ink, rubber type etc from my dad. Maybe there is something genetic about your fascination with this!
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