a little goes a long way
July 23, 2010 | 2 comments
In case you didn’t know, letterpress printing is a lot different than digital or offset. The more colors you use, the more expensive the job will be (each color requires its own plate and a separate run through the press). Here are a few recent 1 color projects that show you don’t need to fork over a fortune to get beautiful letterpress printed pieces.
Wedding invitations designed by the groom, Zac Brooks.
Simple stationery designed for a friend.
Thank you cards designed by Tracy of MadCow Designs.
the woodcrest project pt. 2
July 7, 2010 | no comments
Remember these?
A while back Richard came to me with these gorgeous magnesium blocks that he found in the basement of his new home depicting the very home he lives in. We started by creating a few coasters with the smallest plate, but I soon realized that the plates were too damaged to get consistent prints from.
Warped wood and metal:
I made a print of each plate, scanned the image into my computer, and cleaned it up; getting rid of the damaged areas and making it look like new again. Then the stationery was printed…
#10 envelopes and letterheads:
A6 envelopes and matching flat cards:
And, of course, the wonderful map:
What a difference photopolymer makes. Next up, wedding invitations from the same plates!!
got your mood on?
April 22, 2010 | 2 comments
A few months ago I was approached by a client to design Bar Mitzvah invitations for her son. She was looking for a bold text and color with a bit of a weathered “rock and roll” look. This is what we came up with: a 2 color invitation, rsvp postcard, and thank you note, complete with a custom envelope liner. No small task, but it was a fun one!
{ street address removed for privacy }
happy birthday martha!
March 8, 2010 | no comments
This past September, my grandmother celebrated her 80th birthday. She gave birth to 11 children and has more grandchildren and great- grandchildren than I can even count. To make this birthday special, her kids (my aunts and uncles) planned a surprise party for her. Since I couldn’t be there to celebrate, I asked if I could send the invitations…
They were pretty simple (a 2 color print on Pearl Lettra) but it was nice to give a few more of my family members an idea of what I actually do!
the woodcrest project pt. 1
March 2, 2010 | 2 comments
Richard came to me a couple of weeks ago with a fun project. He had recently moved into a new home (so big and beautiful that it has its own name: Woodcrest) and found these old magnesium plates in the basement. The plates included illustrations of the house itself, a lamp post, and a hand drawn map of the area surrounding the property. We were excited to test them out, so I printed a few coasters for him to take home.
The magnesium has certainly seen better days… All the plates are a bit scratched up, and show signs of warping (wood and metal). I did a few test prints which will be scanned and fixed up in Illustrator (scratches and dents and nails removed!) and then re-made into photopolymer plates to ensure the best printing possible. The images are going to be made into stationery for the Woodcrest home.
To be continued…
claremont collection
March 1, 2010 | no comments
Here is a hint of what is to come from the Claremont Collection- a line of wedding invitations by Curious & Company; Philadelphia’s newest design firm.
Letterpress printing is not an inexpensive process, but there are certainly ways to make it work for every budget. For this job only the invitation was letterpress printed (2 colors on 100% cotton ecru paper) and the reply card and envelopes were printed digitally.
Visit the bride’s post on Wedding Bee for more photos and information.
(information blurred for privacy- the wedding hasn’t happened yet!)
