I am super excited to announce that we are now offering Letterpress Invitations. Letterpress is the oldest method of printing, developed by Gutenberg in the mid 15th century; this process creates an image by pressing an inked raised metal (or poly) plate into a sheet of paper, creating a recessed image. This was the primary means of mass communication for over 500 years. Today letterpress is used mainly with specialized paper goods such as wedding stationery.
The process entails a great deal of preparation such as creating special plates, mixing ink and hand feeding each sheet of paper for printing. This process has always been an expensive option for us to offer because we would have to outsource to a letterpress company. By purchasing Little Letty, an antique Kelsey letterpress, we are able to offer affordable invitations and stationery with this luxurious feel of letterpress.
The Letterpress process begins with a custom design that is sent off to get transferred onto a photopolymer plate for pressing. The plate is a high quality, deep-relief plate that allows for a very deep lux impression. The plates are then aligned on an aluminum base, which allows for perfect inking of the plate. We then hand mix the inks to create the perfect color. Once the inks are mixed we apply it to the ink disc on which the ink rollers run. We only use lux 100% cotton tree free paper. The paper is then fed into the machine one piece at a time allowing for constant quality of each piece. For a multi color design, this process must be repeated for each color. After everything is printed we will clean the press and enjoy the fruits of our labor. Each invitation gets our full attention and is crafted with a critical eye.
If you’re interested in letterpress invitations send me an email. Stay tuned for our new letterpress studio collection coming soon.We are so excited to get pressing.