Handmade Letterpress!

[betsypreston]

"I took a class at the local print shop and was told the same thing. But, when that rule was golden, I'm guessing it would have been broken for the sake of papers like Lettra! It's just such an elegant look, and with soft papers like that, poses no threat of damaging your plates. I'd love to see some of the things you've done!"

 

I found some metal "stamps" in my grandparent's things when we cleaned out their house. I tried using my rubber stamping inks, and that didn't work out too well, so I stashed them in a closet. Years later I remembered them while taking my letterpress printing class. Dug them out - sher nuff - type high!

 

I brought them to class, and made some test prints. I think they are plates that my grandpa had made when he was trying to get a patent on some inventions. He was an audio-visual geek, and invented some kind of table for holding a projector, a portable dark room, stuff like that. Or so I gather from the plates. A few years ago I did our holiday cards using one of them. My husband got dragged in to help me print. I took pictures of us running the Vandercook Press, and made a small pamphlet of the process to stick in with the cards. I don't have any pics ready to post.

 

The Minnesota Center for Book Arts (MCBA) has a polymer plate maker, which is kinda like an easybake oven stacked up with three different parts. Exposing light, washer, and dryer. I have to send out an image file to get a negative made, but then I can make my own polymer plates. I've done scratch-negs with india ink on old transparency film. Unfortunately, I only have photoshop so my digital stuff is a bit pixelated. I need to get a vector graphics program, but they're a bit spendy.

 

PM me if you wanna exchange some samples. That would be fun!

[Sasha Royale]

How does this "fluffy" paper stock work with Noodler's non-feathering ink ?

Consider attaching a sheet of Clairefontaine paper inside the card for very

smooth fountain pen writing.

[meghan]

PM me if you wanna exchange some samples. That would be fun!

 

Of course!

 

 

How does this "fluffy" paper stock work with Noodler's non-feathering ink ?

Consider attaching a sheet of Clairefontaine paper inside the card for very

smooth fountain pen writing.

 

I don't know... I don't have any Noodler's non-feathering, but I'd be happy to send you a card to let you test it out. As for the Clairfontaine liner, that was one of my thoughts -- a little spray adhesive to hold it in smoothly, and viola!

[Jimothy]

OK so the answer is forty-two. I broke the code and now I know what forty-two means. Wanna know the answer?

 

It means that if you use and XF nib - the only one I possess is a Waterman's Phileas - and some Noodler's X-feather ink (thanks to my friend on this forum for the ink sample) you can write on your crad stock, Meghan, with a fountain pen.

[WOBentley]

LOVE the last card!

This is a great look

[Blade Runner]

Nice Work!

 

Btw, Crane's offers letter press for personalized stationery. Beautiful stuff. And of course the paper is a joy to write on with fps.

[MichaelMonson]

I've taken a class on using the photopolymer plates..... Much fun, and can be done at home. There is a "hobby"press that will just fit the plates from Boxcar Press, you can do this at home. I also bought a " hobby" ultraviolet exposure box on eBay for $139.00.m"press"cost $160.00 with everything . So, for $300.00' I'm set up for letterpress! You can find on the Boxcar Press site a good explanation of how, what etc., sorry to go on, but this was a very great, fun find!