Monograms + More

© 2008 Sunlit Letterpress

It's Friday again - can you believe it? Where does the time go?

This week I worked on some new custom monogram orders (see photo above monogram in chocolate brown with kraft envelopes for Carron in Maryland). I also worked on a non-letterpress invitation for a luxury hotel in Victoria (BC) that is having an unveiling party for it's new renovations and restaurant opening. I really enjoyed designing that invitation - although I love letterpress, I do also design invitations for offset and digital printing - and switching back and forth is fun. When I get my hands on a hard copy of the invitation, I'll be sure to post.

This week I've been feeling a bit isolated - this happens every once in a while. Working for yourself is fun, but unless you have interactions with other people everyday, you can start feeling like a recluse. I guess it sort of comes with the territory - lots of designers, artists, and printers work alone. I've been looking at some local Etsy-related craft groups to join, but a lot of these are downtown, and I'm in the burbs. It would be great if there were a burb-centered group of designers that met every once in a while to talk shop. It would be an opportunity to meet new people who know what you're talking about (if I start talking about logo design with my friends and family, their eyes start glazing over). Where are all the suburban designers at? I can't be the only one :)

I've gotten a few questions lately from readers asking if they will be able to get a decent impression with a table-top press (specifically Kelseys). As I've noted in previous posts, the short answer is no. The long answer is - if you get good paper, pack your press right, print something with a small surface area, and try other tricks like dampening your paper before printing - you can sometimes get an impression. But, will you get an impression equivalent to what a floor model press could produce? No, sorry : (

In other news...One thing I am super excited about is that my husband and I finally picked dates for our trip to Asia in September. As long as I can remember I've always wanted to go to Japan. I have always been in love with Japanese design and art. My husband's co-workers tell me there is not only a printing museum in Tokyo, but also a paper museum. I can't wait to take in the architecture and bright signs and...I'll be on visual overload I'm sure.

By the way, if you are a member of Facebook and haven't joined the Sunlit Letterpress Facebook Group, c'mon down!

So that's it for now, happy letterpressing!