A Letterpress Gift

© 2008 Sunlit Letterpress

Above are photos of custom letterpress business cards that we designed and printed for a client's father. It was the father's 60th birthday and these cards were given to him as a gift. He is a fan of script fonts, so we used Bickham script with Caslon for the details. The cards were printed in black ink on Crane's Pearl Lettra. You'll see some smudging on some of the contact information details for privacy reasons, though I'd love to be able to show you the cards without it!

Lately we've had a few questions from clients about the re-use of printing plates. If you are ordering business cards or other stationery, and would like to reorder more cards using the exact same design, we can keep and store your printing plates for your next order. Doing so eliminates waste and allows us to reprint your cards in the future without waiting for a new plate to be processed. In some cases, plate wear or breakdown may not allow for storage, so please contact the studio to discuss your options with us.

Our press schedule is now full until late September. If you are thinking about placing an order for custom letterpress stationery or invitations, please let us know a.s.a.p. so we can reserve your place in line for press time.

Happy letterpressing!

New Etsy Schtuff...

© 2008 Sunlit Letterpress

Above are a few photos of some new letterpress stationery now available in the Sunlit Letterpress Etsy store.

This week we are printing a few custom business card orders (photos to follow) and preparing to print an upcoming order with gold ink. We aren't asked to print with metallic inks too often, but we certainly can use them, so it will be nice to get the cans of ink out and use them again.

This week I am also becoming painfully aware that the holiday season is just around the corner (when Costco starts carrying the Christmas-related paraphernalia, I know it's time). I really need to get moving on the holiday designs.

This year I have been toying with the idea of having a trunk show at my studio or perhaps other location, instead of doing yet another fine art/craft show. I'm not sure what that would mean or look like, but it might be a great way to sell our stationery without the limitations or irritations that come with participating in another art fair. It's not that I don't like doing the art/fine craft shows - don't get me wrong, I do (and I LOVE meeting blog readers at the shows!) I guess it's just that I'm finding that there are less and less fairs/markets that cater to our specific target market.

So, if I were to set up a Vancouver-based trunk show before the holidays - would you come?

Happy letterpressing!

Indigo Girl

© 2008 Sunlit Letterpress

I'm trying to be better at posting more regularly - so here we go! Above are some photos of business cards we designed and printed for Nicole, a fashion stylist from Vancouver. Nicole was fun to work with and picked a great ink color for her cards – the cool purple goes well with Crane's Fluorescent White Lettra stock.

This week we've started working with Addiction Surfboards based in Angoulins, France. My French has come in very handy for this project. Although I was born in Québec and have spoken French as a second language for most of my life, I've never had to use specific printing terms in such depth before. It's been fun to broaden my horizons a bit. We will be printing the certificates that come with each Addiction custom surfboard that the shaper, laminator, and other craftsmen will sign when the board is ready to be delivered. I'm really excited to get started with the printing on this one!

I'm still in shock that Friday will mark the middle of August. Just a few more weeks and I'll be off to Japan. I will definitely be visiting the Printing Museum in Tokyo. I'm also trying to convince my husband that we should visit Puroland (a.k.a. Hello Kitty World) just for the sheer wacky (and quite possibly sickening) sensory overload that it is guaranteed to be. If you have any other recommendations for me (Tokyo or otherwise), feel free to post a comment.

Happy letterpressing!

Monograms + Chickens

This past week I received an order for our monogram stationery, but the client wanted two initials instead of one – as a gift for a friend. It means running the cards through the press twice so that the initials overlap - and I think the result is rather pretty. The cards will soon make their way to San Francisco to their new home.

In other news, a new little friend has taken up residence near the studio. A chicken from the farm across the street has decided that the garden outside the studio makes a great place to find random snacks (what is she eating? bugs?). She also seems to like to hang out under the front entrance. Maybe we'll have to start charging rent for her new chickenminium. Here is a photo of the chicken running away as I try to take her picture...


Happy letterpressing!

Catching Up...

© 2008 Sunlit Letterpress

Whoa...it's been a long time since my last post! About two weeks to be exact. It's been so busy at the studio lately that it's been hard to keep up with blogging. However, I vow to try harder.

Above are some photos of some recent projects – a wedding invitation set that we designed and printed for a wonderful bride, Melanie. It was a pleasure to work with Melanie to come up with an invitation that was simple, modern, and elegant. For her Fall wedding, we chose a maroon-ish shade to match the turning leaves.

The next photos are of some small (6" x 11") posters we printed for local designer Kris Charlton. This is our first official gig poster, and I enjoyed printing something that was so different from our usual stationery orders. Kris worked with the musicians to come up with the overall design and illustration, which was quite intricate (especially the deer illustration).

This week we have been working on a number of custom projects that will be printed over the next few days. I will be sure to post more photos when they are complete.

If you are interested in having Sunlit Letterpress design and print stationery for you, please note that our August print schedule is nearly full. We will be closed for holidays from the beginning to mid-September.

I recently received a note from Boxcar Press about their "Craziest Press Moving Experience" contest. Oh boy, do I ever have a story (i.e. moving my 1200 lb. press into a basement). This will be fun - how often do you get to read about the truly bass ackwards things us crazy letterpress printers do to move thousands of pounds of cast iron?

Oh, and by the way, did you know that Boxcar now recycles old photopolymer plates?

And now on to reader questions...

In the past few weeks I've received a number of emails from readers asking about Kelsey presses, and whether they are good to start with, how much impression one can get with them, can you start a business printing with one, etc. Here are my thoughts:

A Kelsey or other tabletop press is a great starting point. They are great to learn on. I highly recommend starting with a small press before even thinking about buying a floor model press, especially if you are a beginner. Any problems you have with a tabletop (and yes, you will encounter some - small presses have just as many issues as large ones) will only be more challenging to deal with on a large press.

No, I don't think it is truly feasible to run a printing business with a small tabletop press. Some people have started small stationery businesses this way (including me), but a tabletop can only take you so far. You are limited in printable area and impression, and in general these presses weren't meant for more than hobby or small printing use.

Can you get a deep impression with a Kelsey or tabletop? There are ways to do it with effort, but it's tedious. You won't get the results you could with a floor model press.

Bottom line - learn on a tabletop, but don't expect the world from your first little press. There is plenty of time to move up and develop a press addiction over time. Mr. Jim Rimmer, who gave me my first press and taught me to print, told me "this little press won't be your last" and he was right. In fact, if we eventually move to a larger space, I will be keeping my eye out for a Windmill. All in good time though...

Happy letterpressing!