What is Letterpress Printing?

Started in the 15th century, letterpress is the oldest form of printing where ink is applied to a raised plate and pressed into paper, making a debossed impression. Traditionally, individual metal or wooden type was hand set and locked into a chaise for printing. Today plates can be made from computer created designs, making modern letterpress unrestricted from specific typefaces and imagery.

The letterpress printing process requires great time and attention to detail. Plates are carefully aligned on an antique press and pieces are meticulously one sheet and one ink color at a time, meaning that a single sheet can be fed through the press through several rounds of printing before completion. No two sheets are exactly the same, as ink color and impression can subtly change from piece to piece. After over 500 years, letterpress is still sought for printing beautiful and truly unique pieces, made with time, love, and care

Colleen prints on a large proofing press called a Vandercook (the rollers are shown here to the left). Vandercook presses were first manufactured in 1909 and were the first geared, rigid-cylinder presses. These presses are capable of high-quality prints that show incredibly fine detail and a beautiful impression.