![]() ![]() ![]() The “press” needs to be prepared with an in-depth understanding of the machine because each setting can influence printing and therefore the print result. You need time, craftsmanship, skill and patience for this printing method. What is special about letterpress printing? The method is very well suited to typography, drawings and illustrations, whereas full surface coverage is difficult to print with letterpress. It is also frequently used for wedding cards and other greeting cards. Letterpress printing is ideal for high-quality business cards, invitations and book covers. Soft papers are the preferred material for letterpress.īest possible uses of letterpress printing? Traditionally the printing form was merely allowed to “kiss” the paper, whereas high embossing and deep embossing define today’s approach to letterpress. Craftsmanship is essential for this printing method. This is due, in the main, to the unique haptic experience created by the print process. Letterpress is currently experiencing a renaissance. ‘Integrating the process into the flow of a modern publishing company is a challenge, but the possibilities are endless and is something that is greatly in keeping with Faber’s identity as it currently exists and gives us a tangible connection to our illustrious past.… is in accordance with the original printing method developed by Johannes Gutenberg. ‘We use the studio for the production of small-scale limited publications for sale (broadsides, pamphlets, for example) and printed ephemera for other purposes (postcards, invitations, bookmarks, flyers), and for our Faber Members programme. With Faber’s strong brand generally, and particularly our design and production heritage, it seemed we were in a unique position to explore the possibilities of letterpress printing as part of a modern general publishing business. ![]() We also became aware of the resurgence of letterpress printing and the book arts. ‘We have always produced a significant number of finely printed limited editions, especially of poetry, and had started to produce more elaborate volumes. Our former Head of Production, Jack Murphy, whose passion for the craft of printing was pivotal to the development of our letterpress programme, had this to say for a blog article in 2015: Photos below, from the print day at LCBA, are by Barbara Mignocchi.Ībout the Faber Letterpress With our long literary history and strong design heritage, Faber is dedicated to continuing the craft of print in how we think and how we publish.įaber has enjoyed a long-running partnership with the LCBA. The day after, the prints are carefully checked, and then trimmed and packed ready for distribution. Each print is hand-fed through the press, one by one – all 1,000 copies – and left to dry overnight. The final print is signed-off, and the print run begins. Amendments are made, if necessary, and the packing and registration is adjusted on the press, to ensure a crisp and even impression. Once the press is ready, the forme is inked and an initial proof is taken. The press is inked up by applying a small amount of the oil-based ink to the rollers – a little goes a long way – and the rollers are left to run, and the ink is evenly distributed. The ink is mixed: for the dark green, we mixed an oil-based green ink with a little black on an old lithography stone which we use for ink mixing. The standing type is now checked over for any errors, missing letters, upside-down or irregular sorts, etc., before being locked into a forme on the bed of the Vandercook proofing press. Once the stick is filled, the type block is removed by sliding it onto the imposing stone, and subsequent lines are added, until the copy has all been set. As each line is assembled, lines of leading are inserted to space apart the lines of type. Each sort is placed upside down, working left to right. Type is set, letter by letter, line by line – taken from the typecase and set in a composing stick. Simon Goode at the London Centre for Book Arts (LCBA), where our letterpress prints are printed, describes the process of creating our newest print, an extract from T. The artisanal craft of letterpress printing is undergoing a revival, and Faber has been working with the medium for years.
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