You should start thinking about the type of finished product you hope to have from the very start and contact your printer about the specifics they require when preparing the file for print.ĭifferent letterpress printers will have guidelines that pertain to how things print on their machinery. When it comes to designing for letterpress, there are some things to keep in mind when working through the creative process. But it is still used for rare editions, special inserted pages and commonly on the cover of annuals such as college yearbooks when students can opt to have their names pressed onto the covers of their keepsake books. Less common is the use of letterpress for book printing, where the technique originated. The debossed style can also work for posters and advertisements. Letterpress business cards have a certain flair to them that some companies prefer, and many designers like the style for personal or freelance business cards. The style is also popular for businesses as well. Letterpress is also used for birth announcements, shower invitations, greeting and holiday cards and gift tags. One of the most common letterpress applications is in the printing of wedding invitations. Therefore, designers commonly use it for small-single page printed projects or replicate the look for digital projects. The biggest obstacles with this type of design are often time and expense. Letterpress is a high-quality printing method that can be used in a variety of ways. While some letterpress printers still opt for single-letter metal on paper, most are a process of creating and image on a computer is used to create a plate of the complete design that is then pressed into paper. Today’s letterpress printing is a combination of digital design and impressions on paper. Specific paper styles were introduced to the market that made letterpress printing easier these papers can contain wood or cotton fibers and are often quite thick and porous. The 2000s have marked an era where paper has changed so that it is more suited for letterpress. This new technique reintroduced letterpress printing in a whole new light, making way for new design possibilities, encouraging a newfound popularity of the medium, and allowing for style trends to emerge throughout the design community.” “Larger print runs were now possible and while some printers still utilize the individual character method of typesetting and printing, many have embraced the new digital method. “The ability to transfer a photo negative to the printing plate revolutionized the process,” according to “ The Beauty of Letterpress” by Neenah Paper. In the 1980s photopolymer plates were developed, beginning a letterpress “revival” of sorts. Letterpress was still used, but more rarely. Alois Senefelder invented lithography printing in the late 1700s, which limited the use of letterpress printing it was limited even more with the advent of offset printing in 1903. In the meantime, offset printing was developed in the 1950s and became the primary means for producing printed work. Gutenberg’s press design was used until the 19th century. Most historical resources link it to Johannes Gutenberg, the father of the printing press, who is said to have invented movable type printing presses and created the first hand press that was used to print nearly 200 copies of the Bible (which took more than 3 years). Letterpress dates to the mid-15th century and the first printing presses. It also assumes a connection to the past because of the old nature of the printing process. It has a simple elegance and beauty that screams class and elegance. It is a design that you can touch and feel. The beauty of letterpress printing is that it engages the senses. Letterpress is often used for printed items that need to have a classic feel, hint of regality or expense or are designed for specific one-time events (weddings, large fundraisers, etc.). Letterpress has seen a resurgence of sorts in recent years because of the unique nature of the prints made. The process also takes considerably more time than digital printing or lithography. Think of it this way: If every letter must be pressed into the paper, a metal “press” has to be created specifically for each project. The expense of letterpress comes from the actual printing. Letterpress printing can be expensive and is often reserved for special projects or for items that need a signature look and feel to them. The end result is lettering that is debossed in the print so you can actually feel each letter on the page. Letterpress is a printing process where each letter is inked and then pressed onto paper.