Discover Letterpress Prints
Letterpress printing is the oldest, most iconic printing technique, and it was developed by Gutenberg around 1450. To create letterpress prints, operators place raised image or letter blocks made of metal or wood into a large collapsible frame. They then ink the raised blocks and press the frame down onto sheets of high-quality paper, including vellum, Rives BFK paper, and Arches paper. By the late 1700s, lithographic printing had supplanted the more laborious process of creating letterpress prints. However, letterpress printing made a strong comeback in the mid-20th century with the introduction of metal-cut plates for commercial and brand imaging. Today, hundreds of boutique and large letterpress printing shops are producing output that, in addition to wedding invitations and other ephemera, include special-event broadsides and artwork with the traditional texturing of letterpress, along with its deep, bold styling.