The Platen Press
Built for consistency and speed, our automated platen press handles large runs of wedding suites, business cards, and dense envelopes. It operates with a rhythmic clack-hiss that serves as the constant pulse of our daily production.
The Studio Floor
Heavy iron, delicate impressions.
Step into the workspace where century-old mechanics meet modern stationery design. We rely on restored cast iron, hand-mixed pigments, and absolute precision to create deeply textured prints.
The Original Heidelberg Platen Press, fully restored and operating daily to press fibers with heavy impact.
Studio Origins
A craft rooted in patience.
Before the industrial-scale presses arrived, our practice began as a quiet study of physical typography. We set out to preserve the traditional techniques of relief printing while pushing the boundaries of contemporary stationery and editorial design.
Letterpress is an inherently slow medium. It demands calibration, test runs, and a physical understanding of how ink interacts with soft cotton fibers. Every project that passes through our doors is fed by hand, checked by eye, and allowed the time it needs to cure properly.
The Equipment
The Workhorses
The Flatbed Cylinder
Reserved for broad art prints, larger posters, and our hands-on workshops, the manual flatbed press requires careful hand-cranking. It allows for meticulous registration, deep debossing, and exceptionally rich ink coverage over large surface areas.
Fibers & Pigments
Materials Matter
100% Cotton Paper
We exclusively source tree-free, pure cotton paper. Its inherent softness and heavy weight make it the perfect canvas for letterpress, eagerly absorbing the strike of the plate to leave a deep, sculptural impression you can feel.
Hand-Mixed Inks
Every hue is formulated entirely by eye using pure rubber-based pigments and a digital scale, ensuring a flawless match to your specific palette.
Photopolymer Plates
Your designs are developed into physical relief plates, bridging the gap between precise digital typography and analog pressure.
Beyond the Ink
Our craft extends beyond laying color on paper. We utilize blind debossing to sculpt shapes directly into the page without pigment, and employ precision die-cutting to create distinctive, non-standard silhouettes for custom projects.
Next Steps
See It In Action
Whether you are interested in learning the craft yourself or ready to start a bespoke stationery order, our doors and presses are open.
Or reach out directly