I have a few favorite moments in working with letterpress. Flipping through the Pantone book trying to ifnd the perfect ink color… Mixing said ink and seeing how a simple formula can create colors that are rich or cool or vibrant… The first pull off the press for a project you’ve worked on for a while… Finally figuring out the right combination of factors to get a print run to look just right… Passing a finished piece on to a client or customer or friend and seeing their joy.
But my favorite moment in working with letterpress is by far the printing surprise. When your design is good, your colors well-planned, and you know it’s going to work, but the Heidelberg adds this little touch of magic that your pdf proofs just can’t explain.
We had a special early holiday surprise this year when printing our pine tree cards for our botanicals line. We designed the card to look like three colors using only two print runs, taking advantage of mixing the green of needles with the brown of pine cones to make a black for a pair of chickadees. The way the colors come together, the whole image really pops off the page and reflects the spirit of the season. And we are grateful for the early holiday surprise.