I totally agree with Jen! Sometimes you find the most beautiful wood underneath all those coats of grime and paint. We have several that have turned out to be cherry and look gorgeous when refinished. I think a cohesive natural look (rather than industrial avocado green!) has better value anyway if you were to resell.

Sorry I missed the conference this year. If you ever want to come out west, Salt Lake City might be fun. We have a really great print shop at the University of Utah http://www.lib.utah.edu/collections/book-arts/ and we have Saltgrass Printmakers a non-profit organization dedicated to the art of…[Read more]

I haven’t done a lot of edge coloring, but I’ve had the most success with the air brush method. I wrote a little how-to for Felt & Wire a few months ago, posted here – http://www.mohawkconnects.com/feltandwire/2013/06/27/letterpress-business-cards-with-an-edge-2/

Wow, thanks everyone. These are some great tips. I’ll keep an eye out for a blick coupon as an airbrush seems like a good investment.  Much appreciated! 

Yes. I use the copic marker airbrush. I guess my “easily match pantone colors” comment was not quite accurate. But they do have a lot to choose from.

I have a deep relief base / K152 plates. I don’t have a roller gauge or platen leveling tool (not any that are made for letterpress), but I certainly need to invest in such.I’ve adjusted my platen a couple of times. What doesn’t make since to me is that I pressed a piece yesterday and it looks perfect. It was a smaller area, so perhaps the longer…[Read more]

I acquired my press about two years ago and have never purchased new rolllers. I can’t see any physical wear on the rollers, but that doesn’t mean anything!When I purchased the press, the rollers were about 1-3 years old; I’m not positive actually. I’ve printed a LOT for this little press over the last couple of years, so that could very well be…[Read more]

That’s a good idea to designate type for both letterpress and foil stamping. I would imagine putting any wood mount into a hot foil press would not be smart. ^_^I LOVE the medium and think it’s absolutely beautiful. I’ve read a bit about foil and letterpress and it appears to be a lot of labor when investing in a hot foil stamp such as the…[Read more]

OH WOW. I love how things just work out when they’re supposed to! 

OHHH this makes me happy. I looked at the facebook page you sent me at least 100 times. =))I have a small collection of type but would love to invest in some fresh type! I can imagine how nice it is to not have to change out random letterpress because the “o” is smushed or something!Do you know if the magnesium or brass dies are inexpensive?…[Read more]

hey hope! how timely is this? came up on eBay today. these people can make dies for 72 pt type holders. i am going to have a couple made.http://www.ebay.com/itm/Kingsley-Machine-72-Point-108-Point-Custom-Dies-Made-to-Order-/281142229403?pt=LH_DefaultDomain_0&hash=item417561f99b

Photos, please!Are you using a deep relief base or a standard base? Are you using the right kind of plates for your base (K152 for deep relief, for example)? Do you have the “lollipop” roller gauge to test your roller height and check for the evenness of inking? Also, do you have the platen leveling tool from John Falstrom?Both our C&P Pilots a…[Read more]

i’ve had success with professional spray paint cans. i clamp a stack and lightly go around and around until i get the coverage i am looking for with that color. however, it is a bit touch and go with a spray can. one splorch can ruin your whole stack of expensive 220#. so i recently bit the bullet and bought an airbrush. i had a 40% off coupon for…[Read more]

Thanks Jessica. That is a very nice resource.

I am wondering about this as well. has anyone spoken to a lawyer or found any more info?thankssam

Hope, how old are your rollers? Sometimes they can wear unevenly.Judith

hi camille… who do you use to make your slugs? do they have a lot of typefaces to choose from? reasonably priced? 

yes, you can use regular type. i’ve been using the Kingsley for about 2 years with no real concern on wear with the typefaces i own. i do use fresh type. i bought several from belltype. there is nothing like fresh type. so crisp and accurate. however, i also use old ebay purchased typefaces too. it just depends on your project. plus, you don’t…[Read more]

You can use regular type, but it does wear the face down. I use ludlow or linotype and cast a few slugs to change them out when they get worn, and save my foundry type for printing. You can get dies made, they just can’t be mounted to wood…you need solid metal. They are really fun and can turn out nice work as you can see from Renata’s link. You…[Read more]

OHHH that’s a lovely hot foil machine! So you just use regular set type? I absolutely love the way it turns out on paper!! I wonder if you can get dies made for this type of machine. Thanks for your response. I’ll be looking into a Kingsley. I’ve heard the name before. Hopefully I can find what I’m looking for!