I have printed on all three weights from them I personally prefer the heavy, I like the thickness and how it takes the impression. I also think they tend to hold up longer.. If I’m doing a freebie or give-away I may use the light or medium. but for the ones that I sell in shops and online I go with the heavy

ooh good tip! I will experiment.

Sometimes you may need to hit it more than once to achieve the opacity you are looking for. A little trick that works sometimes as well is to use a little metallic silver with the white to provide some blocking.AngelaLadybug Press

“There’s nothing about being an artist that is terribly practical.”  -Gail Caduff-NashThanks for the response!  You helped me to focus on steps forward instead of a hope-filled leap.   I have a table book floating through my fingertips and I am compelled to see it printed, before it fades.   I roughed out the plates but need a larger press, thus…[Read more]

Thank you very interesting! Must give it a try!

Too much ink, and your registration is a bit off. Less is best as far as ink goes.

Both the Poco and C&P Proof Presses are hand inked, with no option for paper registration. (You may be able to rig something for the Poco, but it would not be included with the press).The C&P platen presses would require a large amount of dedicated floor space (and a sturdy floor at that!), and are wide enough that they would cause some challenges…[Read more]

Gary and Dustin – You’re not off your rockers, but a lot of us (most?) are printing jobs with designs that bleed off the edges, so trimming the paper to size comes after printing. If your design doesn’t have bleed nor cropmarks, then sure you can paint the edges first, then print. 

I’m with Gary, if your running a job wouldn’t it be a better idea to paint it first, that way if its messed up your not out of everything? I know you couldn’t do all sides on something that is multiple up but at least it has some covered. Let me know if I’m completely off my rocker here.

Thanks for sharing my blog. 🙂 I’m a member here too. I am processing plates at home. I first started making plates for intaglio printing, and now make them for letterpress too. I could do a polymerplate tutorial for you if you want?

This woman has built her own exposure unit in order to process her own plates for letterpress. She has also shared her instructions for making your own exposure unit!http://mirka-h.blogspot.ca/2008/06/how-to-built-lightbox.html

Erica,I suggest using less ink and more pressure. It always amazes me how little ink is really needed. Using too much ink will cause the excess to squeeze up the bevel and give the appearance of bleeding or fuzzy edges. It also steals the light play that is created by impressing the paper. Good luck. It takes a lot of trial and error.? Lily / Lilco

I’m new at printing as well and my first run (Golding Pearl #11) was a bit frustrating as I too could not get my ink even, had bleed and uneven impressions, etc. After much messing with the packing and rollers, I realized I had most likely over inked my platen. So I took a piece of plain paper, laid it on the platen and ran the rollers over it.…[Read more]

Hi Alicia,Platen presses struggle with solids–it’s not their forte! 🙂 You can skip feed, meaning ink the forme two or more times before printing–or hit it twice, but it’s never going to be perfectly solid. We often have floods printed offset, which produces a much richer and more saturated solid.

Ahh thats the beauty of letterpress!  But perhaps give them a double impression? Ie: leave the card in there and let it cycle through the press twice?  This can change the colour or make the colour shade darker so be aware of that. Good luck!

This is an older post, and I am sure the problem is solved, but don’t forget to check your roller height. You can get a roller gauge from Boxcar press.