Hi TJ,Is this still available? I’d be interested in the whole lot. Do you have a guess at what shipping costs might be? I’m located in Virginia.Thanks,Cindy Bateman

Hi Gary,I have a couple of duplicate sticks, if that helps. I’ve been playing with the Ludlow and **LOVE** it!! SO much handier than a Linotype! Not, of course, as fast, but quick enough for hobby-shop use, and nice faces. I’ve got the machine to produce good, solid type, and blank filler slugs, and repeat lines as needed. I’m going to use four…[Read more]

Nnooooo, indeed. Lettra is incredibly thirsty. It can really soak up letterpress ink, so I can only imagine what it does with watercolor … terrifying.

I tried to recommend this, but the bride’s grandmother was hand painting full-color watercolor flowers for each of her 5 pieces. Yeaaaaaaah. So, that complicated things.I actually found a local printer in town who has done offset printing on Lettra Digital (and Savoy Digital, my preference), which is about 90lb instead of the standard 110lb. They…[Read more]

By ruin your printer, I mean that the fibers will begin clogging the ink head and start spurting out black ink dots on your prints halfway through the run. Lettra is too cottony and it is uncoated meaning the digital prints will be dull and soft. 

Go the simplest route you can.Also I should note, Lettra is HORRIBLE for watercoloring in, it will bleed, warp, stretch, and then dry super dull and ugly. If you insist on hand applying the watercolor you need to buy a watercolor paper (they all lettrepress well) which will cost you double per card what Lettra does at least. I was an illustrator…[Read more]

I did this exact thing once. Here is the thing – you will ruin your printer if you put regular lettra in in for a long run and digital printers do NOT print evenly as the grippers which pull in the paper to the printer shift, on the same part of the page, so you wouldn’t have hairline line up if you needed it. I really liked Hahnmule paper for…[Read more]

For a job like this I charge 40 an hour. A one color job of 100-200 would take maybe 2 – 3 including cleanup, so I would round up to 100 probably. I charge per print if I have to do all the incidentals like ordering paper, cutting paper, prepping files, getting plates made, setting up, ink mixing, printing, re-trimming to crop marks, and shipping.…[Read more]

Um, yeah. That’s a great deal, indeed. Thanks for sharing their name! I’m totally going to get in touch now.

Yeah their website is down, they are in the process of re-doing it, you can call though or email. They do any type of photopolymer plate for 50 cents a square inch. Its a nice deal. 

This is really great, Danielle. Thank you so much for sharing! I now really want to pick up a halftone test plate myself and see what different results I get on my presses. The links on your blog post were also really inspiring. I went to the website of Concord Engraving and it said they’re under construction? Is their website just not … updated? 

Ashley We have not yet received your submission, I have emailed you a couple times as well. Can you get back to me please!Angela

Hey all,I updated the blog and did some new experiments with more success, you can read my findings there. Casey – Thank you, however I don’t have an issue making the screens, the plate makers do that for me and even if I wanted to I could use Vectoraster or just photoshop it into a bitmap. It is more in choosing the proper settings to get a nice…[Read more]

Did mine arrive Angela? Keep meaning to check to see if you got them!

We have not received from two members, I think however I need to just finish this and move on! So what I am going to do it begin collating to send out. I am sorry this drug on this time, I hate when swaps take this long! I will be contacting the international participants with your shipping costs as soon I get everything collated!Angela

Hi Gary,I would be in your debt forever! I have an assembly/parts list but it is for a newer model Ludlow, and has no actual operational information.  What I need are the basic steps from locking in the stick on the machine, through casting the line, and removal  of the stick. Seems simple enough, but there are a bunch (!) of safety features b…[Read more]

Barb, would a scan of a manual be of help?  I have a manual, it’s my only, as I am also in the process of obtaining a Ludlow.  It’s gonna be a protracted endeavor, because down here, it seems that turn-key operations are unobtainum.  I have to get a Model M here, mats there, mat cabinets over across the state, ludlow sticks over in Portland, pi…[Read more]