Letterpress “machine”

This contraption was mentioned in a past forum (Faux-Letterpress), but I was wondering if anyone had more thoughts about it. Paper Source now carries it, so I imagine it will become a popular tool, with plenty of people printing away at home. It reminds me a little of the Gocco. Has anyone seen it in person? Tried printing on one?

Does it use regular photopolymer plates, or did they create a new plate material? (they offer to make custom plates at their website)

They have a couple of “What is Letterpress?” links – one doesn’t work, and the other takes you to this statement, summing up 500+ years in one sentence: “The standard letterpress process involves printing words or designs with ink while simultaneously debossing it into a thick,soft paper.”

I’m torn on this… I’m a big fan of DIY and home crafting, but I hate for things like this to propagate the idea that letterpress printing is as easy as running down to your local stationary store to get a plastic ‘letterpress machine’.

I just saw this on my paper source newsletter email and came here to see what people thought! I think it’s okay- but it will probably add a little pollution to the real craft of letterpress. It’ll be interesting to see what the consensus is.

When I first heard about this I was just shook my head. I think this is more of a child toy than a real printing tool. I’m sure in the coming months you will see a ton of people selling there “letterpress goods”. Boxcar press even makes custom polymer plates for it. My feeling are that this is not a true letterpress machine no matter what anyone thinks.

This fake-letterpress machine is what lead me to seek out a real press. I saw it (I am a big scrapbooker and card maker) in an art supply store and recognized that its really a hunk of plastic. And its not that cheap to get all the supplies! But I am glad it lead me down this road to purchasing my own press. I have always been a big fan of papercrafting, so, it just made sense. I also a rubber stamper, so I think its a natural progression.Course its not real letterpress, it debosses. It should be called a debossing machine, but letterpress sounds nicer. Agreed, it will muddy the art of letterpress a little… but with a little education, folks like me who really want to understand the art, will find their way.

Really? Boxcar makes special plates for this machine? That surprises me about them since they seem a little like purists.

I’ve always been a fan of letterpress (a huge fan!), so when I saw the L Letterpress machine, I was very excited! I purchased it thinking I could play with it, learn more about letterpress and start a small business. I spent a lot of time online, over the last few weeks, researching letterpress and what it would take to start a small business. I soon found that letterpress is more than just a craft, it’s an ART! It takes patience, dedication and the right equipment.The L Letterpress is definitely for the hobbyist (my opinion).I’m still looking into starting a small letterpress business, just with the right equipment. To start, I’m looking for a table top platen and some guidance. :)Thanks, Kristin

Found this post on Briar Press interesting…http://briarpress.org/21875

I have this contraption, just got it a few days ago, and let me say – it is certainly not easy to use! The finished effect, once mastered, is great for greetings cards, tags etc, but it does take a lot of trial and error to get it right.It uses regular photopolymer plates. I am also experimenting with the Caligo Safe Wash Relief Inks, as the ink that comes with the Letterpress set is pretty poor.I agree that this set should be called a debossing set rather than letterpress – it is nowhere near as beautiful as traditional letterpress.I think that this item is aimed at small time crafters and card makers, the majority of which make cards for themselves and for friends. I would definately consider contacting a proper press if I was interested in making more than 10-20 items with this gadget, as it is time consuming and just not practical to do any big print runs!I wouldn’t worry about it taking over your business, but I DO think it is a good time to press home the fact that calling this a Letterpress machine is like saying instant coffee is as good as freshly ground.

If it leads some to true letterpress, more power to them…it’s just an expensive trail to follow. I’ll keep looking around for the real thing!

It uses KF-152 plates just like my C&P

I use one of these if someone wants a proof of a custom color mix.

I take the plates from an old job, and with a brayer ink it up with the mixed color. It’s a lot easier and quicker to clean than my C&P is…

It works best if you don’t use any of the supplies that came with it. I ink my brayer off of a glass plate, use a 6″ speedball brayer, and use spare pieces of photopolymer as roller bearers to keep the inking even. I register using gaffers tape and pieces of cardstock.

I also picked it up before they were excluded from the 60% off coupons 🙂

Hi – I had one of these before I got my tabletop press.  It really spurred my interest in a ‘real’ letterpress.  I think the idea of using this for ink testing is a fantastic idea!

Hi Ladies.  Since my reply above, I bought a Poco Proof press, and I have to say, its a bit like these machines that say they letterpress… or even emboss.  If you have ever looked at Sizzix, Cuttlebug or Quickutz embossing folders for the at home crafters, the machines they use to press the paper (I think) is a lot like the Poco.  I have actually thought about buying an embossing folder and trying it on my poco (has anyone tried this?).  From what I understand, you put a paper inside a folder and put it through a machine which presses the folder flat and thereby embosses (or debosses?) the whole 5×7 paper… you would use it as a background paper for a greeting card or scrapbook.  I dont think anybody would mistake it for letterpress.  I’m just a hobbyist and I make cards for friends and family.  I’m not putting anyone out of business.  These types of machines did lead me to letterpress, though, so, again, I do think they have their own place…

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