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Ladies of Letterpress

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Viewing 5 posts - 1 through 5 (of 5 total)
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  • Caren Florance
    Participant
    @carenflorance
    14 years ago

    I know this is a late response to your query, but I hope it helps you or anyone else.Yes, lino is a good way to print solid areas of colour. I also use type-high blocks of wood that I get my local hardware to cut to shape for me. It’s hard to get things to exactly type-high, so best practice is to make sure they’re slightly under and then pack them up with boxboard or paper or anything even and to size.With lino you’re always going to need packing, and if you want to use lino regularly, then you’d be best off measuring the thickness of the lino and then getting a baseboard made from MDF that is the difference between the lino thickness and type high. That way you can set up the board and stick on the lino, just like with polymer plate.I hope that helps. Lino is great because it’s relatively cheap, prints fabulously, and you can carve all sorts of designs on it without needing to process it photographically like polymer plate.


    Caren Florance
    Participant
    @carenflorance
    14 years, 8 months ago

    I have just bought some @ and © symbols from M&H Typesetters; they have a special set of different sized symbols as a single purchase. They’re keeping up with the times!


    Caren Florance
    Participant
    @carenflorance
    15 years, 5 months ago

    I use photopolymer when I have a lot of text and not enough of a typeface, or when I’m printing handwriting or other languages. I also use it for line drawings (haven’t ventured into the fearsome world of dot screens yet!). I use the filmbacked plate, not metal backed, and I adhere them to a custom-made aluminium backing plate with spray adhesive, which works really well. Sometimes if I’m using one regularly I’ll mount it onto wood to match type-high, to mix in with metal type.They last for ages if treated well. I highly recommend you store them somewhere dry, because if they come into dramatic contact with water they will melt. But that’s in case of floods etc.They are relatively easy to produce (I make mine myself), and they seem to cope with the pressures of embossing well. Having never used metal plates extensively, I can’t offer a comparison; maybe someone else can.I hope that helps!


    Caren Florance
    Participant
    @carenflorance
    15 years, 6 months ago

    I think offering up a different name for the process is a really valid way to proceed. I love the idea of ‘laserboss’.At the risk of alienating a whole heap of people who use presses, I have a bit of trouble with stationery printed deeply by plate being called ‘letterpress’ because I associate letterpress with handset moveable type. But I think I’m completely outnumbered on that front, and this is the only time I’m going to mention it :)I’m actually very happy that there are people out there doing anything at all with presses, because it keeps the idea of printing alive (and allows me to redirect people who ask me about wedding invitations).


    Caren Florance
    Participant
    @carenflorance
    15 years, 6 months ago

    I don’t have specific leather experience, but I have run enough odd surfaces through the press to know that you need to be quite careful with firm or textured surfaces that push back against the type — you end up with mashed metal, or imprinted wood, depending on what you were printing with. I now have some wood type with underpants elastic bitten hard into them! (Long story 🙂 )I think polymer plate would be ok to work with, but the plate should isn’t very deep, so you may end up with the edge of the plate printing as well.Have you been to a leather shop to get an opinion from them about the process?

Viewing 5 posts - 1 through 5 (of 5 total)

Caren Florance

Profile picture of Caren Florance

@carenflorance

Active 7 years, 6 months ago