Yes! Can you email me the pictures? The one that advances automatically sounds like exactly what I am looking for, if it is compatible with a Vandercook.

Thanks so much!

Samantha

samantha@handdeliverpress.com

I got the same website from Val at Bowerbox, and they were GREAT. Called me right back, and will weld it back together in under a week for $75. I can’t believe I haven’t heard of them before. Thank you!

I printed some wedding invites on Savoy once, and it was alright. Similar in cottony-softness to Lettra, so if you’re looking for something different, Savoy probably isn’t the way to go. 

I always use French paper (http://www.frenchpaper.com). Aside from the company being amazing, their Muscletone paper is super sturdy and prints beautifully. My personal business cards (in my profile picture) are on Muscletone (140#C), but I’m currently printing some save the dates on their Construction line and it’s also great, and a little lighter. (100# C).

 

Get yourself some sample books and I don’t think you’ll be disappointed. Good luck!

Thanks, Cherie! A friend of mine actually just recommended the same site to me the other day. Can’t wait to try this out!

These are great ladies, keep ’em comin’!

Hmm. That certainly looks promising! I’ll get some info at the conference and look into it a bit more once I’m home. 

 

Thank you!

Great idea! I’ll take some tonight!

Val,

I looked at the springs, and aside from some grease, they look fine to me. No gunk at all. But thank you so much for the suggestion! Perhaps I’ll see you in Asheville and we can figure it out!

 

Samantha

Ah, I did that once. Cleaned the rollers, forgot the disc. It’s okay! We’re human. Your press forgives you.

 

I clean the rollers and disc on my Pilot with Crisco, believe it or not. Get a big hunk of it (1/4 cup?) and rub it into the ink with a cloth until it loosens up. It’s going to take a while, but it should work. Once the ink is loosened, Mineral Spirits work really for the final step to get all the ink off.

 

When this happened to me, there were a few small patches that I could not budge from the disc. I used (with great hesitation) steel wool to get them off. Shockingly, it did not scratch the disc at all and got the ink right off. I used a light hand though, and would NOT recommend using it for large areas.

 

Good luck!

 

Samantha

Oh gosh, I literally have a running list going in my studio of things I wanted to ask at this panel. As a presslady working exclusively on a Pilot, I’m looking forward to it so much!

I think I would cover leveling the platen. From past (frustrating) experience, I know it is a huge deal and makes such an enormous difference in every aspect of the printing process. But, I’d also suggest covering more over looked things like how high the press should be mounted to avoid arm strain, cleaning techniques and packing tips.

Personally, I want to know why my rollers act up. I have to manually roll them every 5 prints or so in order to get good ink coverage, and they don’t ink up all the way to the edge when I first put the ink on the disc. I have to hold the arm down and roll them on the disc with my hands in order to get full coverage. Any idea why this happens?  

Also, I have a lot of trouble getting an even impression when I have a larger area to print (even after leveling out the platen with this really handy tool that’s a lot like an roller gauge). I bought some great old 2″ Hamilton type, but have yet to get a good print out of it. I know it’s not the type because I used it on a friend’s proofing press and the print came out perfectly, but when I try it on the Pilot, it’s blotchy and dissapointing. I don’t know if this has to do with the small size of the platen or not, but if it’s something other tabletop printers have trouble with, it would be nice to hear some solutions.

 

Sorry for the absolute barrage of comments. I just got excited that you were asking! Can’t wait to meet you next week! 

 

Samantha

Hand Deliver Press (.com)

I know! I can’t wait to try it! The client changed her mind and wants black on white, but I will absolutely keep this in mind for when I need to do the reverse. Thanks, Sheree!

Oh! I didn’t know there was a term for that. Thank you, Camille!

Thanks for the tips!Varnish or transparent while is a good idea. I might go with that.I was thinking of foil, too. I’ll have to talk to them about budget options if I do that, I suppose. It would also be the first time I would work with foil, which would be fun (hopefully?). Oh, but one thing, what does “skip feed” mean?Thank you!Samantha

Hmm. Yes, I’m still learning InDesign so I guess it didn’t occur to me that I would need Illustrator in order to do drawings. I wanted to buy that anyway, so maybe I’ll spring for both. I just imagine how great it would be making drawings into plates…

 

Thanks for your response!

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