What is letterpress? A form of relief printing
Numerous attempts are made by me
–in the good old Gutenberg tradition,
while using old printing presses and movable type
–either in wood, lead or polymer
to make perfect prints but it doesn’t work.
The way I print always includes a certain touch of imperfection
–due to a lack of skill
or my recklessness to put any object,
flat, sturdy or tempting
in one of my presses while exclaiming:
ink it don’t think it
In the early sixties offset-printing became mainstream.
In the seventies letterpress printing became obsolete.
Some of these printing presses were given a second life:
–doing boring jobs like die-cutting and ceasing
Lucky were proofing presses like my
–FAG Standard and Korrex Berlin
to find shelter in print studios
where they are loved and well-kept.
charm of old presses
My presses are hand-cranked and not intended for large runs
but they are wonderful in slow-printing
The feel of paper that got intensely kissed
by type
leaving a tactile impression
is awesome.
Every impression is slightly different and far from perfect.
–probably that’s why I’m not an ordinary printer
impression in paper
Choosing and mixing ink is key for printing,
indeed no use of the Pantone colour wheel
–way too sensible
[Mis]prints are made with:
dash, vivid color and expression
Before the actual printing starts
the tedious job of setting type by hand is required
–not often one character short
Most room in my sanctuary is taken by cabinets full of type
truckload full of type
