Vermilion Star Press

The Trolley Tickets

2011-03-17T09:10:00.000-04:00

The wonderful mother of the bride, Kathleen, contacted us a bit ago asking for a project I couldn't resist. She wanted us to create trolley tickets for her daughters wedding. Paper products of the unusual size intrigue me. Additionally, the idea of something off beat was marvelous (I really enjoyed creating the drink tokens last year). Ms. Kathleen asked us months ago, and a our busy schedule goes it go pushed aside for a bit (sometimes no matter how hard I try it seems impossible to get caught up). With a gentle reminder and a bit of patience these little tickets made it to press, complete with a perforated ticket stub.

We perforated the ticket so that you could easily tear off the stub- it was so

much fun to perforate this extra thick paper...

In the background you can see the ink swatches that we create with each order, matching

it to the clients preference and to our Pantone book

2011-03-16T15:55:00.002-04:00

Getting the press set for a new project. Yellow seems to be the color right now....

Has it Been SO LONG!

2011-03-16T15:31:00.000-04:00

Time has flown by, again. It has been an incredible swirl of designing, ink and printing. (Not to mention the ocassional hockey practice, boo-boos and snow storms (yes snow in North Alabama)). But now spring has arrived and I find myself busy as usual with some wonderful women planning their weddings.
I have gotten to work on some really fun projects and might just squeeze in a moment to share with you!

This is from Cari in Florida. She wanted something with a dot border and a large date. A bit vintage and some gorgeous red. We special ordered her inner envelopes so that we could match the red ink. Her save the dates tuck into the red envelope wonderfully and then those were stuffed into an outer natural white envelope.

Don't be decieved by letterpress. There is a certain amount of work for these little beauties. The main item of confusion is often color. Letterpress can only print one color at a time. Meaning that for each additional color there is a bit of work. We have to deal with a little thing called "registration." Sometimes maddening and down right frustrating- this can lead to a quick print job or .....Basically, we have to line up the item so that when the next color is printed you aren't getting type/images running into each other or crooked.

The end results are marvelous. For the printer, I think adding the final color to a work is like magic. Fitting pieces of a puzzle together...

A Few More Coasters

2011-01-30T20:27:00.000-05:00

My how time flies. We have been busy here crankin' out the coasters...
We had the lovely pleasure of working with Miss Angela and coming up with a wonderful save the date.

She wanted something in dark purple/plum and a a deep raspberry red. She sent along her lovely wedding inspiration photos; these always help when creating a custom design. She needed something elegant and regal...

The result was combination of multiple designs combined (and several revisions!). The bride to be was pleased with the results (which always pleases us!)

Next we worked with Kara. Simple. Direct. Lovely. I am always fond of these. Red is elegant and bold, the type is simple and direct. Marvelous!

Something about that stymie font...

2010-11-17T17:00:00.002-05:00

Ahh- it's that time of year again! Everyone's getting ready for Christmas. (I am running a bit behind this year- shh, don't tell.) Last year I was so enthusiastic about getting those Christmas coasters out. It was almost too much. I was so swamped that all the things I usually enjoy doing got swept under the carpet. Don't get me wrong, the business was much appreciated.

This year we are thinking about shutting down Vermilion Star Press for the holidays. So that we can focus on what really matters.

This is the little coaster (in our tree last year) that made it in the treasury.

Eat Drink and Be Married

2010-11-08T18:46:00.000-05:00

I enjoyed designing these coasters. Bold, elegant and in stunning black. I love using a combination of fonts. Some designers shun the practice. Yet, sometimes it just works.

When you step back into letterpress history, you see that at the turn of the century (not our century!) they were really throwing together all kinds of fonts. It was the Rocco of letterpress. Modern and playbill, serif and san-serif...Fonts of all families occupying the same space. Each fighting for it's own recognition, while at the same time trying to work together....

Okay, that was a tangent. I find this coaster pleasing. How's that?

Oh and those beautiful little flowers? My friend Jamie made them. You can find her at Whole Hive on Etsy.

One Wondrous Little Coaster and a Whole Slew of Challenges

2010-11-08T18:25:00.000-05:00

We print a great deal of coasters. Just when you start to get ahead of yourself and think that it's going to be a breeze- you realize you were wrong! The easiest project turns out to be a challenge.

First, the color stripes had to be printed. Now, when I create designs for the coaster I work through the printing in my head. I try to make sure that it is feasible. Throwing a circle in seems easy, right?

Well- those little stripes go to the end of the coaster. How does the coaster stay in place? Usually we have little pins(affectionately called frogs) to hold the paper in place. When a design goes to the edge, you can't do that. It gets a little tricky.

Once the stripes are printed- it is time to print the black "cheers."

Not so bad?

Well, each little coaster has to be placed in the correct orientation. Vertical strips need to be 100% up and down. And this has to be done by hand. Each coaster. This isn't about speed- it's about accuracy.

Oh, and what happens when one of those coasters sticks to the form in the press? The rollers run right over the back of the coaster- giving a solid coast of ink. (that one did not get sent to Australia!)

Happy Halloween All!!!

2010-10-31T18:48:00.000-04:00

Happy Halloween!

For all intents and purposes, our family looks upon this as a time to slip in a little creativity and fun. A time to hit the pumpkin patch, carve pumpkins and create darling costumes for the little guys.

And as always, create some new coasters for the shop. This year I wanted to make something a little fanciful. Last year my sketchbook was filled with ideas. At one point I spent some time contemplating pointy boots with some old striped stockings. Even though I wanted to create those they got put off to the side burner. So this year I decided they were the ones. Those sagging stockings and curved toes were going to come to life.

As far as the results, I couldn't be happier. Being a lover of lines, I wanted something that really looked like it was hand drawn. I whipped out the drawing tablet and worked a bit- referring to last years sketch. And when I finally put them into the press, I must say that I smiled a bit at those witches shoes.

Then I printed up the tags and tied 'en up.

And then...

Well, they sat as I got extremely busy. Neglected for a month and a half! Everyday I would walk buy them and smile and say "tomorrow I will take your glamor shot." Yet, these little guys sat around waiting for me to photo them and put them up.

Now as the pumpkin is roasting in the oven (to get turned into soup) and the kids are getting ready to go for their candy lap- Here I am putting these up.

So sad.

Oh well, next year.

Moving into the new studio

2010-09-16T20:22:00.000-04:00

Just a couple random pictures from the new studio. Until there is more time...
New shelves for the ink- everything is so clean. Until that first time I drop a gob of ink on the floor and track it through the studio (oh, wait- it happened last night!)

Our shop dog, Ronin, posing in front of our "new cabinets"- in the truest sense of Vermilion Star Press, these cabinets were taken from the location and refinished. (By us- many long hours cleaning, sanding, priming and painting) Rather than buying new ones we just made these work- and the hubby created the countertop for me- nice and shiny- a great "clean area".

Cheers to Love

2010-09-04T09:11:00.000-04:00

This is the first post in a long time. We have changed locations and moved into a new studio!!! That post will come along shortly. First, I thought that we would share one of the last projects before we left Atlanta.

Almost a year ago, Meag contacted us for some custom coasters. We worked on them a bit and she decided on this simple but elegant coaster. Additionaly, she wanted some beverage tokens designed for her reception. This was actually the funnest part. I adore small little paper products not to mention the colors; silver and buttercup yellow.

Here they are together- the 4" coasters and the 2" beverage tokens.

The front of the token, hot off the press.

The backs of the tokens. Love them!

Stacks of little letterpress tokens. Thick cotton paper, handprinted, custom designed...

Custom Invite for Jack

2010-06-15T09:12:00.000-04:00

It has been awhile since posting! We are getting ready to load up shot and move to a new location. So, we have been finishing orders- making the final runs...
One of the last minute projects was for a birthday party to celebrate a 5th birthday.

Run through the press twice, this little card is so cute.

Wedding Invitations:Registration

2010-04-29T10:11:00.001-04:00

I have a certain weakness for DIYers ("do it yourself" ers). I usually don't print other graphic artist's designs. (The problem with that is if you aren't careful you become a job printer- and tend to get sucked into only printing other's designs.) However, I found Jessica and Jonathan's request touching!

After hearing that they wanted to design their own invitation I decided to take a look at it. After a little consultation (and a little reworking of their initial design) they came up with this lovely invitation.

This is a two color job. And as with any letterpress project, only one color at a time can be printed. What does that mean?

Well, first you print your base color, so to speak= yellow in this instance.

Registration is critical in any overlapping design. If your first run is off by a few centimeters or has inconsistencies in the printing it can ruin your whole run. What does that mean? If the paper is put in the press but doesn't make it all the way over to the gauge pins your print will be off.

Next the text is printed on top of all those glorious yellow roses. This also includes the rose outline. (A special note here- letterpress is really a system of ink and pressure. When you have large areas to print you have to pay certain attention to overall print; making sure that some areas don't drop out while other areas become too dark or fill in. Sometimes it can be frustrating. This is the nature of letterpress...)

Again, registration!!! I think most printers develop their own little technique for tight registration. Whatever they use, it can make or break your print.

Here you can see the tight registration. During the run I check every 10th print to make sure the base color hasn't started to peak through the sides.

You can also see the impression that has been put in the paper. (Run your fingers over letterpress. turn it over and feel the back... Defiantly a richer experience than your inkjet printer or other options...)

Special Notes:

Letterpress prints one color at a time. Which is why multiple colors cost more. Double the time on the press, regardless of how big that second color might be.
Letterpress works best with line work. After all, letterpress was designed for type forms (which are essentially- line work)
Overall design weight is important- heavy dark areas next to small fine print can be especially troublesome to print.
Compare letterpress to a big stamp. If it couldn't be printed in rubber stamp form it probably would need another print method. Ultimately, you need to ask the printer if the design is suitable for letterpress.
The printer needs control over your computer files. The printer is the one that sends the files off to the platemakers. We have to take a file and essentially run the whole printing process through our minds. (will this print, what is the best way to do this, do I need to thicken the stroke, what is the best overlap, how will those colors look together...)
Communication between printer and client is important. This seems like something that shouldn't have to be said. But, I am amazed when people comment on how easy and fun it was to work on a project together. Of course, it should be! The printer has to love letterpress/printing. We are custodians of this centuries old craft- it doesn't help buiseness to scare away customers. The best way to print more is to make wonderfully beautiful items in a manner than makes it a pleasure on both sides.... Did I say affordable too?!

I hope that Jessica and Jonathan enjoy their invitations. They were a pleasure to work with and I hope they love the feel of their own designed letterpress in their hands.

I loved all these roses drying- it was like an endless field in the studio... All 150+

visit (oh, hello friend) for a week of letterpress- and giveaways

2010-04-27T08:37:00.005-04:00

letterpress week at oh,hello friend!
image by: slimjim

This is a beautiful, sophisticated blog. All things design related- and this week she is featuring letterpress. Complete with studio tours, interviews and letterpress giveaways. Vermilion Star Press will be giving aways a set of our new calling cards...

New Tags: Recycle

2010-04-15T14:22:00.001-04:00

At any given moment in our little shop, we have a very large amount of paper waste hanging around: paper scraps, items that got printed a little off, make- ready, color samples... Lots of paper. And yes, I have huge boxes strategically posted to catch the waste. At one point they started to over flow. Boxes busting out with thank you notes, coaters, calling cards, invitations.

Something had to be done! I knew that I wanted to recycle it all, but as an artist and printer I saw potential. That's money hanging out there after all. Everything that I print on has to be bought.

So...

I made paper. Okay, it's pink. But that happened by default. Our paper waste had lots of printed pink material, which in turn created pink paper. I wasn't going to bleach it, and it was more of an experiment after all... Plus, I am still working on the texture. My first batch was kinda thick and chunky. The thickness is great but the chunky prohibits the use of a pen or pencil on it...

So I had these huge sheets of paper hanging around and finally decided that I would make some new tags to adorn our products before we ship them out.

It just so happened that I had some pink to print- perfect timing for the little tags.

The tags ended up being 1" by 4"- perfect to punch a hole and attach. The recycled cotton paper printed marvelously on the press. It too a deep impression. I am assuming because I left the paper so chunky and didn't pack it too tight when I spread the pulp on the screen.

Some interesting tidbits: We use cotton paper- and cotton paper has long fibers

The cotton paper we buy has already come from recycled sources- they use left over fibers after ginning called linters.

No trees cut down, no extra cotton grown.

And now-it is being recycled again.

The type is vintage- rescued from a barn in Upstate New York- late 1800's early 1900's.

2010-04-14T22:58:00.000-04:00

When we start a custom project I am always interested in the people that we get to work with. Perhaps this is one of the best parts about being a small letterpress; we get to give them the attention that they need. Each client has their own unique personalities and tastes. This is especially important with custom work. You have to figure out what they really want and what they need their design to convey.
Maybe that's why I spent an evening altering the Boston terriers profile to fit Miss Julie's terrier. (Or maybe I liked the spunk she had to send photos of her little guy without reservations!) Or secretly I was thinking our next move will sport coasters announcing a new address!!!

At any rate, I loved her coasters. The back contained their new address and made a tight little design package. And yes, it is pink.

the little guy himself

the final product hot off the press- notice the ink disk in the background

Recipe Cards

2010-03-16T15:06:00.004-04:00

Recipe cards...
When it comes down to it, I am a collector at heart. I try to keep it in check, no sense in storing up riches...
But, there are some things that I just hang on to: favorite books, sea glass, great yarn, buttons, paint brushes, pictures, momentos from the boys, sweet reminders from the hubby, and of course recipe cards.
I like to search out recipes, I like to write them out, I like to share them and of course I love to cook them! I adore new recipes. I suppose recipe cards are one way that I collect cooking. I like to write little notes on them, what I tried different, what worked and what didn't. Or I write the date on it, as if I passed it after a music lesson! (you know, after you sufficiently accomplished a musical score you get the date put on it)
At any rate, recipe cards are on little paper product that I find endearing. (Can I say that?)

Obsession with Pink
I can't put my finger on the exact date when fushia/ pink became a problem. No, I wasn't a pink lover as a child. There were no pink comforters and pillow cases, I didn't wear pink ribbons. If you asked me what my favorite color was, I would have told you blue.
So what happened? I don't know. If you ask my husband I am color blind, or suffer from color dementia; some days I just don't know green from blue....

I splash fushia/ pink with out shame across the blog and etsy site. I take artistic liberties with our name (Vermilion is not a fushia pink red, it is an orangish-red). I get tickled when I mix up that glorious color. And Mr. Henry always, always looks best when his rollers are inked in that color.

If I were asked to pick a color that best described me, I would not pick pink...
I must be in pink denial.

Eat Your Cake Too

Photographing your letterpress isn't always easy. I mean, it's a flat piece of paper! There are no angles on paper, again it's flat! So I have to get creative with the photography. Looking at photo after photo of pieces of paper gets menotinous pretty quick. Not to mention I loose motivation.
So generally, I end up using props. (Sounds so silly to say it). Props of something that is related.
Today= PINK CAKE!!!

And yes, I ate some.... I thought it made the photo...

Here is another treasury with some cute recipe cards....

1500 Coasters

2010-03-01T09:41:00.005-05:00

1500 coasters is a formidable pile of paper. 15 stacks of 100 paper coasters.

It all started with my friends moving party. I talked her into the coasters because I thought they would be a challenge to design and print. The result (for my animal loving friend) was a way too cute lab, in bright fushia.

Yes, Rush (the labs name) stole my heart. And began my odessy with coasters.

Before I could step up to the press I had to locate the coasters to print on. Easy enough I thought. Well, as it turns out, you can either by a few for way lots of money OR you can get 1500 for pretty cheap.

1500 coasters!!!! What was I going to do with enough coasters to build a dog house?

Ha! 5 months later I placed my second order for 1500 coasters. Turns out, coasters are a hot item.

This posting is a look at some of those coasters that started coaster mania at Vermilion Star Press.

Note: printing on a circle takes a little care and practice. Registration is a challenge- But hey, those 4" circles are hot.

Simple and elegant, I received a request for this coaster. Script reading "coup de foudre" (which is basically love at first sight in French-) and the location in a wonderful chocolate brown graced this coaster.

Vegas, anyone? Sweet Roeanne from Guam needed some coasters delivered to the resort for her wedding. She requested something in yellow and navy blue. She also needed a swanky font that fit the mood of a Vegas wedding. (Here I would like to say that it is so interesting to work with people from all over!)

Okay, Halloween. How could I resist? These were mainly for fun. A set witches printed in purple, green and orange paired with a couple of pumpkin coasters.

Julia contacted me with a design pretty much already laid out. In fact, she sent a cute rough sketch for me to check out. A little fine tuning, selection of related fonts and we were pretty much in buisness. On a print like this, it is always a little bit of a challenge to get the solid areas to print well without the smaller font/areas filling in.

Martinis anyone? The challenge was to create a coaster that would convey a clear message but still be stylish enough for the event.

A ton of Christmas coasters!

And then there was the coaster that we printed for Stephanie and Kelly. Which in itself deserves it's own blog posting.
Why you ask? Well, each color is printed seperatly. Lined up precisely. This coaster was front and back. Three colors on the front and two colors on the back. hmmm. Yes, that means that each coaster was ran through the press 5 times!!!!

Okay, again the weakness for the marvelous color. Another sweet dog lover contacted us for coasters. Julie will get her own posting as well- because she sent great photos of her boston terrier. Her new address and contact info is on the reverse making it great to sent off in the mail!!!

Anatomy of Type

2010-02-01T15:28:00.003-05:00

The jargon of type...

Yes, even type has it's own special terms and names.

Of course, it might seem like more meaningless vocabulary. Yet, knowing knowing the the anatomy of type can help to describe it, identify it and create it. Amazing how that works.

Capital height- the height of a capital letter( or the length from the baseline to the top of a capital letter)

meanline- this tops letters such as "s", "r", "e" and runs across the curves of "h" and "d"

x-height- the height of a lower case letter (not including the ascenders or descenders)

baseline- what your lovely letters will sit on

serif-the cross strokes (horizonal for slab) at the begining or ending of letters-

stem- consider this the main part of a letter- it can be a vertical stroke (as in "T" or diagonal as in "X")

ascender-the part of a letter that extends above the meanline (or above the x- height)

descender- the part of a letter (character) the hangs below the baseline ("g", "p"...)

bowl- part of a letter that creates a closed area- such as in "p"

counter- the inside space created by the bowl

Small Capital- These are a set of capital letters that are all the x-height of the normal alphabet

Some useful things to keep in mind- the larger the x-height compared to the normal capital- the bigger the letters will appear- in other words type faces with the same point size may variy according to their x-height

typeface is measured from the top of a capital letter to the bottom of a descender (plus a tiny space)

type size is based on traditional typesetting: the space that letters would occupy when cast out of lead

These are just a few of the basics- but there are tons of books and websites to read up on.

I plan on adding some more stuff- especially the history of type (fun stuff)

books:
American Type Design and Designers Consuegra
From Gutenberg to Open Type Dodd
The Concise Guide to Type Identification Apicella,Pomeranz, Wiatt
Designing with Type ,The Essential Guide to tYpography Craig
thinking with type ellen lupton

http://graphicdesign.about.com/od/typographyfonts/tp/letter_anatomy.01.htm
http://typedia.com/learn/only/anatomy-of-a-typeface/ (this is a great one!)

Blimy it's cold!!!

2010-01-24T16:58:00.002-05:00

Ahh- the magic of space heaters...

And how amazing it is that an area that is insulated by all but one wall can get so cold. Okay, I know that the weather in Georgia doesn't get that cold. (We moved from upstate New York (almost Canada New York last year). I understand that cold is walking out side and your boogers freeze instantly. (Interjection here again- WE HAVE KIDS AND BOOGERS ARE PART OF OUR FREQUENT VOC.)

That knowledge of coldness is cast aside when you are operating a piece of cast iron in 40 and 50 degree weather. Your hands get cold, your nose starts to drip...

My lovely knitted cap (slouched hat, or as my husband says with a shudder "Beret") becomes a necessity.

And I want to laugh and I say to myself "but it's Georgia, it's the south. This isn't cold. I have seen -35 weather, I have shoveled four feet of snow, I have walked the dog during lake effect snow!"

Am I getting soft? This semi-cold. (Cold without the wonderous magic of snow. ) How can this be cold?

Why have my fingers quit moving like they should? My hands stumbled and my fingers are slow to respond. This is not good when operating a 1200lb press. My motor chugs along and I finally have to stop it. I am afraid of losing a finger in the press as it closes. I have to stop and warm the hands.

Georgia!

The space heater laughs as it pumps warm air in my direction. It sends it off and before it reaches my work area it is absorbed into the cold. I need that warm air, Mr. Henry needs that warmth. Because unfortuantly, ink needs a certain temperature. Too cold, not good. I have heard that it is recommended not to print when the temperature is under 60.

And there are rummors that in the old days small candles would be placed under the ink disk to help warm up the ink.

(I just don't like that idea one bit)

My composing room and studio is heated and wonderous. But poor Mr. Henry still rooms in this unheated space. One day...

Until then- I knit knowing that I am putting on a fashion show for Mr. Henry. (I think he likes bright berets.)

And also- I know all too well that summer comes quick and hard to Georgia. Hot and humid.

By the way the hat is from a pattern by Lucy Sweetland called Anemoon and is currently one of my favorite hats.

A Little Font Tutorial- Onyx

2010-01-19T18:18:00.001-05:00

Fonts...

Before I became involved in letterpress fonts were just a tool. That Type and Desgin class- just a requirement. The idea of handset type- a novelty. Those words in an advertisement (who considers those?)

Yet, they are so intriging. Really, once you get to know a little about them you realize that each font has it's own character- so to speak.

Today, fonts are abused and misused. Much can be said about a graphic designer (or not said) that carelessly throws a font to use without understanding it's feel, it's origin, it's classification.

Around the 19th century printers wanted a way to classify their craft. They needed a system to refer to their fonts. And while today these classifications have been broken down even further into smaller classes- there are five basic groups: Humanist or Old Style, Transitional, Modern, Egyptian or Slab Serif, and San Serif.

Well- this isn't really going to be a blog posting of typography (I am not an art historian). Yet, as I was printing 300 Thank You cards in Onyx, my eyes continually traced their thin straight serifs and the sharp contrast between thick and thin.

Maybe this is why one card flew off my feed table and landed two feet away in the middle of my ink. Oops! My husband took the opportunity to photograph this wonderous moment. The result is that beautiful crisp print in a big, glopuous blob of ink.

So much for profound thoughts on type....

When I think of Onyx- I think of the the glamour, the glitz. Gretta Garbo, black and white films, long silky dresses, pinstripe suits, the Empire State Building, Art Deco (Le Style Moderne), New York City...

Onyx has a strong vertical stress- which I always associate with skyscrapers.

This font is beautiful. I find it timeless and classy, much like Gretta Garbo or those old flicks.

Even if Risa and Ryan accidently ended up in a blob of ink- I love their cards and the font.

Treasury

Letterpress Free Sunday

2009-12-12T18:49:00.000-05:00

Tomorrow is Sunday.

Tomorrow is Letterpress Free.

Wow!

Breaks are so important!

I thought that I would just put up a few photos of some current things I have been working on.

This is one of my favorite vintage fonts. It is called Bernhard Tango and was design in the 1920's. I bought it vintage- thus it is missing capital "k" and a few of the letters are dinged. Making it hard for me to offer this font to customers until I can find more of it. (It is not made any more)

Aren't they marvelous tags? Thick cotton paper, vintage type, silver ink and of course handprinted.

Another simple and bright tag- if I don't sell them all I might just use them on my packages.

Calling Cards

2009-12-11T17:48:00.000-05:00

Okay- so the vintage telephone is a misnomer; calling cards historically don't refer to telephones. (But hey, I love that phone and I bet it caught your eye!)

What they do refer to is a time that has been passed by- a time before telephones (let alone cellphones). These little guys were made to announce an arrival. They were handed to a servant or placed in a container in the entryway (usually made of silver). You were not seen until the card had been handed to the person of residence and your visit accepted..

Originating in the 1800's in France, these little cards carried a ton of importance and guidelines. In fact, after reading all the etiquette I crindged over my lack of etiquette! It makes you realize how laid back our present culture really is.
There were specific rules as to when you could call, who you could call, the manner in which you left your card, the time...

There were even calling card secret codes. The altering or tearing of a card corner had different meanings.

A tear or fold in the top left indicated that it was a social call.
A tear or fold on the opposite side (right) ment someone was calling to give a congratulations. This could be for a new baby, engagment, wedding..
If the bottom left was altered, the visitor was saying goodbye before departing on a journey.
The alteration of the bottom right corner was perhaps the saddest; indicating a call of condolence (death in the family).

But wait, that wasn't all- those French!!! Well, they even used little intials for phrases (French phrases of course)
• p. f. - congratulations (pour féliciter)

• p. r. - giving thanks(pour remercier)
• p. c. - condolence-mourning expression (pour condoléance)
• p. f. N. A. - Happy New Year (pour feliciter Nouvel An)
• p. p. c. - meaning to take leave (pour prendre congé)
• p. p. - when you wanted to be presented to someone(pour présenter)

Examples from the American Antiquarian Society

If you are interested in further information, check out these sites. Or for even more of a hoot- you can visit the Harpers Magazine or the Encyclopedia of Etiquette. Enjoy the littlle dandy to the left!!!

And of course, if you are interested- Vermilion Star Press has our own calling cards. On cotton paper, handset vintage type. And maybe, just maybe our printing press printed these when they were first in vogue.

http://www.americanantiquarian.org/callingcards.htm

http://idreamedisaw.blogspot.com/

http://ancestorville.com/victoriancallingcards.html

http://www.literary-liaisons.com/article026.html

These are our very own Vermilion Star Calling cards- The type is set one letter at a time and then printed- ONE COLOR AT A time on thick cotton paper.

Other Examples of Calling cards from http://idreamedisaw.blogspot.com/

Finally- Coasters- A Light at the end of the Tunnel

2009-12-11T11:07:00.003-05:00

I am almost reached the end of my stack of orders. (I can see the light! That means I will have time for Shopping, Gingerbread Houses, Decorating, Cookies, searching out those hard to find gifts...) Unfortuantly, I realized that I had one order that was in a color that I printed last night. (Ugh!! See- you can only print one color at a time, and cleaning the press is time consuming. You have to clean all the rollers- the ink disk... All of which takes time. So when printing I line up the invoices by color- and try to print as much of one color as possible. I MISSED ONE. Wanna kich myself.
That and I am sick. On the holiday rush...

See all the ink- it all has to be cleaned before you can print a new color

Anyway- I am gonna do the drawing for the little coasters. Way over due--- guess I'll have to throw in something for the ladies.
Thanks gals- by the way.

1.the wonderful Soap Seduction
2.the wonderful Soap Seduction
3. Becky (who likes the Very Mod Callings cards)
4.Becky (who also pointed out that I need to have other ways for individuals to follow- working on the Facebook- sigh!!!)
5.Random Creative
6.Maitri
7.Dori
8. Patricia
9. WilksOak Studio
10. Mamma Sharp

And- there was only one person that seemed to do my "proofing" for me. If she could resend/ contact me that would be great.

NUMBER 5! Congrats- after the long wait. Coasters are yours...

TIS THE SEASON TO BE BUSY

2009-12-05T21:44:00.005-05:00

(That counter keeps going and going)

WOW! I am taking a break. But it feels like I have been printing non-stop. That is a good thing, but I am tired. I have declared that tomorrow will be NO LETTERPRESS. And that feels and sounds pretty good!!!
Not that I am complaining. But it will be nice to play with the boys. Put up the Christmas tree. Cook a good meal. And spend a day without ink on my hands. Maybe knit some (yep, I dream about knitting almost as much as printing and drawing- some sort of sickness I suppose)

Contest

Tomorrow I will also announce the winner to the give away. (Which was supposed to me on the 1st- but of course that was when I walked into a wall of orders.)
Have patience dear friends.

Sketchbooks

I was very excited that one of my little handbound letterpress books made it on an etsy treasury. (I happen to really like them. But I am one of those people that has tons of sketchbooks around.) These little sketchbooks were completely handmade (except for the cotton paper) cut, folded, stiched and glue all by my busy hands.

At any rate, it looks like my little sketchbook was in good company.

Giveaway- Win Our Coasters

2009-11-22T11:50:00.001-05:00

These coasters are so much fun!!! (I suppose I am a little biased)

Anyway- they are the perfect little package to slip into a stocking, give to a co-worker, or even hang from your ceiling and dance under. (A little extreme I suppose...)

I thought we would make this a little fun! Contest ends December 1st.

Rules:

a. Become a follower (my lonely blog would love your face on the sidebar!)

b. Edit my letterpress tag! (this is the fun part- see images below)

c. Pick a favorite from my etsy shop (let me know you did that)

d. All the above (get an entry for each)

Here are the tags that I printed. They are handset type (meaning each letter is a little piece of lead with a letter on it. The tag on the right has the mistakes. This font is 8pt (Bernhard Gothic Light) and one of my favorites.

Find The Mistakes (Hint- I believe there are only three)

Send me a comment and let me know what I messed up on!!!

Mr. Lincoln will give you an idea of the size we are working with.

And this is what it looks like- the back of the tag is on the bottom half. At the time I printed the tags - I also started printing recipe tags. So this picture illustrates the Recipe tag. (to save time I printed both sides at once and then cut them. Originally I thought I would be able to fold the tag at the bottom and save time- nope it looked ucky.)

Good luck- you've got lots of ways to win! These are on sale in my etsy shop if you want more- we have other styles too!

100 Wells Campaign- Sudan-

2009-11-17T14:30:00.011-05:00

Safe Water

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100 Wells Campaign

"100,000 people in Jaac, Sudan need clean water to survive. The devastating genocide in Darfur has forced refugees to resettle in rural desert areas like Jaac—desert areas where clean water simply doesn’t exist. Our goal is to build 100 wells to serve this community."

"Approximately 80% of sickness in Africa is related to bad water. In Darfur, perhaps more than anywhere on the planet, clean water is critical. Refugees are forced from their homes to live in the middle of a desert with no clean water. PPF has witnessed people dying of thirst with no access to clean water. Since 2006 we have built 36 wells. The Clean Water Project funds things such as wells, Water Purifiers, water bowsers and donkeys to transport fresh drinking water."

Wow- it is hard to imagine here in the States...

I basically print and sell items so that I can print more. Printing is my hobby/buisness. There isn't a day that goes by that I think how blessed I am. Sometimes this makes me feel a little selfish...
For awhile I have been wanting a way to contribute, to be able to send a little of the profit I make out somewhere. There seems to be so many in need. Where do you start?

I thought I would start by contributing 5% of my monthly etsy sales to the 100 Wells Campaign. I know, it doesn't sound like much. But when you read that $35 helps give water to a person for life, well $35 doesn't seem like much in comparison. I think of my little guys and it makes my stomach turn to imagine them struggling to get clean water.

So a long story short- this is where our little press will start. GO Mr. HENRY GO!!! Look for totals soon...
And pass it along- send out the info.

The Letterpress Story

2009-11-11T19:04:00.001-05:00

I never was good at talking about myself or art. So, it was extremely difficult for me to make this up for a shop that will be selling out Christmas coasters. I knew it was time to put a face to the work...

Busy, Busy, Busy

2009-11-08T18:55:00.000-05:00

As if it weren't enough with all activities that the kids and family engage in... Here it is, not even Thanksgiving and I have started printing Christmas goodies. This is the first year that I am selling letterpress goods that relate to Christmas. I am just hoping that by starting now- I will be finished by Thanksgiving to really focus on the true meaning of the holiday. (I have to tell you though- I really adore the Christmas coasters that I am working on- I want to hang them from the ceiling and stand in them - tee - hee)

Here is one of the "retro ornaments" that I designed. See the ink glistening? Still wet- it takes at least 24 hours to dry- these cuties took almost 48 hrs.

Here is the other retro coaster. Reminds me of being a little kid and looking at that big beautiful Christmas Tree

The hand mixing ink- I love this color. Think 1950's red-pink. Great color!

In this picture you can see the gauge pins that I mentioned in the last post. First you print directly on the paper- and figure out were you put the pins. It was tricky with these coasters because I designed them to edge- meaning that the little arms can hold the coaster down.

I will tell you that I am tired. Felt like I had ran a 10k when I was done.

Across Atlanta, Over 85, Corner Rounders, Quoins and Mr. Moss

2009-11-05T07:15:00.000-05:00

Across Atlanta, over 85, and it was, you guessed it, another letterpress adventure. I needed a corner rounder. A good one, one that would do stacks of paper, not just one at a time. After months of rounding corners, one at a time, multiply the number of pieces of paper by four- 120 sheets times 4 corners equals 480 punches and sore fingers...
It was time.
But I didn't want to spend shipping on the item. I'm in Atlanta. Somewhere there has to be one! So I called the company to find locations near my zip code. It gave me three places of buisness. I called them. Only one had the item in stock.
That was the one that I was going to.
(Incidently, I found his buisness mentioned on Briar Press (which is an amazing site for letterpress- and just fun to poke around in - http://www.briarpress.org/ )
I drove to my destination and on the little spot that i was looking for a bindery supply I found a heavily wooded neighborhood.
Hmm.
I called my husband- can you check the number on my computer- and can you map quest it for me. (My blackberry browser only proceeds in aggravating any and all situations.)
He confurmed that I was in the correct spot.
I called- and yes I was in the correct spot- "use the lower driveway."
And then- I entered not at all what I was expecting.
A spry man of 76 opened the door. Sharp, impecibly dressed, assesories including a blue tooth in his right ear.
He smiled and opened the door. I felt as if I was entering a hobbit hole (or another basement)
"I am rebuilding the gas motor lawn mower for a museum. I invented it- a long time ago." he said this as he motioned to that mower parts and other various machine parts and ancient parts I cannot begin to name.
(See, see what I mean)
We walked further into his building. His office was littered with crowded bookcases, computers from every era, catalogs, more machine parts and an ajoining room with just as much amazing stuff.
He went to get the corner rounder out of the other room all the time we were chit- chatting and he was telling me about his buisness.
Then I saw- on the floor- QUOINS. "You have quoins!" (A quoin is a neat little item that belongs to letterpress- it is a little rectangle that expands and contracts as you turn the key that belongs to it. It is used to "lock" type in a chase.)
He looked at me and smiled. "You know letterpress?"
"Yep, I own a C&P"
"That is neat, someone your age knowing about it. What do you do with it?"
I described briefly what I was trying to do. He nodded.
Thrown off guard I tried to think of other letterpress items that I needed. Of course it was one of those stupid times when your head goes blank.
I did end up walking out with some guage pins- which holds your paper on the press to be printed. (otherwise it ends up on the floor when the press closes!)

All this to say that Mr. Moss is a valiable resource for someone like me. Being relatively new to all this- (this little field that has all but exhausted it's life span) Mr. Moss has lived through it and carries the knowledge that only someone who has experienced it can. He talked about ATF (American Type Foundries- the giant here for type- I asked about cataloges- SNATCHED by someone already!

In any event, I was excited that now I have a source to contact with questions who is local. (Before the only source I had left for China and I have not been able to contact him. See, those letterpress people...)

Sometimes it feels like I am the only crazy person taking this adventure. I know it's not true. There are little letterpress shops all over. But it is nice not having to explain to someone...

If you need something in Atlanta- contact Mr. Moss at Moss Sales and Service.

Handset Type- A Pictorial

2009-10-24T23:18:00.011-04:00

Sometimes when I mention handset type, I get a questioning look. "What is that?" This little pictorial will help address that, I think. While I am no expert, I can take pictures and I can set type.

This post will probably be extended over a few days- so check out the pictures and enjoy- let me know if you have any questions....

1. Simply put- each letter is a little piece of lead. These are stored in type cases- which are held in cabinets. (so, for each type of font- OR SIZE- you would have another case)

(Which is pretty amazing if you think of all the options you have with a computer- if it were handset type, how much room would it take?)

2. You pick up your type- One letter at a time.

3. Put the type in a "composing stick." You can adjust the stick to the appropriate size so it doesn't fall over on you. (Also, you set you type right to left- kinda backwards.)

4. Each line of type needs space between it. For that you have to cut a piece of lead- the correct length- measure, measure, measure.

5. You use a "slug cutter" to cut strips of lead in varying thicknesses. I own a very old one (I think they might all be old!) These give you the space between your lines of type- they also help to prevent your type from looking like it is sea sick.

6. Put those slugs in! (Usually this is done on a galley tray- which you will see shortly)

7. (quick as this is, I am ready to PROOF- that means I run a proof of the form before production to check for mistakes. (i.e. misspelled words, ,mixing up my p's and q's...) I get to use my handy dandy proofing press- Lay down that ink!

8. Roll out the ink until it reaches the right consistancy-( it makes a wonderous sound- similiar to raincoat material rubbing against itself?)

9. Gently roll the ink over the form.- oh, see those rectangles? They are industrial strength magnets that grip the press bed, not the lead type, and hold the type in place. This prevents your type from getting squashed!

10. Roll the cylinder over the inked form to get an impression/proof. The moment we have been waiting for...

11. Proofed!!! No backwards letters, no q's for my p's!

Final Product: The labels for our new rocket ship stationary

Now think about this; I only printed a few words. What about paragraphs, pages, books... The work involved. At one point, not too long ago in our history, this was the only way to create printed material.

There are other means to creating type and using a "letterpress." However, I try to use type whenever I can. I strive to incorporate this in our work- even if I use a plate (as for the rocket ship that I drew) on other areas.

Those Little Imaginations, Letterpress

2009-10-22T09:44:00.004-04:00

If you have ever spent time with a preschooler you know they are exceptionally wonderous little people. They are curious, explorative, unpredictable, loving, cuddly and imaginative. I love the last quality. Their imagination is amazing; it has yet to be squashed by this grown-up world we live in. Their imaginations are so vibrant that you wonder where the line between imagination and the "real" world lies. Sometimes I hear my little guy in the other room dreaming up fantastic scenarios (usually battles since he has an older brother). Sound effects narrate these epic battles as his little body moves around the room. I always have to smile.
   Adding to this imaginative quality is their ability to really vocalize now. They have developed a vocabulary that helps them share their little make believe worlds. Spending time listening to your little one is priceless. Jump in to their world for a little bit.
   This all leads to a new letterpress line that I have been working on- The Super Fantastic Star Blaster Rocket Ship- whew I said it. "It has to have a long title"- that you can give credit to my husband. He is right.
The origins of all this...
Well, we were getting our little one prepped for the first day of pre-k. We were preparing him for the inital drop off, what to expect during the day, his teachers name, he would have the most fun ever, his class would be filled with new friends, that we would pick him and bring him home....
   Maybe I was starting to sound like the mom from Charlie Brown ,"wa wa wa wa, blah blah blah."
   My little guy listened to me and then said "Mom, meee gonna ride mine rocket ship when I out skoool. Me gonna go to the moon."
   "Oh", I said. In those few lines I knew that he was gonna be okay. His little hand was blasting off in the back seat- racing to the moon.

After I dropped him off I started drawing rocket ships and thought about our little guy going to the moon. How wonderful are their first years. The world is so big and colorful for them to explore. I wonder what he will do next, in his imagination world.

The Super Fantastic Star Blaster Rocket Ship Stationary-

hand printed on 100% cotton paper. So much fun.

(Embracing Childhood)

Hold their little hands while you can, they grow quick.

Package Me Pretty

2009-10-16T17:23:00.001-04:00

Packaging.
Hmm....
You know- I thought about it. And I thought. And thought. I wanted packaging to be something special. I wanted it to be personal. I didn't want it to be wrapped in some generic piece of plastic.
That is what is so great about selling stuff on etsy. I CAN make it personal. I attach peoples names to their item, not a number (we have them- but I am horrible with numbers!). I get to sign a little card (letterpress of course) and tuck it in. I can adorn their packages with simple stuff- coordinating ribbon, matching tissue paper, and other little surprises. Yummy!
I remember the first time I ordered something on etsy. I got a great little package- stuff just kept falling out of it. Wow, this is great! It is soo cool to recieve these things. Neat little things. Little surprises. Just like when you were a kid getting mail.

That is what I want my packages to be like. I want the reciever to open it and feel the excitement of getting something addressed to you- then opening it; even better. I want people to remember not just the great handprinted letterpress- but the way it arrived.
Presents in the mailbox. Why not? I mean- isn't that what buying handmade should be? Personal- exciting- quality? Fun! It should be fun!
(Of course- I love, love, love to wrap stuff up. I like to try and imagine what their faces will look like.)
So for now- gotta go wrap a few more things.
(And if you buy something- let me know how you like your wrappings!)

Our First Giveaway

2009-10-07T16:34:00.009-04:00

Just become one of our followers, and then leave a comment(I will even give you an extra entry if you tell us what you would like to see being made in letterpress or if you twitter us, spread our name in some creative legal way, blab about us on facebook.) The winner will be picked by random and notified through email.

Good luck and get those coasters!

(By the way, those coasters where hand printed on Mr.Henry- who is our hundred year old Chandler and Price letterpress.)

Here is the list of contestants and their number!

1. Reed's Mommy

2.Chef Eureka

3.Chef Eureka

4.Anita

5. Jerah G

6.Clgriggs

7.Pamela S

8.Shelley

9.Pamela S

10.Kia P

11 Chef Eureka

12.Melissa G

13. Rochellesychua

14.Susan W.

15.Laura H.

Using the Random Number Generator I got #3- Chef Eureka
But wait wait- I am going to do two (because?.... Well, why not- it's fun!)
I got #10- Kia

CONGRATS!!!!
Please keep checking back- I will have new products that I would like to try out on everyone (that means freebies!)
Thanks for playing.

Pittsburg, Children, Letterpress And the Denture Cup

2009-10-07T11:28:00.001-04:00

Shopping for letterpress always seems to lead me to a new adventure. To start with, you can't hop down to a local letterpress store (even in Atlanta); they don't exist. The "normal" shopping you can do is limited to a few printing supply companies. Often it is about digging things up from different locations, different suppliers. And of course, as I have heard, letterpress printers develop a sickness- crusing ebay, craig's list and Briar Press (kinda like a craig's list for printing). (Okay, I have suffered from a slight dose of this sickness, although I believe I have it under control.)

Letterpress comes up as old time printers retire- people discover stuff in their basements, a buisness goes under and the old presses and stuff need to be gotten rid of -quick.

So this is how it happened that we ended up in Pittsburg, PA on one sunny weekend. Actually it was sunny there but it happened to be the weekend that Atlanta had all that rain; neighborhoods under feet of water).

My husband had a wedding to attend- we couldn't find a babysitter for the weekend, so I stayed with the kids. My husband jokingly said he would bring back letterpress to appease me. I looked on Craig's List- Voila: type still in original packing to be sold- lots.

When my husband got there he said it was amazing. (Okay- this is my little dream- so to hear it from him I knew it had to be good.) The gentleman was retiring from 60+ years of printing- and the things he had accumulated were amazing. I asked my husband to not take pictures( I didn't want to see what I was missing and what he couldn't fit in his suitcase on the plane.)

When he got home I got goodies and he relayed what he had seen.

Which is how a month later we ended up on a speed run to Pittsburg.

All for letterpress.

And this is how we loaded 1000 pounds of metal type and cabinets into our 4runner.

Now let me tell you that we brought home two cabinets and that each cabinet held 24 cases(drawers). All of which were filled with at least two fonts. Judging by the sore shoulders, we guessed each drawer was at least 20 pounds. We had the drawers strapped down in the back of the truck to prevent them from running over us.

What made this trip memorable-

1. I had never been to Pittsburg and was fascinated by all the Bridges- they have more bridges than I can count on one hand- in the MIDDLE OF THE CITY- (we got to drive over a few- and back over them and then back around again)

2. We had coffee at the Beehive- and I a guiltily yummy piece of red velvet cake.

3. We had Taco's at , and I order the duck taco- in some stupidity failing to realize that it had duck in it. (yeah I know- forgive me)

4. And I realized how wonderfully important families are and how blessed we really are- we have a great family and two wonderful boys. (Some people spend a lifetime without children in their lives...)

5. Letterpress is heavy-

Halloween Preview

2009-10-02T21:32:00.001-04:00

Just a little preview as too what we are up to...

Le Creuset

2009-09-14T06:48:00.001-04:00

As I get older, I realize that I really love cooking. I love fresh, yummy, healthy cooking. (Not to say that I do not chow down on Burger King once in awhile). I love chopping vegetables- home grown the better. I love hanging out in the kitchen listening to music while the garlic and onion saute. Consulting the recipes and adding a dash more of this or that, dancing around to some Amos Lee. Oh how sweet, how marvelous- how not as peaceful as I make it sound.

Actually, in reality- the boys are chasing each other through the kitchen, the dog is under my feet waiting for me to drop something (or being chased by the boys), yelling and screaming echos through the house and I am in the middle dodging projectile objects and redirecting rampant misbehavior. Two boys, peaceful cooking- it is not. (Yet, it is perfect and I wouldn't change it- except for the projectiles landing in the chili)

Oh and the music- we frequently cook to "Ten Little Indians" or whatever kids music we have on hand. (I have tried big band music too, that seems pretty safe. They enjoy it too, until it gets to the serenades or ballades.

At any rate, I love my Le Creuset pieces. A gift from my husband, I use them everyday- mostly. And hey, they are apple green! I wanted some new recipe cards that would sit well next to them. So the little lady was born.

Housewarming Invites

2009-09-05T08:34:00.000-04:00

Custom Invititations and coordinating coasters for a friend. Being dog lovers, the theme fit them perfectly. They were fun to design and better to print.

Prices Right, Popeye Arm and the Making of Letterpress

2009-08-15T18:26:00.000-04:00

Most have heard of letterpress. It floats around with wedding, baptism, or other profound life events. I always imagined ancient pieces of paper with scrolling lines and antique fonts pronouncing "Sir Henry" taking the hand of "Madame Gertrude..." Okay, a little dramatic.

Or maybe it was associated with grey haired men, hunching over the newspaper- trying to get it ready for the next day.

Yet, at this point my imagination had nothing- a grey cloud prohibiting me from figuring out how men of those days got a news story from a notebook to a newspaper. In fact, I could even say that I hadn't considered the process. (It was all akin to that little elf that sits in the refrigerator turning the light off when we close the door) I think this might be the case for most.

How does letterpress work? What is the process?

Well, it starts with the sketchbook. Even if I am "just setting type" I still bring out the good ol' pen and paper. The design, the layout, is the all important. Without a plan, I have nothing.

After sketching, what then? If it is a graphic image- I have one of two choices. One; carve it myself on a lino block or a wood block. Or two; head to the computer and draw it there. Once that is complete I send off the digital file to one of a few companies that magically produces a plate of magnesium on a wood block that goes into the printer.

If the image is not graphic, I can simply set the type selecting it from the hundreds of pounds of metal type we have acquired. And each little letter is lifted out of the case by hand and set in it's correct (or incorrect position- my loving husband kindly reminds me when like a moron I yet again set things backwards!!!)position. Setting type is a physical experience. You place it there- it is there. Like I have said before- there is no delete or insert key. Everything has to be moved over or taken out- ONE PIECE AT A TIME.

(That is part of the beauty- it takes thoughtful time)

Okay- so now we have the image/type we want to print, what next? When a printer is smart ( or knows that they have a tendency to junk things up) they proof it. Checkin' it twice, gonna make sure.... Sorry.

Proofing...- well you print it and you check it.

Sounds simple, right.

Hmm, printing is a craft, a skill, and art. And it is manual labor when you are operating an antique press.

A LARGE ANTIQUE PRESS.

Printing a chandler and price is physical and active. Each piece of paper is fed to the press- before it closes "pressing" it's image into the paper. As the press open, the roller s run over the ink plate and come back down to reink the image/type.

Ah the beauty of it. The sound of it- really the sound of it. Mr. Henry (that is our beloved press) has his definite grunts and groans, whooshes and swirls, metal gliding on metal, gears smoothly turning... Cast iron in motion- wow... (I think you can tell I am fairly inlove with the process)

Okay- confession time.

Our press came with a variable speed motor. Meaning it can go fast or a little faster. When you watch it running, it doesn't seem too fast. But when you step up to it - uh yeah. I am not that fast yet, or coordinated. Other presses have a treadle allowing you to control the speed with your foot. Those are great, controlling speed is much easier. And safer, if you need to stop you take your foot off. (Now, there isn't a break- and the press is still gonna close...on your hand if you are not careful)

So anyway- motor too fast, no treadle. What do I do then? Imagine -- Prices Right. On one side there is a fly wheel- a large wheel- and yes I turn that like I am playing "The Prices Right." (I spin the wheel trying to get that dollar...) Hundreds of times a night. I am gonna look like a one armed popeye. (When my husband is in the shop, he does his fair share of spinning, maybe he enjoys it but I think it's just his good nature to help me out...)

(Don't' worry, a treadle is in the future- and when I go to the gym I only lift with my right arm) If you wonder how big it is, scroll down to the press pictures and locate the largest piece on it, the largest cast iron piece. The largest, heaviest piece. So as you can see- it is work. It's physical (and can be exhausting and I'm a runner) I have asked my engineer if he can come up with a formula to figure out how much force/energy it takes to to operate Mr. Henry by hand. I'll let everyone know- more chocolate for me?

There's a lot going on. And I didn't even discuss cutting the paper or mixing ink.

But when a piece is done it feels good to know that we had our hands on every process. Every part, every original image and handset work.

Have I started to harp yet?

The process is laborious and time consuming but extremely wondrous.

Having always been obsessed with making things- it is satisfying.

2009-08-10T08:30:00.000-04:00

Something about the first day of school...

I have long since passed mine, even the days of college and teaching, but they still send that little tinge of excitement down my spine as I see our son load up and head out.

What must their anticipation be? Can you remember? Life and death hinging on your seating assignment in class- would you get the bully? (Maybe you were the bully?) Does the teacher have coffee breath? (I had this fear- and then ironically I was one of those)

"Do I have to read out loud today," losing teeth can alter speak.

The first whiff of the cafetiria hitting you- "hope there's good food today."

"Do I have everything, what if I forgot something?"

But...

It wasn't all anxiety right? I was a worry wort- but still that's not fair to let all that stuff overshadow the good. Friends, comparing new shoes, who grew taller, laughing with someone your own age. Being around a group of kids that understood your jokes and laughed when your parents just smiled and nodded. Relief- I am free, "If I burp they will laugh..."

Ahh, yes, school.

And then the parents- pray you child gets a good teacher. After all, the curriculum of schools is more than math and science. The unwritten curriculum, the one passed from the teacher to the student: morals , beliefs and values. So important. Pray for those kids, and the teachers.

The little guy is not in kindergarten anymore, it's not as hard. Not like passing your sweet baby off and getting back a little monster. (Kids are sponges, and usually the things you least want then to suck up get absorbed.) (LIKE ARMPIT FARTS) But I still pray...

As we headed off for the bus stop, a little flutter in my stomach. Natural for a mother I guess.

The house will be a little (okay a great deal) quieter, and I might get some work done.

Letterpress and children, well not always a match.

Happy first day of school.

What is a Vermilion Star?

2009-08-01T09:28:00.000-04:00

What is a Vermilion Star? Is it Mars? (That's the red planet right? ) Hmm...
Something to do with sailors predicting the weather? Umm, no?
Well then? What is Vermilion to start with?

sometimes spelled vermillion, when found naturally occurring, is an opaque orangish red pigment, used since antiquity, originally derived from the powdered mineral cinnabar. Chemically, the pigment is mercuric sulfide, HgS, and like all mercury compounds it is toxic. Its name is derived from the French vermeil which was used to mean any red dye, and which itself comes from vermiculum, a red dye made from the insect Kermes vermilio.[1] The word for the color red in Portuguese (vermelho) derives from this term.
Today, vermilion is most commonly artificially produced by reacting mercury with molten sulfur. Most naturally produced vermilion comes from cinnabar mined in China, giving rise to its alternative name of China red.

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Vermilion

That's what wikipedia says, but orangish red is not the color I get when I open a tube of vermilion red paint...Usually it's more of a deep purplish red color...
What ever the case, my wonderful husband listened to me spout of press names for about two weeks. Some of them were interesting but all were missing something: nomadic press, sleepless press, penniless press...

We had the dictionary out, we thought of our favorite movies...

And then he brought out Vermilion- oooh!!! I love red.

And Stars...

A star was born. Okay- pretty cheesy. But come on, it's fun and it fits. Not too girly, but enough. And it has imagery attached to it.

Vermilion Star Press.

But Wait! There's more!!!

While looking through an old printing manual- old as in 1880- we found more. (Here, I would like to interject that letterpress isn't an easy subject to get stuff on. You can't walk into the local bookstore and get a letterpress manual. If you do find a book it's most likely a manual from decades past when it was still in vocational schools. (THAT IS A LONG TIME AGO)
See I told you it was an old book.

So as it turns out vermilion was the official color used in those old books for the very first letter. Pretty neat huh?

We think so, and if not it keeps people wondering at any event.

One other point, I am taking the artistic liberty and using all shades of red- including pink. And that is perfectly wonderful!

Glitz and Glitter

2009-07-22T22:17:00.000-04:00

Lately, I have been using a great, great deal of glitter. It almost stands against every art principal that I was ever taught. (Glitter is taboo in art school after all.) Oh well, that was a long time ago and today, well today I love the way the glitter looks on the cards. It accents the colors and makes them pop. I think that sometimes letterpress is so precise and crisp that giving it a little glitz prevents it from become too stolid...

And well- it's glitter. It talks to the kid in me, to the part of me that wants to play in paints and get messy rather that keeping everything so pristine.

So enjoy the glitz...

Stationary Stack

2009-06-20T08:22:00.001-04:00

What do you get someone for a birthday when you own a press? Letterpress... Hopefully, family members don't get too bored with all the paper items that come towards them.
For some reason the idea of a nice little stack of paper ( with one's name printed on it) got me really excited. At first I thought that a cordinating ribbon tied neatly around the stack would be hot. Such a nice gift.
But after the family got together, this did become a family project with even the oldest son helping, and we actually had the stack sitting in front of us- it seemed that it now had a higher status. The beautiful stationary seemed naked- vulnerable. We worked so hard- it needed some protection. (Funny how you think of these things- because after they leave your hands it doesn't seem so much of a concern.)
At any rate, packaging became the focus of a saturday afternoon. While watching the kids jump on the trampoline and hunt for worms in the backyard- I sat on the back porch making a set of sliding boxes out of chipboard and then lining them with store bought paper. (In the back of my mind I was dreaming up papers for future boxes, next time.) But I think that the end result was great.

One small note- for the outside I decided to make a label. I dug deep into the old vintage type- the stuff that was rescued from the barn- the stuff in the old wooden Kelsey Meridian cabinet. I ended up setting a wonderful label- unfortunatly one of the fonts was damaged. Meaning, that I couldn't quite get a good impression; the engravers shaded had a few damaged letters.
Perfection- I suppose that most would not notice that too much pressure was used to get a impression- which led to some of the letters "squashing " a bit. Man, it irks me. Even worse- I didn't quited have an equivalent font to switch out... (I am currently on the marked for one of these wonderful fonts.) See if you can notice.

The Find

2009-05-20T08:13:00.001-04:00

I had been looking on Briar Press and on Craig's list for months trying to find a press. I knew what I wanted ( a C&P)but the trick was finding it in the condition and price we had in mind. Oh, and did I mention location. It seemed that every "good" press was popping up out west or up north- ironically, many were coming from locations that would have been great- before we moved south that is. Location was important, because shipping those things- well, try and imagine the orchestration of getting a 1260lb brittle cast-iron machine moved across states. Not exactly like checking the UPS box on an online check-out. It would take work. We were considering doing it ourselves- and were even mapping out locations in states as far away as Texas. Over 24hrs of driving. Doesn't seem that far until you factor in kids riding with you ( that adds lots and lots of bathroom breaks) and going extra slow in a rental truck. Hmm. Not so appealing. Yet, we were looking at it. (Another tangent interjection- I am not the only crazy one looking across the country trying to find these large beasts- I know others that are doing the same- they don't make these presses anymore)

Well after months of looking, I had almost given up hope, and then I stumbled across one. A very local one. I saw an ad for one larger than I wanted with a Kluge feeder( Kluge feeder feeds the paper- so you don't have to insert each sheet). So I contacted asking about the press and how easy it would be to take off the feeder. It turned out that that wasn't the only press for sale- there were four total and one was a 8x 12 C&P.

We made arrangements to go see it and ended coming home with a Vandercook No. O proofing press and the plans on how to get the C &P here. Both were in great condition, needing cleaning and oiling- no rust. They had been left were they were, in the climate controlled shop and not in someones garage or barn, as the new presses came into use.

We kept in contact with the owner's as they would be closing their doors and cleaning out shop soon. They ended up being very generous and we helped them clean out lots of good stuff.

So one fine day, Mr.Henry was delivered. A man that specialized in moving presses brought him across town and up our steep driveway. Okay- and that was a blessing. We tried contacting people for the 40 mile drive- we that was about worthless. We looked into renting the stuff and trying it ourselves- a little apprehensive. All the while, I was watching videos on UTube and reading blogs and websites about others moving them. I read plenty of horror stories about presses breaking apart in moves, people watching as they came off balance ( can't really catch something 1200lbs from falling).

No we cleaned out the area and waited as one man moved the press for us without incident. (Maybe I didn't labor over it as others have- but the thought of dealing with a large hunk of cast iron breaking into lots of pieces.)

Mr. Henry...

We have to print at night because of the kids- but sometimes I sneak in just to have a peak at him.

Letterpress? (Living Well)

2009-05-01T15:39:00.000-04:00

Letterpress. Well, why even bother you ask. I mean, in flash you can type something, adjust it's size color, the path (or line ) it sits on, and then change the font style. Topping it all off- you can even print it from your computer. Wow! Yep, sit there and hit print ( sometimes you have to change the ink cartridge- or load the paper- ugh). For the most part our world has printed documents down to a science. It is quick, cheap, painless and available for the masses.

And impersonal.

Yep, it's like buying that quilt from Target- not sure who made it, it might not even be that great of quality. Maybe it was cheap, maybe we have become accustomed to it. We don't know who made it, we might not even know if it touched anyones hands.

Or maybe you bought bread from the Walmart bakery- or Wonderbread for that matter. When was the last time that you treated yourself to fresh baked bread? Entered the bakery, let all your senses be treated? The smell of fresh baked bread... The face of the baker in an apron dusted with flour... The way the warm bread felt in the paper bag..

The sensuous feel of good cotton paper in your hand. The embossing of the type on this paper. The smell of ink ( yes, you can smell it). The fact that the printer touched each piece, mixed the ink, and set the image. Every step was touched by an actual person. That is important.

That, to me, is part of living well...

Steps involved in letterpress

Type locked up in chase.

Mr.Henry inked in pink

One card just printed

A whole pile of "LIVE WELL" cards

The Beginnings

2009-04-21T15:53:00.000-04:00

I have always been fascinated with Letterpress, well, printing in general. The idea of creating something by hand, and then stepping away to let the "machines" take over. It is a process that lets you distance yourself, in some senses, from art that you have worked very intimately with. In college I loved being in the print shop- the large heavy presses- the inks, paper, the smells ( which some would say isn't always too healthy). It always fascinated me that things so large and heavy, could ultimately produced delicate works of art.

Letterpress was a passion that came about later, after college and after teaching. In fact, I would like to say it happened almost by accident. Kinda a collision of chance and desire. You see we were living in remote upstate New York at the time and I stumbled on a Kelsey table top printer. (If you are familiar with printing and letterpress you know that the first Kelsey's were difficult to get impressions on. I am pretty sure this is a first one judging by the ornate curves and the writing on the side)(Sorry if I have offended any of you loyal Kelsey's out there by the way) But that didn't matter. I was hooked. The press still had rollers (which thanks to the condition that they were stored- still usable- no cracks or dings.), wood planer, mallet, composing stick and the last flyer it had printed still on tympan. Oh, and the sound it makes when it inks and the plate rotates- awesome...But probably the most fascinating was the cabinet that came with it. Yep, thirteen cases filled, most with two to three fonts. It had it all; script, san-serif, wooden type, italics, 6pt to 30pt, ornaments!!! Of course, nothing that great comes without a price, a mouse or mice had made their home in one of the cases and I had to spend a descent amount of time cleaning it out.

Here I will pause and add some info about type and typesetting. Obviously, computers are a relatively new invention- but printing has been around for centuries. What most people don't know is how labor intensive printing is. For instance, take this posting- lots and lots of letters. (Probably more words than most care to read...) If I were to "set" this, each letter, space or punctuation would be a physical piece of type. That's a great deal of metal. And what if you forgot a word- no clicking- you would have to figure out how to insert it. You might have to move everything- every piece.... Amazing how much work it is, and how we take it all for granted. Enough of that, I will tell you that one of the first things I set I set it mirror image- and when I proofed it there was a great laugh to go around the room (yah I know moron).

Back to the Kelsey-that was how this really all started. A chance find, a love of printing and a fascination with letterpress. We worked with it- but I started to feel disappointed with the results and knew I wanted something more- something different- something reliable...