Something about fine letterpress makes me want to get married again. Almost. At the very least it makes me want to publish tiny, perfect books. I'm thinking "Plant These Poems"...
I used to print thin books on an Adana 8 X 5. See here:
http://www.biroco.com/other/nash.htm
It's very hard to get enough pressure for even inking when you have a small press, even on the 8 X 5 I soon discovered you can't make the pressure be even to the edges of the entire printable area of a forme that large, so you can't make use of the entire 8 X 5. This meant my A5 pages were necessarily designed with wide margins so I could concentrate on the area I could get even inking in.
Then again, I only had enough type to set one page at a time so had to 'diss' all the type back to the tray before I could set another page. But these kinds of limitations are interesting. The smaller 5 X 3 Adana should be avoided, only good for cards and then not necessarily that good. Bear in mind the bigger the press the better and more even the pressure you can get. In other words, even if you only want to print small cards, you will get a better result on a bigger press.
It's quite an obsession, every bit as much as typewriters, which are, indeed, letterpress.
My, but doesn't that relief print look fine. Like you said, it does confer quite the air of quality.
ReplyDeleteOf course, that being said, a letterpress isn't worth a fig without a talented designer behind it! Now I wonder where folks could find one of those...
Looks very nice! So, you bought the Adana? Show it!
ReplyDeleteAlas Frank, this is where the indecision begins. When I get one, I'll be posting about it - be sure of that!
DeleteThose look astounding! Also, to be able to plant these after they have served their purpose just makes them that much more special.
ReplyDeleteExcellent! & will start googling right away.
ReplyDeleteYou have certainly piqued my curiosity, and I love your concept of the paper with seeds. That's brilliant.
ReplyDeleteSomething about fine letterpress makes me want to get married again. Almost. At the very least it makes me want to publish tiny, perfect books. I'm thinking "Plant These Poems"...
ReplyDeleteI used to print thin books on an Adana 8 X 5. See here:
ReplyDeletehttp://www.biroco.com/other/nash.htm
It's very hard to get enough pressure for even inking when you have a small press, even on the 8 X 5 I soon discovered you can't make the pressure be even to the edges of the entire printable area of a forme that large, so you can't make use of the entire 8 X 5. This meant my A5 pages were necessarily designed with wide margins so I could concentrate on the area I could get even inking in.
Then again, I only had enough type to set one page at a time so had to 'diss' all the type back to the tray before I could set another page. But these kinds of limitations are interesting. The smaller 5 X 3 Adana should be avoided, only good for cards and then not necessarily that good. Bear in mind the bigger the press the better and more even the pressure you can get. In other words, even if you only want to print small cards, you will get a better result on a bigger press.
It's quite an obsession, every bit as much as typewriters, which are, indeed, letterpress.