progress report.

I must admit that I underestimated the challenge that it would be to get a letterpress up and running in roughly 3 months - and during my spare time. I bought the press in August and self-imposed a deadline, which was to print Christmas cards before, well, Christmas. While the deadline kept me motivated me to keep buying supplies, there have been other dependencies I didn't count on. I'm hearing silence from vendors about re-covering my rollers, and the boxcar base I ordered... still back ordered. Since my press is a little bit less common than other presses of its type, it involves some special sizes and rarer parts. Also, since I work full-time and have other obligations, I'll admit that I haven't always been dogged about following up.

What I have done in the meantime is to buy paper. And definitely more paper than I'm showing here. In order to buy paper wholesale, it's often bought full-size: 8.5 x 11. Card makers use large paper cutters to cut paper down to size, and a bone folder to score them (fold in half). At this stage, I'm buying paper pre-cut and scored, which means the paper is more expensive. But I still have a lot to learn about what kind of paper I like using, and which works best with my press.


So I've been looking around to see what's on sale. I was able to buy up some A2 folded cards and envelopes in pale pink ("Blush") that Paper Source was closing out (this is the same paper I used for our wedding Thank Yous), and some fun, long fuchsia envelopes. At another store, I got a whole box of recycled brown paper envelopes and cardstock made of bamboo. Most recently, I bought very some fine, thin Italian paper and envelopes in a nice eggshell color from Cavallini & Company's annual warehouse sale.

The piles of paper have, in turn, led to some very late 'spring cleaning' at our house.

The recent Cavallini & Co. sale was, in particular, very fruitful. I bought a little of everything they sell, I think: journals, gift wrap and tags, rubber stamps, stickers, note cards, etc. These glittering holiday postcards might just have to be my backup Christmas cards.

progress report.

I finally ordered some additional parts: trucks (these attach to the ends of the rollers - I had 3 of the 4 I needed, but like tires, it was better to purchase new ones as a pair), the boxcar deep relief base (which is what polymer plates sit on instead of locking in lead or wood type), and a roller gauge (to make sure everything is at the right height for printing). Next, I ship the roller cores out to have them recovered in rubber.

With all my focus on trees in the last couple days, including some reading I did on Paper University about the trees grown and used for paper-making, it was funny to me that Boxcar Press had an option to purchase a tree for one dollar at the end of their ordering flow.


So, I did. I can't say enough how thorough and helpful Boxcar's site is for new and potential printers, and maybe even for well-established ones. I finally spent some time perusing their FAQs and tutorials, their online printing manuals and so forth. There's also a link to: Flurry: A Journal Among the Printers.

progress report.

Until you start seeing some printed cards, this blog is all a lot of talk. Still, process being what it is, there is so much to learn.

Current accomplishments:

1. The chase has arrived! With the help of Sherwin at Craftsmen Machinery, we were able to identify my press as a Craftsmen Superior 6.5 x 10. The serial number had been painted over, so we measured each part. The chase is actually a bit smaller than the above measurements and it is, basically, the frame that holds the type or graphics in place. Everything is set very, very tightly within the chase, and then the chase is locked into the press. It's approximately the size of a license plate, and mine is brand new and surprisingly lightweight. When it arrived, I immediately tried locking it in place and... it fits!


2. Crane's Lettra paper samples also came in the mail the other day. I had previously taken a (disappointing) little lunchtime excursion to Kelly Paper on 10th Street, south of Market, and learned that they mainly stock and sell standard 8.5 x 11 paper for business use: letterhead, copier & printer paper. They do, however, sell rubber-based ink. The man helping me advised me to check out Arch, which is one of my favorite art supply stores, so I will definitely follow through. Any excuse to go to Arch...!

In the meantime, I tried to start thinking about how one orders wholesale and it (finally) occurred to me that I could request samples. Crane & Co. carries a line of paper specifically for letterpress printing. They sent me a variety of shades of white, in all different thicknesses:



There is something about plain white paper that I love. To a writer, a blank sheet can be intimidating. It stares you down and dares you to write something that doesn't suck, but if you knew that the paper might one day carry someone's handwriting - that of someone you cared about, who might say thank you, or express love - that's altogether different.