Letterpress & Craft
Started in the 15th century, letterpress is the oldest form of printing where ink is applied to a raised plate and pressed into paper, making a debossed impression. Traditionally, individual metal or wooden type was hand set and locked into a chaise for printing, but Letter & Lark works with polymer plates made from digital files, unrestricted from specific typefaces and imagery. The letterpress printing process requires great time and attention to detail. Plates are carefully aligned on an antique press and pieces are meticulously printed one sheet and one ink color at a time, meaning that a single sheet can be fed through the press through several rounds of printing before completion. No two sheets are exactly the same, as ink color and impression can subtly change from piece to piece.
Letter & Lark prints on a large proofing press called a Vandercook no. 4 – watch the video above from Leo F Bonarrigo to see Colleen printing in action.