Letterpress Resources & Links

I have done some preparation, or immersion, if you will, into the letterpress world to better prepare myself for my course on the subject this semester. I could not be more excited about sinking my teeth into this medium, and I fear I will not be able to drag my sensibilities back to the world of digital prints. For those interested, I have compiled some letterpress links, galleries, work, and resources:

Studio On Fire

Studio on Fire is one of the first sites/studios I think about when I get to daydreaming about letterpress. They do both printing and in house design; when they do both on one project they are at their best. Their work is always beautiful, if you’re not familiar definitely check out their official site and blog.

Hammerpress

Hammerpress is another studio that does printing & design work with a pretty heavy influence online. I am not as fond of their in-house designed stuff, but to each his own. They have a website with a lot of their work on it, and a Flickr photostream as well with some behind the scenes shots.

Hatch Show Print

I cannot seem to find a website for Hatch Show Print, it seems their work does such a good job of speaking for itself, their reputation precedes them even without the help of the series of tubes. They have made a nice niche for themselves in the concert and gig poster field, honing in on Nashville, TN and country music. Their work has a undeniable style to it; their work is a real pleasure to browse. The Ryman Auditorium has a collection of posters that Hatch Show Print designed specifically for them located here and they have a page on the Country Music Hall of Fame site.

Globe

I have been introduced to Globe in my comings and goings around Baltimore, and it is really a shame that they don’t get more attention. Their gig posters are all brightly colored, full of character, and easily identifiable. They have a beautiful and strong aesthetic that doesn’t really translate too well online. They have a terrible website you can look through if you please, and a site dedicated to selling their vintage poster prints that is a bit more usable. I really feel like Globe could have a pretty expansive following online if they were to market themselves with a better web presence.

Zeichen Press

Another deplorable website; it seems a lot of these letterpress people aren’t as comfortable with the web. Nonetheless, Zeichen Press has an interesting portfolio with a sense of humor and a demonstration of their design and printing versatility. I do, however, wish whoever was taking their documentary photographs would chill out with the depth-of-field shot, or at least include some nice, straight on views as well. Click around their projects page for a bit and check out their online shop as well!

A Favorite Design

Not winning any awards in the self branding department, but A Favorite Design has some interesting letterpress work. They certainly don’t have the seasoned style of Globe or Hatch Show Print, but I do love the fact that a lot of their work showcases the intersection of technology and letterpress, a wasteland not often tread. This piece in particular is a favorite of mine. A one liner? Yes, of course; but beautiful in its simplicity and transcendence of medium. Check out their site and Etsy page!

Blue Barnhouse

I stumbled across Blue Barnhouse when scouring the interwebs for some inspiration. Their run-of-the-mill poster/card/invitation work is just that, run-of-the-mill. However, their album and cd packaging is absolutely beautiful. Well designed, letterpressed, and with a nod to bookbinding techniques and structures, definitely worth a firm browsing. Check out their site, especially their packaging gallery. (Hi-five for being wordpress powered without looking like a blog, Blue Barnhouse!)

Thanks it for now, but I expect to add to this list when I find some more sites and studios. Let me know if I have missed any crucial ones in the comments!