Tag: letterpress

Sharing the Shop

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I didn’t know The Itinerant Printer would not only print in my shop but would also realign my press and teach me so much.

Chris Fritton’s visit has been a real boost to me. I tend to work alone, so having him here to bounce ideas off, listen to, learn from, has been wonderful.

So tomorrow, during our Meet and Greet, you should stop by. You’ll have a chance to see his work and learn about his travels around the country. It’s been a cool adventure…

915 A Sophia Street: Water Street Studio, 5-8pm.

Be there. Come print with us.

 

When the Dark Gets Me Down

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Is it the dark? Or is it the cold rain?

Either way, I struggle (as my dad often did) with this weather. Nevertheless, I must pull on my boots (literally pulling on Birkenstock boots today) and head out. I am attending the University of Mary Washington Student Holiday Market as a vendor. I have to admit– this is not my favorite thing to do. Who likes selling themselves? But if I want to get my work out into the world, I have to, well, get it out into the world.

And what I know about weather is this: it always changes, much like anything, any moment in life.

Onward.

 

Finished

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swapWell, I’m finished with the print for the Ladies of Letterpress swap. I am not as happy as I thought I would be, but here’s what I’ve learned:

  • don’t run the print through the press with three different forms of type. (I couldn’t keep the straight as you can see especially on the bottom. Trying to register the orange was– trying.)
  • don’t ever print 100 of anything without doing a full test print on ONE. (I realized after printing the brown tree on 100 that it should have been higher, and I would have made significant other changes as well.)
  • write out everything before you set it. (duh, I was revising the poem and the colophon as I set it- stupid!)

I had a great time getting input from friends on Instagram— and the comments were a huge help. But next time– I’ll be prepared and it won’t take me three press runs and, oh, at least four full days of setting type and printing.

Oh, and I’ve ordered new quad guides, which will help me register to keep the lines straight. The adhesive ones don’t seem to stick for me, thus the ever-moving prints and crooked lines!