Well, 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!