The Art in Letterpress

Art... what you don't think it's art!

Letterpress printing started to fail in the 1950s and was all but gone by the 80s. Offset printing was coming of age, and with desktop publishing in the late 80s it closed the door on the letterpress.

It’s still a specialty craft. Some graphic artists have revived the art.  Not getting the results they were looking for in desktops flat design. They found a medium and expression in the letterpress. Though specialty shops and internet stores some have found a following for the look and feel of letterpress printing. “Letterpress is like the new engraving” said Kitty Maryatt “it looks different, it feels old and people love that. It’s the romance of the impression of the letters pressed into the paper that people feel good about” I couldn’t agree with her any more. I love the feel of the impression, the sound of the press  and that is where the art comes from. The master or the pressman knows just how much to push. Not too much or it will cut, not to soft or it won’t have the feel and look of letterpress. It’s what we see and feel on the paper that opens the old world printing in our Imagination. The remembered old wedding invitation or business card found long ago that’s the “feel good” part Kitty was talking about.

Art, yes I think its art. Just like an old painting on the wall it’s an expression of the artist.