yearing to begin!

leylajane
on 29 Aug 07 (18:12)

hello,

i have been interested in letterpress for years but have no idea where to begin! i am interested in diving head first into it—if it’s possible getting a press to start working with—or checking out if there is someone in my area who would be willing to let me learn over his/her shoulder. i live in austin, texas. i am presently teaching school and stocking up design ideas and getting more and more ready to branch off on my own and get started!

i’d love to hear any ideas you all might have.
thanks so much in advance.

leyla

jacqui
on 30 Aug 07 (15:15)

Leyla,

I recommend that you start by searching through old posts here on briarpress.org. I posted the same question a few weeks back, only to discover, once I had, that the same “how do I start?” question has been posted, and answered, dozens of times.

Also, you might want to look at this link of Letterpress FAQ:
http://www.greendolphinpress.com/letterpress-faq.html

Other sites that have been invaluable to me include:

http://www.donblack.ca/
http://www.fiveroses.org/intro.htm
http://www.iloveletterpress.com

Hope that gets you started! And don’t forget to just Google your heart out!

My best,
Jacqui

kymber7
on 2 Sep 07 (21:06)

Hi Leyla,

I’m right there with you. My boyfriend, bless his heart, just purchased a Kelsey tabletop press for me as a surprise. I was ecstatic, but now I’m thinking, “Now what?!” I know I love the LOOK of letterpress, but I never thought I would actually own a press.

I will look over the suggestions Jacqui made in her post. But I do have one (probably stupid) question for you pros…can I just make plates to use on the press instead of hand setting type? I would like to create my business cards with a piece of art I designed.

Thanks so much! I’m incredibly excited to begin.

Kym

jacqui
on 2 Sep 07 (22:55)

Kym,

Firstly, I’m anything but a pro, as I’m a beginner myself. However, I’ll be needing plates for two logos and have been researching the subject extensively.

The two most popular places I’ve seen mentioned by pros and blogs for plates are Boxcar Press (polymer plates) and Owosso (metal plates).

http://www.boxcarpress.com/platemaking/index.html
http://www.owossographic.com

From what I’ve read, a call to either would probably answer every question you have. I know that I’ll be calling both on Tuesday myself.

I’d love to know what general opinions are on either, or if there are other resources out there. Especially for working on a Craftsmen Machinery Co. Superior, which is what I have.

Jacqui

kymber7
on 3 Sep 07 (00:28)

Thank you very much! This is definitely is a step in the right direction. I was able to download the Kelsey manual, so I suppose I should study up on what I need to start printing.

I appreciate the information, Jacqui.