Why Letterpress Printing Is Great For Designers

Being one of just a handful of Letterpress studios in Australia, I think it’s important that I do my part in sharing insights about letterpress printing into the local design community here.

Letterpress printing has experienced a revival in recent years, particularly in the USA and Canada, attracting designers who appreciate its timeless appeal and the unique results it can produce.

Letterpress printing has a real tactile quality to it, something that digital printing removes and that people seem to want more and more these days. The centuries old process involves pressing inked type or images onto paper, creating a distinct impression that can be felt as well as seen. The combination of crisp lines, deep impressions, and the texture of the paper results in a tactile, intimate, sensory experience that digital printing just can’t create.

Intentional Creativity

The process of letterpress printing encourages a more deliberate approach to design, as each color and element must be carefully considered and prepared. The need to work with physical materials can lead to more thoughtful decision-making, pushing designers to explore innovative ways to achieve their desired outcomes. These constraints often spark creativity and result in designs that are distinctive, refined, and purposeful.

Vintage style

Letterpress designs evoke a sense of craftsmanship, authenticity, and timelessness, which can help businesses and individuals establish a unique identity and evoke emotional connections with their audience through business cards and other marketing materials.

The vintage appeal of letterpress printing adds a touch of nostalgia to any design, making it stand out in a sea of digital imagery. Wedding stationery seems to be one of the most popular requests we get, and once we explain all the ways letterpress can look it’s incredible to see how the couples lose themselves in the design process and tend to lean into that vintage, old world style while maybe using modern fonts and imagery.

Sustainable, Eco-Friendly and Lasting

Our machines are all old….lovingly and painstakingly restored to their former glory, and we use inks and papers that are kind to the environment with little to no waste.

There’s something special about reviving this elegant craft, and combining it with modern designs and aesthetics.

The things is, while digital design and printing technologies can be convenient and fast, letterpress printing has tactile elegance, distinctive aesthetic, and creative techniques such as embossing and blind-printing to inspire designers to create memorable and impactful designs.

Collaborating

One of my favourite things is to spend some time with designers I work with to help them understand what can and can’t be done with letterpress, and to share design considerations such as placement of printed content adjacent to embossed areas.

If you look at one of my recent Insta posts of my business card, you’ll see the embossed background and the inked image compliment each other so nicely, and that space and white paper are a considered and powerful aspect of the design.

Simplicity and having a vision of the elements is definitely such a vital part of this process!

Thanks for reading my blog!

Roberto