There are so many things to consider when designing for letterpress. Knowing the process, limitations, and techniques can help you elevate your design and avoid surprises ($$!).

In this episode we cover some of the main items you'll want to keep in mind while designing for letterpress (although there could possibly be a hundred more!).

We've discussed some of these topics more in depth in the past - but felt like it was time to revisit the subject as a whole. A few of the episodes we reference are:

File Types (Spotify link) | Apple Podcasts

Mixing Digital + Letterpress (Spotify link) | Apple Podcasts

Kiss vs Bite (Spotify link) | Apple Podcasts

Emboss Like a Boss (Spotify link) | Apple Podcasts

Screening & Halftones (Apple link) | Spotify

Some resources you can check out are:

Jillian's Letterpress course in Stationery School

Britt's Learn Letterpress

Thank you so much for tuning in!! Follow us on instagram at @hotoffthepresspod

This week, Moriah & Jillian have an episode that requires some serious heavy lifting… Moving presses! All jokes aside, it’s an intimidating process to move antique printing equipment. With several moves under our own belts, and plenty we’ve seen/heard about, we’ve gathered up our best advice all in one episode for you.

If you’re looking at getting a press, then you’ll definitely want to tune in and hear all our best tips and tricks. For those who’ve moved presses before, you’ll know there are so, so many things to consider that may not be obvious until you’ve done it. So if anything, this episode will serve as a reminder to appreciate your current setup and maybe give you some good ideas for the future.

After you’ve tuned in, feel free to let us know if there’s any other advice you’d offer our fellow letterpress people and we’ll be happy to share with the class! You can DM us or comment on this week’s post over on Instagram, or send us an email any time.

Thanks for tuning in! We’ll be back next week with anotha’ one!

Although we’ve been working behind the scenes on this season for quite a while, it felt so right to officially kick off season 6 on Type High Day! Hopefully 9/18 has some fun print projects in store for you, and you can get caught up on all our goings-ons while you get inked up.

We have been through some big changes in our personal lives, our work lives, and with the podcast too over the past 11 months… You’ll have to tune into this episode to hear all about everything, but most importantly: we’re SO FREAKING HAPPY to be back!! We’ve got a big surprise in this episode, and some other very fun things to come.

Thank you SO much for being here! We’re incredibly grateful for your patience, excitement for our return, and for your tuning in each week. We can’t wait to share more with you soon.

Val Lucas is one of the few changing the game and carrying on the legacy of metal typecasting. We were introduced to her stunning work via her pattered border submissions to the APA, and we knew we had to have her on to walk us though this process! This episode covers Val's journey from printing classes to creating her own line of cast borders.

We strongly encourage anyone who is interested in learning more about typecasting to look into classes, mentorship or even reaching out to us to see where and how you can learn more! Without active participants wanting to carry on the legacy, this keystone of print history will disappear!

To support Val, and see all of her amazing work, you can visit her website www.bowerbox.com and follow her on instagram: @bowerbox!

Pricing and finances are two of the scariest parts of going into business. In the third edition of our Book Club series, we cover two amazing guides to setting yourself up for financial success.

Books discussed:

Graphic Artists Guild Handbook, 16th Edition: Pricing & Ethical Guidelines This textbookesque guide covers so much information regarding the professional life of a graphic designer. From contracts to pricing, this book provides real world examples and standards for it all!

Profit First: Transform Your Business from a Cash-Eating Monster to a Money-Making Machine Everything you need to know about this book is in the title. Profit First will help set your business up for financial success by reframing the structure used to organize your money!

LINKS

Graphic Artists Guild Handbook, 16th Edition: Pricing & Ethical Guidelines https://amzn.to/46pn014 

Profit First by Mike Michalowicz: https://amzn.to/46k1ETi on Amazon or Bookshop.org https://bookshop.org/p/books/la-ganancia-es-primero-transforma-tu-negocio-en-una-maquina-de-hacer-dinero-y-logra-una-rentabilidad-inmediata-profit-first-transforma-tu-negocio-mike-michalowicz/266082?ean=9780735214149

And if you’re interested in Honeybook (Moriah’s CRM): https://share.honeybook.com/moriah68753

If you want to keep your press in tip top shape, regular maintenance is key. But we know how daunting this could feel, especially if you're brand new to printing and just acquired your press friend.

In this episode we cover some of the standard maintenance procedures you'll want to take part in. Full disclosure: this episode favors those of us operating platen presses. If you run a cylinder press or something with more parts, like a Heidelberg, there may be additional tasks you need to add to your own maintenance routine.

Have some maintenance techniques you want to share with others? Come leave a comment on our post over at @hotoffthepresspod

For the second episode in this short series on Sculpted Embossing, we speak with Nick and Mac from JR Press in San Fransisco. JR Press is a family owned business that Nick's grandfather opened up in 1987. They have a hefty list of equipment and they've had the pleasure of working on some incredible projects.

We pick up the sculpted embossing process from where we left off with the fabrication of the plates and talk all about setting up the prints, the most successful materials to use, and even some troubleshooting tactics that we can almost guarantee you haven't thought of.

If you'd like to book a sculpted embossing (or any kind of print) project with JR Press, you can contact them via their email [email protected], or visit the contact form on their website: jrpress.co

To see some of their great work give them a follow in Instagram: @jrpress.sf

And to see the projects we discuss in this episode, make sure to check out our instagram over @hotoffthepresspod !!

In our second edition of the "Book Club" series, we discuss some of our favorite and most popular technical handbooks. These are books that can directly enhance your knowledge of printing and print history that can be applicable to growing your press skills.

Books covered:

Elementary Platen Presswork by Ralph W. Polk (buy here on ThriftBooks)

Printing and the Allied Trades by R. Randolph Karch (buy here on AbeBooks)

General Printing by Glen Cleeton, Charles Pitkin, and Raymond Cornwell (buy here on Amazon)

If you've been oogling the beautiful results from sculpted emboss while scrolling through Instagram, you're not alone! We have been so intrigued by the process that we decided to set out and do a 2 part series on this seriously impressive print method!

In Part 1, we speak with Mark Schumacher from Metal Magic, the #1 place to source brass and copper dies! Mark walks us through the process of creating a sculpted plate from the order submission to shipping it out. This is an episode you surely do not want to miss!

To start your next order with Metal Magic, you can visit the contact tab on their website: https://www.metalmagic.com/

To view the videos we discuss in the episode, you can click the following links:

BRASS DIES

COPPER DIES

Follow the Hot Off the Press instagram account to see more content and updates from Metal Magic!

Ever since the great wedding surge of 2021, it seems like rush projects are the norm. How we handle those varies from company to company, but if you're just starting out and are curious on how other printers handle rush fees - this episode is for you!

Prior to recording this episode, we polled our audience and the print community at large to gather some data. Immediately we spotted (3) common approaches to "rush fees" and we cover these, as well as some other thoughts and policies you might want to consider when establishing your pricing guidelines.

Enjoy this episode? Want to hear more business related content? Shoot us an email with a topic you'd like to hear us cover! [email protected]

And don't forget to join in on the conversation over on Instagram! Just look for the post titled "Rush Fees"