The History behind the Craft of Letterpress Printing

A Quick Look at the History of Letterpress Printing

Even with the advent of technology, the old business of letterpress printing remains to be a sought after craft for artisans who are in the pursuit of a beautiful work of art. With its timeless appeal and superb aura of quality, letterpress printing brings a sense of class to any printed material that offset printing, or any other form of printing method, could not achieve.

What is Letterpress Printing?

Letterpress printing is a method of printmaking that involves locking movable type into the bed of a press, inking it, and pressing or rolling paper against it; hence, creating an impression on the paper.

The Parts of the Letterpress

A letterpress is made up of various parts: a press bed, where the movable type is set up; a roller for inking; and a tympan or a stretched disc or drum, on which the paper is attached.

The Stages of Letterpress Printing

Letterpress printing consists of various stages: composition or configuration, imposition and lock-up, and printing. In a small printing press, all the processes may occur in a single room. However, in larger printing plants, where newspapers and magazines are created, each process might happen in a distinct department with its own floor or room.

The Advent of Letterpress Printing

In the mid-fifteenth century, letterpress became the primary form of printing and communication. It was the only method of publishing booklets and pamphlets and other printed materials like public notices and broadsheets.

Johannes Gutenberg was credited as the inventor of the moveable type of printing press. He also created his own version of wood block printing, which was based on the existing wine press. The Gutenburg's hand press, or the screw press,...

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...ly touched the paper to transfer the ink. On the other hand, the modern letterpress printers make use of deep impressions on the page, which is referred to in the printing industry as “debossing”, to create a printed work that is more beautiful compared to an ordinary printed page.

The elegant quality of modern letterpress printing is now the main reason people make use of this method for personal printing needs like creating vintage wedding invitations and professional business cards. Outside of personal use, large companies and small businesses have embraced the use of the letterpress to print event promotion posters and other communication materials.

Bottom Line

Although the letterpress printing techniques and tools have evolved with the passage of time, the main goal of letterpress printing remains on the delivery of ink to paper in a classic yet elegant form.