Letter Pressed

Thank You and Good Night

2012-01-25T21:14:00.000-08:00

Letter Pressed will be closing down shop by the end of the first quarter. Thank you for your support over the years.

Patricio Oliver--AS Card #27

2010-02-10T22:30:00.000-08:00

First new products of 2010. The second card of the year is from Argentine artist Patricio Oliver. Also check out his very cool new line of mini-figures from Kidrobot.

•Limited to 500 hand-numbered cards
•Letterpress printed in maroon
•Natural White 110# stock
•Black envelopes
•Five cards/envelopes per pack

In an effort to eliminate waste, save costs and be a tad bit kinder to the environment, Letter Pressed has decided to no longer have foreign artists sign cards. This has allowed us to lower the price of our card packs back to $15/pack.

Visit the Artist Series Store for purchase info.

Jon Burgerman--AS Card #26

2010-02-10T22:20:00.000-08:00

First new products of 2010. To start things off, a new design from LP alum and all around nice fella, Jon Burgerman.
Here are the details:

•Limited to 500 hand-numbered cards
•Letterpress printed in reflex blue
•Natural White 110# stock
•Orange envelopes
•Five cards/envelopes per pack

In an effort to eliminate waste, save costs and be a tad bit kinder to the environment, Letter Pressed has decided to no longer have foreign artists sign cards. This has allowed us to lower the price of our card packs back to $15/pack.

Visit the Artist Series Store for purchase info.

Candykiller Series, Print #6

2010-01-26T15:59:00.000-08:00

Finally! The final print in the six print series is finished! No teases this time, you get the full image to wet your whistle. Print will go on sale very soon (6 July 2010 to be exact). Sad to see the series end, but it is somewhat (long) overdue. :)
Visit the Artist Series Store for purchase info.

More Plastic Presston

2009-11-13T23:19:00.000-08:00

Buy one now.

Orangey

2009-10-23T15:22:00.000-07:00

Some close-ups of Orange Presston.

First Batch

2009-10-19T19:46:00.000-07:00

Couple quick, low-quality pics of the first batch of Presstons. Once another batch arrives they will start going up for sale. And I'll get better pics of them and the packaging.

Plastic Presston Headers.

2009-09-28T11:10:00.000-07:00

Although it might seems strange for a letterpress company to not use letterpress printing, we have decided to forego the costs that would incur (which would in turn raise the press of the Presston figure by another $5) and have the wonderful Brian Taylor (aka Candykiller) design a nifty little header for us. Each colorway will come with its own header.

Presston Tests

2009-09-11T15:54:00.000-07:00

Got pics from Arne Industries of the first test pulls and the first color tests. They look awesome to me! The colors will probably be lightened a bit on both, though the orange looks pretty good to me. We're getting very close, and I hope to have these on their way to me soon.

Presston Cast Master 2

2009-08-01T12:22:00.000-07:00

Got the cast master from Arne Industries and it looks great. Here are some new photos with a Dunny for scale.

Presston Cast Master

2009-07-15T21:03:00.000-07:00

A little more info about Polyurethane Presston: He will be about 4 inches tall, in a total edition of 30 pieces, possibly in two color variants, light blue (20 pieces) and orange (10 pieces). He will be unpainted, and come in a bag with a letterpress printed header card. Price and release date not yet determined.
The pictures above are of the cast master (I think). Looks good!!

Mike Maxwell--AS Print #18

2009-07-15T09:02:00.000-07:00

The Way She Left by Mike Maxwell. This image was created for Mike's current show at The Shooting Gallery.
Details:

•8x10 inches
•Two-color letterpress printed
•Lettra 100% cotton paper
•Signed/numbered edition of 50

Visit the Artist Series Store for purchase info.

Polyurethane Presston

2009-07-11T20:40:00.001-07:00

Two new photos from Arne Industries of the original rough master and the cast master. Arne says the eyes, feet and tail need a little sculpting work and everything needs sanding, smoothing and priming.
Regardless, we think it's AWESOME!!!

Presston becomes something...

2009-07-02T14:43:00.001-07:00

Thank the Lord for Arne Industries! We found out about this boutique toy maker from the recent Babe Bunyan figure by Scrappers. We were so happy to discover they're right here in the US of A, in Portland, OR no less, one of LP's most favoritist cities ever. This is the initial sculpt of Presston who will be eventually turned into a hard plastic figure.

DGPH--AS Print #17

2009-06-18T10:56:00.000-07:00

Argentine design duo DGPH's second contribution to LP's Artist Series is this outrageously cute Viking. Printed in gold with a blind debossed border and details. Although this print is part of the Artist Series we have decided to avoid the additional cost and time that shipping to Argentina takes, and offer this print as an UNsigned/numbered edition. This allows us to offer it at a Beat the Recession Series price, and ship immediately to customers!
Details:

•6x8 inches
•One-color letterpress printed &
blind deboss
•Lettra 100% cotton paper
•Numbered edition of 50

Visit the Artist Series Store for purchase info.

DGPH--Sneak Peek

2009-06-12T11:37:00.001-07:00

Jason Limon--AS Print #16

2009-06-02T10:40:00.000-07:00

Evil Plug

Jason Limon has been one of the most requested artists for the Artist Series, so we are happy to be able to offer up this cool two-color print.
Details:

•6x8 inches
•Two-color letterpress printed
•Lettra 100% cotton paper
•Signed/numbered edition of 50

Visit the Artist Series Store for purchase info.

Gary Taxali--Finger Print

2009-05-28T11:10:00.000-07:00

We are thrilled here in LP land to be able to offer a print by Gary Taxali, one of our favorite artists, and without question one of the most well-known and respected illustrators working today.
The image was created in response to the current trend of offering illustrators smaller fees for their work. The state of the economy has hit the art-world pretty hard, and as purveyors of such we were drawn to this image and its message.
Warning: this image is somewhat crude! Don't click if you're sensitive to such things. Otherwise, click here for a full-size view.
Here are the details:

•5x7 inches
•Two-color letterpress printed
•Lettra 100% cotton paper
•Signed/numbered edition of 100

Visit the Artist Series Store for purchase info.

Available Prints

2009-05-27T22:15:00.000-07:00

Andrew Bell's Squid Car

Brian Morris' For The Birds

We recently produced prints for two cool artists. They are both now available for purchase. The first is Squid Car by Andrew Bell. And the second is For the Birds by Brian Morris.

Travis Lampe--AS Print #15

2009-04-23T15:18:00.001-07:00

Travis is an Artist Series alum, and has been really knocking things out of the park since LP last worked with him. He made this awesome resin figure, had a show at Gallery 1988 (LA), and his super cool line of vinyl toys, Tear Drips, will be coming out soon (I have a Zoltar figure and it rocks!).
So when he sent artwork for this print I was beyond excited to see that it was a Tear Drip!
Details:

•5x7 inches
•Two-color letterpress printed
•Lettra 100% cotton printmaking paper
•Signed/numbered edition of 50

Visit the Artist Series Store for purchase info.

Candykiller--AS Card #25

2009-04-16T21:28:00.000-07:00

Wow. 25 artist cards in a little over four years. Some times I didn't think we'd make it this far. It seems appropriate, and we're very happy to have a design by one of our longest standing collaborators, Candykiller (aka Brian Taylor).
Brian has turned his classic Zombi image into a fantastic card design for us. Here are the details:

•Limited to 500 hand-numbered cards
•Two-color letterpress printed
•Lettra 100% cotton printmaking paper
•Accompanied by red envelopes
•Five cards/envelopes per pack
•Pre-ordered packs come with one card signed by the artist

Visit the Artist Series Store for purchase info.

Joe Scarano--Old Timey Cat

2009-04-15T12:14:00.000-07:00

Another print in our Beat the Recession series of small pieces in small editions at less expensive prices. This one is from Joe Scarano, who previously provided us with the first Trading Card image. As with the artist series products these are limited editions, and will not be reproduced. Since Joe lives in the States, this one will be signed and numbered.

•5x7 inches
•One-color letterpress printed
•Lettra 100% cotton printmaking paper
•Signed/numbered edition of 50

Visit the Artist Series Store for purchase info.

Ledbetter Process, Step 4

2009-03-14T11:25:00.000-07:00

FINISHED!

Didn't take any new pictures of the actual debossing (see previous post) and final trim, but here are the finished pieces:

Buy them at the Artist Series store!

Ledbetter Process, Step 3 pt. 2

2009-03-13T11:45:00.001-07:00

Still printing.

Putting the black down after an overnight drying. Went on much easier.

We had to lay the black on fairly heavy to cover the gold where the overprint, so the debossing and trim has yet another day to go. We did the make-ready for the debossing on some test prints (there's some ink smudging, which is exactly why we need to wait to finish the actual prints) so you can get an idea of what the technique is. It will look much nicer on the soft, cotton paper of the real print.

Ledbetter Process, Step 3

2009-03-12T08:23:00.000-07:00

The Printing.

Cutting the paper.

Inking up the press for the gold detail on the card.

Printing the gold.

Gold layer for the print.

After printing the gold for both pieces, the press gets washed out, and after a little break the black gets inked up.

Black plate for the card goes on.

Printed cards.

The gold on the print wasn't dry enough to put down the black layer, so it waits for tomorrow, as well as the blind debossing. The card will be scored and trimmed and totally finished other than hand numbering and signing by the artist.

Ledbetter Process, Step 2

2009-03-10T14:00:00.000-07:00

Making the plates.

We are now using photopolymer to make the plates. It is a light sensitive material that is exposed and processed much the same way as the screens used for silk-screening. One nice bonus is that no chemicals or solvents are used during the wash-out, just plain old tap water, which makes it a little kinder to the environment.

Cutting the photopolymer down to fit the negatives.

Exposing the photopolymer sheets.

Can you see Mr. Bunny in reverse?

Exposed for three minutes.

Another set of plates going in for a suntan.

Wash out. This is the fun part. The parts of the photopolymer material that are exposed to light harden, and the rest of the material stays soft. The soft parts will be washed away by warm water. Washout takes from 2 to 3 minutes at about 95 degrees (the temp was a little high when I snapped the pic). Mr. Bunny can just barely be made out in this one.

Two of the large plates for the print taking a bath.

Next the plates need to be rinsed off and blotted dry, then on to the drying rack. This is the longest part of the process, taking about 15 to 20 minutes. There's Mr. Bunny, this is one of the images for the card.

After the plates dry, they need to come back to room temp, and then they are post-exposed for about 5 minutes. Here is the finished Mr. Bunny plate.

And finally, we decided to throw one of the plates on the press to see how they turned out and to test the gold ink. This part of the card will actually be printed in black.

Next step, the printing!

Ledbetter Process, Step 1

2009-03-04T10:40:00.000-08:00

First step, get the negatives made. This has all three layers of the print and the two layers of the card.

Next, making the plates...

The Joe Ledbetter Project

2009-03-03T12:35:00.000-08:00

No, it's not the name of a new Super Group. This is the exciting super secret project mentioned in the previous post: an Artist Series print and card set by Joe Ledbetter; a great artist, really nice guy, and (we'd like to think) friend of LP's. Joe created one of the very first card designs for the Artist Series, probably the one that put us on the map and in people's brains. We're super-duper happy to be working with him again (it's been too long) especially on such a cool project.
Here are the details:

The Card

•Limited to 500 hand-numbered cards
•Two-color letterpress printed
•Lettra 100% cotton printmaking paper
•Accompanied by sky blue envelopes
•Five cards/envelopes per pack
•All pre-ordered packs come with one card signed by the artist!

The Print

•8x10 inches
•Two-color letterpress printed + blind debossed detailing
•Lettra 100% cotton printmaking paper
•Signed/numbered edition of 75

No sneak peeks yet for these, but check back soon for a process pictorial and ordering information.

Yay!

2009-02-26T23:42:00.000-08:00

We've got some tasty treats cookin' up over here in LP land. Shown here is a fun, new two-color print from Ryan Snook (part of our Beat the Recession series). Up next, a super secret set (card and print) from one of our early collaborators and favoritistest arteests (more on that soon). Another super duper artist lined up for a late March print release. And we've been talking to a bunch of other hip folks about projects, so 2009 is shaping up to be another stunning stellar year. Get your taxes done and spend those refunds on our shtuff!
Get Ryan's print at our Artist Series Store.

Drew Millward--New Mittens

2009-02-17T20:21:00.000-08:00

In an effort to cut back on production time, shipping fees, and fuel consumption (especially when shipping overseas) we will be offering some prints as numbered/unsigned editions. As with the artist series products these are limited editions, and will not be printed again. With the economy the way it is, we feel this is a necessary and responsible practice, and allows us to offer certain pieces for a reduced price. This print is the first of such products.

Drew Millward's New Mittens.

•5x7 inches
•One-color letterpress printed
•Lettra 100% cotton printmaking paper
•Numbered edition of 30

Visit the artist series store for purchase info.

Paper Presston

2009-01-20T08:25:00.000-08:00

We asked the incredibly talented, and super cool, Matthew Hawkins if he could create a paper toy version of our logo Presston. We knew it would be challenging because of the curves of the original illustration, and the fact that he's a little top heavy (we prefer "big boned"). But Matt did an amazing job. Check out his other creations on his website: Custom Paper Toys and his flicker page.
We will be offering the template up for those that want to build one, as well as a blank version, for you artistic types. Just gotta figure out how to offer them as downloads. :) And we may be printing some out to include in future orders (not letterpress printed though).

Update! Here are some downloadable files via Mediafire. This is a free hosting site, so you may get hit with pop-up ads.
And Matt suggests a matte finish photo paper, about 80 lb. stock or less (too thick and it will be too hard to fold).
Download artwork.
Download directions.

Countdown to Number 25

2009-01-15T23:51:00.000-08:00

In preparation for the pending release of our 25th Artist Series Card, Letter Pressed will be offering up copies of some of the very first cards. From the beginning, LP has put aside about 25 of each AS Card to sell at a later time. Although some mishaps depleted our overage of the first four cards (yes, sadly Joe Ledbetter’s card included) we are selling 10-25 of each card starting with Nathan J.'s (#5) and ending with Abe Lincoln, Jr.’s (#14). They will be sold as single cards, most for $7.50/card. These are from the original runs (we never make reprints) and are unsigned.
The remaining copies will stay in our files for now, and most likely never be sold this way again. So this could be your last chance to own these early cards.
We will release cards #15 through #20 (and upwards) at a later time.

Nathan J.--AS Card #5--Limited to 750 hand-numbered cards.

Bwana Spoons--AS Card #6--Limited to 1,000 hand-numbered cards.

Candykiller--AS Card #7--Limited to 500 hand-numbered cards.

Jermaine Rogers--AS Card #8--Limited to 1,000 hand-numbered cards.

Kathie Olivas--AS Card #9--Limited to 500 machine-numbered cards.

Brandt Peters--AS Card #10--Limited to 500 machine-numbered cards.

Brendan Monroe--AS Card #11--Limited to 500 machine-numbered cards.

Jon Burgerman--AS Card #12--Limited to 500 machine-numbered cards.

Jeremiah Ketner--AS Card #13--Limited to 500 machine-numbered cards.

Abe Lincoln, Jr.--AS Card #14--Limited to 500 hand-numbered cards.

Michael Slack--TCS #2

2009-01-14T11:27:00.000-08:00

Trading Card Series #2 by Michael Slack is finally available. Second in our ongoing mini-print series, which is free with any order of $30 or more, or available to purchase for $5.00. Five cards per pack.
Visit the Artist Series store for purchase info.

Two New Cards

2008-12-28T21:55:00.000-08:00

Now available for pre-order.
Please visit the Artist Series store for purchase info.

Happy Holidays!

2008-12-19T21:11:00.000-08:00

Merry Christmas and a Happy New Year to all of our LP fans, friends and family. We hope your 2008 was dandy (other than that nasty recession and all), and that Ought Nine is super-duper dandy-rific.
A few quick updates:

•Julie West's print will soon, sorry about the delay. It turned out great, by the way!
•The latest Candykiller print should be shipping soon to the artist to sign and number.

That's it for 2008, a very busy year for this little business. And we hope to make 2009 even busier. Plus, we plan on expanding the artist designed line beyond the cards and prints, including some "useful" products. More news about that later. For now here's a selection of what's coming up:

•Artist Series Card #22 from DGPH.
•Artist Series Card #23 from Anna Chambers.
•A print and card set from Joe Ledbetter.
•A special card to celebrate the 25th Artist Series Card from one of our most favorite collaborators.

Best,
Mark

Interview

2008-11-28T16:32:00.000-08:00

There's an interview with me on toycyte.com. Check it out and leave a comment, you might win a pack o' cards.

Candykiller x Letter Pressed Series Print #5

2008-11-13T22:28:00.000-08:00

Fifth print in the six print Candykiller Series.

Visit the Artist Series store for purchase info.

Hello, Brute x Letter Pressed

2008-11-05T20:26:00.000-08:00

This is a fun one. We contacted Hello, Brute (aka Jon Knox) awhile back about doing a project together, and he just happened to be working on a new resin figure at the time. We thought a nice little mini-print would make a great packaged deal.
Here's a blurb Jon wrote for his flickr page:

Here he is, Jeffrey in resin form! To make this release EXTRA special, version 1 of Jeffrey will be accompanied by a 4" x 5.5" print produced by Letter Pressed! The toy is limited to 25 pcs, and the print is limited to 50 pcs. They will be available in my online store. Details on how to purchase will follow shortly. Special thanks to Mark!!!

hellobrute.com
letterpressed.com

Order information is now available on the Hello, Brute shop.

Julie West--AS Print #13

2008-10-27T07:49:00.001-07:00

The latest Artist Series print is from British artist Julie West.
This is a slightly larger print than usual.

• 8.5x11 inch
• Two color letterpress
• Lettra Pearl White 300gm cotton paper
• Signed and numbered edition of 50

Ours are SOLD OUT! But, you can buy a copy from Julie here.

Le Merde--AS Card #21

2008-09-26T21:13:00.000-07:00

COOL IT! The next Artist Series card comes from Portland, OR artist and toy maker Le Merde.

-Limited to 500 hand-numbered cards. Letterpress printed in dark teal on French Pop-Tone Spearmint 100# stock with French Pop-Tone Grape Jelly envelopes. Five cards & envelopes per pack.

Visit the Artist Series store for purchase info.

Chris Ryniak--AS Print #12

2008-09-10T18:05:00.001-07:00

A snippet from Chris's bio:
"Chris Ryniak was born as a baby in 1976 in the suburbs of Detroit. He spent his childhood basking in the warm glow of Saturday morning cartoons and flipping over rocks in search of insects, reptiles and ghosts."

We love Chris's creatures and are honored to be producing this print with him.

• 8x10 inches
• Two color letterpress
• Lettra Pearl White 300gm cotton paper
• Signed and numbered edition of 50

Visit the Artist Series Store for purchase info.

Bert

2008-09-05T15:58:00.001-07:00

Our 2nd logo, from our pals and all around cool people, 64 Colors is pretty much all finished up. This little guy is the Brawn to Presston's Brain; the workhorse, the unappreciated behind-the-scenes-gets-the-real-work-done-go-to-feller.

Laser Presston

2008-08-27T11:26:00.000-07:00

We recently contacted Kurt at 5280 Lasers about possible future collaborations. Laser engraving is becoming quite popular, but beyond that, we think the end result is somewhat akin to letterpress printing. The depth and detail achieved is quite impressive and the variety of material that can be engraved is very broad.
Anyway, we sent in a simple image of our logo Presston, that had previously been used on a card, just to get an idea of what could be done. Quite by surprise Kurt created some samples for us to look at. We will definitely be doing some fun stuff with 5280 in the near future.

Black and white acrylic cut outs.

Laser engraved wood samples.

Not sure what kind of wood this is, but it has been stained a pretty blue-green, and Presston has been inlaid in abalone shell. Fancy!

Presston engraved in veneer. Cool, but very thin and fragile.

Close-up.

Johnny Crap--AS Print #11

2008-08-19T21:46:00.000-07:00

Ours have sold out already, but you can still purchase them here.

Also Coming In the Near Future:

•Prints from Chris Ryniak and Julie West.
•Cards from Anna Chambers and Le Merde.
•A collection from Argentine design collective DGPH.

NEW Trading Card Series

2008-08-11T10:18:00.001-07:00

LP soon will be producing a series of trading card sized mini-prints. This series is designed to promote LP as well as introduce some new artists to our customers. And from time to time we will produce TC's by folks we've already worked with, you know, just for fun. :)
The TC's will be free with purchases of $30 or more, or available to buy for $5/5-card packs.
The first card of the series is from a very cool illustrator and friend/customer of LP's: Joe Scarano.

SOLD OUT!

Cuties

2008-07-31T22:07:00.001-07:00

Cleo and Mama.

Two New Cards

2008-07-30T14:27:00.000-07:00

Jeremy Tinder--AS Card #19

Details:
-Limited to 500 hand-numbered cards. Foil stamped in metallic green on French Pop-Tone Banana Split 100# stock with French Glo-Tone green envelopes. Five cards/envelopes per pack, includes one card signed by the artist.
SOLD OUT!

Dan Goodsell/Mr. Toast--AS Card #20

Details:
-Limited to 500 hand-numbered cards. Foil stamped in brown on French Pop-Tone Lemon Drop 100# stock with French Speckletone Brown envelopes. Five cards/envelopes per pack, includes one card signed by the artist.
SOLD OUT!

64 Colors--Wonder Print

2008-07-07T12:50:00.001-07:00

From our friends at 64 Colors (creators of Marshall, everyone's favorite marshmallow), a tasty three color print!

•8x10 inch
•Three-color letterpress printed
•On 100% cotton Somerset 300 gm paper
•Signed/numbered edition of 100

SOLD OUT!!

Drew Millward--AS Print #10

2008-06-11T12:43:00.000-07:00

Shipping soon, a print from one of our favorite poster artists/designers, Drew Millward.
SOLD OUT!

Candykiller x Letter Pressed Series Print #4

2008-06-06T11:30:00.001-07:00

4th print in this 6 print series.
SOLD OUT!!

The Mentalist--AS Print #9

2008-05-28T11:55:00.000-07:00

The Mentalist by Mark Bodnar.

Mark grew up by the shores of the Great Lake Erie in Ohio. He moved to a haunted quarter of the state capitol and earned a BFA from the Columbus College of Art & Design in 2001. Since then, his artwork has been seen in gallery shows from New York to Los Angeles as well as various publications including The New York Times and National Geographic Adventure. Currently, he’s been hard at work on the pilot episode of a cartoon series that he co-created at Cartoon Network.

Mark doesn't do many prints, and this image was hand drawn especially for Letter Pressed, so this one is extra special. We love the illustrations in old children's books, and that's what this image reminds us of.

• 10x8 inches
• Two color letterpress
• On 100% cotton Lettra Ecru 300gm paper
• Signed and numbered edition of 75

SOLD OUT!

Candykiller x Letter Pressed Series Print #3

2008-04-22T21:12:00.000-07:00

A preview of the next print in the ongoing Candykiller series of prints. We're super excited about this one as it is a favorite image of ours.
Sold out!!

Letter Pressed's New Helper

2008-04-10T18:17:00.000-07:00

This poor shlub runs the presses for big boss-man Presston at LP headquarters. He's an old timer, a bit disheveled and brow beaten, but he knows those old Heidelbergs inside and out. He is a pressman through and through, note the newsprint hat and permanent ink stains. We'll find out more about this man behind the scenes in the coming weeks and months.

(Created for LP by the great folks of 64 Colors. Image ©2008 64 Colors & Letter Pressed)

Human Monkey--AS Print #7

2008-04-07T16:46:00.000-07:00

Whew! Finally done (although they still need to be signed by the artist)!! This little guy came out super-duper! We love this image, and are so happy we got to produce a print with Nathan Stapley.

Details:
--5x7 inch two-color letterpress print on Strathmore 110# stock. Signed/numbered limited edition of only 50!
SOLD OUT!

Perm--AS Print #8

2008-04-01T11:18:00.000-07:00

From the mind behind Status Serigraph Gig Posters, a new, crazy print from Justin Helton.

Details:
--6x6 inch 1-color letterpress print on French Limeade 100# stock. Signed/numbered edition of only 50!
SOLD OUT!

Happy Easter from the Begleys

2008-03-24T10:55:00.000-07:00

Mommy, Daddy and Cleo.

Note to retailers

2008-03-18T14:44:00.000-07:00

Letter Pressed Artist Series cards will now distributed by DKE Toys. Please send all wholesale inquiries to them. A more formal announcement will be sent to stores we have had past arrangements with. DKE will have a small amount of the Travis Lampe, Jeremyville and Sauerkids cards available soon.
We are excited about this arrangement, and think it will be a great deal for those stores who already purchase items from DKE.

Sauerkids--AS Card #18

2008-03-07T13:48:00.000-08:00

A sneak peek at one of the two upcoming Artist Series cards.
SOLD OUT!

Jeremyville--AS Card #17

2008-02-25T08:30:00.000-08:00

Big thanks to Jeremy for working with us. He has been super busy of late, but took the time to create this super fun design for the Artist Series.
SOLD OUT!

Crispy Marshall Card

2008-02-03T11:49:00.001-08:00

A card set from our pals at 64 Colors, with a nice little treat.
Sold out!

Dalek--AS Print #6

2008-01-22T13:32:00.000-08:00

Sold out, again. Thanks one and all.

Coming soon: Artist cards from Jeremyville and Sauerkids, and prints from Nathan Stapley, Justin Helton and Bob Dob.

64 Colors--Marshall Print

2008-01-14T08:01:00.000-08:00

We helped get this print made for a very cool design company called 64 Colors. We love the image (one will be gracing our baby's nursery wall) and the work these guys are doing. The print should be available from their website soon. Check it out and buy one!

Travis Lampe--As Card #16

2008-01-03T09:55:00.000-08:00

Sad Cloud

Travis Lampe grew up in a small town in Kansas. After earning a degree in Graphic Design, he took a job in advertising as an art director in Chicago. While making ads for breakfast cereals he secretly began developing his illustration style. Finally, when he felt the world was ready, he began his slow explosion onto the art and illustration scene, as it were.
He currently lives and works in Chicago.

Details:
•Limited to 500 hand-numbered cards
•Foil stamped in pink on Strathmore Natural White 110# stock
•Accompanied by black envelopes
•A2 size (4.25"x5.5") folded cards, blank inside.

35 packs come with one card signed by the artist.

SOLD OUT!!!

New Store

2007-12-18T10:43:00.000-08:00

Howdy Folks! Happy Holidays to you all.

We've got a new store that focuses on the Artist Series cards and prints. The latest AS products will appear first on this new site, and remain there until either sold out, or the store is full (at this time we can only have 5 products in the store). AS products will also have Buy Now links on this here blog. Purchase links from the main site, the blog and the new store all lead to our PayPal merchant account
The move is mainly so we can give the AS products the proper exposure instead of being buried in the News section on the main site. At some point the main site will be overhauled, but for now please visit Letter Pressed's Artist Series Store!!!

Candykiller Letter Pressed Series Print #2

2007-12-06T21:46:00.000-08:00

SOLD OUT!!!

You can still purchase from the Candykiller blog.

Bingo Prints

2007-11-06T11:57:00.000-08:00

The Candykiller Bingo print looks good don't it? These puppies (pun certainly intended) are all gone! As they say, if you snooze you lose. :)
Keep yer eyes peeled for upcoming Candykiller prints.

Presston Mini-print

2007-10-22T10:11:00.000-07:00

Brian also created this image of Presston for us. This 5x7 inch print, numbered edition of 50, was produced as a Thank You for the members of the Letter Pressed Presston Club. The remaining half of the run was offered for sale to non-members, but quickly sold out. :-)

Upcoming Candykiller Print

2007-10-03T20:59:00.000-07:00

Here is a peek at the next Candykiller x Letter Pressed collab. This will be the first in a new series of signed and numbered Candykiller letterpress prints. More info soon...

Cleo Alena

2007-09-30T00:10:00.000-07:00

9/29/07

Juxtapoz

2007-09-17T11:49:00.000-07:00

A bit of serendipity got Letter Pressed mentioned on the website of our favorite art magazine. Michael Sieben (see post below) is to be featured on the next issue of Juxtapoz, and of course he is the artist of the latest AS Card. Read the nice write-up here:
Juxtapoz does LP.
Thanks to Ert O'Hara for the write-up!
You can still purchase packs of the new card w/ a signed card here.

Abe Lincoln, Jr. for Random Nature

2007-09-07T09:13:00.001-07:00

Custom mini print.

Michael Sieben--AS Card #15

2007-09-06T13:58:00.001-07:00

Peace to All the Beasts

Michael Sieben lives and works in Austin, Texas.

Details:
•Limited to 500 cards
•Letterpress printed in black on French Pop Tone Berrylicious 100# cover stock
•Accompanied by black envelopes
•A2 size (4.25"x5.5") folded cards, blank inside

SOLD OUT!

You can still purchase cards from Michael's site.

LEDOUXVILLE PRINT, AS PRINT #5

2007-08-21T11:27:00.000-07:00

LEDOUXVILLE PRINT

Working over seven years as an art director and designer for Seattle-based Sub Pop Records and founding member of Patent Pending Design, Jesse LeDoux created iconic album and poster artwork for such artists such as The Shins, Iron and Wine, and Hot Hot Heat before launching his own illustration/design firm LeDouxville, in 2004. With work in the permanent collection at the Experience Music Project in Seattle, his art has been exhibited nationwide and abroad. He is also the mastermind behind Kidrobot’s most eclectic and hands-on blind boxed series to date, Critter Splitters. A Grammy Awards nominee, LeDoux currently works out of his studio in Providence, RI, where he continues to combine his avant-garde design sensibility with the basics, “pens, pencils and a few sheets of paper.”

This is a special print, employing an old printing technique called a "split fountain," or "rainbow roll," wherein two (sometimes more) inks are printed at the same time, blending where they meet in the middle. This makes each print unique. There is also a small blind-debossed image thrown in for fun. Blind-debossing is when an impression is made into the paper without ink or foil.

Details:

•8x10 inches
•Two-color split fountain inked letterpress, w/ blind debossed accent
•Printed on Somerset white 300 gm art paper
•Signed/numbered edition of 75

SOLD OUT!!!

Candykiller's Coney Print

2007-07-05T21:50:00.000-07:00

This is a special project in preparation for Candykiller's Coney Plush figure. We are offering 50 of these beautiful prints for sale now.*

•8x10 inch
•Two-color inked letterpress
•Printed on Somerset soft white 300 gm art paper
•Signed/numbered edition of 100

SOLD OUT!!!

Jeremy Fish--AS Print #4

2007-06-11T09:30:00.000-07:00

The fourth (official) AS Print, and second from Jeremy Fish. We have upped the ante for this print, not only printing in two-colors but also dropping the edition size, and using a very thick and luxurious paper. This will be more of an ART print than previous releases, something we are very excited about.
Only 45 prints will be available from Letter Pressed, so these are going to go fast.

Details:
•8x8 inch square
•Two-color inked letterpress
•Printed on Somerset soft white 300 gm art paper
•Signed/numbered edition of 75

SOLD OUT!!!

Phoenix Presston

2007-04-29T19:54:00.000-07:00

The ultra-rare "Phoenix" version has already come and gone. Only 10 were made, 8 of which were up for sale to people on Letter Pressed's email lists. There are no plans at this time to do another version of Presston this way so go get the blue/regular version from our site before they are all gone!

Abe Lincoln, Jr.--AS Card #14

2007-04-13T16:12:00.000-07:00

Abe Lincoln, Jr. is an artist/designer from NYC. He is a part of The Endless Love Crew, a sometime art curator, and the creator of one of the most controversial Dunnys to date. Now his inimitable Char character shows up on AS Card #14, not just once but twice (or thrice if you count the back).

Details:
•Limited to 500 cards
•Foil stamped in gold on French Speckletone Wine 100# cover stock
•Accompanied by "Sunflower" envelopes
•A2 size (4.25"x5.5") folded cards, blank inside

SOLD OUT!!!

Most Important Project to Date...

2007-03-28T16:27:00.000-07:00

A wonderful "collaboration" between my wife and I. :)
We found out on January 16th, and the due date is September 22nd. We are not finding out the sex (much to my chagrin), so it will be a big surprise. This is our first, and we are extremely excited. Still thinking of baby names, but I guess we have a bit of time left.

Presston is DONE!

2007-02-22T08:01:00.000-08:00

Got Presston back the other day, and he looks great! If you ordered one we are still waiting for the little treats that are going to be sent with him, so they probably won't ship until next week.
We still have some left you can order here.

Almost Done

2007-02-16T09:07:00.000-08:00

Whew! Got them all stuffed, and it wasn't really all that bad. Now, off to the seamsters again to have the foot sewn up at the bottom.

Don't forget, you can pre-order Presston right now.
Order here!

Presston Update

2007-02-13T09:41:00.000-08:00

Sewing is just about done, maybe even by today. Then I get to hand-stuff all these little buggers, and back to the sewers for the final stitches. Still on schedule for shipping by the end of the month. Also, waiting on the little "extras" that will come with each order.

Speak of the devil. A stack o' Presstons all sewed up. Some are turned inside out already, and others are waiting to be flipped. Now the fun part, stuffing these! :O

Hmmmmmmmm...

2007-02-06T14:50:00.000-08:00

Spotted: The rare "Phoenix" version of the Presston birdie. What could this mean?

Paul Chatem--AS Print #3

2007-02-05T11:58:00.000-08:00

The Paul Chatem prints are done now as well, and on their way to Paul so he can sign and number them.

Details:
•Limited to 100 signed and numbered copies
•Inked letterpress Mariner green on Strathmore 110lb Natural White cover stock
•8x10 inch

Sold Out!!

Presston Plush Pre-order On Sale Now!

2007-01-26T09:02:00.001-08:00

Presston Plush Pre-order will go live TODAY, February 2nd, at 12:00 PM (noon) Pacific Time.
Order here!

Jeremiah Ketner--AS Card #13

2007-01-25T15:31:00.000-08:00

Lucky Number 13! Our latest artist series card is by Jeremiah Ketner, a Chicago-based Visual Artist. Ketner draws inspiration from Japanese aesthetics, packaging design, magazine ads and urban graffiti. He has exhibited in group shows in Los Angeles, New York, Seattle, Houston, Detroit and all over the Midwest, in addition to a recent solo stint at Milwaukee’s Hotcakes Gallery. He shares a sunny, cozy apartment with his wife, baby boys and two lovely kitties, where they enjoy sipping Kona Coffee among other activities.

Details:
•Limited to 500 numbered cards.
•Foil stamped in red on French Construction Slate Blue 100lb cover stock.
•Accompanied by red envelopes.
•A2 (4.25"x5.5") size folded cards, blank inside.

Sold out.

Presston Plush Part VI

2007-01-24T14:31:00.000-08:00

Fifth Step--Manufacturing

The prototypes are done, we worked out some kinks and have them figured out for production. Actual production is going to be a bit different, instead of printing first and then cutting out the panels, we have cut out blank panels first which will then be printed. Bought six or so yards of the new fabric (mentioned in the previous post) and took them to a factory here in Fresno. This is the fabric all laid out, and off to the side is my friend Wade who helped with this part of the process.

We folded the fabric in half and then back upon itself about 8 or 9 times. Wade traced the template on the fabric and these two nice guys cut it out with this massive fabric blade. What they did in 15 minutes would have taken me about 25 hand-cramping hours (at least).

A stack of cut panels:

L to R: The first template, which was simply printed from a computer file, a stack of panels, and the template Wade used to trace them out:

A fat stack of panels just waiting to be printed, sewn and stuffed. Can't wait till I get to start stuffing these things!! @_@

Since we have already shown the printing process, and many of the other steps, the next update will most likely be the Pre-Order information. Presston Plush will be available via pre-order very soon. Keep your eyes peeled!

Presston Plush Part V

2007-01-18T12:11:00.000-08:00

Fourth Step--Testing Materials

Have been shopping around for different materials to make and stuff Presston with. I found a better fabric (I hope) that is a little more of an off-white and has some stretch to it. The pure white of the fabric I used for the protos didn't quite look right to me.
Also tried out a couple stuffing options. Poly-fil® (a soft polyester fiberfill) is a standard for plush figures, but there are also Poly-Pellets®, little clear balls that are often used in stuffed figures to add weight to certain parts, ala Beanie Babies. It was easy to use, and filled the figure out nicely, but it required using much more volume-wise than the fiber stuffing. Also, those little buggers tend to get away from a person, and that could be messy (and bad news with a cat around!). Since Presston is a bit hydrocephalic (and has a skinny neck to boot) the head was all floppy. I then tried a combination of the two, with the head and neck filled with Poly-fil®, and the body filled with the pellets. Worked nicely, but the pellets didn't offer a better look or add enough weight to make it worthwhile. We'll be sticking with Poly-fil® for the stuffing material.
Real production is slated to start in the next week or two. Keep checking the blog!!

Presston Plush Part IV

2007-01-16T12:31:00.000-08:00

Third Step--(Nearly) Finished Prototypes

Three have been stuffed so far, one by my mom (far right) and two by me. I think hers looks the best. I overstuffed mine and it tends to deform them a bit too much. Below are two more dudes waiting to be stuffed. We tried one on a tan fabric and I ain't diggin' it too much.
What's shown here are our first efforts. We experimented with the sewing and stuffing to see what worked best. A larger border made stuffing easier, and as mentioned it appears that less stuffing is better than more.

Because of Presston's shape, the severe curves and sharp angles, it is pretty near impossible to follow his exact lines. At least when doing it by hand. I'm sure this is possible with a fully manufactured plush, but that costs mucho $$$.
I am starting to think that ditching the legs might make things easier as well as a little more pleasing to the eye. Would also allow us to add a bit more bulk to the figure.

Presston Plush Part III

2007-01-16T08:57:00.000-08:00

Second Step Continued--Sewing & Stuffing

Mom graciously agreed to sew up a couple of the prototypes for me. That's her and my niece, who I guess is overseeing QC. She's a taskmaster so I'm sure she kept her Nana in line. (Note Spongebob jammies.)

How old is this sewing machine? Sorry for the blurry pics, we'd been imbibing. :)

Starting to stuff. This part is a bit laborious, as you can see in this series of pics. Note the eyes glazing over bit by bit. I'm really gonna do 50 of these?

Up next... Pics of the stuffed protos.

Presston Plush Part II

2007-01-13T20:48:00.000-08:00

Second Step--The Prototype

Got a lot accomplished the first day of actual production.
Henry and I worked on creating the prototype (well, Henry did most of the work, I took pictures!), which is the "model" for the finished piece. Creating a prototype helps decide what fabric to use, what colors to print, and most importantly it lets you know if the figure can be "mass produced." And the first step in creating the prototype was printing it up.
I picked Henry up at 10:00 AM and we went to his shop. Cool pic, eh?

First thing we had to do was the color separations on the computer. That's Henry aka Loco. He's a genius with Illustrator. He's also a very good artist, an amazing hand-letterer, a great screen-printer, and an all around good guy.

Everything that's going to be printed blue is put together, and the same with everything that is going to be printed red. Since you have to make film positives of the images all the colors are changed to black.

These get printed on mylar. Since the images are quite large (Presston Plush will be about 10 1/2 inches high) we had to print up three sheets for each color. Here's one of the mylar sheets coming out of the printer.

Next thing to do was wash a couple of screens. Henry got to do that fun job. Did I mention it was about 37° in the shop? Poor guy.

Then all the mylar sheets had to be taped together to make two large positive images (one for each color). These are the "blue" parts being taped up. This is what will create the image on the screen. Screenprinting is a very interesting process which I thought I understood fairly well, but I learned a lot more about it by watching Henry.

Henry then sets up the fabric and positives on the press exactly how we want them printed.

A screen that has been treated with emulsion is then put on the press and this postitive image is attached to it with tape. By setting up the screen this way we don't need to mess with registration later on. Henry's smart!

Now the image is burned onto the screen in this light box (can't remember the technical term for this gizmo, but it's a box with lights in it, hence "light box").

After three minutes we have our screen. It has to be washed again which blasts off the area where the positive image was. The rest of the emulsion on the screen (the pinkish areas) is harder than the areas that were covered by the positive image so it doesn't get washed away. And yes, that is Henry doing all the work again. Someone had to take the pictures and drink coffee.

Both screens are put on the press and we're ready to print.

Henry mixes the inks and puts some of the ink on the screens. First blue is pulled...

And then red...

Here's the first try! Looks pretty good to me. :)

And there it goes through the dryer...

A stack of Presston Plush Prototype Panels (say that five times fast). We only printed twelve panels, of which 4 or so will be sewn and stuffed by hand, and the others will be given to professional sewers to see what might need to be modified.

That's me in my PJs trimming out a panel. You can't see the dotted lines we printed, but that's the only way I would be able to cut each panel the same.

Two cut panels. These are ready to be sewn and stuffed. Very curious to see how they will look after being stuffed. Gotta wait for that.

Next step... convincing my mom to sew four or five of these things up for me! :)

Presston Plush Part I

2007-01-09T19:59:00.000-08:00

This is the first entry in the Presston Plush creation blog. Over the next few weeks I will be detailing the numerous steps from concept to finished product with pictures and text.

First step--The Artwork.

As I've mentioned numerous times by now, the LP logo was created by Brian Taylor. My buddy Henry Contreras, aka Loco, a screenprinter and freelance designer here in Fresno, helped me create this colorized version and basic template that will be used for printing and cutting out the pattern.
Above is a rough version of the art from which the silkscreens will be made. The dotted line represents the trim line, and the off-white (which won't actually be printed) is a guide for the sewers. Those two diagonal lines are an anomaly and don't belong there.
Not much comes through from a two-dimensional image, so stay tuned to see the evolution of Presston Plush.
Next step is doing the color separations on the computer. More about that tomorrow.

Custom Made Presston Toy

2006-12-06T10:30:00.000-08:00

One of our customers, and Presston Club Member, created this wonderfully cute toy to keep his LP collection company on the shelf. He took a Munny figure by Kidrobot and put Holiday Presston all over it. We were totally blown away by this apparent love for Presston! Thanks to Roy for creating this!

MAD Project

2006-12-04T11:41:00.000-08:00

A quick little project for designer MAD. More info soon...

Presston for the Holidays!

2006-11-17T14:11:00.000-08:00

Presston is all dressed up in his Winter fineries just in time for the Holidays! Spread peace and joy to all your friends and family with this happy little fellow.
Art for the card is by Brian Taylor (of course) who created Presston for us. We love the retro look and Presston’s Winter get-up. These cards are foil stamped in red on Strathmore White 88lb cover stock, and come with red envelopes.
Only 250 have been printed this year, and quite a few packs have already been sold, so get yours today directly from Letter Pressed! Available in 6- and 12-card packs.

Also, we still have a limited amount of our PEACE & JOY cards, as well as our Presston Cards in vibrant Holiday Red.

Jon Burgerman--AS Card #12

2006-11-09T14:16:00.000-08:00

Artist Series Card #12 is completed... and already SOLD OUT!
Art for this card is by UK based illustrator and all-around nice-guy Jon Burgerman. Jon's style of line-art works perfectly with the printing technique used to create our cards, and it's just plain fun!

Details:
•Limited to 500 numbered cards.
•Foil stamped in orange on French Speckletone Starch Mint 100lb cover stock.
•Accompanied by orange envelopes.
•A2 (4.25"x5.5") size folded cards, blank inside.

If you don't want to miss out on future Artist Series cards or prints get on The List and be among the first to receive information on upcoming releases. Simply email Letter Pressed with the subject PUT ME ON THE LIST! and include your name and location.

Custom Cards for Octane3

2006-10-25T11:16:00.000-07:00

One of our latest custom printing jobs was for the British online designer toy store, Octane3.
The art for these cards was created by British design team Peskimo, and the cards will be used to house gift vouchers purchased from Octane3's website. We think this adds a very nice touch for gift voucher orders.

Presston Card #1 is Available Now!

2006-09-28T13:40:00.001-07:00

Letter Pressed is very proud to announce the first printed version of our logo Presston!
Presston Card #1 is the first completely blind-debossed card Letter Pressed has produced. Blind-deboss simply means that it is printed without any pigment, just the impression in the paper itself creates the image.

Details:
•Blind-debossed on Gilbert Cardinale 100lb textured cover stock.
•Accompanied by white envelopes.
•A2 (4.25"x5.5") sized, blank inside.
•Limited to 200 copies (40 packs).

SOLD OUT!

Coming Soon: Presston Card

2006-09-12T11:38:00.000-07:00

Before we can get the toy project off the ground, we'll be putting Presston on his own card (only seems natural). Here are some computer mock-ups of how it might look. We will be employing the blind-deboss method for this card, for a very cool and subtle effect. Basically, it's the same printing process used on our other cards but without the pigment foil, so it's just the impression in the paper itself that creates the image. As always, big thanks to Brian Taylor for helping with the image, and mocking this up.
This will hopefully be the first in a series of cards featuring our mascot. More info soon...

Brendan Monroe--AS Card #11

2006-08-23T16:37:00.000-07:00

Brendan Monroe's Blob Riders
Brendan Monroe lives and works in Berkeley, CA. More details on the artist coming soon.

Details:
•Limited to 500 numbered cards.
•Foil stamped burgundy on French Construction Fuse Green 100 lb cover stock.
•Accompanied by French Construction Fuse Green envelopes.
•A2 size folded cards, blank inside.

SOLD OUT!!!

Presston in 3D

2006-08-21T21:52:00.000-07:00

A new dimension for our logo Presston. But to what purpose? Hmmm... too early to tell.

Letter Pressed

Thank You and Good Night

Patricio Oliver--AS Card #27

Jon Burgerman--AS Card #26

Candykiller Series, Print #6

More Plastic Presston

Orangey

First Batch

Plastic Presston Headers.

Presston Tests

Presston Cast Master 2

Presston Cast Master

Mike Maxwell--AS Print #18

Polyurethane Presston

Presston becomes something...

DGPH--AS Print #17

DGPH--Sneak Peek

Jason Limon--AS Print #16

Gary Taxali--Finger Print

Available Prints

Travis Lampe--AS Print #15

Candykiller--AS Card #25

Joe Scarano--Old Timey Cat

Ledbetter Process, Step 4

Ledbetter Process, Step 3 pt. 2

Ledbetter Process, Step 3

Ledbetter Process, Step 2

Ledbetter Process, Step 1

The Joe Ledbetter Project

Yay!

Drew Millward--New Mittens

Paper Presston

Countdown to Number 25

Michael Slack--TCS #2

Two New Cards

Happy Holidays!

Interview

Candykiller x Letter Pressed Series Print #5

Hello, Brute x Letter Pressed

Julie West--AS Print #13

Le Merde--AS Card #21

Chris Ryniak--AS Print #12

Bert

Laser Presston

Johnny Crap--AS Print #11

*NEW* Trading Card Series

Cuties

Two New Cards

64 Colors--Wonder Print

Drew Millward--AS Print #10

Candykiller x Letter Pressed Series Print #4

The Mentalist--AS Print #9

Candykiller x Letter Pressed Series Print #3

Letter Pressed's New Helper

Human Monkey--AS Print #7

Perm--AS Print #8

Happy Easter from the Begleys

Note to retailers

Sauerkids--AS Card #18

Jeremyville--AS Card #17

Crispy Marshall Card

Dalek--AS Print #6

64 Colors--Marshall Print

Travis Lampe--As Card #16

New Store

Candykiller Letter Pressed Series Print #2

Bingo Prints

Presston Mini-print

Upcoming Candykiller Print

Cleo Alena

Juxtapoz

Abe Lincoln, Jr. for Random Nature

Michael Sieben--AS Card #15

LEDOUXVILLE PRINT, AS PRINT #5

Candykiller's Coney Print

Jeremy Fish--AS Print #4

Phoenix Presston

Abe Lincoln, Jr.--AS Card #14

Most Important Project to Date...

Presston is DONE!

NEW Trading Card Series