It was invented for this purpose over 500 years ago and it continues to be its strongest attribute. In addition, since most letterpress equipment prints only one color at a time (unlike offset presses, which can print 4 or more colors at a time) graphic artists should limit their designs to one or two (maybe 3) spot colors. Fine letterpress work is crisper than offset or litho because the impression into the paper gives greater visual definition to the type and images. Moreover, as in any art form, to bring out its best qualities and attributes one needs to understand its capabilities and limitations.

Many consider letterpress printing to be an Art Form. We are still family owned and operated and continue to dedicate ourselves to The Art, The Craft and The Time Honored Tradition of Letterpress Printing. Harry Otto Printing Company started out in business as a letterpress print shop in 1941. The cost for letterpress will be more than conventional offset but can be equally compared to other specialized graphic applications such as Engraving, Foil Stamping, Embossing, Die-Cutting, etc. To a digital, one-dimensional generation, this “new process” is something many have never experienced before. This not only authenticates the craftsmanship of letterpress printing but also creates an image that has dimension. The unique attraction the consumer has to letterpress is that today this “relief process” leaves a deep, bold impression on the back of the card or paper. This old-world craftsmanship combined with new world technology, has enabled designers to create, and printers to manufacture, award-winning projects. However, the raised image, the ink, and the pressure, which defines letterpress printing, are still being applied using restored 19th and early 20th century presses. With the advent of industrial mechanization, the early hand carved images and cast metal types have been replaced with computerized typesetting and photopolymer plates. The use of embellishments and unique printing processes has opened the doors widely for letterpress printing and their various applications.

Greeting cards, wedding invitations and social announcements have always strived to create a product in which theirs stands above the others. While this process is no longer economically feasible for the commercial printer or publisher, letterpress has found new life and is experiencing a growth resurgence thanks to the greeting card and social industries. This simple, efficient method of printing from raised metal type was the primary means of mass communication for over 500 years. It is the oldest form of printing, and the process is one of the easiest to understand. and Johann Gutenberg. Often, when people think of “printing” they’re usually envisioning the old movies where a sheet of paper was hand fed into a large “screw type clamp” or “clam shell type bed” printing press and then removed as a finished, printed sheet. Letterpress, also known as relief printing is the oldest form of printing dating back to 1450 A.D.

Letterpress prints