»  Lauren's Blog

Being the kind of designer that I am – geekishly in love with everything art/craft/design related – I've been captivated by letterpress printing for some time. I love the artistry of each hand printed piece and there's just something incredibly different about its unique tactile quality – and even in its limitations. Designing for letterpress requires a different way of thinking for a designer because it doesn't work with all of Photoshop's flashy bells and whistles like gradients and drop shadows (which, I tend to think, are overused in the graphic design industry anyway).

I was actively on the hunt to purchase my own letterpress machine for at least three months before I found this beauty. While it might need just a touch of TLC, I can't wait to see this thing restored and back to its former glory. The photos you see above reflect the machine's condition upon purchase, and just a little naval jelly took that bit of surface rust right off. Once the rollers and trucks are ordered, we're in business to print.

As birdsong gregory is in the process of updating our brand, the purchase was timed perfectly. Our creative department is so excited at the prospect of using this beautiful piece of machinery to experiment with a few pieces of our new collateral system. More to come, so stay tuned to see our progress!