Posts Tagged ‘Ink’
02Feb
My first wedding invitation done by letterpress — finally finished and I think overall successful! There are still some inking issues with my press that need to be worked out (even with my new rollers!)*
The bride wanted a classic, elegant invitation set with pops of watermelon color.
*I am still getting inconsistent inking even with my new rollers and new metal trucks. It’s almost in pattern where I’ll get no ink on one side of the plate and after awhile, I’ll get no ink on another portion of the plate and then it goes back to all inking all over. Dented rollers would be an explanation if there wasn’t inking on one portion all the time. But it moves! Could it be the hooks/springs that hold my rollers? Any printers out there, I’d love to hear your thoughts!
21Jan
Handmade ink from plants and berries? Yes please! I always wonder how my rubber-based ink fairs on the environment while doing letterpress. Not good I’m sure. I use such a tiny amount for each project though. But how about Britt Browne from the PaperMoonProject on her ink made with cranberries. This is how ink was originally made and I love the idea of going back to it.
Here’s her step-by-step process.
Here’s a list of different berries/plants you can use to make certain colors from red onions and beets to tea and turmeric.
Hm… I wonder if this would work for letterpress?
How about plantable letterpress paper from Porridge Papers?
Seems very challenging to letterpress with handmade paper because the paper won’t be perfectly even so your design/type won’t be perfectly even in my mind. But Porridge Press does a beautiful job!
Thick Neck Arts makes paper out of fruit/egg crates ( you know that soft brown layer in between fruit in grocery stores?) and here are her step-by-step instructions.
11Jan
What I worked on this weekend (a work in progress):
My sister’s save the dates! I still need to do two more runs ( I know, I’m crazy ) but I think they’re looking good so far. I had BIG help from my family and my dearest friend Claire who was my apprentice for the weekend. Even though I’m still an apprentice myself! Yay teamwork!
Lessons learned for those are starting out like me:
1. Black ink is like the plague. Avoid it as much as possible when mixing it to make a color. For the brown, it need 4 parts of black but all I needed was a drop.
2. Watch out for the arm grippers! This was my first time using the aluminum base and hah.. classic mistake. My gripper was hitting the base and I was wondering why no ink was spreading on the left side.
3. My Sigwalt press is a beautiful machine but its rollers are not. I think one of the previous owners had used rollers from another press and tried to make it work on the Sigwalt. Result: inconsistent rolling and trucks not perfectly aligning with the rails. Siigh..I think it’s time: Anyone know a good Sigwalt roller supplier?
Another question for other letterpress printers out there: Is there an alternative to taping the rails? I’m using electrical tape and it captures air bubbles at the bottom resulting in bumps. It also doesn’t stick very well.
Observation about the polymer plates: They are great and easy to use. I love that you can just cut them up! My only complaint, which maybe someone can offer some advice about, is that if I press quite hard (which I like to do to give it a nice bite) I will occasionally see some “ghosting” imprint around the design. Is there a way to avoid this?
One tip/trick I’ve discovered regarding the plates: I’ve got some small type on the plates where ink builds up into (especially the descenders of the type). I started off by cleaning it out with a Q-tip but sometimes it left cotton bits or was still too big. The solution are the SofStick Disposable Sponge applicators thanks to my sister who’s a dentist. They’re teeny tiny sponges on the end of a stick so no residue for your type (or your teeth)!
Stay tuned for the final production next week!
04Dec
My post earlier this week mentioned the use of letterpress materials that I found at A.C. Moore. Well, I tried them out and the results are so-so. The paper, which is a mystery of what type, works pretty well. It’s a pretty heavy stock and has some nice texture to it ( although, I don’t think it’s very cost-effective ).
( my Christmas card — maybe coming to a mailbox near you! )
The ink, I give a C. I was excited to find a nice silver and gold (look how pretty the silver is on the press!)
However, I had to keep adding more and more ink to the plate to get consistent coverage (and I only printed 16 cards!). No good. These inks may work for a touch of color here and there or for minimal use but not for any big jobs.
On another note, I just want to mention the generosity of a stranger. When I bought my press, about 4 pieces of furniture (wood pieces used to lock up the type) were thrown in with it. Printers usually have a large bookshelf full of these pieces with different sizes. As I was starting to lock up type, I knew I needed a lot more. I asked on Briar Press if anyone would sell a few pieces, which I received some not so appealing offers. Then one person e-mailed me and mentioned that his father used to be a printer and had some tools laying around. This is what he sent me:
Asking for nothing in return. For that I want to say,
It was more than I could have ever asked for and I’m very appreciative of the altruism. The power of Kindness — I’m passing it along!
23Nov
Over the weekend, I tried out my letterpress with ink. First to note: Ink is messy. Sludgy, sticky, tar. Second to note: Don’t use black ink as your first test because you don’t know when your (black) rollers are clean. Third note: Cleaning up is messy so it’s good to do it outside. (What’s going to happen when it’s 30 F outside?)
Here’s my first test run on the rubber based black ink I got from a local printer:
As you can see from the “T”s, I’m using too much ink. And perhaps need a bit of more deeper impression. But overall, I was pretty happy for my first ink run. If I can open this old can of blue I have, I’ll be trying it out today with this mystery piece:
*UPDATE: Here’s the reveal of the type from above:
It’s a little birthday note to my friend with the limited type I have. As you can see, it’s over-inked. I’m working on it!
On another note, check out this amazing and beautiful studio space of Atelier:
I LOVE the idea of that hammock. You can just swing around when you need a break. And look at all that natural light! And all of that floor space to lay things out. Best of all — this space is in Italy. You can see the rest of her home here.
The bride wanted a classic, elegant invitation set with pops of watermelon color.
