Letterpress!

Looking for something different for your business card? Why not try letterpress printing? Letterpress printing actually presses the type and image into the paper resulting in a tactile impression you can feel. Is it affordable? It can be… letterpress shops such as The Mandate Press offer 250 single-ink-color letterpressed calling cards for $95.

Here is some inspiration…

01 Mei Yen Chua

Letterpress cards, Mei Yen Chua

02 Shyama Golden

Letterpress cards, Shyama Golden

03 The Highbrow Men’s Grooming Lounge

Letterpress cards, The Highbrow Men's Grooming Lounge

04 I Am Tiago

Letterpress cards, I am Tiago

05 Culinary Culture

Letterpress cards, Culinary Culture

06 Figments

Letterpress cards, Figments

07 Good Apples

Letterpress cards, Good Apples

08 My Old Red Hat

Letterpress cards, My Old Red Hat

09 Whitney Shaw

Letterpress cards, Whitney Shaw

10 BaristaLab

Letterpress cards, BaristaLab

 

Courtesy DesignTutorials4U

 

 

Why Ginny’s Printing rocks

Ginny's Printing, Austin, TXAs a seasoned graphic designer, I have dealt with a number of different printing companies, even some in Asia (not by my choice but at the client’s insistence). Some printers are routine and faceless, others are reliable, and then there’s Ginny’s Printing. In the past two years, I’ve used Ginny’s for a few different clients. The latest job, however, was a simple poster of a short run for a DJ night. I spoke with Roland, my usual CSR, and he told me about a deal Ginny’s runs for Austin musicians on the front page of its website. Fifty 12 x 18″ full-color posters on heavy stock for $17.99+tax (shipping included), the catch is, there is no bleed and you must order either 50 or 100. No proof, and no CSR involvement. Ordering and file transfer is done through the site, as well as payment by credit card. I used my company credit card, typing my name, followed by the company’s (as it appears on my card). Apparently, this threw a wrench into the works, as there was an error prompting me to contact Ginny’s. I called and spoke with the financial department, and then, something extraordinary. The CFO of the company followed up on my call. She personally shepherded the order through the press department, and expedited the credit card problem. Turns out, my name followed by company name was longer than the online ordering system would allow. Simple database mistake. “Does not compute.”

I received a nice email from the CFO, with just about everyone from Ginny’s CC’d. But the story gets better. Someone from accounts called me Friday afternoon to tell me the job was complete, and that I could pick it up. I told her go ahead and ship it. The job was received FedEx Saturday! (Warning: FedEx shipping may NOT be included with all orders. Please consult before ordering.) I’ll remind you, folks, this was a $19 order!

I am telling everyone I know, shouting from the highest mountaintops, Ginny’s rocks with extra bass! (And besides, Ginny’s founder Michael Martin’s favorite cartoon character is Foghorn Leghorn. Well, DUH…)

Sanctuary screen printing in Austin

South Side Sanctuary El CaminoIn a warehouse in South Austin, the talented artists of South Side Sanctuary toil away on their computers and at their presses creating fashion that comments on art, music and fashion itself. Leaders Jon Pattillo and Jed Taylor do this for fun, cranking out three to five thousand t-shirts per month of their own design. But their designs are anything but mass-produced. Services also include custom designed screen-printed t-shirts, letter press-printed posters and business cards, banners, murals, and stickers. The duo started out creating merch for a record label and its touring bands. Today the company is housed in a 5,000 square foot location on South Congress Avenue. In addition to the three screen printing presses, SSS operates a 1947 Kluge open-face letterpress.

During this past year’s SXSW festival, the SSS crew could be seen rolling around town in their super-rad 1979 El Camino “delivery vehicle” equipped with a working screenprinting press in the truck bed.