letterpress

Letterpress is a mechanical printing process where raised metal or wooden type and images are inked and pressed directly against paper under sufficient force to transfer the image. The printing surface sits higher than the non-printing areas, so only the raised portions contact the inked roller and then the paper. This direct contact, combined with the physical pressure of the press, creates the characteristic embossed effect and crisp impression that distinguishes letterpress from offset and digital printing.

The core of a letterpress operation is the type itself, traditionally cast from lead alloys. Individual metal sorts (letters) are arranged by hand or machine into forms, which sit in the chase of the printing press. The forme is inked by rollers as the press opens, then the paper is fed and the platen or impression cylinder closes against it with force measured in tons per square inch. Printing speeds on cylinder presses typically run 4,000 to 6,000 impressions per hour on older equipment, though hand-fed platen presses operate far more slowly.

Two main press types dominate the trade: the platen press, where a flat plate holds paper and strikes against an inked type bed, and the cylinder press, where paper rolls across an inked cylinder as the type bed moves beneath it. Cylinder presses deliver more even impression and handle larger formats, but platens remain simpler and less expensive. Both require skilled lockup, where type and spacing material are secured with wedges so tightly that no movement occurs under the shock of impact.

Why letterpress persists despite its age

Though offset printing replaced letterpress for most volume work by the 1970s, the process survives in fine printing, business stationery, and art printing where its tactile qualities are valued. The embossed impression is difficult or impossible to replicate digitally, and variable costs per impression remain low once type is set. Metal type of specific weights and point sizes remains manufactured for this market, though casting new type is now a specialty service rather than standard foundry work.

Setup and maintenance demand training. Type must be cleaned thoroughly after each run or ink builds up and prints dirty edges. Rollers deteriorate with age and must be recovered or replaced. The press itself generates significant shock and noise; modern operators wear hearing protection. Improper lockup causes type to fly out under impression, a hazard to both equipment and personnel. These constraints mean that letterpress shops, whether traditional commercial houses or hobbyist studios, tend toward careful craft practice and smaller production runs rather than high-volume commodity printing.