The art and craft of LETTERPRESS printing is ancient. It is a technique of relief printing for producing many copies by repeated direct impression of an inked, raised surface against individual sheets of paper or a continuous roll of paper. The technique was the main way of producing print materials from Gutenberg's mid-15th-century invention up through the early 20th century, when it was largely replaced by the newer technique of offset printing. More recently, letterpress printing has seen a modest revival in an artisanal form. 

Basic of Letterpress Technique: Text is set by hand, letter by letter, using metal type. Type (or illustrated block) is then locked or tightened, into a frame, or “chase.” The chase is placed vertically into the press. Rollers roll up to collect ink from a disk before rolling down over the type to ink it. Only one color can be printed at a time.  Each sheet of paper is placed on the press platen. When the lever is pulled, the metal type is impressed into the paper. Impression can vary from light to heavy. This impression is part of the appeal of a letterpress print, as it adds a tactile feel to luxurious paper. October Press uses the finest handmade and mouldmade papers, often with deckle edges.  The result of this effort is rewarding, as it looks and feels beautiful. This process takes printing back to an era of quality and craftsmanship.

In Kentucky, the craft of letterpress printing has been carried on by a small number of dedicated practitioners, including Deborah Kessler.  Kessler learned from her forebears at the University of Kentucky Library's Margaret I. King Press, and from Gray Zeitz of Larkspur Press.  

October Press produces a small number of carefully and artfully printed work — books, poems, notecards, and broadsides — by notable authors.

The technique is demanding, but results in beautiful printed works.  In Kessler's own description:

"Our broadsides are signed by authors.  Illustrations are commissioned from artists who specialize in wood engraving and drawing for letterpress. Wood engravings are printed directly from the wood block.  Drawings are transferred to photoengraved magnesium plates for relief printing. Text is printed from metal type that is hand-set, letter by letter, then inked and impressed into finest quality papers."

 
Check out the October Press website for much more background on the techniques and products of this wonderful and important revitalized pre-industrial craft.  There you will also find a contact form that will let you inquire about purchasing products or simply ask questions about Kessler and her work.

A few lovely examples are shown below...