Letterpress

Make a statement with letterpress stationery. The Onyx Press proudly prints all letterpress items in-house. Our press joined TOP in September 2015. She goes by the name of Frances and has become an integral part of our team. Although letterpress printing is an old style of printing, it leaves a lasting impression. 

Letterpress printing is a form of relief printing.

First, the design is transformed into a plate (or die). We then place the plate into the letterpress machine and add ink. The machine is manually powered so with the gentle push of the flywheel and some foot power, Frances is ready to print. With each rotation the letterpress machine evenly transfers the ink and places a heavy and precise amount of pressure onto the die and into the paper. The result is a crisp impression of the artwork sunk into the paper. 

With letterpress printing, the depth and crispness of the impression relies on a few factors. Some of these factors include thickness and softness of paper and surface area of the design. At The Onyx Press, we keep 100% cotton paper in stock to ensure a quality print every time.

A few things to note about letterpress printing

Letterpress

Each ink color is printed separately

All inks are mixed to match the proof. While we mix to match as closely as possible, variations may occur.

Frances can print up to an 8x11 size. 

Letterpress inks are somewhat transparent so big blocks of color usually result in chalking. 

We offer letterpress and digital printing as well as foil stamping. 

1. Letterpress

2. Blind Impression (letterpress with no ink)

3. Digital printing

4. Foil stamping