calling cards

Calling cards might seem like a thing of the past, but they continue to play a role in how we connect with each other today. They started as a fancy tradition among European elites, then slowly evolved into business cards, and now into the digital exchanges we’re accustomed to.

Let’s go back to the 1600s, when calling cards were all the rage among the upper class in Europe. If you were someone important, you’d carry around a stack of these stylish little cards. When you visited someone’s home, you’d leave a card with the butler or at the door to let the host know you’d dropped by. Depending on how they felt about you, they might return the visit or politely ignore it. It was all about keeping things formal and proper in high society.

By the 18th and 19th centuries—especially in places like Victorian England and France—calling cards became even more elaborate. They weren’t just pieces of paper; they were status symbols, often decorated with gold embellishments and elegant calligraphy. There were even rules about how to fold them depending on the message you wanted to send. For example, a folded corner might say “congrats” or “sorry I missed you.”

As time went on, calling cards made their way into the business world. People realized these cards were great for more than just social visits. Business owners and traders began using them to share contact information and make connections. That’s how the modern business card was born.

Fast forward to today, and things have gone mostly digital. While it seems more efficient, it’s not very personal or memorable.

One of my first letterpress projects in school was to design and print my own calling card. When I handed someone my card, they immediately took note of the beautiful paper and the tactile quality of the printing. It was the perfect introduction to my business. The goal is making a connection and leaving an impression. I am certain that handmade, letterpress calling cards will continue to flourish for their beauty and their ability to stand out in a digital world!

holiday card favorites

After a long hiatus, I’m back to share some of my favorite holiday cards. I’m especially fond of folded cards, and I’m not talking about a standard side-fold card! I love a good z-fold or wallet card, especially when dealing with multiple photos and/or text. The first example is from the 2021 new year. I’d been doing this client’s cards since her boys were young, and all the sudden they were grown up and graduating from high school! We created a stunning final holiday card featuring her boys’ kindergarten photo next to their senior photo, and well wishes as they venture into college life. I’m kind of sad to see it come full circle, but it was a wonderful ride!

Front panel of new year’s card with textured background.

View of card from above showing z-fold format.

Next up is a christmas card from several years ago that stands out as a favorite. I adore working with this client every year to come up with something unique. It was difficult to decide on photos of her girls, so we used all three! The wallet format allows printing on the front panel, and immediately on the right when you first open. As you continue to open the final flap you have a gallery of all three photos. The card size is small and intimate, and tone on tone printing adds an elegant touch. It’s perfection!

view from above of wallet fold card with printing on front, and three photos mounted inside.

The last example is from the 2021 holiday season and is another z-fold card. I love the simplicity and clean lines of this design. I wanted the b/w photography to stand out, so kept it simple. My client wanted to feature her animals on the card this year in a separate photo, so we decided to do a folded style.

Small square z-fold card featuring two photos and clean text.

When you’ve been creating cards for clients as long as I have, it can get tricky to introduce something new and different. You can certainly get into a rut! I encourage clients to switch it up each year, whether it’s doing a folded card instead of a flat one, or color instead of b/w (that goes for photos too). Have fun with it!

a few of my favorite things...

It’s really hard to pick favorite projects when you’ve been printing almost 20 years, but I do have a few that stand out that I’d like to share.

I’ve worked with Mimi Brown of Mimi Brown Studio in NYC on several jobs over the years. One of those jobs was the menu and place cards for a surprise birthday dinner for Gwyneth Paltrow. Mimi had the location and theme worked out, so we started brainstorming design ideas. We actually produced two versions of the menu and ultimately went with the one pictured here. It was a small square z-fold with matte silver printing. The coordinating place cards were printed on a double-thick paper with the same branch motif. Jan Pruitt of Jan Pruitt Calligraphy hand-penned each attendee’s name on the cards. The end result was stunning!

Menu and place card for Gwyneth Paltrow’s birthday dinner.

Another event planner I’ve worked with for years is Eddie Tackett in Dothan, AL. He’s a joy to work with and has a great eye for design. He planned both weddings for Nick and Terry Saban’s children and I was honored to take part. Among the items I created, the wedding programs for both are my favorites. I outsourced the engraving for the gold monograms on the front, ordered custom dyed silk ribbon from CA, and Jan Pruitt’s calligraphy was incorporated into the inside pages. They are such beautiful keepsakes.

Wedding programs for Nicholas Saban (left) and Kristen Saban (right).

Another project that stands out was a rehearsal dinner invitation for Cindy Rhoden. Cindy is full of creativity, and loves the unexpected. She and her husband Ken recently ventured into event planning by restoring and opening an event space called The Theodore. Be sure to check it out here.

We decided to go with invitations that were individually hand-dipped into sea blue watercolor baths. No two are alike! Jan Pruitt penned the names and we printed on handmade deckled edge paper from Spain. It all came together perfectly.

Hand-dipped watercolor invitations on spanish deckled edge paper, featuring hand calligraphy for names.

There are many more favorites, and I’ll be featuring them in future posts. I’ll also devote a post to “challenging projects” - you know, the ones that don’t go as planned and how I navigated through them. I found out there’s always a solution! Until then, feel free to comment or ask questions below.

supplies + resources for your letterpress studio

The most essential thing you’ll need for your studio is a printing press. The question is, what kind of press do you want? The decision was easy for me since most of my experience was with Vandercook presses. I had disassembled/reassembled one during my MFA program, so felt very comfortable with refurbishing one. Vandercook made many models and sizes while in production. Mine is a No. 4 and has a motorized drum roller which evenly distributes ink to the other rollers. Everything else is manual, so I hand crank and pull each piece. Some people prefer automated presses, such as a Heidelberg Windwill. I looked into one but decided it was not feasible with my set up. I would suggest researching all the different presses, reading as many reviews as possible, and decide what type works with your set up and experience level. As mentioned before, Briar Press is a wonderful resource for all things letterpress, so check it out.

Printing inks from various suppliers.

Once you have a press, you will need some basic supplies to start printing. I would suggest a Pantone Formula Mixing Guide. Make sure it has the formulas to mix the colors. I have the matte guide since I primarily print on matte papers. You can purchase a scale to mix colors, but it’s very pricey. I have great success “eyeballing” color with the formula guide and you can get reasonably close. You can also order ink cans of custom PMS colors, but again, it will cost more. Speaking of inks, you’ll need all the basics. NA Graphics and Boxcar Press both sell inks, as does Letterpress Ink. I recommend rubber based inks for letterpress. Rubber based inks dry by absorbing into the paper, and they stay open on the press longer. Oil based inks air dry, so you don’t want to leave on the press for too long. I got so busy at holiday that I forgot to clean my press after a job, and remembered two days later. I was relieved it cleaned up without issue (thanks to rubber based ink). I would suggest getting the following colors: mixing black, transparent white, warm red, rubine red, blue 072, process blue, green and yellow. I reach for those the most. Then you can add on with additional colors later. You’ll also need a palette knife, pica ruler, palette pad, rags and solvent for clean up. I use odorless mineral spirits for my metal rollers, but use California wash on my composition rollers so they don’t break down.

Aluminum base with quoin/key and furniture to lock in place; photopolymer plate on base.

For your printing press, you will need some furniture and quoins/keys. These are pieces of wood or metal to will be placed around your type form or printing base and then locked into place to prevent movement during printing. I use photopolymer plates with adhesive backing, which are mounted to an aluminum base that is type-high. This means the height of the plate is perfectly set so the rollers distribute ink only to the type/image on the plate. If you want to make sure your rollers are type high, you can check with a roller gauge (which are measured at .918”). Purchasing an aluminum base and gauge will set you back about $300. Furniture and quoins/keys can sometimes be found on ebay, or contacting a supplier directly. You will also need packing paper for your tympan to customize the impression of your plate. This can be purchased from NA Graphics.

Once you have all your basic supplies, you’ll need to order a printing plate and paper to print on. I use Boxcar Press in NY and they do a fantastic job. They have quick turnaround, good pricing and are easy to work with. Simply upload your b/w artwork and order. You can consult with them on what the best type of photopolymer is for your job, but I generally order the KF95 plates. They hold details well but still hold up to longer runs. There are a lot of options for paper. If you have a business license you can set up wholesale accounts with several vendors and order paper in bulk. Starting out though, you probably won’t need much so shop local or order on the web. When I’m in a pinch I go by my local Paper Source store. Otherwise I order from Announcement Converters (wholesale). They carry thousands of papers from all different mills.

So you’re finally ready to print? I’ll walk you through my checklist when processing a job. I start with a printout of the final proof. I make sure my paper is cut to the correct size, mix my ink with my color guide, set up my plate on the press and check my tympan packing is correct for the thickness of stock I’m printing on. I’ll then ink up my press, pull a proof, make any adjustments to position and make more proofs until it’s exactly where it’s supposed to be. Then I start cranking out the pieces. Once I’m set up I can print about 100 pieces in 20 minutes. I check-in on inking about every 20-25 pieces to make sure it’s looking good. If getting light, I add some more ink and distribute. Once my job is done, I clean off the plate and remove from the base. I pull my rollers off so I can clean them with my solvents (be sure to wear protective gloves).

I realize this is a very condensed snapshot of a print job, and not all jobs go smoothly. Be prepared for hiccups! Many times, I’ve been at press only to find a problem with the plate, or a typo on the plate that was missed by everyone’s eyes. There are definitely frustrations (like when my motor burned out mid-run), but you learn to be agile and create solutions. There’s always a fix! And there’s a great letterpress community out there to lend a hand, so utilize it. Below are links to several of the resources mentioned above. Feel free to leave a comment or question. My next post will feature some of my favorite pieces. Until then, happy printing!

Briar Press

NA Graphics

Boxcar Press

getting started in letterpress: overview

It’s hard to believe I’ve been doing letterpress for over two decades. I still get inquiries on how to get started in the field and thought I’d share what I’ve learned over the years for those interested. Although I have an MFA in Book Arts, I don’t think formal training is mandatory. An internship at a studio, or even online research, would give you the basics to start printing. I feel like the hardest part was finding a press: locating it, transporting it, refurbishing it and finally finding a (semi) permanent spot for it.

The press I wanted was no longer in production (last presses made in the mid 70’s). I found my press in 1999 through a letterpress discussion list. Someone was visiting Dave Churchman’s warehouse in Indianapolis and noticed a few Vandercook presses in the back. I called and sure enough he had two available. After a lengthy discussion I decided to go for it. I booked a one way ticket there, and rented a U-Haul to bring it back (he had a forklift available to put it into the truck). When I arrived, the press was in worse shape than I anticipated, with melted rollers and none of the grippers in working order. I figured I’d take it anyway, I was already there! It was a nerve-wracking ride home with the press strapped in the back of the truck. It weighed close to 1200 lbs and was top heavy. I figured one wrong turn and it would crash out the side of the truck. Fortunately I made it back and had a warehouse space for it. A forklift company next door was kind enough to get it on the loading dock and a pallet jack did the rest.

I put in a lot of elbow grease cleaning it up, and shipped the rollers off for resurfacing. I had to buy packing sheets/mylar, furniture, quoins/keys, ink, solvents, rags, a Pantone formula guide and some basic shop supplies. I also had to figure out vendors for paper and printing plates. What I couldn’t find locally, I looked for online. The Briar Press website was a great resource at the time for information, and discussion lists to ask for advice. It’s still a great resource today!

Within two months I had my press ready and started printing. My press definitely had some quirks, and there was a lot of trial and error, but I was PRINTING things. Anything I wanted, I could print it. I still find that amazing. Eventually I moved into a house with a great space for a basement studio in 2004. It was an ordeal getting the press moved. I had to call all over town and finally found a company that moves safes for banks to take on the challenge. They had never seen or heard of my press, and thought it was quite odd. I was relieved when they finally put it in my studio and it’s been there ever since. I will stress, if you’re interested in setting up shop, it’s a true commitment. A 1,000lb+ commitment! I’m going to need to replace the flooring in my studio this year and I’m not sure how I’ll work around the press, but I’ll figure it out.

Next post I’ll go into details about supplies and resources if you want to set up. Feel free to post any questions or comments in the meantime.