19 Facts About Letterpress printing

Letterpress printing was the normal form of printing text from its invention by Johannes Gutenberg in the mid-15th century to the 19th century and remained in wide use for books and other uses until the second half of the 20th century.

Letterpress printing remained the primary means of printing and distributing information until the 20th century, when offset printing was developed, which largely supplanted its role in printing books and newspapers.

Gutenberg invented a wooden Letterpress printing press, based on the extant wine press, where the type surface was inked with leather-covered ink balls and paper laid carefully on top by hand, then slid under a padded surface and pressure applied from above by a large threaded screw.

Letterpress printing was introduced in Canada in 1752 in Halifax, Nova Scotia, by John Bushell in the newspaper format.

Letterpress printing started to become largely out-of-date in the 1970s because of the rise of computers and new self-publishing print and publish methods.

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Many printing establishments went out of business from the 1980s to 1990s and sold their equipment after computers replaced letterpress's abilities more efficiently.

Letterpress printing recently has had a rebirth in popularity because of the "allure of hand-set type" and the differences today between traditional letterpress and computerized printed text.

Letterpress printing is considered a craft as it involves using a skill and is done by hand.

Letterpress printing publishing has recently undergone a revival in the US, Canada, and the UK, under the general banner of the "Small Press Movement".

The method of Letterpress printing should be no less important, as it can enliven the design exquisitely.

Letterpress printing process remained virtually unchanged until the 1950s when it was replaced with the more efficient and commercially viable offset printing process.

The relief Letterpress printing surface is created by placing a negative of the piece to be printed on the photosensitive side of the plate; the light passing through the clear regions of the negative causes the photopolymer to harden.

The printing quality achieved by a modern letterpress machine with UV curing is on par with flexo presses.

Letterpress printing can produce work of high quality at high speed, but it requires much time to adjust the press for varying thicknesses of type, engravings, and plates called makeready.

When offset Letterpress printing arrived in the 1950s, it cost less, and made the color process easier.

Current renaissance of letterpress printing has created a crop of hobby press shops that are owner-operated and driven by a love of the craft.

Letterpress printing has drawn attention both from commercial printers and fine artists for his wide knowledge and meticulous skill with letterpress printing.

Letterpress printing collaborated with restaurateur and free speech activist Alice Waters, the owner of Chez Panisse, on her book 30 Recipes Suitable for Framing.

Letterpress printing has created strikingly colorful large posters for such Bay Area businesses and institutions as Acme Bread and UC Berkeley.