Letterpress | NYC

Karr Graphics has offered letterpress printing to New York City’s artistic community for over 45 years. Today many designers are returning to the craft of letterpress, which offers a unique tactile feel and nostalgic quality for use on invitations, note cards, and stationery.

Letterpress was first introduced in Europe in the fourteenth century as an alternative to laborious calligraphy. Type was hand-cast and individual lead characters were hand-set into lines until machine-set composition simplified the process.

Today, letterpress requires the use of a brass or polymer plate which, when inked, leaves a slight depression on the paper. Once inked, the die is pressed into the cotton stock one color at a time. Each additional color requires an additional letterpress die and pass through the press.

Paper selection is of great importance with letterpress. Typically the higher the cotton content the stock has, the better an impression we can give you.

Let us show you the beauty of this classic print process when you specify letterpress on your next order. Call us to discuss your ideas so we can recommend an appropriate paper and answer any questions you might have.