letterpress
Even though our projects involve a myriad of printing techniques such as screen printing, foil stamping, engraving, offset and laser etching (not to mention the more obscure techniques), at the heart of Twig & Fig is our fully equipped Letterpress workshop.
Letterpress, in which letters are literally pressed into the paper to form text, is the original print technique used by movable type inventor Johann Gutenberg in 1439, and revolutionized the literary world. Letterpress remained the main form of mass printing until the turn of the twentieth century, when the modern offset printing process was invented. By the 1960s letterpress began an immediate and drastic decline as its vintage ways were in no way as speedy and economical as the newer modern machines. The last company to build letterpresses was Heidelberg, which continued manufacturing until 1974. Twig & Fig's 1974 Heidelberg Windmill is one of the youngest presses around. Our other 2 presses, Chandler & Price platen presses, are more experienced models, dating back to the late 1800s.
Some find themselves drawn to letterpress's quaint, vintage qualities. Others savor seeking out the intimate aspect of artisan printing in an otherwise impersonal world of mass-produced goods. Vive la letterpress!
