Paper packing on the press must be adjusted to create an even impression over the entire printed surface. Once the alignment is set the pressure of the press must be adjusted (according to the paper weight and the size of the form to be printed). Before printing one must set gauge pins (also called quad guides) on the press platen to keep the paper aligned with the form. Here the press rollers will ink the form and transfer the image onto the paper. This form is placed into the bed of the press. Once everything you want to print is locked up it is called a form.

Any artwork to be printed must be made into a relief image as well (either using magnesium or photopolymer plates).

Typically you need to set the type one letter at a time (backwards and upside down), locking up the type into a chase (a metal frame). Letterpress is a process of creating a relief image and pressing it into or onto a surface-much like a rubber stamp. Of course I assumed we were outbid at the last second, but she was only baiting me for a big surprise. Christina left me a flat message on my phone to call her for an update on the auction. I had a client meeting uptown so I wouldn’t know the outcome until hours later. The auction was to end at 8 am and the free open wireless internet that we relied on in our apartment was down so Christina had to run to the local coffee shop to place our bid. We watched it for days and waited until the last day to bid. We started asking the seller questions and found out the auction was actually for two Chandler and Price platen presses, a paper cutter, and lots of type. While looking for a single press to start out on we found an amazing auction: it was an entire shop. We realized that we had to find a press that wasn’t too far away as moving it would likely cost as much, or more, than the press itself. Every week we would look for auctions on eBay, or presses for sale on Briar Press. We learned a lot about what we really needed to get started. She began researching presses online, spending a lot of time at Briar Press ( a great resource for letterpress aficionados. Christina quit her Job on Januto start the process of setting up our new business.

Gauge pins letterpress