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Inside Letterpress

JA September 15

This is a wonderful short doco on the art of letterpress by Chuck Kraemer. It’s worth a look just to see the beautiful machinery in motion, which almost reminds me of a steam train or some kind of old industrial production line.

Firefly Press is operated by John Kristensen, a printer from the US, who observes, rather truly, that ‘letterpress puts a bite into the paper, there is a three-dimensional quality’. Highlights also include a look at the molten lead used to make the letters, and the improved cross put together from four cut I’s. Strangely moving too, at the end.

For more on letterpress, have a look at Carolyn Fraser’s essay, Notes on Provenance; or, Tom Ross’s Tooth in the September Meanjin.

FireFly Letterpress from ilovetypography.com on Vimeo.


 

Comments

by phill
15 Sep 09 at 10:10

This was great timing, I only just finished reading your feature article in September's Meanjin on the plane over from Sydney yesterday. Woke up this morning to find this in my feeds. Absolutely fascinating and beautiful.

P.S. The voice-over really needs to stop listening to 'Public Speaking the Shatner Way' in his car.

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