Digital letterpress block

custom letterpress block close up

I’ve just received my first custom-made letterpress block in the post! It’s a steel backed photopolymer plate mounted onto type height wood so it’s all ready to print on my Adana press. I’m going to use it to create some postcards to promote our The Withdrawing Room project. The clarity of detail is superb but I’ll have to see how it comes out once it’s on press. I’ll post photos of the prints as soon as I’ve had a chance to get the press up and working.

I drew the design in pencil, then scanned it, traced in Adobe Illustrator, tweaked and tidied and then sent off to Centurion Graphics to create the plate. The block itself is a desirable object, almost lickable. I’m really interested in the crossover between digital creation and handmade production especially in relation to printmaking so the potential of this kind of thing is most exciting, especially with a little press of my own to work with. More to come!

The block itself:

custom letterpress block

The finished Illustrator artwork:TWR design

4 Responses to “Digital letterpress block”

  1. williameckersley

    Hey guys, Just had a look at the Withdrawing Room project – I love the photos! Scrolling back through them, the abstraction (no people, no places, etc) becomes quite entrancing…

    William Eckersley +44 (0)7799 897 453

    Reply

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