The Iron Curtain Press

Special delivery

2010-06-09T11:43:00.000-07:00

I recently had the pleasure of making some beautiful stationery for a girl in Reno. The person ordering the stationery lives in Las Vegas. The stationery was a gift and needed some tender loving on the way out the door.

First a little card for the receiver:

And then, a little envelope:

What could be inside this wonderful package?

O wow! What lovely stationery!

Front and back, what a lovely design.

Wonderful detail

Matt designed these for Emily and sent the files over my way. After converting them to blocks, I printed up this fine stationery. Voila. Beautiful.

New addition!

2010-06-07T11:42:00.000-07:00

The Iron Curtain Press is now the proud owner of it's very own paper cutter! I couldn't be more excited about this hunk of iron. It is absolutely gorgeous, and cuts through paper as if by magic.

Can you even believe how awesome the shop just got? I'm stoked.

Old block

2010-05-11T22:33:00.000-07:00

A while ago, an interesting question came through. Some previous customers had an old block they wanted to try printing with but hadn't had success with the first printer they tried. My understanding is that they didn't have the ability to letterpress print in this specific shop and therefore didn't know what to do with said block. They sent me a picture first. And then they sent me the actual block second so I could take it for a whirl on the press. It printed beautifully. We ended up making some really classy stationery. I'd love to know the story behind the block - all I know now is that it's been in the family for ages. Pretty neat.

The block

The back

I love return address printed on the back flap.

Do you have an old block laying about your house collecting dust that you'd like to turn into a beautiful piece of art? Let me know, I'd love to help.

Ink mixing

2010-05-10T10:20:00.000-07:00

One aspect of letterpress printing I love is the many different parts of your brain you must use in a day to complete a project. Some time is spent in the high focus intensity of type-setting, some time is spent in the repetitive motion of printing, other times you spend a while fiddling with the lock-up and placement on the press. And still other time is spent on the mind-bending task of mixing ink to very specific matches.

When I was in school, to fulfill a basic degree requirement, I took a class entitled 'Physics of Light and Color'. Sounds like a great class, right? Well, I spent most of the quarter cowering in the corner, afraid of the trigonometry problems associated with the science behind how light bends and how pin-hole cameras work. True, our labs were pretty neat. We got to experiment with light gels, and mix ink and stuff like that, but unfortunately, we also had to explain our findings with math more complicated than basic addition. Not my favorite.

Well, I still can't explain the math behind how light and color works, but I can say with confidence that I love mixing ink and have become (ahem!) quite good at it.

I recently had the pleasure of working on some neat wedding invitations. The bride and groom gave me a piece of paper and a piece of ribbon to match the ink to. My work was cut out for me!

And, I'd say, it turned out pretty great. Pictures of the actual invitations coming soon!

Diversions

2010-05-07T10:16:00.000-07:00

The apprentice and I go to the post office:

Seattlites!

2010-05-06T10:09:00.000-07:00

Get thee to Assemble Gallery in the Phinney/Greenwood area. Special items from The Iron Curtain Press can now be found at this amazing shop.

I'm excited about working with these lovely ladies. I am also excited about their amazing schedule of classes - they look awesome.

Typeface

2010-05-05T22:05:00.000-07:00

This evening I had the distinct pleasure of viewing the documentary Typeface at the Northwest Film Forum.

The film sort of tells the story of the history of wood type in relation to Hamilton Manufacturing Co., the largest wood type manufacturer in the US back in the heyday of wood type. It also sort of shows the current state of the original manufacturing shop which has been turned into Hamilton Wood Type Museum. It shows who some of the letterpress enthusiasts in the general area are (uh, 250 mile radius) and why they care about the museum. My favorite part: The 83-year-olds who still volunteer occasionally to carve wood type. They are so cute. And they seriously are the last people who know how to do what they do. Whoa.

The film ended on a pretty depressing note. There are buckets in the middle of the floor to catch water dripping from the ceiling. The guy running the museum quits to pursue other artistic endeavors. Not very many people come to the museum. The museum is supported by ice cream sales from next door. Luckily for us (those of us in the audience, that is!), the new director of the museum flew out for the screening of the film and was there to tell us about the current state of affairs - it seems that things are really looking up! They're creating letterpress art using the old blocks and are able to sell them. They are training fresh blood to carve type in the hopes that they could begin selling sets of fonts again. They are arranging classes and exhibitions. How exciting.

As a lover and appreciator of typography, it was really neat to see the process of carving the old wood letters - from trimming the wood perfectly type-high, to cutting out the shape of the letter using a router, and then trimming the letter by hand. As a lover of rural/small town life, it made me want to move to somewhere small town and rural-y. As a lover of obscure things, it made me want to move to Twin Falls, Wisconsin and learn how to carve wood type myself.

New day, new look

2010-04-30T11:23:00.000-07:00

These High Five cards have been quite popular. When it came time for a reprint though, I just wasn't feeling the yellow anymore. I love yellow, but not for this card today. Here's the card post make-over.

Notice the nice, subtle, gray drop shadow.

Available, as usual, in our Etsy shop.

More beautiful stationery

2010-04-29T11:22:00.000-07:00

This lovely set of stationery was commissioned by one Philip Patrie for his darling mother's birthday.

Does your mother need a set of personalized stationery to remind her how much you love her?

For the francophiles among us

2010-04-27T11:15:00.000-07:00

It's spring. I can't resist springy colors.

This little cake speaks french though. I tried to pair it with English, and it just wouldn't do.

How cute is this little tiny cake?

Available for your card-giving pleasure on Etsy.

Staredown Champion

2010-04-26T10:39:00.000-07:00

Have you ever been in the position in which you must tell a person 'No, I'm sorry. That is simply impossible'. It could be about anything, but I'm thinking specifically in a retail sort of environment, when an overly pushy customer thinks they have the correct answer and 'demand their rights!'. But you, as the lowly, paid person, must tell them they are indeed misinformed, wrong, out of luck and it (whatever it is they want) is simply impossible, out of the question, not an option. And then this person stares at you, stares at you hard. Waiting for you to give in. But you, you know you're right, and what's more - you know you don't even have the power to get this person what they want/need! and whatever they want/need! probably doesn't even exist anyways. So you just sort of stare back at them until they realize their steely gaze is futile.

This card was made in celebration of those moments. Sure it was also made for a specific person - but we don't need to go into the sordid details in public.

The eyes come from a much larger block in which you can see the entire head and shoulders of this nice man. I created a little mask of the part of the block I didn't want to use for this card and taped it onto the grabber bar things on the press that move up and down, allowing me to still slide paper in and out of the press. I really like these cards. Perhaps you need some with your name on them, to hand out in serious situations - to let people know you mean business.

A card speaks for itself

2010-04-23T10:22:00.000-07:00

Based on this card, what you say this person does for a living?

Wrong. She's a talented Seattle artist. Though her card screams (or I guess, silently insinuates) that she would be a lawyer, or uh, something else sort of serious. This card is not a bad card, it just doesn't communicate what it should. Sure, the printing is fine, traditional letterpress - the design is just off.

Deb came to me after she received the above cards and realized they just wouldn't do. She couldn't hand them out as a representative of herself. We spent a couple hours poking around the shop combining various typefaces, images and colors. The design we came up with is still really simple (like her first card) and isn't even mindblowingly different from her first cards. A few small changes and she's a whole new woman on paper.

I typically discourage a double sided card because I love the thick impression and don't want the design to be marred by impressions from one side showing through to the other. But in this case, with the little 'db', the extra impression on one side creates a neat image on the back of the card. And her little, small info is just barely impressed so you can't see it's effect on the front.

Traveling days

2010-04-22T09:56:00.000-07:00

I went to New York last week to visit my sisters and help one of my sisters celebrate her quarter century birthday. It probably goes without saying I had a marvelous time. And that when I got back I had some serious catching up to do in the shop.

Valerie's birthday breakfast

Cute little egg cups

Lunch in the park

Beautiful tree on a beautiful spring day

And now, back to work. There are some fun projects in progress here at the bustling headquarters of The Iron Curtain Press. Stay tuned.

A waltz

2010-04-21T09:47:00.000-07:00

Shirley's cards are finished. They turned out beautifully, if I do say so myself. They certainly challenged my typesetting abilities. And my spatial abilities. But in the end - totally worth it. I think they might be my favorite cards to date.

First step: print Shirley's name and information. I think this would make a perfectly awesome card for the future (have I mentioned I'm a fan of simple). But for these cards, it's just the beginning.

Second step: print 'Stylist'. I didn't print the information and the 'stylist' together. Though I probably could have - they are printed in the same color, after all - but like I said, this job challenged my spatial abilities. I wanted to make sure the S-T-Y-L-I-S-T were all centered with each other, and it sort of made my brain hurt trying to get the little info bit typeset where I wanted it on the final, finished card in relation to the 'stylist'. So I just didn't worry about it. There were more challenges to come, why stress myself out unduly.

Third step: print the top three lines of Shirley's name. Why did I break it up into two separate groups, creating more registration problems for myself? Simple. I ran out of 'K's. I have only a certain number of each letter - and in this typeface I have an unusually small number of Ks. Alas - the pain one endures for beauty.

Fourth and final step: print the the rest of Shirley's name. And voila. Done.

I like seeing the progression of the project. It's a very satisfying feeling to watch your little stacks of paper become more and more complete each time you run it through the press. Thanks for letting me print such beautiful cards, Shirley! You can find more of her awesome work on her website.

You are my sunshine.

2010-03-31T16:27:00.000-07:00

It is absolutely gorgeous in Seattle today. In honor of the glorious sun shining down on us today I present:

The newest card in our line, hot off the presses. You can find it on Etsy if you like.

O ya!

2010-03-26T10:26:00.000-07:00

It's spring now. You know, the season for all them birds and bees and whatnot.

Crystal clear

2010-03-25T10:12:00.000-07:00

Sometimes when a friend comes over for a visit, they'll ask you for a glass of water. And then you'll hand them a glass of water and they'll take a little sip and set their glass down. Noooooooooooooo! Not on your freshly stained wood coffee table!

But with these clever things, you'll never have to worry about your poor table top again.

You can also find them here.

No sense being a complete and total luddite

2010-03-24T10:03:00.000-07:00

As much as I love typesetting, there are just certain things I can't do with little individual pieces of type. One of the benefits of letterpress printing in this day and age is the ease and speed I have in getting blocks made of custom logos or designs.

For this project we chose to use the customer's rad 'V' logo

and couple it with hand-set type for the information.

One of my favorite little details of this particular typeface is the 'k'.

One of these is not like the other

2010-03-23T09:48:00.000-07:00

The following cards were designed in the same week. That means, neither of these cards existed before the other. Which therefore means, they couldn't have been influenced by each other.

What do you notice about these two cards? At first glance they seem totally dissimilar, but then . . .

Yep, both Kathleen and John chose Rivoli and Bernhard Gothic for their typefaces. Whoa! What are the chances two totally different people would choose the same typeface combination in the same week. It is pretty remarkable how different the cards look in their final manifestation too. I think they both turned out awesome

Currently working on . . .

2010-03-22T09:47:00.000-07:00

Can you see the secret word? I'm working on these cards for Shirley right now. Today's project is translating this mock-up into a two color design. It'll be a fun day of typesetting for sure.

I would work here.

2010-03-19T11:04:00.000-07:00

via thedailywhat

Safekeeping

2010-03-18T08:32:00.000-07:00

A while back, I got an order for some flat Thank You notes. The person they went to happens to be a wood worker and he made these beautiful boxes for the cards.

Dude! He made these! I love paper and stationery, so it totally makes my day to see something so awesome. You can see more lovely, handcrafted wood projects at www.kelloggfurniture.com

Photos courtesy of Clark Kellogg

Typesetting

2010-03-16T07:47:00.000-07:00

I came across an NPR article entitled "12 Occupations Made Obsolete by Technology". Check out number 11. Every time I set a more complex bit of type (read: invitation instead of business card) my mind is boggled by the fact that everything we read used to be type-set by human beings. I get a head ache just thinking about it. I mean, yes, some one had to set the type - but then SOME ONE HAD TO PUT IT ALL AWAY! And those some one's were usually 10 year old kids - lovingly referred to by the moniker 'printer's demon'. The old man I bought my press from was a printer's demon. He was 10 probably only 60 years ago. It's pretty ridiculous to think that this much effort went into printing so recently. I mean, I have the luxury to fiddle with type in my shop without having to typeset an entire newspaper by hand every day.

O how I love coordination!

2010-03-15T10:43:00.000-07:00

Matching is a beautiful thing.

Don't you agree?

The Red Chair

2010-03-12T10:09:00.000-08:00

These cards were printed on pages from old children's books cut down to size. They turned out awesome - each card is different. I know it sounds simple, but it really is incredible how different each one feels just because the background paper is slightly different.

Ideas

2010-03-11T09:22:00.000-08:00

I made my friend Trina some Thank You notes for her wedding a while back. She helped decide what they should look like and I think they turned out quite cute.

And then! A while later, I received a thank you note in the mail - I absolutely love what she did with the cards. What a clever way to display their photograph, not to mention that is an amazing picture of the new Mr. and Mrs. Nazaroff.

I'm also glad to now have this idea in my brain for when I'm designing future cards. Thanks Trina!

Letters!

2010-03-10T09:35:00.000-08:00

Have I mentioned recently what a typophile I am?

"Dear Typography", giclee print from the shop of The Birds and The Beasts.

Responsible Jon

2010-03-09T09:05:00.000-08:00

My good friend Phil recently started a powder coating business. I think that's pretty neat. When he told me he was naming the business 'Responsible Jon's De-Luxe Powdercoat' all I could think of was rad 1950s signage. I was pretty stoked that I got to make his business cards - and that he let me have fairly free reign with the design.

I like how cheerful they turned out. And I get a powdercoated moped frame in return. Woot!

Chicoye

2010-03-08T08:55:00.000-08:00

As promised, here is the finished version of Alexis' card. She did such a great job with the lay-out especially considering it was her first time type-setting. I remember when I was first learning to print I thought I'd never get the hang of reading words upside down and backwards. The lady who taught me reassured me that, yes, reading type would become second nature. Lo and behold it has. So I can only now reassure others who cross my path: You too will one day read upside down and backwards with ease, young grass hopper. She also got to mix her ink by hand, which is another mind-bending task that becomes second nature before you know it. Good work girl.

C

2010-03-05T08:51:00.000-08:00

I have always loved stationery. For as long as I can remember I've had a paper box, nice pens and a typewriter. And it doesn't get any better than personalized stationery.

Today's stationery is brought to us by the letter C.

If you too are in need of some monogrammed paper for letter writing, let me know. I'd be happy to help.

Business cards for Alexander Porter

2010-03-04T09:24:00.000-08:00

Alexander Porter is a photographer living and working in New York City. Not only does he have a beautiful eye for the right shot, he is great at making his subjects comfortable and therefore photogenic - whether that subject is a box or an actual human being. We made some cards for him a while back and I just love how they turned out. The simplicity of the design really lets the letterpress speak for itself and I'm pretty much always a sucker for the less-is-more idea.

You can find samples of his photography at alexanderporter.net

Learning time!

2010-03-03T09:20:00.000-08:00

Alexis was in the shop recently learning the fine art of letterpress printing. She made some beautiful calling cards - which she type set by hand herself! It was great to have her in the shop.

I'll have a photo of the finished product soon.

If you too are interested in learning the intricacies of letterpress printing, today is your day! Feel free to contact me about class schedules and such.

Holiday Special!

2009-11-27T22:42:00.000-08:00

For the month of December, The Iron Curtain Press will be offering free shipping on all holiday orders. Woo!

Be sure to stock up on holiday cards, or some neat coasters or book plates for someone you love.

Stationery - a vocabulary lesson.

2009-11-20T23:40:00.000-08:00

Stationary is generally an adjective, used to describe the condition of an object/group/some other noun - that condition being unchanging. The population is stationary. The bicycle is stationary.
Stationery is a noun, paper used for letter writing and/or letter writing paper with matching envelopes.
So now you see the difference - a's and e's can be confusing little creatures.

Not a Robert Frost quote.

2009-11-15T00:20:00.000-08:00

When I signed up for my first printing class, my instructor emailed me about the project we would work on. She said, 'Let's make a calling card for you, maybe think of a quote or saying that communicates something about yourself to personalize the card. Make sure it's not Robert Frost quote.' As an English Literature major, I found that hilarious and it's definitely stuck with me. I have nothing against Robert Frost per se, but he's just so overused and there are so many other amazing poets and quotemakers.

My friend Megan wanted to make her senior English advisor a special thank you gift. They focused on the works of William Blake, so this card seemed to be appropriate. As it was not a Robert Frost line she was asking me to print, I was happy to oblige.

More boats!

2009-10-22T00:16:00.000-07:00

Two new Seattle neighborhood cards hit the shelves today!

Tea in your pot!

2009-10-12T11:01:00.000-07:00

Ya, I'm talking to you.

2009-10-08T12:44:00.000-07:00

For every occasion - we've got you covered.

Printing up a Holiday Storm

2009-10-01T12:02:00.000-07:00

Here's a sneak peek at the holiday goods taking over the shop.

These will be up on our Etsy shop fairly soon!

Manhouse

2009-09-24T12:21:00.000-07:00

Our friends have a bar in their garage. Every good garage bar needs coasters of course. Here are the latest rendition of the Manhouse coasters.

Hooray!

2009-09-22T22:20:00.000-07:00

The 'Stop Talking' cards are back in stock! Check out our Etsy site for more details.

excessively large

2009-08-13T15:10:00.001-07:00

If I were to make this sign over again, I would spend the 10 minutes and $5 to buy an appropriately sized brush for the job. As it was, I spent far too long being precise with a giant brush. Also, drawing on buildings would be a pretty neat profession. I'd be into that if it didn't involve me leaving the house.

the writing's in the sand

2009-07-02T10:45:00.000-07:00

happy mother's day... a little late.

2009-06-27T18:46:00.000-07:00

i drew this for joel's mom a while back.

swan , slow , high , deep

2009-06-24T13:03:00.000-07:00

not the islands

2009-06-23T14:42:00.000-07:00

wood n and/or wooden

2009-06-16T11:04:00.001-07:00

&

2009-06-11T09:53:00.000-07:00

yet another b

2009-06-05T10:23:00.000-07:00

it's not handdrawn but...

2009-05-26T22:07:00.000-07:00

brett walker and his wife kathleen and their child elanor moved to san francisco. this is their going away present.

I have mostly complete typefaces, but there are a few drawers of miscellaneous letters that I have been wanting to print with for a while now. Each letter is certainly beautiful in it's own right, but my favorites are the A in 'PLeAsE' and the E in 'feET'

it looks like a little elf foot!

2009-05-19T12:58:00.000-07:00

B

2009-05-05T14:00:00.000-07:00

yep

2009-05-01T09:19:00.000-07:00

stars and stripes

2009-04-29T23:22:00.000-07:00

royalty

2009-04-25T19:54:00.001-07:00

collaboration

2009-04-21T22:56:00.000-07:00

quick pick

2009-04-13T12:14:00.000-07:00

b

2009-04-10T13:37:00.001-07:00

a linguist might call it a 'determiner'

2009-04-09T09:43:00.000-07:00

argh

2009-04-08T11:11:00.001-07:00

2009-04-05T14:00:00.000-07:00

Me and

2009-04-02T09:02:00.000-07:00

DEMONSTRATIVE ADJECTIVE

2009-04-01T21:07:00.001-07:00

D

2009-02-08T10:25:00.001-08:00

A

2009-02-04T11:35:00.000-08:00