the keepers of the cast iron
what is letterpress
Letterpress is a traditional printmaking process where inked plates are pressed into paper using mechanical presses. The result is a tactile impression that can be both seen and felt, giving printed work a depth and presence that digital printing cannot replicate. Once the primary method for printing books, newspapers, and packaging, letterpress nearly disappeared with the rise of modern printing technologies.
Today, a growing community of independent studios, community print shops, and collectors operate these historic cast-iron presses, preserving the craft while producing modern design. Together, this quiet network of caretakers stand as the keepers of the cast iron, carrying forward the tools, knowledge, and the steady rhythm of the press.
an analog studio
in a digital world
Love & Letterpress is a modern vintage art studio built around cast-iron letterpress machines from the industrial era. Once used to print newspapers, books, and packaging, these presses now bring new compositions to life through the same tactile mechanics of combining ink, metal, pressure, and time.
a chance encounter that led to a half-ton piece of analog printing history
Love & Letterpress began with a chance introduction to letterpress in 2008 and a serendipitous encounter with a 1,050-pound Vandercook No. 4 Proving Press a year later. Today, the studio continues exploring the dialogue between modern design and historic printing machinery.
“Typography is two-dimensional architecture.” — Erik Spiekermann