Love & Letterpress is owned and operated by founder Catherine Lorenzo Realce, a multi-disciplinary Creative Director and Designer with more than twenty years of experience translating abstract ideas into tangible design. Her background spans creative direction, brand and campaign leadership, experiential and entertainment design, and interactive storytelling, including work with emerging technologies. Typography has long been a central thread in her practice, often expressed through the development of custom typographic systems and letterforms across brand and entertainment projects.

Catherine’s work has been featured in books and publications including The Vandercook 100, LogoLounge Book 4, Did You Read That Review?, and Exquisite Weddings by San Diego Magazine, among other editorial features and exhibitions. She holds a Bachelor of Fine Arts in Visual Communications from California State University, Long Beach, a Master of Arts in Design Strategy and Innovation from Rocky Mountain College of Art and Design, and a Master of Fine Arts in Game Design from Laguna College of Art + Design.

studio origin story

Catherine was first introduced to the art of letterpress in the summer of 2008 after being invited to attend a workshop with friends at Bon Vivant Press. The experience was immediate and immersive, from the moveable wood type, the scent of ink, the sound of the presses, and the tactile impression left in paper. A new door had opened, and she never looked back.

A half-ton piece of analog printing history fell into Catherine’s lap in June 2009. In the middle of a hectic stretch of travel between San Diego, Long Beach, and Seattle, she met a friend and former colleague for lunch. What began as a quick catch-up turned into a serendipitous encounter when her friend mentioned that a cousin was trying to give away a “Vandersomething.”

The moment she heard the name, visions of analog poster printing filled her head. Within minutes she was on the phone sealing the deal, and four days later she was hauling her very own Vandercook press down the 405 freeway to San Diego. At 1,050 pounds, the Vandercook Model No. 4 Proving Press had once belonged to ArtCenter College of Design before somehow finding its way into a Santa Monica garage studio, where it sat unused for nearly a decade. Considering its origins at the distinguished Pasadena institution, Catherine named the press Professor Cook.

In the years that followed, several additional presses joined the studio. Today, Catherine continues her exploration of typography and printmaking through Love & Letterpress, preserving and advancing the tradition of letterpress printing. Her studio currently houses a Vandercook No. 4 Proving Press, a Golding Pearl Model No. 11, an 1888 H.H. Thorpe Old Reliable, a C&P Pilot, and a Baltimore No. 10.

Together, these presses continue the dialogue between modern design and the history of printing.

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