Goats, Goats, Goats!

A few weeks ago, we did a fun project with the designers from Sasges. It was goats, goats and more goats!

Favorite Holiday Images

So behind on posting! We tend to keep our facebook page a little more current. You can see us on facebook at Letterpress Central.

https://www.facebook.com/LetterpressCentral

Here are some of our favorite images from this past holiday season.

Happy 2013!

Printing holiday wrapping paper.

Donna and Mike's fabulous book tree!

Jingle all the way!

Sam's "Define Naughty" holiday cards

Lisa's fun envelopes

Holiday Cards Class

Wood Type Word Cards - Noel

Wood Type Words - Merry Christmas

RINGSIDE Poster

We think of letterpress like boxing because sometimes it whoops the tar out of you and other times you feel like a champ when you land that knockout punch. We love old boxing cuts, images, posters and the language of boxing.

We wanted to print a boxing poster for a long time and when we finally had the chance to print the old halftone cuts of the guys we realized that we had wrestlers too. So the poster is titled "Ringside".

Noodling with this two color lock-up with wonky wood type and odd-shaped halftone cuts was challenging and an exhausting work out! 

The poster can be purchased on our Etsy site: https://www.etsy.com/listing/112903120/ringside-letterpress-print-vintage



Orange Crush - Halloween Bags Galore

We have a lot of goofy images from all the different printing stuff we have acquired. And of course we can't let it go! So we used some of our old wood type, tiny spooky ornaments, crazy old found images and triple XXX black ink to print these bags.

We thought they would be good for kids; GREAT FOR ADULTS! Send the party-happy halloween kiddos home with cool party favor bags!

A set of 10 with 2 of each style for $5.50. We listed these on our Etsy site in case folks just wanted the bags--then we could ship them regular mail for 2 bucks.


http://www.etsy.com/shop/paperstudio

Letterpress Basics

Thanks to Sam who was in our letterpress class on Saturday and then wrote a fabulous blog post. Check it out! http://sammitt.wordpress.com/2012/10/14/making-letterpress-cards/



From 1960 to 2013

I printed this cool half-tone cut that works perfectly for the July 2013 letterpress calendar. It printed well considering that it must be 50-60 years old - looks like 1960 summer fun!

WHOA Book Release Reception & Readings

 A fun time was had by all at the WHOA book release party. Author Becky Byrkit and poet Cynthia Hogue did poetry readings and attendees got to letterpess print an excerpt from one of Becky's poems.

It was a full house at the readings!

Jerry Riopelle rocks!

AmeriCamera band was terrific!

Becky's dog Kamali is adorable and exhausted.

Poetry & Music and Letterpress Printing

Join us for a fabulous reception of Becky Byrkit's newest poetry book! Readings by Becky Brykit & Cynthia Hogue. Musical performances by Jerry Riopelle and AmeriCamera.


Becky will sign copies of her new book and letterpress broadside. You will also be able to letterpress a keepsake of the event!

Doors open at 4:00 pm on Sunday the 23rd. Free!

100 Creatives - Phoenix New Times

Thank you to the New Times for featuring me in the 100 Creatives series! It is an interesting series and you can read about the other folks featured as well.


http://blogs.phoenixnewtimes.com/jackalope/2012/08/cindy_iverson_letterpress_central.php#more

Letterpress Central to host National Printing Conference!

We are hosting the APA letterpress printing conference in 2013. Yippee!

Nothing says Arizona like pointy Tuscan Gothic wood type by WM Page as well as highlighting the fact that we do have AIR CONDITIONING and indoor restrooms!

Dive in to letterpress, Phoenix!

When you live in a warm climate, it helps to think cool thoughts! Plus, I love how letterpress is going along swimmingly in the Phoenix area!

What do a donkey, tomato & fish have in common?

I used this crazy cut to print a "food" postcard with lovely handset Paramount type. Now why would a donkey be standing on a tomato with a fish swimming by?

WHOA - broadside & portfolio

WHOA. We are working on the letterpress broadside and limited edition portfolio. The cool thing about this project is that in addition to the new book of poems, the broadside will have an original poem by her that is not in the book and an artwork print by her brother Ward James Brykit who is one of the creative forces behind the movie Rango. How cool is that?

A Strange Kind of Sympathy

Anthony Velasquez is a local artist who creates amazing paintings. We worked with him to make a piece to go with his show at the Lisa Sette Gallery in Scottsdale. He was fun to work with because he wanted hand set type to go with the vintage images he paints. The show - A Strange Kind of Sympathy - was amazing!

Half Off Bacon - Mad Men Letterpress Class

After the Madmen inspired letterpress class, Lisa took her coasters with her to show friends at dinner. She said the wait staff were very intrigued but not intrigued enough to give them 50% off bacon!

Images from the class. Such a fun day!

Birds outside our shop

We have some cool birds outside our shop due to the canal. I'd never seen such large birds so nearby!

Their wingspan is amazing when we see them fly over the yard.

Whoooo?

For eight years I've heard an owl outside our house but I could never see it. The other morning I was loading my car and looked up and saw the owl watching me. I think its a large horned owl. I was a little nervous taking the photo--the owl wasn't very high up in the tree.

Letterpress Central Open House

We are having an open house at Letterpress Central on April 21 from 10 - 2 pm. 

Come join us--you can make a print and have a snack!

Mike decided to make some signs using our enormous sign press. Great chance to use some super large wood type. The sheets he printed are 22 x 30 and the 3 signs almost cover an 8 foot table! 

Gary and I worked on the invites that would be mailed. We could have done a polymer plate but decided to do all hand-set metal type and ornaments. Then of course, I forgot to photograph the lock up. Hand-set type lock ups are almost a work of art by themselves. So much more interesting than polymer plates. We have such an amazing collection of old typefaces and ornaments that it can be hard to choose! We ended up with a reverse Gill, Trylon shaded, Brody, Packard and a french typeface - Le Moreau where the nick is upside down and it totally confused us!

 Wonder if the color of the clothes influence the ink color? Hmmm.....

We printed envelopes in three fun colors, chartreuse, aqua and kraft. I think I like printing envelopes as much as the invites because it is such fun to get surprising mail!