Much of the work coming out of my studio that is the result of collaborations.  Sometimes it will be a collaboration between a bride-to-be and her best friend that is a graphic designer, and my role simply being the master printer sharing advice and expertise while realizing their project on one of my presses.  Other times I will be brainstorming, developing projects, and making the designs with a client.  Also, I find it exciting to work with designers and illustrators directly as their printer.   There are no templates being followed here though, so  projects should be new and fresh. 

     There are multiple things that Stukenborg Press can do for you;  that pun was quite intended.  It is very rare that making one or even just a couple of something is ever going to be cost effective.  The bulk of the time and work for letterpress projects takes place during preparation and set-up.  Sketches, design, typesetting, plate-making, carving, ink mixing, and proofing; all these things happen before the first good print is pulled off the press – double or triple that time if the project has more than one pass of color involved.   So doing custom letterpress work is a bit like making a batch of cookies, if you want a kind that has your special combination of ingredients it is only reasonable to get a whole batch,  otherwise you’ll be paying for all that work to be held within one single unit.   Edition size is commonly between 100 and 250, but there are of course projects that can warrant smaller or larger numbers.  All of the work I do in the studio for people is custom and fit to suit their needs.

     What will determine the cost of a project?  There are two sides for the calculation, materials and labor.

Materials

  • What sort of paper stock is being used?
  • Are plates needed for the design?*

          *Digital designs have a physical relief plate made for them.

Labor

  • Design time
  • Typesetting time (handset-type Lead/Wood)
  • Locking-up and proofing compositions
  • Ink mixing and color-matching
  • Press time for cranking out the full edition
  • Clean-up
  • Trimming and Finishing

 

    The time it takes to complete a project on press really depends on the number of passes of color needed in the design, sometimes even more so than the exact number of prints needed.  A postcard with two colors on the front and two colors on the back, will be going through the press 4 times – while a larger poster with only two colors is going to take half as much time on the press  How does it all work?  A two color design, will have two separate compositions are made to use sequentially on the press.  The first color of ink is put on the rollers with the corresponding portion of the design placed on the press bed, all of sheets of paper for the edition are printed, and put on the rack to dry.  That ink color is cleaned off the press.   Then the composition is rearranged on the press bed in anticipation of the next pass of ink that usually happens the following morning. The prints are all cranked through the press again. The next day, after that second color of ink has fully dried the prints are stacked and given their final trim on the paper cutter.