Gwyneth Paige I Lettepress Wedding Invitations I Letterpress Bar and Bat Mitzvah Invitations

Well, it’s the most beautiful form of printing out there.  But, we’re a little bias.  How about we get technical and give you a little history.  Letterpress was invented by Johannes Gutenberg in the 15^th century and is a form of relief printing usually done on cast-iron presses. It was the primary method used to print books, newspapers, broadsides, invitations and a wide variety of other print ephemera up until the second half of the 20^th century. And unlike engraving which is done from the back, a letterpress impression is ‘pressed’ into the front side which gives you a cleaner, more elegant appearance.

Since the 21^st century revival of letterpress, wooden moveable type has moved out of the way {and into collector’s cases} and has been replaced by photopolymer plates. The designing and plate set-up have all been made easier by the invention of photopolymer.  Wonderfully, the artisan hands-on, hand-fed, hand-touched, hand-inked, hand-loved printing process has yet to change. We are beyond smitten with this craft.

Last updated on March 4, 2010 by The Ladies of Gwyneth Paige