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Q: What is letterpress?
A: Letterpress is the ancient craft of relief printing from moveable type, that is generally accepted to have been invented by Johann Gutenberg of Mainz, Germany, in the mid 15th century. Remarkably, the method we use is almost exactly the same as Gutenberg would have used, except that we use iron printing presses as opposed to his wooden presses.
Q: Why do you print using this ancient printing process?
A: Primarily because we enjoy the tactile and beautiful nature of the process, and the unique look and feel of fine letterpress printed items. Secondly, it is an inherently ‘green’ process and the metal and wooden letters are reused, so there is no need for printing blocks or plates to be made or any of the harmful chemicals and acids that are used in the etching process.
Q: Can I buy your cards from any high-street shops?
A: Not currently, although we are actively looking to have our cards stocked in independent shops and boutique’s. Details of new stockists will be added to the stockists section of our website.
Q: What papers do you use?
A: All of our cards are printed onto the finest quality mould-made printmaking papers, made at the historic St Cuthberts Mill in Somerset; that has been making fine papers since the 1700s.
Q: Is the paper manufactured using sustainable or recycled materials?
A: The Somerset printmaking papers, that we use, are made from 100% recycled cotton fibre (linter), which is a by-product of the clothing industry and sustainable. The high-quality envelopes that we provide with each card are made from FSC Certificated fibres from recycled sources and well managed forest
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Q: Are your cards recyclable?
A: Yes; 100% cotton paper can be sent for recycling in the same way as paper manufactured from wood fibres.
Q: What inks do you use?
A: With the environment in mind, we use vegetable based inks tinted with small quantities of oil based pigments. Given that we print primarily from antique wooden type, we are unable to use water based inks, as these could cause the wood to warp.
Q: Some cards I have just bought vary slightly from the same designs I bought a while ago. Why is this?
A: Since all of our cards are hand printed, we usually print only a few hundred of each design at a time. If the card proves to be popular, we will reprint the design and variations between batches are fairly inevitable. In addition, we mix all of our ink by hand (and eye!) and subtle variations in colour can occur. Just as with an artist's print; no two of our cards are exactly the same!
Q: I would like a personalised message added to one of your designs, is this possible?
A: Yes; we can personalise any of our card designs, with your message or address details, in any quantity. While we would charge a one off typesetting fee, we are also able to offer discounts on quantity orders. Please contact us for further details and pricing.
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