Actually it's far from being 'new' though it is getting plenty of fresh attention. Letterpress stems from the earliest printing industry some hundreds of years. Names like Caxton and Guttenberg were hot off the press literally. They were the fathers of priniting, the first known printing done in England was a Letter of Indulgence by John Sant, Abbot of Abingdon around 13 December 1476 printed by William Caxton on his first press."
Early printing relied on pressing carved images of letters or pattern designs covered in a coat of ink into paper which would leave a printed likeness giving birth to the term 'Letterpress'. Because the carved images were three dimensional they could if pressed too hard into the paper leave a relief of the carved object in the surface as well as the inked likeness. This was thought to be very bad printing because the type had been 'over-impressed' into the paper. I suspect that it had something to do with the value of the early 'type' which was very soft that formed this opinion and over impressing caused damage and excessive wear very quickly.
The earliest type was carved from wooden blocks which was a slow process then type cast from lead quickly became popular. Soft lead however did quickly wear or loose its shape being squashed out by too much pressure and so printers used as little pressure as possible to preserve the expensive type.
So What's The Current Buzz All About?
As type became cheaper and the emphasis changed from practicalities to a desire for greater artistic merit the over-impressing or Letterpress technique developed in to a proper craft probably due to the dazzling results that can be achieved.
The printed work has the appearance of a wooden carving with sharp crisp lines but of course on paper. Combined with the right typestyles or 'fonts' some of which feature sweeping curves and grand flourishes the results are Fantastic and produce the sort of documents that are truly fit for royalty.
In modern times the revival of the craft has experienced a huge growth mostly through the wedding industry where its great beauty has been transforming wedding stationery.
If you are interested in letterpress and would like to know more visit one of the resources below. Willow Wood are heavily involved in promoting the artform and are always happy to answer questions and give helpful insights to anyone who'd like to develop the skill.
Letterpress Wedding Invitations On Display
How Does It Work?
Typestyles Suitable For Letterpress
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