London Letterpress studios
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- wordsarepictures
I've been asked to create an original print for the offices of a TV station but my weedy little Adana 5x4 press is nowhere near big enough as they'd like something about A3. I need to find a letterpress studio that would allow me to come and work in their studio for a day in London. Can anyone recommend anywhere at reasonably short notice?
- hans_glib0
what about alan kitching's place?
- He'll not let you touch his stuff. You'd have to stand by his side and let him do it.temporary_name
- BaskerviIle0
hey wordsarepictures (craig? by the looks of your site). Just had a look at your work, it's wonderful, some of the best type work I've seen on here or most other places.
Are you talking metal type of wood?
- temporary_name0
There was a girl who used to work for Alan Kitching, then she bought a press and set up on her own somewhere near London Bridge but for the life of me I can't remember her bloody name. Maybe it will pop in to mind now I've said that.
You could of course just get a plate made and then use a printmakers press to do it instead. If its a one-off print it doesn't strike me as something you need to do on an actual letterpress machine.
- Dancer0
There is someone that maybe able to help.
I think he did some lovely christmas cards.... hang on
- Dancer0
- Justin Knopp was in my year at college and had an Adana and full typecase in his bedsit even then.temporary_name
- Thanks for posting this link. I had no idea he was still doing stuff.temporary_name
- temporary_name0
Sorry Dancer... I thought you were referring to yourself in the above comment.
- haha
That would of been far too indirect and clever for me...
Dancer
- haha
- Nairn0
[relatively irrelevant aside]
oh my god, sweet jesus. WANT
http://www.foliosociety.com/book…[/relatively irrelevant aside]
Also - if I wanted a shitty wee press - where could I buy one? And which? An Adana one?
- er.. not to suggest that your tool is 'wee and shitty', wordsarepictures! :\Nairn
- Nairn0
[relatively irrelevant aside]
oh my god, sweet jesus. WANT
http://www.foliosociety.com/book…[/relatively irrelevant aside]
Also - if I wanted a shitty wee press - where could I buy one? And which? An Adana one?
- temporary_name0
Adana's are the smallest and most portable, but they are massively limiting. The actual print area is only a matter of inches across. They're a massive amount of fun and my Dad ran a cheerful little business on an Adana, but if you're going to invest some money you're better off getting an artist's press. It depend's though whether you're planning on doing runs of thousands, or runs of twenty or so.
In my humble opinion that is.
ebay is a good plae for Adanas. You can buy the whole set up now for a couple of hundred quids. You'll need a van though.
- temporary_name0
Nairn...
http://www.lawrence.co.uk/acatal…
With a table press you can do 12x16" prints and you can take pulls from hot metal or wood type, or you can have plates made and print off those... or make woodcuts or lino cuts, or even just arrange a bunch of fern leaves and string and make prints off that.
'Massively' versatile
- I *think* I want something like this... http://www.lawrence.… It's for dicking around, not productionNairn
- They're good, but they are only wood and overcranking can cause them to crack, but still, a good wee press.temporary_name
- You're probably better off with one of them than an Adana though, more flexible, less obtrusive.temporary_name
- wordsarepictures0
Thanks for the suggestions guys. I was thinking about Mr Kitching but, to be honest, this is through Debut and he might wonder why he hasn't been asked to do it himself...
Don't really want to have to buy a massive press just for the job (cool as it would be) but I've dropped the LCC a line, see if I could pop in there for a day and also asked Mr Burril if he knows anywhere.
Baskerville, thanks for the love, I'm plased you like.
Nairn matey, I bought my Adana 5x3 from eBay a few years ago for a paltry £70 with 3 trays of type and I've added to my colelction ever since. It is weedy and shitty but it's been fine so far as I usually print each word (or a few at a time) scan thenm at hi-res and put the final piece together in photoshop. Unfortunately that's not an option this time round.