Cool Blog Alert: FPO

FPO is For Print only, a blog by Bryony Gomez-Palacio and Armin Vit "dedicated to both the visual stimulus and the detailing of the development and production of printed matter: Annual reports, books, business cards, stationery suites, collateral materials, posters, packaging and anything else where ink meets substrate (source)." They are also friends and featurers of letterpress--cf today's example, printed by the Cranky Pressman for Jennifer Blanco:

They accept submissions of recent work, and each posting contains useful info about stock used, production time, and cost (curious about how you all would have priced out the Blanco job!). Essentially, the stuff I used to buy How for.

"There is nothing complicated about ordinary equality."

This lovely letterpress print is the joint effort of Chandler O'Leary of Anagram Press and Jessica Spring of Springtide Press. Available in their Etsy store, the edition is limited to 108. The colophon reads:

"Alice Stokes Paul (1885-1977) continued the work of the suffragists, and helped form the National Woman's Party to demand equal rights. The NWP engaged in militant demonstrations and the first picketing of the White House; these "Silent Sentinels" were mobbed and imprisoned, then force-fed while attempting a hunger strike. Public and media support for their cause grew and by 1920, women secured the vote. Alice Paul continued to work on their behalf, writing the original Equal Rights Amendment in 1923."

Spotlight on . . . Austin!

So last week at this time, we were taking a printing break in sunny Austin, Texas, where my mom was getting ready to run her 31st marathon (go Ma!). Yeah, that's a picture of 75 degrees in February. Austin is a great place to live and work--that's where I got my first job making plates for a printer who's been at work since before many of us were born--and it's also home to many fine archives, engravers, bookbinders, and printers. Here are a few faves--feel free to add your own!

Horsemuffin is owned by Gwendolyn Rice, who combines printing and glass to make fabulous objets. Her 3-D work is unique, too.

Many printers we know have gotten their footing at Flatbed Press, a great place to take classes and get inky with other printers. Take a class this spring and it's professional development for next year's taxes! [not real tax advice--go ask your accountant to make sure. :) ]

Effing Press focus is books, but they also do commercial printing. Relatively new to the wider and wider world of letterpress is Vertallee, a husband, wife, and Heidelberg team. Check out their great blog, too.

Finally, what would a list like this be without a printer of band posters. Rural Rooster prints, designs, and makes websites, too.

Source

If you have a great letterpress scene in your city, let us know! We'll feature it and you in a future post.