ATTN: letterpressers who want to talk about letterpressing

[jordan]

that pressure printing stuff is expensive, but man is it nice. i never though i'd pay $75 for a small print (it's like a large postcard), but the quality is through the roof; plus, woodring is one of my favorite artists, so it wasn't that much of a stretch. once rubyred gets here and we start printing and learning how to make books, we're going to start a small press with the goal of publishing poets who have never been published on their own (eg: outside of little mags). we will probably lose a lot of money, but it will be worth it.

 

[bospress.net]

You will do great and as long as you love it and it shows, you will not lose a penny and will probably make a couple bucks. Please let me know if there is anything that I can do to help once you get started. I'll be in Berkley in May for a few days. Maybe we'll see you guys...

Bill

 

[Father Luke]

I'd like to be a part of that whole meet up thing.
If I may, and if it happens. . .

 

[justine]

so would jim, i think. i'm really, really hoping that i'll be there by may, but there's been some problems trying to apply for a visa. i originally planned to be there in feb, but that's not gonna happen.

keep your fingers crossed for me, guys.

 

[justine]

the letterpress print project i'm working on at the moment is this:
-design a postcard for a real or invented client and audience.
-choose one of the standard postcard sizes
-your choice of paper
-limited to black ink
-no letterpress printed images, no more than 15 words
-overview of concept/design/distribution; budget; materials etc.

so i convinced my group to go with the GPP as our hypothetical client, with the idea being that our postcards would be distributed in the same way as the GPP broadsides, but they would feature a line from a local unpublished poet (to promote and antipodean outpost for the GPP).

design features:
-red card an almost identical match to the dust band on the GPP reader
-use of garamond type, same as the text body of the GPP reader.

so here are a few photos from the first stage of actual production. we printed the cards today; they're nothing fancy and they still need to be trimmed to size and have a rice paper overlay riveted on, but i'm really happy with how they turned out. we had a few issues with the type not sitting in the chase properly but it all worked out in the end:

 

[Father Luke]

and although caution is not a dog we implore you to exercise it

You gonn'a have any to share ?
They're real pretty.

 

[justine]

i'll probably have about 4 or 5 extras; one is going to the GPP, one is being sent to seattle, so that leaves a couple. you want me to post you one, father luke?

 

[justine]

(there is supposed to be a comma after 'dog' but we didn't notice till all the type was set in the chase, and we didn't have time to put it in)

 

[Father Luke]

ask anyone in santa cruz urinating in public to give it to me. that would work, too.

you want me to post you one, father luke?

I'll pm you my address.

 

[justine]

they'll be ready friday, i'll get one out to you soon after that.

 

[hoochmonkey9]

*cough*

 

[justine]

...okay, make that ONE left.

(PM me your address, steve)

i'm incredibly flattered that people actually want one of these postcards. i hope you guys are going to be my best customers when i start doing this for real...

 

[bospress.net]

Justine,
put me down for one of everything that your press releases....

Bill

 

[justine]

aww... you guys...

PMs have been received: bill, steve, and father luke are all getting one. i may be able to get a few more, since there were a bunch that weren't quite up to scratch (tiniest bit of ink caking in the italic 'n'). so if anyone else wants one, sign up here and i'll do my best.

(steve: don't worry about the postage. it's a minimal cost to me, and i'm just happy that people actually want these)

 

[justine]

a better photo of the first stage of production:

 

[Father Luke]

i hope you guys are going to be my best customers when i start doing this for real...

let me know when i may start submitting things for you to consider printing.

 

[bospress.net]

i want a Vandercook Press.... My wife won't let me have one...

Bill

 

[hoochmonkey9]

let me know when i may start submitting things for you to consider printing.

yeah, ditto.

 

[justine]

let me know when i may start submitting things for you to consider printing.

yeah, ditto.

OF COURSE jordan and i will be seeking our first submissions from you guys (and dave, and any of the other regulars here who are interested).

 

[Father Luke]

carrying your books home from school has just taken on a new meaning

 

[hoochmonkey9]

well, justine, just let us know.
send up flares.
or smoke signals.
or, you know, you could use a computer.
I'm old school. smoke signals is how I roll.

 

[jordan]

i have big ideas.... bigger than what i think we'll actually be able to put into practice. see, here's how it works- justine is learning how to letterpress, and i need to learn how to bind books... but i think a really cool project would be a book called "back alley" with poems from all of the regulars. but don't get excited, guys. first, rubyred needs a visa. then i need to come up with the scratch to take the classes i need to take. THEN, we can start up the press ("Chance Press"). the first publication was my chapbook that some of you have. the second publication was an extremely limited edition holograph broadside (i love making this shit up). i don't know what comes next.

 

[justine]

he thinks he's the boss of me.

the next publication will be jordan's collected poems. all letterpress printed by me.

 

[Father Luke]

i'm reserving a copy.

 

[justine]

noted.

 

[bospress.net]

Hi,
I love the ideas that you two have. Good luck with it. I just did my first hardbound book. It is a previously unpublished letter from Ginsberg to Kerouac edited by Bill Morgan. I am not the publisher, only the printer. The books were bound in hand painted pastepaper covers by Wallflowers Press in Newark, DE, but I spent enough time helping with this that I now know how to make hardbound books!

I'm sure that you can do it.

Now to work on my first Hardback BoSP release!

Bill



Bill

 

[hoochmonkey9]

bill, that looks incredible.
beautiful stuff.

 

[justine]

bill, those are stunning - each one has a unique cover?

 

[Father Luke]

who is going to be selling these beauties?

 

[bospress.net]

bill, those are stunning - each one has a unique cover?

Thanks! Yes, each one is unique. I will post the info on the price here once I confirm it. I will be selling a few, but we still need to get the signature sheet signed by all 5 people involved in this. It should be ready in about 10 days to ship. I expect that the publisher will sell out of these very, very quickly.

BIll