ATTN: letterpressers who want to talk about letterpressing

Father Luke

Father Luke

Founding member
and the ink the ink that flows throgh my veins like poison

mine is going with me to thr grave, baby. never will it be made into an opera,
silkscreened onto a t-shirt or sold on eBay.

thr gave...
to thr grave...
 
bospress.net

bospress.net

www.bospress.net
Hi,
Once, I did. My connection to him was his late publisher, Gary Aposhian. I never had any direct contact with him and only once received mail from him directly (when he signed the edition). That was back in 2003. After that, he switched publishers and Gary passed away.

Best,
Bill
 
bluebottle

bluebottle

Founding member
bluebottle said:
it's true about ben franklin - he's one of the heroes at the print shop. and loujon is something to aspire too, esp. with the printing, paper, design, etc. could you imagine, h. miller, buk, - great authors to print. here's to all the tramp printers of yore, and today! and all the wandering poets......
Click to expand...

i just started work two days ago at another print shop hand feeding a c&p part time, only this guy has designed a pedal-wheel to control the tempo, nice, and it's all "job work" - like stuff you print for the city or state, little businesses, invoices, tax season stuff, etc. 500 impressions an hour, but i'm slow still. anyway, about loujon and printing of collectibles - what resources are out there that all of you respect that give good info on letterpress printing, papermaking, etc. i know there's a book on loujon out there, just released i think? - and i'm really looking for a lineage regarding loujon, like you get a lineage of poets from whitman, neruda, beats, etc. is there such a lineage with the printers of this time?
 
justine

justine

stop the penistry
pictures of the print studio i'm working in

IMG_1129.jpg IMG_1130.jpg IMG_1131.jpg
IMG_1133.jpg IMG_1134.jpg
 
mjp

mjp

Founding member
Ah, you're printing on a proof press. I always wanted to get one of those, but didn't have the 40 square feet of floor space to give up to one. ;) They are not practical for longer runs or anything that requires any kind of registration for multiple colors, but the relatively unlimited size format always tempted me.

There's a lot of heavy metal in that shop. Looks like a good place to learn.
 
justine

justine

stop the penistry
yeah The Printer (as she is known) is one of those people who knows (or seems to know) EVERYTHING about books, printing, presses, book-making, just everything. i was showing her bill's stuff and she was really impressed. she also likes bukowski. so yes, a good teacher.
 
justine

justine

stop the penistry
god it took me about an hour to set ONE line of type yesterday. it did not help that most of the letters in the type case were in completely the wrong place.
 
hank solo

hank solo

Just practicin' steps and keepin' outta the fights
Moderator
Founding member
Like many (I imagine), I'd love to have a press and make beautiful pages.

But, realistically, I'm very unlikely to have room, funds, time, patience anytime in the next er... 30 years...

It really is an art. I salute you Rubyred for learning and also folks like 'our' Bill who seem to have the super-human abilities to carry on the tradition in this horrible ink-jet and hypertext age.

Great photos of amazing old presses. Thanks
 
justine

justine

stop the penistry
it is extremely addictive. the first time i actually printed something, it just felt... right. so now i guess i have to resign myself to a life of being poor but happy.
 
mjp

mjp

Founding member
Rubyred said:
it did not help that most of the letters in the type case were in completely the wrong place.
Click to expand...
I imagine that would be the main problem in a classroom setting. Once you set up your own shop it won't be an issue. ;)
 
justine

justine

stop the penistry
oh man, my very own press, and a huge collection of types... and stacks of beautiful paper... one of these days...
 
bospress.net

bospress.net

www.bospress.net
Rubyred,
When you come to the States, you and your significant other can swing by Delaware and spend the weekend printing! We have room and love to have guests. You just have to put up with my wife and kids (actually I'm the most unpleasant person in the house!)

I just last weekend had a guest here from San Francisco. In 4 days, we printed a previously unpublished letter from Ginsberg to Kerouac. The letter is 5 pages and is 1955, pre-howl. Also, we printed a poem by Leonard Cohen (which we believe may be his first broadside?). Both are official & authorized releases. I was a printer, not the publisher. The Ginsberg piece is limited to 300 handsewn in wraps, 50 signed in wraps and 26 hand bound hardcovers! I just got back from Newark, DE where we were finishing sewing the hardbacks over pizza and beer.

I know that this is a Bukowski forum and Ginsburg is not on the top of everyones list, but for a printer, getting to print something like these two projects is really a special honor.

Rubyred - Get a press! You will not regret it. Looking at pieces printed this way gives me more satisfaction than any beautiful mass produced book out there. Join the ranks of those of us that refuse to admit that we are not still in the nineteenth century.

Bill
 
justine

justine

stop the penistry
bill, thank you so much for the offer - i fully intend to take you up on it!

the ginsberg project sounds AMAZING - i know what you mean, there's something about a book created by hand that just has very special beauty about it. i'm planning on trying to get some apprentice work with wai-te-ata press once i'm finished with school, and when i come to oakland i'm gonna sign up for classes at the SFCB. i'd really like to find a letterpress printer in the bay area who would be happy to take me on as a part-time apprentice, so i'll need to get to work on that. i'd LOVE to have my own press - but i need to do some research on the smallest and cheapest presses first, since i really know nothing about it.

also: mr cc at the GPP has asked me to send proofs and budgets once my project is done, because they will consider funding me to actually do the postcards FOR REALZ!

and also: jordan has a beautiful letterpress print of a jim woodring image from
http://www.pressureprinting.com/announce.html
which he should post a photo of here.
 
number6horse

number6horse

okyoutwopixiesoutyougo
Rubyred said:
bill, thank you so much for the offer - i fully intend to take you up on it!

the ginsberg project sounds AMAZING - i know what you mean, there's something about a book created by hand that just has very special beauty about it. i'm planning on trying to get some apprentice work with wai-te-ata press once i'm finished with school, and when i come to oakland i'm gonna sign up for classes at the SFCB. i'd really like to find a letterpress printer in the bay area who would be happy to take me on as a part-time apprentice, so i'll need to get to work on that. i'd LOVE to have my own press - but i need to do some research on the smallest and most affordable presses first, since i really know nothing about it.

also: mr cc at the GPP has asked me to send proofs and budgets once my project is done, because they will consider funding me to actually do the postcards FOR REALZ!

and also: jordan has a beautiful letterpress print of a jim woodring image from
http://www.pressureprinting.com/announce.html
which he should post a photo of here.
Click to expand...

Ha ! Look at me - I'm an editor ! ;)
 
taxidriver

taxidriver

Loujon book?

What the deal with the book on the Loujon press that was mentioned earlier. I know they printed It Catches My Heart In Its Hands (I got to see an original copy eeeeeeeeeee!) but I don't know much else about the press.
 
mjp

mjp

Founding member
The book is a great read, and there's also a documentary film that is ostensibly about LouJon, but mainly about Gypsy Lou. Still, a really good film. I would recommend both.

If you search "LouJon" or "Webb" here in the forum you will find a lot of discussion about the Webbs and their publishing adventures.
 
Father Luke

Father Luke

Founding member
Rubyred said:
i'd really like to find a letterpress printer in the bay area who would be happy to take me on as a part-time apprentice, so i'll need to get to work on that.

and also: jordan has a beautiful letterpress print of a jim woodring image from
http://www.pressureprinting.com/announce.html
which he should post a photo of here.
Click to expand...

number6horse said:
Ha ! Look at me - I'm an editor ! ;)
Click to expand...

Three things.

First.

There used to be a place called Apprentice Alliance in San Francisco.
Lou Phillips ran it. I believe Lou has gone (she's dead), although I would be
happy to be wrong about that.

Apprentice Alliance
151 Potrero Ave,
San Francisco, CA 94103-4812
Phone: (415) 863-8661

I know you have your own sources, I just want to throw that out there.
Sort of as a way of saying I support what you are about, and maybe it
might directly assist you.

Also, what you wrote about the GPP is fantastic. Best wishes with that.

Second.
Jason's Work. EDIT: jordan's

H E R E is it?

Fucking great. Just Brilliant. The whole site kept me for hours.
Sometimes quality falls into your hands, and there isn't anything to do but
stand there slack jawed in awe, and wonder why the whole world can't be just
like this. This was one of those times.

There was a third thing. . .

Can't remember. Hopefully this is sufficient.
All the best.

- -
Okay,
Father Luke
 
justine

justine

stop the penistry
thanks very much for that, father luke; i'll look into it.

jason's work? pressure printing is run by a guy called brad keech, i think.
 
chronic

chronic

old and in the way
Yes... Brad Keech is Pressure Printing (and he does absolutely beautiful work). Jason's (assuming we are talking about the same Jason) press is here.
 
hoochmonkey9

hoochmonkey9

Art should be its own hammer.
Moderator
Founding member
glad you found your calling, rubyred.
you're one of the lucky ones. and it's well deserved.
 
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