About > F.A.Q.

F.A.Q.

General Letterpress Printing Questions

What is letterpress printing?
What does letterpress printing look like?
Why is letterpress printing more expensive than other print methods? Can I order just one print?
Does Tweedle Press have specific ink colors for clients to choose from? [coming soon]
Does Tweedle Press offer a limited number of fonts for printing? [coming soon]
Can Tweedle Press print light colored inks on dark colored papers? [coming soon]
Does Tweedle Press use metallic inks? [coming soon]
Can Tweedle Press print with no ink? Does this change the pricing? [coming soon]

General Design Questions

What is "print-ready" artwork? [coming soon]
Can I hire Tweedle Press for design work only? [coming soon]

About Tweedle Press

Where did the name Tweedle Press come from?
Can I come visit the shop?
Does Tweedle Press design and print jobs for clients outside Chicago?
Does Tweedle Press accept paper donations for recycling?

What is letterpress printing?

Letterpress printing has been around since the mid 15th century, when Johannes Gutenberg (among others) began using moveable type and images in this relief style of printing. Reversed and raised surfaces such as individually set letters of type, hand carved cuts, and (today) polymer plates are inked and pressed against paper to create right-reading images. Many types of printing presses were created for this purpose, and they were the primary machines for the industry until they ceased to be made in the second half of the 20th century. When offset and digital printing became popular, many printing presses used for letterpress were thrown away and forgotten, metal type was melted down and wood type was burned.

Perhaps as a sort of reaction to the "perfect" prints produced by the likes of modern laser printers as well as increased public interest in all things handmade, the craft of letterpress printing has experienced a revitalization over the past ten years. Specialty print shops small and large are popping up everywhere, using recovered machinery and vintage type rescued from a fiery death by those of us that are passionate about the art.

Since the presses themselves aren't manufactured anymore, finding them, restoring them, and maintaining them is no small feat. Letterpress printing presses are big, heavy (some weigh several tons), and they require a special amount of patience and coaxing to produce consistent prints. Even final prints are rarely flawless, but it is their imperfections and handmade quality that gives each one its individual charm. [back to the top]

What does letterpress printing look like?

There are as many styles of letterpress printing as there are printers, and every shop has its own aesthetic. While traditional printers using metal and wood type often aim to create the perfect "kiss impression" flat print, others with hardier modern plates use the force of their presses to create a deep, rich impression into the paper. If you've taken note of letterpress printing in the past, it's likely you've identified the deep impression as its main attribute. Although this is definitely a signature modern letterpress quality, it's a misconception that the presses were originally intended to create this type of effect. However, many printers these days (Tweedle Press included!) make great use of our presses' ability to produce deliciously textured prints. [back to the top]

Why is letterpress printing more expensive than other methods?
Can I order just one print?

Although many modern advances have been made since the letterpress printing practices of yore, it is still basically a vintage, handcrafted process. Besides custom design, the major cost in any letterpress job comes from the press setup. This first involves sending out our digital files to have film printed, and from those are produced photopolymer plates for each color involved. Although we keep all of our printing plates on file for reorders (so clients do not have to pay for plates again), the plates are priced per square inch and so bigger prints results in higher plate fees. Also, a separate print plate has to be made for every color and so jobs with more colors end up being more expensive.

Once we have plates for a particular job, we spend a good amount of time hand mixing ink colors to our clients' specifications. We then have to ink up the press and make all the necessary adjustments so the image inking, placement, depth of impression, and other elements are correct - all of which uses ink and paper (known as "makeready"). Then and only then are we ready to produce the first print in the first color! As you can see, most of the work and expense comes before the first print is even run - which is why letterpress printing is not a good choice for very small runs. There is a "per print" price as well, because even after the press is set up we still have to man the press and send each sheet of paper through individually. For every additional color on a particular job, the entire cleaning/inking/makeready process has to be repeated, which is why the number of print colors greatly affects pricing.

Of course, someone could order just one or a few prints, but it never makes economical sense to do so. When ordering in quantities of at least 50 or more, the custom design and press setup costs get spread out over the entire job. Letterpress printing is basically a fine art process, and you pay for our careful attention to each print. [back to the top]

Where did the name Tweedle Press come from?

Nina has had the same best friend since 8th grade. They were so attached at the hip to each other throughout high school that people referred to them as Tweedle Dee and Tweedle Dum. One year they even dressed the part for Halloween.

Dum has been a constant source of inspiration for Nina throughout their 15+ years of Tweedle-hood, and has always been there to listen to her ramblings about paper, running her own business, hair-brained schemes, and general psychosis. Nina figured it was only right to name this business, the culmination of the aforementioned daydreams, in honor of their rad friendship and zany antics. [back to the top]

Can I come visit the shop?

If you're in the Chicago area, our new shop is located in the delightful neighborhood of Rogers Park at 6928 N Greenview Ave. There's plenty of metered street parking available and we're only about a block West of the Morse Ave. red line stop. We're still in the process of adding official signage and merchandising, but we are open for production and client meetings!

While we don't keep regular "retail hours" and meetings to discuss custom work are by appointment only, we keep the door open while printing to chat with anyone who wanders by while in the neighborhood. If you'd like to be sure someone will be there to meet with you, please email us or call 773.656.2188 to make an appointment first! You'll be able to see our amazing antique letterpress printing and other equipment, paper and print samples, and there's an awesome coffee shop just next door. With pie. [back to the top]