Letterpress Printing Revived by Graphic Artists in Some Parts of Ontario

  • 2011-02-12
In Ottawa, 350 km from Toronto, ON letterpress printing is gaining in popularity among some graphic designers. First started in the 15th century, some modern graphic designers and Print companies are rediscovering the stationary printing and letterpress tradition, albeit with more modern tools to satisfy customer requests. Ottawa resident Vanessa Dempsey is one such artist interested in modernizing letterpress printing.

The letterpress tradition's previously labour intensive process was once unpopular among clients, but the antique Heidelberg windmill printing press that Dempsey and her partner acquired in Toronto, ON now prints greeting and Business Cards, wedding Invitations and does a whole host of other specialized stationary printing.

Dempsey and her partner have made several modifications to the original letterpress printing machine, allowing it to kiss the paper and leave a deep impression and an embossed finish, unlike traditional letterpress printing, which does not leave a deep impression. Instead of using traditional lead and brass plates associated with letterpress printing, Dempsey uses more versatile photopolymer, to facilitate printing from computer programs. Dempsey has also been able to adapt to requests of different colours and experiments with different types of requests. Letterpress printing costs five times the rate of standard offset printing jobs.

Dempsey first became interested in the Heidelberg after seeing it in a Print shop in Venice, and later purchased one being sold by a stationary printing vendor in Toronto, ON, completing several home renovations in order to accommodate the 1,575 kilogram printing press in her home.



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