In a world of increasingly slick mass production, letterpress printing offers a distinctive difference. The impression of artwork sculpts the paper, creating a work of art that engages the user and creates an interaction incomparable to offset printing.
We offer a sensitivity to design, thorough knowledge of production and superior craftspersonship that delivers an unforgettable communication device. By partnering creatively with our clients, Studio On Fire pushes the boundaries of presswork and contributes to the advancement of modern letterpress.
No longer restricted to pre-existing metal and wooden type, we translate your digital art to polymer plates in house, producing uniquely tactile work with a modern edge.
Of course text and line art will print beautifully, but larger tone graphics and even bitmap art will give a fine result.
While letterpress is perfect for small runs of stationary and invitations, we now have production capabilities allowing us to handle runs of tens of thousands, making us a competitive print option. We can also print small runs for fine art reproduction, photo props and presentation covers.
Our largest sheet size for production run is 18 x 23 with a maximum image/print area of 17 x 22. Smaller run hand feed operations can press an 18 x 24 area on an 18.5 x 26 sheet
We can print on an enormous variety of papers- from napkins to 80pt coaster board- and maintain a small inventory of choice stock.
All of our work is custom, so there is no cookie-cutter answer. Each project is priced with quantities, inks, papers, die-cuts and special finishing or assembly taken into consideration. Unlike offset printing letterpress printing lays down a single color at a time, requiring more hands-on attention in the press-room. The result is a premium quality finished product. Bring us in early in the production process by e-mailing us preliminary design files and any specifications you have determined, and we can put together an estimate for you.
We print with polymer plates using ultraviolet light, water and heat in the exposure process. Our plates require none of the chemical etching typical of metal plates, and you will notice our shop does not have the characteristic odor of other pressrooms.
Although we print on a wide range of papers, most work is done on tree-free, cotton paper stock made with fibers reclaimed from the garment industry. Cotton is a more sustainable fiber source than wood, requiring less growth time, fewer natural resources and significantly less processing to create a beautiful, tactile paper perfectly suited to letterpress.
We always encourage clients to look at their job on press. This allows us to quickly make color and impression adjustments to your preferences. If you or your client is unable to visit us for the press check we can offer a press test.
A press test is an actual print of your artwork on the paper you have selected. We print a range of impression depths and ink densities, and send them to you for approval. Press tests do require additional fees and time.
Turnaround time is typically 10 business days, but we are able to do rush jobs inside of two days. We have beautiful papers available in-house to meet quick turnarounds, so please inquire when specifying your job.
We are happy to provide work samples, but due to the volume of requests, we ask they be returned in a timely manner.
We always welcome visitors and student groups by appointment. Creative professionals often stop in for inspiration or just see what’s new on our fantastic sample wall. We look forward to working collaboratively with you to fulfill your creative vision.