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About Letterpress

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Letterpress process

Letterpress is a method of printing which uses the raised surface of a relief plate to print an image or text.

The image area on the relief plate is slightly higher than the rest of the plate surface, this allows the raised surface to be inked and then pressed against the paper creating an image in reverse. Only one colour is printed at a time.

The beauty of letterpress is that the text or image printed is slightly indented into the paper, making the definition sharper and with a lovely tactile quality that cannot be achieved with other printing techniques.

Hot Foil Printing with Letterpress

At Whites we specialise in the use of metallic foil instead of ink to produce a very strong, even colour. Letterpressing with foil creates the rich silver or gold print so suited to special invitations and announcements.

It is achieved by a metal plate mounted on a heated block on the press. The plate is heated to a very high temperature and the foil is positioned between the metal plate and the paper. When pressed the heat ensures the foil sticks to the surface of the paper, resulting in a crisp slightly indented print. The whole process requires a high degree of craftsmanship to obtain the correct pressure combined with a precise temperature.

Embossing

The embossed design is created by a combination of heat and pressure on the paper. This method requires a two part die, one hard part made from magnesium and one soft part made from polymer fitted tightly together. When the paper is positioned between both dies, the pressure and the heat result in the raised image.