The
Letterpress
Letterpress
printing is a relief process that originated in the 1400’s and was the primary
source of communication for more than 500 years. It works by having raised
metal type to engrave and imprint words and designs on a page. Now that we
don’t use the long process of the letterpress for our printing the letterpress
allows artists to create work that have an appealing look that you won’t find
on the computer which has offset and digital printing methods.
Individual
letters were created to make words on the page. They started as wood blocks and
then for better quality a man names Gutenberg began working with metal type.
The metal type has individual capital
and lowercase letters, as well as punctuation symbols; these characters’
reverse impressions, which were like mirror images, were cast in steel. Letters
and symbols would then be assembled on a wooden forme to create entire pages of
text, complete with spacers and lead rules for legibility. In order to transfer
these impressions from forme to page, Gutenberg used a lacquer-like ink he
created himself out of soot, walnut oil and turpentine.
The ability to print became easier
and faster.
Typeface designer, William Caslon
created a type that was legible and distinct, which became popular for use in
printing important documents. Later on Caslon’s typeface was used in the
printing of the United States Declaration of Independence in 1776, which was
sent out to all the states.
Individuals continued to find ways to
improve the look of the printed page over the decades. In the 18th century,
printer and typographer John Baskerville created a way to make paper whiter and
smoother so that in printing, the ink showed up strong and crisp. He also was
the pioneer for adding wide margins to the printed page, as well as spacing —
or leading — between lines of text.
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