Letterpress

活版印刷 / 15th century– / Technique / Relief Printing

Sets physical type, joining the repeatable order of text with the touch of impression on paper.

Letterpress — 金属活字 — Wikimedia Commons / CC BY 2.5 · © Willi Heidelbach
金属活字 — Wikimedia Commons / CC BY 2.5 · CC BY 2.5 · © Willi Heidelbach

At a glance

Visual cues

  • The regularity of type
  • Impression into paper
  • Limited widths
  • Ink variation

Best used for

  • Tactile weight for books, cards and invitations
  • Making the choice and setting of type the subject itself

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Dictionary entry

Type
One type family in limited sizes for the hierarchy
Composition
Respect physical leading and margins; restrict alignments
Material
One or two colors, thick paper, a slight bite and ink variance
Caution
Don't over-perform deep impression and dry ink. Let type, paper, pressure and ink set the form.
Further study
Johannes Gutenberg / movable type / fine press printing

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Cite this entry

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Link
https://indexstyle.org/styles/letterpress
Markdown
[Letterpress — IndexStyle](https://indexstyle.org/styles/letterpress)
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<a href="https://indexstyle.org/styles/letterpress">Letterpress — IndexStyle</a>

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