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.

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
Related entries
- Swiss (スイス・スタイル)Shared effects: Trust.Compare Letterpress and Swiss
- Arts and Crafts (アーツ・アンド・クラフツ)Shared effects: Luxury / Nostalgia.Compare Letterpress and Arts and Crafts
More from Relief Printing
Continue through styles in the same Relief Printing family, prioritised by shared effects.
- Woodcut (木版画)Shared effects: Nostalgia.
- Linocut (リノカット)Shared effects: Nostalgia.
Browse all Relief Printing entries
Cite this entry
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- Link
- https://indexstyle.org/styles/letterpress
- Markdown
- [Letterpress — IndexStyle](https://indexstyle.org/styles/letterpress)
- HTML
- <a href="https://indexstyle.org/styles/letterpress">Letterpress — IndexStyle</a>