Design meets Letterpress

In the world of design there is a renewed interest in the quality of printed matters.

It is true that the digital revolution led to the extinction of some printed ephemera or products­ – like stationery, travel tickets, posters – but how can we motivate the increasing attention on all that is letterpress printing and the accurate chose of papers?

The answer is inherent in the communicative power of quality printing.

The communication, marketing and design agencies encourage the use of letterpress printing, when companies and entrepreneurs want to communicate attention to details and craftsmanship.

The list of products printable in letterpress is long and does not end with stationery. Many brands, not only of luxury, more often choose to print with metal and wood type, for event invitation cards or brochures for occasions such as anniversaries, books or magazine sections, commercial postcards, limited-edition labels. In some cases, letterpress printing can be used only for the cover, maybe on fine quality paper, and be paired with offset printing for the inside pages and hand-made binding.

Cross-contamination is the expressive richness of contemporary design.

The lively interest in letterpress is linked to the strategic visions of designers and communication professionals. The value becomes a distinctive element: the printed matter, considered in its form and for its quality, represents a kind of “augmented” reality of the message you want to convey.

Even the factors that contrast the absolute perfection of digital printing, as the slight imperfections caused by hand inking, the impression on paper, the use of uncoated and textured papers, all contribute to personalize the product.

The tactility of the product, the scent of ink, the punched impression of type on the paper are all elements of the storytelling: the printed matter originates from the history of a typeface.

For some time Grafiche Antiga with the fostered foundation Tipoteca Italiana gives substance to the effective mix of offset and letterpress printing, thanks to their working Museum.