Anything stationery related gets our hearts beating a little faster... add the word 'Letterpress' and we're close to having palpitations...
Which is why we were so thrilled to discover these amazing greetings cards. Made in a very traditional style in the heart of Oxfordshire: with the help of wood blocks, an intricate system of suction, gears and levers...oh, and a windmill.
Just in case you're unfamiliar with the process of Letterpress, here's a little explanation...
If you can conjure up an image from your history books of a Caxton press, you will not be far away from visualising the production process of an Archivist Letterpress greeting card 500 years later...
In contrast to the world of offset printing, the role of the 'press minder' is still key. Armed with an oil can, an inking knife and his judgement, he constantly adjusts and tweaks the arms and the plates to create the perfect print.
Archivist is not soulless factory printing in an industrial unit. Instead, the workshop is suffused with the heady smell of printing inks and resonates to the rhythmic workings of the press. The human element of the process gives each impression a charming individuality. Everytime the block hits the paper, the result will be different.
Here are a couple of our favourites...
If you'd like to see The Archivist Letterpress in action, Click HERE for a little video (I'm sure you'll fall in love a little bit, just like we did!)
Cards priced at £2.95 each and are available at Nora's Ilkley
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