letterpresses
Inked type printers
Letterpresses are printing machines that press inked type or plates directly onto paper—the dominant technology from Gutenberg until the mid-twentieth century.
The term also refers to workshops or businesses using this method.
Though largely displaced by offset and digital printing, letterpresses survive in specialty shops producing wedding invitations, art prints, and other work prized for the tactile impression the type leaves in paper.
Printing press surface
- chaseRapid following of quarry
- bedFurniture for slumber
- rollerRotating cylindrical tool
- tympanPrinter's packing frame
frisket · composing stick · galley · gripper · flywheel · quoin · furniture · reglet
Category sharing traits
- movable typeReconfigurable printing components
- metal typeCast printing characters
- fontCharacter style set
- typefaceLettering style design
slug · sorts · spacing · kerning · ligature · uppercase · lowercase · point size
Skilled manual tradesperson
- printmakerArtist using pressed plates
- workshopPlace for making or learning
- studioCreative professional's workspace
- handmadeCreated manually, not mechanically
bespoke · small-batch · revival · traditional · heritage · craftsmanship · restoration · vintage
Effect on the mind
- debossStamp a recessed design
- embossRaise design from surface
- reliefEasing of distress
- inkWriting fluid
registration · lockup · pull · proof · strike · overprint · multicolor · edition
Printing press inventor's name
- incunabulaEarliest European printed books
- printing revolutionMechanized text reproduction transformation
- BibleChristian sacred writings
- pamphletUnbound topical booklet
broadsheet · newspaper · industrialization · mechanization · Heidelberg · Albion · Washington · nineteenth century
platen
Printing press surface
tympan · frisket · composing stick · galley · gripper · flywheel · quoin · furniture · reglet · leading
type
Category sharing traits
- movable typeReconfigurable printing components
- metal typeCast printing characters
- fontCharacter style set
typeface · slug · sorts · spacing · kerning · ligature · uppercase · lowercase · point size · leading
artisan
Skilled manual tradesperson
- printmakerArtist using pressed plates
- workshopPlace for making or learning
- studioCreative professional's workspace
handmade · bespoke · small-batch · revival · traditional · heritage · craftsmanship · restoration · vintage · hand-pulled
impression
Effect on the mind
ink · registration · lockup · pull · proof · strike · overprint · multicolor · edition · run
Gutenberg
Printing press inventor's name
- incunabulaEarliest European printed books
- printing revolutionMechanized text reproduction transformation
- BibleChristian sacred writings
pamphlet · broadsheet · newspaper · industrialization · mechanization · Heidelberg · Albion · Washington · nineteenth century · obsolescence
letterpresseslaser printers
Machines producing pages via focused light
inkjet printers · 3D printers · e-readers · desktop publishing · thermal printers
- letterpress printingRaised surfaces inked, pressed