FOAM - The Branded Content Agency. The Beauty of Letterpress. Home. 49 stunning examples of letterpress printing. When it comes to printing, whether business cards, posters, greeting cards or invitations, you will invariably be presented with a multitude of mind-boggling options. You can opt for digital, die cut, thermography, lithography — the possibilities are endless! But what about letterpress printing? And what exactly is letterpress printing anyway? For those that don’t already know, letterpress printing is a process of ‘relief’ printing text and image using a ‘type-high bed’ press and movable type, where a reversed and raised surface is inked and then pressed into paper to obtain a positive right-reading image. Following a revival that took place in the 1990’s, led by many design schools introducing the teaching of letterpress, the previously specialist and expensive form of printing has become widely used once again.
Enough talking, we’ve gone ahead and generously pulled together 49 of the most gorgeous Letterpress prints we could find. Have you worked with letterpress printing? An Ingenious Paper Map Zooms In Just Like Google. It seems that the convenience of GPS-centered, pinch-zoomable digital maps have left good old paper maps behind. That was, until designer Anne Stauche brought some interaction magic back to the paper world. Map² is probably the smartest paper map you’ve ever consulted for directions. It starts as a square with a tiny city overview. It unfolds to two panes of mass transit. It unfolds again to four panes of the city map. “I’m fascinated by how interaction design can be translated into physical products,” Stauche tells Co.Design. Indeed, whereas interaction design drives innovation in the app marketplace, it’s often an afterthought in analog goods that might opt to focus on the comfort of ergonomics or the clarity of illustration rather than new paradigms of core usability.
“The most time-consuming part is the actual design of the city maps. As of now, Stauche has built two maps for London and Berlin. Highlighting interesting projects involving paper. Quilled Paper Alphabet by Dan Hoopert 19 year old Uk-based graphic designer Dan Hoopert has crafted an intricate 3D alphabet series out of swirled quilled tendrils of paper as a personal project. The ornate detail in each of the letters is absolutely remarkable! For creation of typography in the realm of paper, this definitely sets itself apart from the rest. One can only imagine the amount of hours it took to produce this piece. Well done! Snake-like Paper Sculpture Made From Thousands Of Lips You may remember the Swarm Pinned Skin Collage by David Adey comprised of thousands of clippings of various complexions from fashion magazines. Accumulation Paper Cut Sculptures Talented artist Christine Kim has delighted us in the past with her illustrations, which showcased the use of penciled collaged figures, incorporated with watercolor backdrops and paper cut imagery to produce beautiful motifs.
Hermes Atlantis Paper Craft Window Display Origami Bench by blackLAB Architects. The paper sculptures of Li Hongbo.