My letterpress diversions have been challenging. It's hard to troubleshoot on a 60 year old Vandercook, meant for proofing newspapers. But these presses are strong, simple and today I hit paydirt. Using a computer generated magnesium plate, simple design and dark ink on light paper, the wedding invitations I printed are practically flawless! I am planning a more difficult screenprint/letterpress combo for the ornamentation to come. Check back for progress and the full wedding suite.

Screenprinting and letterpress printing are totally different animals than offset printing, which relies heavily on expedience and efficiency. No, no, no, not here. On Caroline's wedding invitation, for example, the type was letterpressed first using a magnesium plate (see Part I, below). I chose a polymer plate for the Japanese lantern outlines, printed on the letterpress in a separate pass. Polymer is easily moved on the base, meaning no lockup and I could adjust the position just so. 

Finally, the lantern interiors were screenprinted. Since the registration was critical, I needed to use the mylar flap system. Each invitation is lined up under the mylar. The first try in my basement studio was a disaster:

Thank my lucky stars for Pyramid Atlantic and the intern who built a vacuum table. This handy but loud contraption sucks the paper to the table, keeping it from shifting. And voila! Perfect registration. 

To make matters even more complicated (why not?), I printed with a "split fountain" or "rainbow roll". Different colors are placed on the screen and mix during the printing process, creating a gradating tonal variation.

The final wedding suite, in beautiful autumnal colors.