Cranky Pressman

The SOCIETY of ILLUSTRATORS

2010-03-05T16:10:19-05:00

~ 52nd Annual Exhibition ~

Cranky Pressman is pleased as Punch to have our piece included in the current Society of Illustrators "Annual Exhibition: Illustrators 52". The work we call 'Old Creative Juices' was created by our old friend the talented and witty David Flaherty. Cheers Dave and congratulations!
Founded in 1901, The Society is a creative industry and New York institution. The annual show celebrates outstanding illustrative works in three categories; Sequential and Uncommissioned, Book and Editorial, as well as an Advertising and Institutional exhibit where our letterpress print is featured. Opening reception for the Ad category is tonight, March 5, 2010 at the museum’s galleries in New York City’s Upper East Side.

Production notes and copywriting for the piece after jump.

Old Creative Juices was mailed to graphic designers, art directors, illustrators, photographers, advertising agencies and design studios throughout the country. The copywriting on the back reads:

At his age, the Cranky Pressman is at peace with himself. Never again will he possess the most newfangled technology in town. After all, letterpress printing was invented hundreds of years ago. He's a tad slow, overweight, and at times stubborn, but can help take your graphic imagination places even a supercomputer cannot. That's why creative folks (who seem to get younger every day) still enjoy working with letterpress. And ultimately, that's what keeps the Cranky Pressman going because once you cease to be relevant, you just fade away.

Letterpress printed 3 over 2 on our house 100% Recycled Stock, 110# cover weight, with low VOC vegetable based inks.

David Flaherty website • The Society of Illustrators

{ LETTERPRESS WEDDING INVITATION JOBBERS }

2010-02-10T22:41:03-05:00

¶ After a slow season in 2009, wedding plans and bridezillas are again moving ahead at full force. Letterpress printing orders are up and love is in the air mixed with the smell of ink cleaning solutions. Cranky Pressman has devised a Standard 4-Piece Invitation Set that offers designers a lower-priced option for any invitation projects on tighter budgets. These packages will be available soon for online ordering along with additional separate pieces for more creative options. In the meantime, 2010 prices are set and we are cheerfully taking orders and quoting projects by e-mail or at 800-433-1288.

Download Standard 4-Piece Invitation Set Template (PDF/Adobe Illustrator)

Notice to Brides to Be! Cranky Pressman is a trade letterpress printing shop serving professional graphic designers. We only work from properly prepared digital artwork files and do not offer design or artwork preparation services. A list of qualified invitation designers can be found at the end of this post.

Following are a few of the wedding invitation jobs we’ve created in past years. Continue reading for additional examples.

Charming hand drawn illustrations create delightful invitations for a New York City wedding. Designer Laura Koo. 2-color letterpress printing on Lettra Pearl White cotton paper stock.

Garden theme plays out beautifully across the various pieces of this wedding invitation set. Designer Sarah Champlin. 3-color letterpress printing on Lettra Fluorescent White cotton paper stock.

Warm autumnal invitation design for an October wedding. Designer Emily Moody. 2-color letterpress printing on Lettra Pearl White cotton paper stock. Return address is printed in 1-color on envelope flap.

For custom invitation design we recommend these talented companies:

Sarah Marie • Super Fine Design • Kramer Drive • Carli Dottore

~ Call Cranky Pressman at 800-433-1288 for all letterpress printing services ~

{ FREE LETTERPRESS CALENDAR }

2009-12-30T16:35:08-05:00

HAPPY NEW AND IMPROVED YEAR!

¶ Not ones to complain... Oh wait, I suppose we are. In that case it has to be said, 2009 was a year of epic awfulness that everyone, except the fat cat bankers, is happy to see the backside of. About the only good thing I see coming out of the mess will be stories of the Great Recession that will bore kids to tears for generations to come.

In all honesty, Cranky Pressman did okay but things could have been better. It was quite clear that budgets were tight, designers were pushing for work but clients were holding back. Not surprising. On the bright side we produced some fabulous work for our customers and appreciate every single piece.

So in a rare moment of positive thinking we present our second annual self-promotional calendar. If ever there was a time to put the past behind and prepare for the work ahead it is now. We hope everyone has a great and prosperous new year. We also are interested in your thoughts on 2009 and outlook for 2010 so will send a free letterpress calendar, like the one pictured above, to the first 50 people who comment on this post. Details after the break.

How was your 2009? Send us your impressions of the year and/or your predictions for the year ahead in the comments section of this post. We are particularly interested in your professional or work-related stories but will send a free calendar to the first 50 people who post a relevant comment of any kind.

Those who comment should also e-mail name and mailing address where the calendar is to be sent. We will enter the information in our mailing list for occasional future letterpress mailings unless you specify not to. Everyone can be assured that we will never sell or share your details with anyone. Free calendar offer is only available to U.S. addresses.

This year’s calendar design was done by Joseph Hughes of Northcoast Zeitgeist All images and production are 100% Pixel Free created using only existing cuts, ornaments, metal and wood type around our print shop. We thank Joe for his hard work.

Finally, when the time comes be sure to keep our Letterpress Calendars in mind to create your own 2011 designs.

~ Here’s to a better 2010 from Cranky Pressman ~

{ A TASTY HOLIDAY GREETING }

2009-12-24T13:47:44-05:00

¶ We didn't get around to doing a Christmas card ourselves this year what with all those people stopping by spreading their good cheer. So instead we decided to borrow one of our customer's creations. The handiwork is by Parliament of Owls a brand new design collective made up of three ladies who seem to have plenty of mirth, gaiety and creativity to go around.

New York based designers Ariana Dilibero, Meg Paradise and Lauren Sheldon are The Ladies of the Parliament. Together they created a set of three holiday themed self promotional postcards to launch the new company which will offer a renge of services from branding and packaging design to custom lettering, illustration and poster design.

The Owls wisely considered letterpress printing in their design. To save money three postcards were produced at the same time. A two over two color less festive but still jolly looking business card design was also part of the project.

Two and three color including a fluorescent yellow-green. Letterpress printed on extra heavy weight Lettra Pearl White #220 cover weight stock.

Visit PARLIAMENTofOWLSDESIGN.COM

~ Happy Holidays from the Cranky Pressman ~

{ LETTERPRESS SHOWS A SERIOUS SIDE }

2009-11-29T11:49:06-05:00

¶ We were proud to help designer Nathan Freeman with his identity project for International Justice Mission (IJM) a human rights agency that secures justice for victims of slavery, sexual exploitation and other forms of violent oppression. The piece illustrates how letterpress print is not just for lighthearted work but is also very effective for bringing a feel of sophistication, importance and professionalism to institutional or business communications.

The stationery project used three color letterpress printing in Black 6, Warm Gray 3 and Blind impression. The paper stock is Lettra Pearl White.

Cranky Pressman produced a folded blank note card and A6 envelope using Crane & Co. Lettra stocks made of 100% recycled cotton fibers. Envelope liners were inserted and adhered by hand using Oxford #80 text stock by Neenah Paper.

More information about International Justice Mission can be found at http://www.ijm.org/

{ THE SECOND DAY OF CHRISTMAS CARDS }

2009-11-16T16:40:01-05:00

¶ In this second posting of holiday cards produced in 2008 we are featuring the work of another stationery designer for whom Cranky Pressman prints. Sarah Marie greeting cards often have a whimsical retro style well suited for letterpress printing. Sarah Champlin sells cards for all occasions directly to the public or wholesale at www.sarahmarie.com.

Two and three color letterpress printed on 110 pound Lettra Fluorescent White card stock made of tree-free 100% reclaimed cotton fiber. As always we use vegetable-based printing inks which are more environmentally friendly than the old fashioned petroleum kind.

Sarah Marie also carries an attractive line of wrapping paper that uses offset printing (not by us) but looks nice and festive here as it certainly would under a tree as well.

~ Still plenty of time for holiday projects but counting down. Ring for a quote. ~

{ CHRISTMAS CARDS PAST AND FUTURE }

2009-11-05T21:28:37-05:00

¶ It's that magical time of year again when thoughts turn to self promotion, client Christmas Cards and the joys of holiday production schedules. Usually not known as the jolliest folks around, the holiday season and the magical pieces of artwork it brings can't arrive too early for us. Order your letterpress printing now to avoid rushed and crotchety pressmen later. This is the first in a series of posts where we will share some of the cards Cranky Pressman printed for our talented customers last year.

One of our favorite card designs, it was printed for Product Superior Company as part of their stationery and card collection. Designed by Jennifer Blanco. the needlepoint inspired artwork is an idea very well suited to the bite impression of letterpress printing technique.

Two color letterpress printed with vegetable-based inks on 110 pound Lettra Fluorescent White card stock which is made of 100% reclaimed cotton fiber and as can be seen in the close-up adds to the needlepoint styling. Both cards shown here were produced for Product Superior Company and are available for ordering from the company's website as part of their fantastic range of stationery products.

~ To order your own custom letterpress printed card projects ring 1-800-433-1288 ~

{ CRANKY PRESSMAN USES CREAM COLORED PAPER }

2009-10-29T22:25:15-04:00

¶ Hardly the most sensational news but pretty exciting for a couple of old printers and anyone interested in print design and paper. Classic Natural White (as it's manufacturer calls it) is the 5th selection in Cranky's Choices range of house paper stocks and brings designers a natural warm smooth-printing option (sort of the opposite the pressman himself). It is made by Neenah Paper as part of their Classic Crest range. We pontificate on about our paper choices elsewhere in this site but decided to take this opportunity to explain a few things here in more boring detail. Paper nerds start your engines.

Cranky's Choices paper range (left to right) Classic Natural, 100% Recycled, Pure White, Black & Chipboard

The five stocks in the Cranky's Choices range are produced by different paper mills and were selected for creative versatility, letterpress printability, and ecological friendliness. They also go together nicely so can be mixed and matched in multi-piece print design projects. Matching house envelopes are also available for each stock. Online ordering of letterpress printed flat and folded card lines with complimenting envelopes will soon be offered.

CREATIVE RESPONSIBILITY

Classic Natural is made with 100% post consumer waste as is the paper we've not so cleverly given the moniker of 100% Recycled. Besides color, creatively the biggest difference between the two is Classic Natural has a smooth surface so produces a quite fine letterpress print while the 100% Recycled stock prints well but slightly rougher due to a more textured surface. It it worth keeping paper characteristics in mind when creating artwork and images. Both our house Black and Chipboard stocks are also made from 100% recycled materials. Because of a rougher surface containing actual recycled bits, chipboard is not intended for fine printing but the right bold and ballsy design letterpress printed on this stock looks damn fine in its own right. Printing on the Black stock has its own unique creative implications to consider. For those new to the game, additional information on designing for letterpress can be found in our Letterpress Trade School section.

Like the stock selections themselves, we also choose paper suppliers that are keenly interested in environmental responsibility including our two main suppliers Neehah and French Paper Co. Recycled content, reduction of chlorine bleaching and other green efforts such as carbon offsetting of manufacturing processes is controlled by a mix of standards and certification organizations too complicated to cover in one post. Cranky Pressman strongly believes in promoting the responsible use of paper products and inks. Fortunately the letterpress medium allows us to use higher recycled content papers as compared to offset or digital printing which rely more heavily on smoother and brighter white sheets. We plan to continue to improve our environmental efforts whenever possible.

PICTURING PAPER ONLINE

Paper and letterpress printing are difficult to show accurately on the web. The surface texture and bite impression that makes letterpress so attractive is nearly impossible to capture without dramatic lighting which tends to make papers appear much darker online than they really are. Although bothersome online, this also illustrates why relief printed images are still popular and not likely to be totally replaced by the digital variety anytime too soon. It is also a good reason to get your hands on the real thing by requesting one of our free sample packs. It gives the paper lover something to droll over...

Also see our other house paper ranges: Lettra Line » & Stocky Weights »

{ CREATE YOUR 2010 LETTERPRESS CALENDARS }

2009-10-17T15:46:58-04:00

SAY SO LONG TO ANNUS HORRIBILIS WITH YOUR 2010 DESIGN.

¶ It was clear this time last year that 2009 was going to be quite scary and ugly which is why we produced the calendar pictured here. It was our way of bidding good riddance to the horrible year before it even began (and when it finally ends as can be seen after the break). Now Cranky Pressman is pleased to announce the introduction our Stocky Weight Calendars for you to mark in your own way, for yourself or your clients, what will hopefully turn out to be a much better year in 2010. The heavy backing board on these old-style calendars is letterpress printed with your original artwork. Branded calendars offer great advertising and design opportunities. People still need to stick things on their wall which can't be done with the computer-powered kind.

Choose from two different house board stocks, Process Blanks and Graphic Coverboard, and two different stock pre-fab calendar pads, simple Regular style pad (above, top) or the fancier color Historical version (above bottom). Letterpress production priced for easy online ordering in quantities of 50, 100 or 150. Contact us for larger quantities or other special requests.

Those who have our 2009 calendar will see the cranky old bear has a little suitable surprise for the end of the year. What can you bring to 2010 in your design? See more on our Stocky Weight Calendar packages.

Cranky bear design and illustration by Mikey Burton

{ MIKEY BURTON EDITS SOME GRAIN }

2009-10-09T15:17:52-04:00

GOOD NEWS FOR THE FIRST POST IN OUR FANCY NEW ENVIRON.

¶ We think it's very appropriate and pleasing that on the day before we officially launch our new website our good friend Mikey Burton is featured on one of our longtime favorite sites Grain Edit. Both are fantastic ambassadors for the craft of letterpress.

mikeyburton.com | grainedit.com