Who we are
We are a home-spun team of artisan printers who create beautiful products using letterpress—a technique of relief printing where the printer sets movable type and images into the bed of the press before inking it and setting the thing in motion. This transfers ink from the type to the paper with outstanding results. We use an ancient Heidelberg printing press to create beautiful cards and stationery not to mention a nice line in matchboxes. Our letterpress printwork is fun, colourful and full of texture that makes for treasured keepsakes that make beautiful gifts.
What we do
Letterpress is a process whereby inked blocks are physically pressed to paper. Thanks to the physical impression on the paper, letterpress can be crisper, more defined and far richer than standard modern printing via an offset litho press. With practice and experience letterpress is an exceptional way to produce fine typography and is one of the best ways of producing high quality print work and stationery. As a technique invented by Johannes Gutenberg in the mid-1400s, it remains labour-intensive and something requiring a craftsman to get it right.
Our philosophy
At the core of Archivist’s letterpress work is our fundamental belief that there are people out there with a discerning eye, and perhaps even a sense of fun, who will like the stuff we make as much as we do. Of course we love making it—and we hope this love comes through in every card, postcard or matchbox. While we sell our work, we are not a retail outfit so much as an artisan company keeping something great alive because we believe it’s still great enough to be worth keeping alive. We are sure you will agree.
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NHM404RRP £1.75 -
PP08RRP £2 -
QP311RRP £2.75 -
QP310RRP £2.75 -
B81RRP £6
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