Testing paper on the Adana 8x5

Saunders Waterford cotton 300g Rough and 300g NOT, printed with some 60pt Gothic Condensed which measures 78mm x 20mm using hard packing.

I get lots of emails of Adana owners who can't get impression, well you can get a very good impression on a 8x5 press without using extreme force, but bare in mind the size of your text or block. A good way to get a feeling of what your Adana is capable of is to practice locking up different sizes of type and illustration blocks and printing without ink (blind impression).
The A6 card below is printed with wood type on the Adana 8x5 but the only way to get 
an impression was to split into two colours that way pressure is displaced not in one solid area. Also bare in mind this will eventually lead to well worn blocks as you are pushing into the paper, the wood type used here is well worn so the impression is not as crisp.

Printed on 300g Somerset Rough 100% cotton

Lots of water colour paper is good for printing on, the better it is the more expensive! Bockingford is a less expensive range but still good quality, your local art suppliers will stock plenty of ranges to experiment with before trying out more expensive papers like Cranes Lettra.
It's also worth noting that all the lovely letterpress work knocking around on the internet has been done mostly on larger presses that really pack a punch, your Adana hasn't got the same pressure but treat it kindly and don't ask to much at once and you'll get some lovely results ;D

Juicy colours from Khadi Paper

I have working on a placement in Warrington for the Last 3 weeks and my computer has needed to go to the hospital and I've lots to blog about, so while I get organised and take photos here's some hot colours available from KHADI PAPERS in India. 100% cotton rag available in large sheets, A3, A4, A5 and A6 plus matching envelopes, lots of other tempting paper too. You can order online and postage to the UK is a flat £6.00 no matter how large your order!

Printing with large wood type or large areas of solid colour on a table top press

click on pic for closeup of paper

I ordered some pre-scored cards from Eco-craft so I've been a doing a bit of practise printing while I wait for my spacing for my 100s of wooden letters. The "!" needs some make ready but I got great results on some 300g White Straw 100% recycled (waste straw clippings cut in the South East of the UK) also available in cream, it's a lovely, soft and puffy card that will give a fairly deep impression if you want one. The size of the type was 10 line which in metal letter terms is 120pt!!! 12pt = 1 line, wooden type is measured in lines and metal in points. (I've got an old type scale for this otherwise I wouldn't have a clue!)
The guy at the back is an old engraving I found in my cabinet but I need some really good smooth paper to get a good print!

TIPS FOR PRINTING WITH WOODEN LETTERS & SOLID COLOURS

Yup! I had to start printing with the hardest thing, wood letters, especially on a small press! Here's s few tips to use on a small hand press for printing large areas of colour.

• Double ink your form before you print.
• Overprint, do a double impression, but make sure it doesn't go out of registration.
• Don't try and print too much at once, a 1/2 or max 1/3 of the size of your chase is the recommend printable area on a platen press.
• Split up your text (landscape) to the depth of your circumference of your rollers, then you won't get a ghosting effect. Same goes for plates too.
• Use softer packing.
• Dampening paper (read Brier press discussions)

Paper & Card Suppliers

Being a graphic designer I am obsessed by paper and card but frustrated by the lack of availability for letterpress in the UK and I still can't find a supplier of Cranes Lettra :( well not for the hobbyist). So as a troll through the web I've decided to make a list of my finds in the UK, you'll find it down the right hand side. IF ANYBODY OUT THERE KNOWS OF ANY GOOD PAPER/CARD SUPPLIES, LET ME KNOW and I'll add it to my list especially if its a little different!

SOMERSET 100% cotton
Falkners in London have a large range of bookbinding supplies and supply mail order and they also sell the acclaimed Somerset papers in large sheets plus lots of other printing paper, Colorplan, Bier, Ellie Poo, Chromolux just to name a few, all sold in large sheets. Lawrence Art Supplies have a good range of printmaking paper including Somerset and also tell you whether it's suitable for letterpress.

GF SMITH
Paper 2 Go is the retail division of GF Smith papers you can order online and they have a factory shop in Hull (no where near me!) Some very nice paper on here which is mostly available at Falkners but it is sold A4 and as card blanks if you haven't got the facilities to cut down large sheets. You can also get sample boards from GF Smith if you email them, they are also distributors of Crane's Lettra but don't sell to the general public, I think an email to Paper 2 Go in is order!

RECYCLED PAPER
There a couple in my list of online suppliers of recycled paper and card, Eco-Craft have a great range, Hairy Manilla (love the name) and Superior range seem to have a bit of give in them so I've ordered some samples to try out! They also sell card blanks and envelopes and have special offers on packs of discontinued stock.

GEMINI PRINTERS
Gemini sell traditional gilt/coloured edged cards, business card blanks, Colorplan, Chromolux and lots of other paper/card/envelopes too numerous to list and also offer a cutting and creasing service, best to download the product list to see the full list of products. This is now under new management and best to ring and check if they offer the same service

UPDATE there is now a link to paper in the supplies list on the right which is frequently updated