Hot Off The Press Podcast

Val Lucas is one of the few changing the game and carrying on the legacy of metal typecasting. We were introduced to her stunning work via her pattered border submissions to the APA, and we knew we had to have her on to walk us though this process! This episode covers Val's journey from printing classes to creating her own line of cast borders.

We strongly encourage anyone who is interested in learning more about typecasting to look into classes, mentorship or even reaching out to us to see where and how you can learn more! Without active participants wanting to carry on the legacy, this keystone of print history will disappear!

Pricing and finances are two of the scariest parts of going into business. In the third edition of our Book Club series, we cover two amazing guides to setting yourself up for financial success.

Books discussed:

Graphic Artists Guild Handbook, 16th Edition: Pricing & Ethical Guidelines This textbookesque guide covers so much information regarding the professional life of a graphic designer. From contracts to pricing, this book provides real world examples and standards for it all!

Profit First: Transform Your Business from a Cash-Eating Monster to a Money-Making Machine Everything you need to know about this book is in the title. Profit First will help set your business up for financial success by reframing the structure used to organize your money!

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If you want to keep your press in tip top shape, regular maintenance is key. But we know how daunting this could feel, especially if you're brand new to printing and just acquired your press friend.

In this episode we cover some of the standard maintenance procedures you'll want to take part in. Full disclosure: this episode favors those of us operating platen presses. If you run a cylinder press or something with more parts, like a Heidelberg, there may be additional tasks you need to add to your own maintenance routine.

For the second episode in this short series on Sculpted Embossing, we speak with Nick and Mac from JR Press in San Fransisco. JR Press is a family owned business that Nick's grandfather opened up in 1987. They have a hefty list of equipment and they've had the pleasure of working on some incredible projects.

We pick up the sculpted embossing process from where we left off with the fabrication of the plates and talk all about setting up the prints, the most successful materials to use, and even some troubleshooting tactics that we can almost guarantee you haven't thought of.

In our second edition of the "Book Club" series, we discuss some of our favorite and most popular technical handbooks. These are books that can directly enhance your knowledge of printing and print history that can be applicable to growing your press skills.

Books covered:

If you've been oogling the beautiful results from sculpted emboss while scrolling through Instagram, you're not alone! We have been so intrigued by the process that we decided to set out and do a 2 part series on this seriously impressive print method!

In Part 1, we speak with Mark Schumacher from Metal Magic, the #1 place to source brass and copper dies! Mark walks us through the process of creating a sculpted plate from the order submission to shipping it out. This is an episode you surely do not want to miss!

Ever since the great wedding surge of 2021, it seems like rush projects are the norm. How we handle those varies from company to company, but if you're just starting out and are curious on how other printers handle rush fees - this episode is for you!

Prior to recording this episode, we polled our audience and the print community at large to gather some data. Immediately we spotted (3) common approaches to "rush fees" and we cover these, as well as some other thoughts and policies you might want to consider when establishing your pricing guidelines.

Enjoy this episode? Want to hear more business related content? Shoot us an email with a topic you'd like to hear us cover! hello@hotoffthepresspodcast.com

In this episode we walk through the history of our favorite proof press manufacturer: Vandercook & Sons!

Their story takes several twists and turns before it ends with a familiar name, in a completely different place.

Want to follow along with some of the imagery we discuss? Here is a link to the very helpful timeline of all Vandercook presses, with details on each one!

Your favorite letterpress podcast is starting a book club!

We have been inspired, influenced and encouraged by the writings of many authors, and we know there are so many more to hear from! We'll occasionally be sprinkling in Book Club episodes so that we can share our favorite readings with you!

In this episode we discuss two books:

After a fellow printer sent us a very intriguing photo of an unexpected print result, we reached back out to Shelley & Max Otto from Concord Engraving to discuss screening plates, half tones, and what happens when you submit plate artwork at anything less than 100% opacity! 

We are so thrilled to have Shelley and Max rejoin us, and this episode is a must listen if you’re looking for a new technique to add to your skill set - especially if you want to gain more dimension, and more colors without doing too many press runs! 

We've all been there... Something is spelled wrong, the prints have a line running through them, the foil is subpar, or that color of envelope your client has been obsessing over is out of stock EVERYWHERE!

No matter what the situation is, it SUCKS delivering bad news to a client. Our emotions will always want to get the best of us, so in this episode we break down a couple different types of bad news, and give advice on how to handle the situation in a calm and professional way.

Loving a little bit of business talk mixed in with design and printing topics? Consider joining Stationery School to get lots of content related to building a stationery business. Courses cover how to handle client relationships, working with planners, creating pet illustrations.. and even a course on letterpress printing taught by your host - Jillian from Studio Soprano!

We’ve talked a lot about platen presses on Hot Off the Press, but in this episode we are diving deep the history of Chandler & Price in particular. C&Ps, as they’re commonly known, are one of the most popular presses still around, and they're one of our faves!

We found some visuals that you might enjoy to check out as we talk through the history of this iconic company: 

For those of us printing on a platen press, large print areas can feel very daunting or even impossible! We both have gone from total failure to complete success when it comes to printing bigger patterns on our presses, so this episode is dedicated to all the tips and tricks we learned to get us there!

This episode concludes our fourth season! We're looking forward to bringing you more letterpress content in the summer!

Sunny weather is here, which means markets and expos are starting to pick up! If you've never done a market before, it may seem intimidating on where to start, and you might even be wondering "will this be worth is?"

In this episode we talk about how to discern your ROI (return on investment) and how to get yourself show-ready!

Learn Letterpress is an online course taught by Britt Rohr of Swell Press. Britt covers everything from how to design for letterpress, to how to mix inks, and of course... printing! She does an in-depth demonstration on 3 different types of presses (a platen, flatbed and a windmill!) and even covers smart business practices like how to get the most cuts from your parent sheets!

This program is truly an all-in-one crash course in letterpress printing, so if you've been wanted to dip your toe in or advance your skills THIS is course that can help you do it!

Nothing's more frustrating than feeling the minutes of an hour tick by while you stare at a blank art board begging for inspiration to hit. Creative ruts are no joke, no fun and can cost us a lot of time (which means they're costing us money!!).

We've identified our #1 culprit for these creative ruts, and mapped some ways to get out of them! Tune in to hear some tips you can implement either today, this weekend, or in the near future to help refill your creative cup!!

In this episode, we chat with James Tucker who, in 2013, founded the Aesthetic Union. James has an amazing background (including time spent on the presses at the infamous Hatch Printing!), and a love for exploring the art of printmaking beyond the surface of traditional techniques. He's also heavily inspired by the beauty in nature and landscapes. To hear more about mixing ink from soils, combining watercolor and letterpress, and a really exciting announcement for the Aesthetic Union, give this episode a listen!

Follow and support The Aesthetic Union:

Sometimes being a one-woman shop feels really limiting when it comes to how much you can "earn." However, more often than not, there's a way to expand your earnings with assets you have already worked on, acquired or built. 

While together in Minnesota, Jillian and Moriah sit down to brainstorm ways they can each leverage their own assets to create either passive income or additional offerings. 

The goal was to not reinvent the wheel, but take a look around at the things we've done and ask ourselves "is this there more I can get out of this?" 

We hope you enjoy a peek behind the curtain of how we're growing our businesses in real time, and hopefully this inspires you to take a look around and see if there are any opportunities to make a little more out of things you already own or do! 

While on a field trip in Minnesota, we had the absolute pleasure of visiting Bruno Press and interviewing the kickass woman behind it, Mary Bruno. Mary came into letterpress thanks to her late father, Don, who was a college professor and printing enthusiast. He turned their modest-sized home garage into a printer's dreamland, and it's the same space Mary occupies today. Covered from top to bottom in posters, prints and photographs, the Bruno Press studio screams personality.

We're stoked to bring you this episode, so that you can learn a little more about Mary, all the cool things she's done, and inspire you to maybe consider a trip to the midwest where there is no shortage of phenomenal printers!

Listen... we all need a little getaway sometimes, but that can feel really hard, or even scary, when the only person keeping your business going is you. As two fully solo entrepreneurs, we walk you through the steps we've learned to take to prepare our studios for planned (and unplanned) getaways. 

This episode was inspired by a question from one of our listeners. Do you have a question about letterpress or running a studio? Feel free to email it to hello@hotoffthepresspodcast.com and we'll feature it on the pod! 

If you operate a platen press, knowing how to properly test and level your platen is a really handy skill to have! We're here to share the advice passed on to us from some of the kind souls we met at the LA Printers Fair, and walk you through the process of leveling that platen. 

Trust us... you can do it! Just be careful, and take your time! 

We firmly believe that if you're not on Etsy, you're leaving money on the table. However, if you're not paying attention to your real costs and the fees.. things can go wrong quickly! In this episode we cover the basics of setting up an Etsy shop, and how to make sure you don't fall victim to undercharging (Hint: Don't be looking at other shops!!). 

We mention it at the top of the episode, but we're not Etsy experts; just two gals who learned some things the hard way! If you're interested in solid Etsy education, here are a few resources we recommend: 

It's easy to get caught up in the busy-ness of your business, and put boring, routine maintenance items to the back-burner. Scheduling some time to take care of your studio, machines, and electronic files will go a long way in supporting your success throughout the new year. In this episode we take 3 main areas of your paper business and discuss 3 things you can do to freshen them up for 2023! 

We've talked about printing ... we've talked about die cutting ... it's time to add another tool to your letterpress belt: Embossing!! 

Embossing might seem simple on the surface, until you get to the first step of making the artwork for your plates. Sure, some manufactures will take care of all the work for you, but it's always great to have an understanding of how to make something yourself! In this episode, Jillian walks us through the process from beginning to end, making sure to note the areas where common mistakes are made.

Save yourself some time and money by following along with this audio tutorial, and save even more time and money by entering this weeks giveaway! One lucky listener will get a free copy of our Letterpress Supply Guide! This guide includes direct links to vendors in over 13 different categories, as well as a supply list that we use to stock our own shops!

Once upon a time, chaos ruled the world, and "color matching" was based solely on the discretion of whoever was creating the ink or dye for that product. Can you even imagine?! In this episode we give credit where credit is due: Pantone wins the award for being the most useful (though sometimes annoying) tool for those of us working in the visual arts. We talk about the creation of the Pantone Matching System (our preferred PMS), the various guides they have and what they're used for, how we use those guides for letterpress, and of course... our personal opinions on the newly announced color of the year, as well as this whole dang system in general. 

"Having a card on hand when you suddenly need one... it makes you feel like you have your sh*t together"  

While the tragedy of a global pandemic stopped most things in their tracks, the long days of being stuck at home opened the doors for unexpected opportunity. Today we take a look back at the creation of the signature greeting card subscription: The Better Mail Club. Jillian of Studio Soprano walks us through the ideas that had been swirling through her head, how the right time finally came along, and how a growing need for connection and community allowed her to grow her skills, not only as a businesswoman, but as a prints woman. 

The Better Mail Club continues to make staying connected fun, and snail mail so easy by sending everything you need (including the postage stamps!)

In this episode, Moriah walks you through the process of composing and setting type! Things to remember when composing, tips & tricks on locking up your form and handling wood type… It’s all here in one package, just for you. If you’ve ever wanted to get started printing with wood or metal type, consider this a guide to help you learn on your own, and know that you’re not alone! ;)

Links:

Easy Guide to Setting Type By Hand, courtesy of Letterpress Commons

Every now and then you see a product launch that just blows your mind. The cleverness and level of detail leave you absolutely swooning. That's how we felt after seeing the 2022 Letters from Santa offered by Knapp Design Co. You might remember our friend Cara Jo from Season 2, and we are so excited to have her back to walk us through this brilliantly detailed suite of products, and how her press, Dorothy, really leveled up the quality from Santa's workshop this year! 

We'd like to give a warning that we DO talk about Santa quite a bit in this episode, and if you have little believers in your car, you might want to wait to listen to this particular episode :) 

Doing work for other stationers has played a pretty big role in getting our businesses off the ground, whether we planned on doing that from the beginning or not. While our social media algorithms may make it seem like everyone has access to a letterpress, it's actually very rare to have one sitting in your studio or your garage. So you might be thinking "can I offer printing to other people" ... and the answer is ... "abso-freaking-lutely" 

This episode covers some of the basics that we learned after diving into B2B work: offerings, pricing and probably the most important... boundaries. If you're willing to spend a little more time printing, and a little less time designing, than B2B can be a great choice. 

Not to be typecast as a Halloween bore, we're locking up an hour of your time with a little haunting of ghosts of printing past. o0o0oo0oOo0oh ....  In this episode we dive a little deeper into the lives of three printers who helped set printing history in motion. There's tales of being abandoned abroad, a few scandalous marriages, and of course, some really incredible inventions. Please enjoy this little slice of history, and if any past printers come visiting you in your dreams tonight.... we hope we'll be the first to know! 

Links to photos discussed: 

Over the weekend of October 22-23, we had the absolute pleasure of being one of the many talented vendors at the 14th Annual Los Angeles Printers Fair hosted by (and at!!) the International Printing Museum in Carson, CA. This episode recaps some of our favorite highlights of the fair, and we hope hearing these stories inspires you, not only to stretch your creativity and the bounds of what you can make on your press, but also to look into your local print community or even neighboring communities. We truly believe that there will always be more there than you expect to find!

Mark your calendars for next year, because the Los Angeles Printer’s Fair is not one to miss!!

Links:

We all love custom shapes & custom envelopes… And we’ve watched them become massively popular in stationery design. Well, in this episode covers all the common questions about die cutting, and what you’ll need to get going! Tune in to learn about the differences between steel rule dies, rotating drag knife & lasers, their pros & cons, as well as which type of die cutting you should use for your project.

Links:

If you’re a printer or stationery designer, like us, you’ve probably encountered similar scenarios: a client wants you to replicate another designer’s work, a customer wants you to print something with a well-known brand on it, or you’ve found this amazing font you want to use for a brand design. Well, in this episode we’re talking about copyright, copyING and what’s fair use and what’s definitely not okay. Tune in to hear our take, but remember to consult an actual attorney if you have questions! ;-)

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October is here, which in the small business world means it’s time to get ready for the inevitable craziness of the Holiday season! Whether you’re ahead of the game or still deciding what you want to offer this year, Jillian has a 6-step plan to make sure you’re ready for your launch day. As this is the first week of PRINTMAS, we are doing a giveaway of a Hot Off The Press t-shirt design… Be sure to tune in or join us over on social media to find out how to enter to win.

Links:

Thanks to the wonderful world of social media, we’ve had the opportunity to meet so many other amazing printers, and on this episode we are thrilled to share the story of one of our faves: Cara Jo Knapp from Knapp Design Co.

Cara Jo has long been interested in the world of print making, and patiently waited until the time was right for her to take the leap and buy a press of her own. We got to witness, first hand, how swiftly Cara Jo moved from looking for a press, to buying it, to printing on it like an absolute boss! Every layer of her story is as inspiring as the work she creates.

We are so honored to have spent some time with Cara Jo, and we hope that you find some takeaways that can support you on your own journey. Whether that’s figuring out when it’s right to bring on a new piece of equipment/ a new team member, or just some emotional support on transitioning into a new skill/trade!

We’ve had some of these questions come up several times, so we KNOW you’re going to want to hear what we have to say during this Q & A episode! We’re covering: 

• press recommendations for someone wanting to print greetings
• whether or not to remix an ink that’s separated
• why Illustrator is SO hard
• when to oil your press
• and more!

Links:

There are some terms in modern design & typography that actually originate in letterpress. Having a better understanding of these terms - and where they came from - will help you level up your designing game!

Tune in to learn about points, picas, kerning, tracking and more! While you listen, be sure to browse our Instagram for the graphics to go along with this episode… We’ve got a helpful guide for you there, so be sure to save it for later.

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Are you a stationer getting ready to send a file to your printer? We cover what's best for foil, letterpress and digital! Or just generally curious about the different file types and what they're used for? We cover Raster & Vector images, as well as most of the file types out there: JPEG, PNG, PDF, AI, INDD, EPS, and so many more. If this all sounds like a foreign language to you... Then tune in to learn more and find out what is best for YOUR project! 

After a very chaotic week in their studios, Jillian and Moriah sit down to talk about the handy little tools that can save your butt, or drive you absolutely insane when things don't go as planned. This episode is all about crop and registration marks: what they are, when to use them, and when you can lose them! 

We are so happy to have Max & Shelley from Concord Engraving join us to talk about all of the intricacies of creating polymer plates for letterpress (and offset)! As a company founded in 1933 by Max’s family, they’ve seen many changes in the letterpress world, as well as technological advancements that directly improve the platemaking experience.

An incredibly fast turnaround, amazing customer service and a serious devotion to getting the finest details onto your plates makes them one of our favorite vendors. Tune in to hear about how polymer plates are made and what makes their process as efficient and fine-tuned as possible!

Almost titled “perfecting your process” this episode goes over the high level planning that goes into keeping your jobs moving smoothly through your workflow, from booking to shipping, with as little error as possible.

But you know us, nothing is really perfect and everything can be tweaked, so instead of focusing on perfection, we hope this episode inspires you to simply work on your workflow.

This is a topic near and dear to our hearts lately as we both experience the growing pains of what it’s like to take on more work without strict workflows and risk the consequences of human error. We’ve supported each other through late night reprints, several reorders of materials, and even a journey across state lines to correct a miscalculation while on holiday! If there’s anything the past month has taught us… it’s that process is everything!

In this episode, while Jillian visits her hometown, we talk to Bill Corcoran of Corcoran Printing who has a deep history and loads of experience in the printing industry. He shares some of the incredible projects and clients they’ve worked with, as well as the ups & downs of the print industry over his family’s four generations in business!

Bill is an open book and patiently answers all our questions about how they gain new clients, their business model and minimums for new jobs. Tune in to hear all the details and all of Bill’s best business & print tips.

In this very special Episode of Hot Off the Press, we chat with our dear friend and fellow stationer, Laney Ruddell from Design By Laney, about many of the resources she's created, including her on-going educational program, Stationery School. Stationery School is an online program packed with tons of content relevant to creating art, running your business and keeping your clients (and you) happy!

This month (June 2022), Jillian had the honor and pleasure of being a guest instructor and added a course all on letterpress to the Stationery School curriculum. This course covers the entire process of designing, preparing and printing a 3 color job with overprint and knock out.

We were so excited to have Laney on and are endlessly grateful for all the resources she creates for our fellow paper lovers (you know you’ve heard us mention the Printable Palette a few times!).