750 Imperial Court • Charlotte, NC 28273

phone: (704) 554-1188 • toll free: (800) 438-1851 • fax: (704) 554-7000

Letterpress Printing


Letterpress printing is a term for printing text or graphics directly from movable type in which the raised surface of a reversed image type is inked and then pressed against a smooth substance to obtain an positive or right reading image. In addition to the direct impression of inked movable type onto paper or another receptive surface, the term letterpress can also refer to the direct impression of inked media such as zinc "cuts" (plates) onto a receptive surface.

The reasurgence of letterpress:

Fine letterpress work has a totally different look than offset lithography because of its impression into the paper, giving greater visual definition to the type and artwork. Today, Imperial Printing is the only commercial/specialty print shop in the Carolinas giving you the option to print your upscale invitations, stationery and other special projects using letterpress. We print from lead type, zinc cuts or newer photopolymer plates on restored 20th century presses. The process requires a high degree of craftsmanship, but in the right hands, letterpress excels at fine typography. To bring out the best attributes of letterpress, you need to understand the capabilities and advantages of what can be a very unforgiving medium. For instance, since most letterpress equipment prints only one color at a time (unlike presses for offset printing which often use four-color process printing), printing multiple colors can be challenging. The inking system on letterpress equipment is less precise than on offset presses, which can pose problems with some graphics: detailed, white (or "knocked out") areas, such as small, serif type, or very fine halftone, surrounded by fields of color, can fill in with ink and lose definition. However, letterpress printing's strength it’s very distinctive look and feel.