With computers and other more easier methods to print, the craft of letterpress went out of date back in the ’80s, and it’s not hard to see why. Why go through the effort of arranging those metal plates and blocks, slap films of ink on the ink plate and roll sheets of paper on them when you can just press a button and print whatever you came up with on graphics editor?
As we’ve seen with the resurgence of vinyl, butchery, pickle-making and carpentry, forgotten (and painfully manual) crafts of the old are making a comeback thanks to young folks, and letterpress printing is no different. Just look at Michelle Yu, who founded The Gentlemen’s Press (est. 2011) — she’s invested her money, sweat, and soul into the craft of letterpress. Watch why the young creative is so passionate about the antiquated art in Another Beautiful Story’s documentary below:
