Getting Started

Shannon,

I’m in the same boat. There are some things I’ve realized as I’ve read—type seems to vary by quality & style. Rollers (which I’ll need sooner than later) will probably be around 300, maybe a little more. Then there’s ink & paper (but I probably won’t do high end stuff for a while…)

Here’s an interesting place you could check out: http://nagraph.com/storefront.html

peace

hi shannonleigh1976

I too am a noob and just acquired 3 bench top machines by Adana in great condition from ebay uk. I have talked to my local printers that also run letterpress machines still (hot metal press in barnsley) and they recommended the adana to me. they are well priced and come up on ebay all the time. The largest chase size being 8x5 for the bench top machines.
Also you can post classified ad on here for free. I did and got a response within a few days.
I was told by the printer in barnsley to expect to pay around £50 - £80 for an adana 8x5 (but do you live in the uk?)
As far as type goes I think its something you gather along in time rather than accumulate all at once. I have read in the adana guide to printing (thats available on this web site for download/printing off) that your better off with a large amount of one type style than vast quantaties of styles in gerneral. but if you only intend on doing the monogram jobs at first this shouldnt matter so much to you.
good luck, and have fun too!

I’m a new printer also, about two years now since I started. It’s not easy to say exactly how much things will cost you because there are many, many variables. Sometimes you can come across a press someone is giving away just to get rid of it. The same kind of press might be selling on Ebay for $1500. I’m actually on a very tight budget and while I own my own house (with the bank) I’m relatively poor. The best advice I can offer starts with the adage: Luck is where opportunity and preparartion meet.

Unless you have the funds to just go out and buy whatever you need, you need to keep your eyes open. After doing a lot of research online and making the decision to get into the craft of printing, the first thing I did was to purchase at the best prices I could over a period of a couple months all of the basic works on letterpress printing such as General Printing, Printing For School and Shop, etc. I learned as much as I could about presses, process, paper, etc. before I started purchasing (good aliteration, eh?). During that learning phase I was constantly, meaning virtually daily, searching Ebay, Craigslist, our local swap sheet, websites, etc. for presses and equipment. I joined the LETPRESS list and Briar Press. What this process did was allow me to make informed searches and ultimately decisions about what I should buy, what I shouldn’t buy, what was necessary and what was not. It also gave me an idea of what things were selling for and allowed me to make informed judgements about whether I should wait even though it seemed like just what I was looking for or go for it. Naturally it also helped prepare me to actually print when the time came.

As a result, when I finally purchased my first press, a C&P 8x12 Old Style, I had a fair understanding of what I was buying in terms of how that press compared to other models and manufacturers, kinds of presses, etc. I also had a good idea of what to look for regarding condition, what I might need to spend to get it working such as buying new rollers or even if there was a source for used ones. To this point I’ve been able to assemble a pretty complete shop. I’ve met many new friends along the way who have been incredibly helpful and generous.

If you have the funds to start buying up equipment left and right no matter what someone is selling it for then a list might be compiled based on a source such as Ebay. Otherwise I don’t think such a list can be produced that will give you a realistic idea of what it might cost to get started even though the desire for such a list is not unreasonable. But in my opinion it would have little bearing on what you would ultimately encounter. For example, sometimes a press like a C&P 8x12 will be estimated at between $200-$900 depending on condition, rollers, if in a basement, shipping, etc. No one can base a decision on ultimate cost based on those kind of numbers and variables. That’s not the fault of the people that make them, they’re doing their best. But you might get a press for free from a neighbor down the street who has one in his garage, assuming you leave no stone unturned in looking. You won’t really know what you might end up spending until you start to learn and prepare for the purchases and start looking for the opportunities. I can tell you from my own experience, they are out there. Fortunately you can begin the process for a minimal investment.

Rich

Front Room Press
Milford, NJ
http://frontroompress.com
http://frontroompress.blogspot.com

P.S. I thought I would give an example. I was looking for over a year for a galley proof press. I saw one on Ebay for a couple hundred dollars but not only was this beyond my price range, it was in Upstate, NY near Buffalo, too far away. I found another about 15 miles away but the guy wanted $500, waaaay above my price range. But after searching my usual sources for printing supplies for over a year, one came up on Ebay not two miles from me with a starting bid of 99 cents. I ended up winning it for about $50 and picked it up on the way home from work one night. So you never know, and perseverance pays off.

Rich—this is great advice. Thanks for it! I actually stumbled across your flickr pages the other day—you’ve got a great little shop…