First time Lettepress Buyer
I have a small retail social stationery store and would like to purchase a small letterpress (no experience yet). Through some research, it seems like a C&P Pilot or Superior would be the best bet both for a beginner and for quality. Any suggestions please??
I would like to do invitations and stationery on it-largest size is 5.5 x 7.5 and smallest is placecards (approx. 2.5x3).
i am a beginner, too, and i was looking for a pilot a while back. i found the C&P pilot/superior a) difficult to find, b) usually not in working condition (not needing rollers, trucks, etc) or if it was, very expensive. i ended up with a golding pearl platen. the best thing to do is to find a local printer’s guild and make some contacts. that’s how i found the pearl.
good luck!
A good rule of thumb with any kind of platen press is that the largest solid form to be printed should not exceed 25% of the platen size. You can easily print a small form on a big press, but it is very hard to print a big form on a small press. I had a 7”x 11” C&P and tried to print a wood engraving 4”x 4”; it was nearly impossible. If you keep your forms small and airy a Pilot style press does a fabulous job. If you are lucky enough to have the space (and the passion), a 10”x 15” C&P will never let you down.
Halfpenny
I’m not sure, but my dad may have a letterpress. Are you interested in Ludlow or Linotype machines? My dad is: Al Meers (773) 227-8442. ====Anita
It would be helpful to know approximately where you are located and if we could suggest some nearby place for you to get a little practical experience. That would be extremely beneficial to you and also help greatly in determining exactly what kind of press will meet your needs. There are several letterpress ‘learning centers’ around the country and hopefully you might be relatively close to one of them.