Briar Press – A Letterpress Community
Posted on April 18, 2009 by admin
Briar Press is a community of over 30,000 letterpress printers, book artists, and press enthusiasts. The site is dedicated to the preservation of letterpress-era equipment and the art of fine printing. Since its inception in 1994, Briar Press has been operated by the mother-son team of Elizabeth and Eric C Nevin. Eric designs and produces the site when his graduate school (now job) schedule permits. Elizabeth directs daily operations and responds to correspondence. The site is named for Elizabeth’s private press, The Briar Press, established in 1973.
This incredible letterpress resource also maintains an on-line museum of antique presses and an extensive pin mark reference. These two sections of the site are currently being re-designed and have not yet been brought over from the old site. However you can still browse over 200 fine examples of presses, even though the listings have not yet been completed and are missing the Historical data. The Historical data will be added as the re-construction moves along. The Pin Mark library will also be brought back onto the site once the re-construction is done. They are aware of what needs to be completed and are working diligently to get it done. However it is only two people running this great site and they deserve our patience while these projects are being completed. Take a moment to visit and enjoy the sections that are currently in place. I'm confident you will find it informative and enjoyable.
Briar Press also has a large list of free cuts & caps that include ornaments, animals, objects, symbols, flowers, and plants. All of their cuts & caps are scanned from old specimen books and feature vintage and antique graphics used in the letterpress arts through the years. Their digital ornaments for sale include some exceptional graphics. If you’re a printer, you can bring the old ornaments in their Cuts & Caps collection full circle by printing them on a letterpress. Photoengraving companies can produce a cut, sometimes referred to as a linecut or a die, from the most detailed image. The cut is mounted on a type-high block of wood, ready for letterpress.
The service is quick and inexpensive; for example, a 4 square-inch magnesium cut mounted type-high on wood can cost less than $10.00. Polymer plates are becoming increasingly popular for letterpress printing. See the Briar Press Printer’s Yellow Pages for companies that make these and the metal cuts . Their yellow pages section includes resources for all topics related to the letterpress art form.
The Briar Press Website also has an extensive classifieds section, as well as a thorough Discussion Forum. The classifieds section includes topics of:
Items for Sale
Workshops & Events
Items Wanted
Jobs & Internships
and much more. You can visit the Briar Press Classifieds here. The discussion forum offers a wide variety of topics where you can get input from professional letterpress enthusiasts.
This incredible letterpress resource also maintains an on-line museum of antique presses and an extensive pin mark reference. These two sections of the site are currently being re-designed and have not yet been brought over from the old site. However you can still browse over 200 fine examples of presses, even though the listings have not yet been completed and are missing the Historical data. The Historical data will be added as the re-construction moves along. The Pin Mark library will also be brought back onto the site once the re-construction is done. They are aware of what needs to be completed and are working diligently to get it done. However it is only two people running this great site and they deserve our patience while these projects are being completed. Take a moment to visit and enjoy the sections that are currently in place. I'm confident you will find it informative and enjoyable.
Briar Press also has a large list of free cuts & caps that include ornaments, animals, objects, symbols, flowers, and plants. All of their cuts & caps are scanned from old specimen books and feature vintage and antique graphics used in the letterpress arts through the years. Their digital ornaments for sale include some exceptional graphics. If you’re a printer, you can bring the old ornaments in their Cuts & Caps collection full circle by printing them on a letterpress. Photoengraving companies can produce a cut, sometimes referred to as a linecut or a die, from the most detailed image. The cut is mounted on a type-high block of wood, ready for letterpress.
The service is quick and inexpensive; for example, a 4 square-inch magnesium cut mounted type-high on wood can cost less than $10.00. Polymer plates are becoming increasingly popular for letterpress printing. See the Briar Press Printer’s Yellow Pages for companies that make these and the metal cuts . Their yellow pages section includes resources for all topics related to the letterpress art form.
The Briar Press Website also has an extensive classifieds section, as well as a thorough Discussion Forum. The classifieds section includes topics of:
Items for Sale
Workshops & Events
Items Wanted
Jobs & Internships
and much more. You can visit the Briar Press Classifieds here. The discussion forum offers a wide variety of topics where you can get input from professional letterpress enthusiasts.
