Tuesday, March 17, 2009

Business Cards for the Good Doctor



I thought I might share a video clip with you. I had the day off, so I ran a few hundred Business Cards for one of our Optometrists where I work. Some details on the cards:

Vector designed on Macromedia FreeHand MX (2004)
Magnesium Die from Owosso Graphics
Paper: Parchment coloured 67lb from Office Depot. Yeah. Paper for the Proletariat!
Ink: Van Sonn dense black, oil base
Press: 1938 Chandler & Price "New Series" 8x12
Motor: 1hp GE single phase 1725 rpm, circa 1960.









Yeah, I know, I know. Inking the snot out of that die. Well, hey, my third arm wasn't available for me to shoot me actually taking impressions. I'll have to enlist some foolhardy passer-by to do the point and shoot next time. Meanwhile, Kerosine and ink is relatively cheap and I just got a bag of 100 shop towels to clean up that mag die.

Truth be told, I took an impression right after filming, and the card came out great. Yeah, a little darker, but did you note I'm not using the gripper bars? The card stayed right on the pins, just like all the rest of the run that day. So the build-up wasn't all that bad. And I don't use a whole heckuvalotta ink to begin with for text-heavy pieces.

So . . . here are some other photos, including a closeup of Dr. Tozer's Business Card:














That's about all for now. This weekend I'll be visiting family up in L.A. (Lower Alabama, Geneva County. The Wiregrass.) so printing and press activities will resume most probably Thursday after next. But I'm taking my lap top with me so I can get a design going for my own card. Torn between doing something modern - so folks don't think I'm locked into the 18th and 19th century, yet, it's that very thing that I do love. Don't be surprised if I wind up getting my inspiration from Continental Currency!

Good Providence in all your endeavours!

G. Johanson, Settlement Printer

Thursday, March 12, 2009

Linotype Video




I thought this might be somewhat enlightening. I had the opportunity to mess a bit with the Intertype down at Tampa U. last year. This Linotype machine is quite similar in basic concept and design.

You will have to look quite hard to find a mechanical wonder quite the equal to a Linotype or Intertype linecaster. Jim briefly mentions Edison's perspective of the complexity of these machines.







Hope you enjoyed the video!

-gary.