The Kluge "Open" Press

Our newest press is a 10x15  "Open" Kluge Letterpress,  Attempting to find information on the "Open" variety of the Kluge line of platen job presses has proven quite difficult.  Canvasing printers on the various Letterpress web and listgroups proved just about as futile.  In the past I've heard many an old hand - at - the - board comment about this very unique press.  Oddly enough, when approached individually, these printers had to confess they no longer had theirs, and all admitted they regretted not keeping them.  The comment most heard was "wow, you found one??"

In other words, this press is very elusive.  And fairly rare.

So, I thought that I might do with my Open Kluge what I did with my Pearl OS Model 3: post a continuum of articles and photos dedicated to the Open Kluge, if no other reason than to provide at least something for the next fella that wants to find out any sort of definitive information about it.

First of all, my Kluge bears the serial number of MD 105649, which places it's date of manufacture at 1965.  In terms of Letterpress years, this press is just a baby.  In terms of the Kluge (Brandtjen & Kluge began life as the manufacture of platen press automatic feeders in 1919, introducing their first models M and N sheet fed automatic feed letterpresses in 1931), it's a mere adolescent.  By far, most Kluges out there seem to predominate in the 1940s and 1950s vintage.  

Probably the best way to describe the Open - is to talk a little about Kluge's primary "Automatic" platen press  first.

The "Automatic" Kluge

Kluge Platen Job Presses were manufactured to be automatic-feed presses, the ubiquitous compressed air feeder being a signature example of early 20th century 'robotics'.  Because Kluges were manufactured to be automatically / "robotically" fed, certain unique features were built into these presses.  Unlike their hand-fed C&P, Colt Armory or Golding cousins,  The automatics were equipped with a self registering side gauge that slid about half an inch out, so that when the feeder placed the paper on the tympan, it could slide in, pushing the paper a half inch to the right, making positive contact with the left sliding gauge and bottom gauges.  It was a clever system that yielded tremendous consistency.  Also, because the automatic Kluge is fed by a mechanical air-suction feeder, not by hand, the platen could close quickly.  This speeds up the impression rate, making for a very fast press, with a high IPH [ 4000 impressions per hour!] rate.  Of course, having an automatic feeder, the Kluges came equipped with an elevator, mounted where a feed-board would otherwise be mounted for any hand fed press.  These elevators are belt controlled, the elevators lifting the feed stack for the feeder, the receiving elevator lowering for the retrieved print.  The elevator mechanics are sequenced with the feeder, although from time to time I have had to manually lower and raise the elevators.  Even though the Automatic Kluge is . . . automatic, an operator must supervise the process, and from time to time intervene with the process.

There might come a time when the operator must hand feed the Kluge Automatic: that is done by opening up the feeder, which can be swung like a door to the right, exposing the elevators.  The press is slowed down to it's lowest speed, and if the operator is careful, the press can be hand fed, but since the Automatic is not geared or cammed for long dwell time (the time the platen is open so the operator can feed and draw, and still pull hands and fingers out before the platen closes), this can be a tenuous maneuver.  I've done it many times, but most of the time I would "double roll" the press, throwing the impression lever off for the feed, on for the impression, and off for the pull, which means the die gets two passes of the rollers. Once I get my cadence, then I can feed each impression without manipulating the throw-off lever.  To make up for the lack of a feed board, the elevators are cranked up as high as they will go.  All this to say, the Automatic Kluge is a clumsy hand feeder.  And a dangerous one at that.  You can see me hand feeding the 12x18 Kluge Automatic at Mama's Sauce here.

Probably the most reputable feature of the Automatic Kluge is it's ink distribution system.  At first glance, one might think it's really no different than any other rotating disk platen press.  And up front, it is basically the same.  What Kluge did was keep four form rollers on all their models (the M models correspond to 10x15, N corresponds to 12x18).  That alone makes for a superiour inking system, but added to these are two 'vibrator', or oscillating ink rollers, which fit atop each pair of form rollers (see photo of saddle, above).  The purpose of these oscillating 'vibrator' rollers is to spread out the ink directly upon the rollers themselves.  In action, the form rollers slide over the disk.  As they pick up ink, each roller pair transfers the ink to their respective vibrator rollers, which oscillate from side to side, further dispersing the ink over each roller that comes into contact with them.

The Automatic Kluge is a heavy, stout framed press with a very heavy platen that is designed to make linear contact with the type bed.  Unlike the Goldings or the Heidelberg platen presses, which have a platen that opens and shuts like a door, or "clam shell", via a 'rocker' upon a stationery type bed, the Kluge shares the same basic design concept as the Chandler and Price presses, where the platen rotates to meet the type bed.  The rear of the press whereupon is the type bed, is hinged at the bottom of the press, and is pulled toward the platen which is positioned to receive it.  The Kluge, being a heavier press, is capable of bringing  much more impression pressure to bear owing to its casting size. 

Mind!  No letterpress is designed with deep punching or debossing!  But since today's letterpress is almost defined by deep deboss, it is good to have a heavy machine.  But even with the Colts Armory presses or the heavy duty Kluge, deboss must be judiciously executed.  No casting is impervious.

There is more detail, but I think you have a pretty good picture of the standard Kluge Automatic. Heavy press, great inking, and fast.  The feeder, with the air valves alternately opening and closing, sound not unlike a locomotive.  Lots of levers and cams and gears going.  Vintage robotics. A veritable mechanical Smorgasbord!

The frame of the Kluge changed with the newer "D"  models, going from an open frame to an enclosed steel frame.  This is not just a sheet metal covering: the body you see in the above photo IS the frame, and is quite thick.  I did not mic the thickness, but it "eyeballs" at about half an inch.  This harkens to the old Laureate and Half Laureate Colt Armory presses, which were also heavy bodied, not open framed.  My suspicion is that Kluge saw this organization called "OSHA" on the horizon, and saw the handwriting on the wall: get those gears and cams and levers covered!  Hence, the latter-day Kluges came with fendered flywheel/ motor assemblies, solid-hubbed flywheels (no spokes), skirted bull gears, enclosed bodies, oil ports circled in red, warning labels, &c.

The Open Kluge

  There were, and still are, circumstances where an automatically fed press is not practical.  In cases like these, Brandtjen & Kluge provided a hand-fed version of their standard automatics.  I believe these "open" presses were not considered a standard line item, but were special order factory custom machines.  A number of features were required to change, to accommodate hand-feeding.  This is where information was hard to find.  I discovered from my press' prior owner,  the late John Moran, that Kluge did not, apparently, print an "Open" Kluge manual.  The "manual" supplied with my press by Kluge is the Automatic manual, and it is not really a service manual so much as an inventory list.  None of the printers I spoke or wrote to recall seeing a specific Open Kluge manual, neither have I found one in my research (which is ongoing, btw.)  I believe that if this is the case, the owner of the custom ordered "Open" simply used the Automatic manual as far as the press systems and process went, disregarded the part of the manual regarding the feeder, and went from there.  This is purely my speculation in the absence of documentation or other authorative information.

The systemic differences between the Open and the Automatic Kluges are really few, and obvious.  The first difference is the dwell of the platen.  It stays open about twice as long as it's automatic counterpart, at least as long as a standard NS or OS C&P.  The second difference is the absence of the sliding side gauge, which would be superfluous, really.  After all, when we make ready with a hand-feeder, we set our side gauge pins, right?.  The other obvious differences are, of course, the swivel and front feed boards.  There is also a bracket beneath the main feed board which holds a utility table for oil cans, solvents, &c. 

What is retained are the high rails which extend to the top of the ink disk, the ability to carry an ink fountain, the ink disk engage/ disengage lever, and that tremendous roller/ vibrator system.  The same positive-grip flywheel belting system (the flywheel is grooved to receive the drive belt, which sinks into the groove and becomes flush with the flat edge of the flywheel) and braking system is employed (see below).

The Flywheel is grooved to receive the drive belt.

The brake shoe makes contact with the inside edge of the flywheel.

 From what I can tell, the remainder of the press is the same as the Kluge Automatics.  Newer model Kluges have some design changes over the older Kluges, but these changes correspond to the Open Kluges as well.  Below are some features of the "new" Kluges of the 1960s, which differ from the '40s era Kluges I have known.  These are all photographed from my Open Kluge.

The photo above shows the ink disk cam lever, which rocks the lever you see at the end back and forth which alternately lifts the ink disk to make contact with the rollers - or allows it to rest against its bottom retainer, which causes the ink disk to lower, so the rollers do not contact the disk.  The adjustable ink disk is a standard feature on all Kluge Platen Job presses.

The newer Kluges went to Delrin cam rollers. One explanation was that it lessens wear, and also quiets the press considerably.  I can't argue: just cycling the press by hand shows this press to be virtually noise-less.  I might point out the oil port.  All ports and wicks are marked in red.  I might also point out that the main bearing (flywheel shaft), which my paperwork calls a "Dodge" bearing, is actually greased, as is the Bull Gear. This shaft incorporates pin bearings through the journals. The journals are oiled, as are the wicks (large oil ports containing a cotton-like fiber which serves as an oil regulator of a sort.  Instead of just globing oil in the large port, the wick absorbs the oil, which eventually drains through the wick, and into the port.  Clever, no?  This is a feature on all Kluges of any vintage I have had party with, and I suspect the Heidelbergs and Craftsman presses have a similarl feature.

This is an interesting bit of engineering. At least, to me.  I am used to the pawl and ratchet method of advancing, or rotating the ink disk. The Kluge, at least of the latter era, uses a cam and roller system, shown above.  The cam is attached to the roller harness, or bracket which swings up and down, causing the rollers to roll correspondingly. As the rollers move, the cam slides up and back against the cam roller, which toggles the lever arm it is connected to from one side to the other, left to right to left..  The end of the lever (which has the oil port marked in red) makes contact with the base of the ink disk.

You can see the thumbscrew adjustment screw to the right of the bracket.  I am not sure, but I believe this controls the advance, or degree of rotation of the disk.

It looks like the toggle lever is in contact with a rotating bracket, which rests upon a set screw, which, in turn,  seems to determine the drop of the ink disk.  The ink disk itself appears to rest inside this rotating bracket, more than likely held in place by a key and slot.

Here you can see the toggle moved from left to right, advancing the rotation about two degrees or so.  There is also a spring retainer which appears to provide counter pressure, so the disk cannot free-wheel. 

The motor has yet to be mounted.  I have to wait for the doctor to give me an "all clear" to lift anything over ten pounds.  I am still recovering from surgery.  But hey, I can still press the button of a camera!  Here, the motor is mounted on top of the assembly (1 hp), and is belted to the lower shaft which holds the pulley bearing.  The base contains a threaded journal which, when turned, slides the assembly back and forth. This, in turn, is connected to a long rod with a crank handle on the end, which protrudes under the feed-board.  This is the speed control.

A closer look at the pulley section of the drive box.  This unit is bolted to the front left foot of the press.  I will learn more about how this system actually changes speed when I bolt it up.

Here is another close up of the bottom bracket

As you can see, the motor rests on a hinge which raises and lowers via a set screw.

Well, folks, this is all I have for now on the Open Kluge.  I hope this provides at least a little information and insight into this rare but exceptional press.  And thanks to Mr. John Moran, who spent a life as an exceptional printer of note, well known among the printers of Michigan, for enabling me to "pass the torch", with this press.  I will endeavor to take as good care of it as you did, John.  And thanks for the kind words from Mary Amy, who might be sending a photo of John, so I can have it in the shop as a memorial.  I must say, Dave Seat mentioned to me that a member of the family commented that one of the last things John did in this life was finish up the inventory list of this press and associated apparatus for me.  Thanks also to Dave and Beth Seat for rigging and hauling this press down for me.  Wow, we have a great bunch of folks in the Letterpress community!

Good Providence in all your Letterpress Endeavors!

-gary.

Introducing Paper Wren Press!

You may have noticed the new tab.  That's because G. Johanson Letterpress now has a production and business name under which our products will now be sold, Paper Wren Press.  It's still me, only now my daughter and my sweet wife (who has a bit more sense than your's truly!) are officially part of the warp and woof of our operation.

So, even though it's in it early development, hop on over to Paper Wren Press and check it out.  It's got pretty much the same feel as this blog, only it will be more product oriented.

I will continue to maintain this blog (G. Johanson, Letterpress) as an educational and letterpress activities site, only without the emphasis on product and pricing, although I always share what's hot off the press, or any activities or organizational things that may be happening.

So, that's about it for now, folks.  New Company, Paper Wren Press, and keeping the old Blog as it is.  I hope it won't be too confusing.  Feedback is always welcome, btw.

Oh, one more thing: G. Johanson will be maintaining the Etsy Shop under the name G. Johanson, Letterpress.  Paper Wren Press will be marketing in other venues.

Good Providence to you all.

-gary, the Printer.

The Florida Letterpress Inaugural Wayzgoose!

Well, it came quick, and ended all too soon!

It began as an idea that I posted on the Florida Letterpress Yahoo Group's list page.  Gosh, there really are no Letterpress Wayzgoose events happening down in the Deep South.  Why not put one together here in the Sunshine State?  TBAS Letterpress Coordinator Carl Nudi and Director Prof. Richard Mathews agreed!  That's what started the ball rolling.  Carl and Richard run the University of Tampa's Tampa Book Arts Studio, or "TBAS".  Thus, the show was on.  We were privileged to have many guest speakers, demonstrators, artisans of several disciplines which find commonality in what we call the "Black Arts".  There were about thirty in attendance, beside the speakers and feature demonstrators.

It was a full Saturday, and for my daughter (Anna Coleman) and me, it started Friday morning at 9 am.  We arrived to help Carl set up, get things into register, and on my part, to get the platen press ready to print, and compose something to print with.  Finally, after a long day, Anna and I drove up to New Port Richey to stay with some good friends, who came to the Wayzgoose with us on the following day, Rebekah and Alton  Shady. (In on of my Fall entries, there is a video of Alton is running his own wedding stationery on one of my presses.)

Here is how Saturday went: 

We convened at 10am for coffee, cookies, and introductions.  This was our "Chappel Meeting".  

From 10:30 - 11am,, we featured:

-Intertype typesetting, with Henry Wehle and Don Black, offering a neat souvenir line with a penny cast inside!  Hey, Don!  That's what I call "Heavy Metal", wot?

-a Bookbinding Demo, with our new resident artist from Asheville NC, Bridget Elmer.

-C&P Platen Press Printing with your's truly.

-Handpress Printing on the 1848 Hoe & Co. Washington press, which belonged to woodcut artist and illustrator J.J. Lankes, printing a keepsake from an original Lankes cut.

From 11 - 11:30 we featured:

-Letterpress at the Peter Pauper Press, a presentations created by J.B. Dobkin and Sean Donnelly, covering the early printing at Peter Pauper Press, utilizing editions from the TBAS Special Collections, and presenting a new book on the subject printed by the University of Tampa Press.  This was the official release, and copies sold were signed by the authors.

-Vandercook Press Printing demo, Bridget and Director Mathews producing a "duotone" print, a two colour key + colour (red) print from one of Donahue Publishers original childrens storybook publications from around 1914.  The story of the recovery of these Donahue Electrotypes by Les Feller is the stuff of Indiana Jones!  Traipsing through abandoned buildings being demolished, finding at the last minute a vault, whoo man!  Grabbing all these priceless treasures under the shadow of a wrecking ball, who said Letterpress wasn't exciting?

-Intertype typesetting, again with Henry and Don.

-Ludlow typesetting, with Carl Nudio. I got a crash course on this the day before, and was able to cast my mini-broadside for the Platen Press, take off the spurs, true up the lines on a Hammond Glide Saw, and spoil myself rotton doing my very first line cast lock-up!  Man, I wanna Ludlow!  Oh, and a Hammond Glider.  Oh, and hey, a Supersurfacer might come in handy.  Just sayin' . . . 

We had lunch from noon till one, with several eateries to choose from in the local area.

From 1-2pm we spotlighted:

-Papermaking & Bookarts, with artists Peter and Donna Thomas.  I wish I had time to photograph the 'gypsy wagon' they came with!  Here we got to see the Holland Beater in action, as Peter made a sheep of paper before our eyes!  On display as well were the samples of work done by Peter and Donna, who have been book artists for over 30 years.

-Paste Paper with Kendra Frorup of the University of Tampa Art Deptartment.  This was an interactive demo.

-C&P Platen Press Printing, me again!

-Monotype casting, featuring Rich Hopkins, casting ornaments from "Orphan Annie", TBAS's Monotype caster.

-Vandercook Press Printing, With Bridget Elmer and Richard Mathews

From 2-2:30, Rich Hopkins gave an excellent talk on Tolbert Lanston and the Monotype, the Origins of Digital Type Setting.  An amazing insight into an amazing machine constructed in an amazing era of iron and steam.  Richard featured materials from his book which bears the above title.  Richard autographed copies for us here at the Wayzgoose!

The rest of the day interleaved various portions of the above features, so everyone had a chance to see just about everything we offered.  We adjourned at 4pm, however, afterward we who staffed the event were treated to a mini concert by Peter Thomas, featuring Letterpress Folk-songs That Few If Any Really Know.  

And now, the photos!

Carl Nudi showing how to set mats in a Ludlow self centering stick.

Bridget Elmer's Book Binding demo table.

Anna helps Carl set up and proof with the shop's 1947 Vandercook.

Henry Wehle, and part of Don Black's arm.  I think they were describing the same thing.

Whew! I finally got the mini-broadside straight! 

Don, Henry, and Rich chat with Matthew, one of our Letterpress guests, while he looks at an Intertype-set type line.

Peter Thomas feeds the Holland Beater at the paper making demo.  This was an awesome highlight.  Thanks, Peter and Donna!!  Next time, I'll get some shots of the Gypsy Wagon!

Did I wear my pants inside out?  Alton and Rebekah are not sure....

Anna caught me at the Paper Making demo with cap in "press position".

Peter opens the deckle to remove the paper

Which is then pressed (using a car jack!) The "paper press", essentially a heavy wire cage, a car jack and a board, is behind the beater.

Removing pellon and felt 

Helping things along for demo's sake with a hot iron.

 Voila'! The finished product!

Anna cast her and her husband's name on the Ludlow in condensed Bodoni Bold.

Bridget is here running the red Donahue electrotype on the smaller Vandy.

Hey, Alton! You seem rather absorbed in the Ludlow!

This is the souvenir sheet pulled from the 1848 "Lankes" Washington press.

This is the mini-broadside pulled from the C&P that I was running.

And this is the souvenir sheet Broadside from the two Vandercooks.  Originally, the other two colours, cyan and yellow would have been run for a four-colour print as it was done originally in 1914.  However for practicality's sake, we thought to limit it to two colours, key black and red.

At this point, let me sign off with a short video that Anna and I took at the Wayzgoose.  We could not cover everything because of my responsibilities that day, but between us, we at least caught the feel of the day.

That's it from the Florida Letterpress' Inaugural Wayzgoose. See what happens when you pop an idea?  It just might . . . . . happen!


-gary.

"Dala Horse" Holiday Drink Coasters.

Our new Holiday Coasters!  The design is non other than the Swedish "Dala Hesten", or "Dala Horse".  This design was originally created by Anna Coleman for her own personal Christmas Cards (see last installment), but we couldn't resist setting up a holly border from our foundry metal type collection, surround the horse with it, and printing  it on 2.0 mm thick square coaster stock.  We think it turned out nicely.

Each card is individually hand fed twice, one for each colour.  Since this is a hard surface pulp stock, special measures had to be taken in order to effectively print upon it, leaving a suitable impression and deboss, without cracking the board.  The solution was to expose each card to steam before impression.  Each card had to be held over rising steam, which provided just enough dampness to create a nice transfer of ink from the metal die - to the coaster.  No machine does this.  It must be done by hand, under a careful and watchful eye.

This is a bit of a close-up, showing the cast holly border with corner bells.  If you are reading about Anna's Dala Horse design for the first time, I go into it in greater detail on my last posting on this blog, covering Anna's Christmas Card design.

These coasters will be sold in sets of ten from our Etsy Shop.  If you have not visited our shop, stop on by.  We've only just started Etsy, so we have only our Christmas Card and Dala Horse Coaster set available to date.  Take advantage of direct on-line purchasing through our on-line store!

I would like to point out that the Dala Horse is not simply a "Christmas" Horse!  The Dala Horse is a year-round display of Swedish Folk Art.  The coasters you see are displayed in a Christmas Seasonal display, but they can be used the whole winter season long.  They are not necessarily a Christmas design, rather, what I might call a "winter" design, or an ethnic Swedish design.

Well, that's what is new here at G. Johanson, Letterpress.  Best of Providence in all your Christmas Endeavors!

-gary

Anna's Dala Horse

My daughter, designer/artist Anna Coleman, decided to go simple, almost minimalist with her Christmas Cards for this Holidy Season.  Her subject: the Dala Horse.

My father's half of the family came to this country around 1900.  They came from the Nora District, not far from where these wooden horses are made.  Our home has always had at least two to three of these horses.  

A Dala Horse has a history dating back at least to 1800, some historians crediting soldiers, who at the time were quartered in private homes in this district, for the first of these horses.  They were carved in their spare time and given as gifts to their residential hosts.  More than likely, they were given to the kids, but in time, they became replicated by the local woodsmiths, where they became part of the folk art of the region.

A Dala Horse is actually a very primitively cut horse design, carved from a block of wood, usually some sort of ash or poplar.  Perhaps clear, dried pine or spruce.  They are given a base colouring, usually either orange, white, blue, and even yellow and black.  Then the decorations are applied in a manner not unlike tole painting.  When dried, the horses are heavily lacquered. 

Anna's Christmas card is printed in a "Brick Red" oil based ink.  They are single coloured, without text, both within and without.  The stock used is Neenah Classic Laid light grey card stock.  Size is 4.25 x 5.5 inches (A2, fold-over).  She ran these as a Limited Edition. Anna is still deciding on package quantity and prices.  When this is determined, I will post these cards on Etsy.

That's it for now.  I might add that Anna actually printed these herself, from my own home Studio/ Shop press.  She also did the fold scoring.  Dad helped.

Good Providence in all your Holiday/ Christmas endeavors!


-gary.

Grand Opening! G. Johanson, Letterpress has an Etsy Shop!

Hi, Folks!  I hope you had a great Thanksgiving.  I know I sure did!

It's a milestone for us at G. Johanson, Letterpress.  It is also part of a strategy to get our shop out there in the public eye on a shoestring budget.  Since I do not have a "brick and mortar" store - and it may be some time before I can become one - Etsy will do.   Since our work has been entirely commission business, there is not a lot of what one might call "product".  I have the Christmas Card.  

That's it.

But it's a start.  You can visit it by clicking here.

I also provide a link on the right hand side "Links Within and Without" section.

I hope to feature more product as I can produce them.  But you will always have a head's up first on this blog, because this is where all the cool behind the scenes stories are!

Thanks for visiting, and if you want some cool limited edition Christmas Greeting cards that speak to the Old World, and are real limited edition prints, I am set up for direct on-line payment.

Top o'th' Holidays to you all, and Good Providence in your upcoming Celebrations!

Limited Edition Christmas Cards: "Christmastide 2012"

As a tradition, G. Johanson, Letterpress,  has always looked to the "Old World" during Christmastime for ideas in graphic design.  My art background is rooted in Germany, where I took my first steps in the Arts, both in Calligraphy, Printmaking, and Music.  Surrounded by over a millenia of culture,  600 years of printmaking, lettering, bookmaking, I lived and breathed the examples of this amazing art set before me.  In particular  I fell in love with the Woodcut.  

This year, I sought to carry this Old World Spirit of the Season in our Christmas Cards for 2012.  For this year's offering, we honour the Nativity and the Legend of the Three Kings with an illustration from the book "Legend of the Holy Three Kings".  Just how "Holy" the Magi, who were in fact Zoarastrians, actually were,   might be in doubt, but there is no doubt that these priests were, in their land, called the "King Makers".  What they presented to Jesus  when they finally found Him - following the prophesies of the Torah and their own understanding of the Star map - were the very same gifts they would present during the inauguration of their own rulers.  They were, in fact, pronouncing Jesus as King.  This is why the visit of the Magi was so remarkable.  And this remarkable-ness was not lost upon King Herod, desperately seeking to secure his own Throne.  This was why the Magi stopped by Herod's palace: they qualified as a Diplomatic legation.  Their's was not a simple interest visit.  

This cut shows the Magi presenting the King with the specified gifts of gold, frankincense, and myrrh. The official capacity in which these priests presented themselves was not only indicated by their gifts, but in the way they presented themselves.  They were beholding, in their estimation, a genuine King.  

Above is a close-up of the metal die, adapted from the original cut, cast in magnesium by Owosso graphics to my specifications.

I love the way a metal die looks before ink is applied.  What you are viewing here is the black, or "key" die, which serves as the primary registration device.  The die is wood mounted. Three dies were used in the production of this card, plus the handset "Colophon" on the reverse.  The inside area is left blank.  

Here is the finished result.  These are A2 sized (4.25 x 5.5 in.) printed on a very elegant off-white stock that has the look and feel of handmade paper.  The envelopes are matching.

The image is obviously from antiquity: the Adoration of the Magi, from "The Legend of the Holy Three Kings", a woodcut illustration from the book printed in Modena, Italy, dating 1490.  Two years before Columbus set sail!   The verse surrounding the image comes from the King James Authorised version, the angelic announcement to the shepherds.  Maltese crosses adorn the corners.

The text on the back of the card is Caslon OS 337, the very same font that serves Colonial Williamsburg, cast from the same foundry.

The Legend is printed in Gold oil base.  All my inks are flax-seed based ink.  This particular gold is Van Son specialty ink, which cost a small fortune.  Very nearly $80.00 per pound.  But oh, is it nice.  

The original image had what appears to be burrs on the outer border line.  The lines are not exactly parallel.  It was cut purely by eye, 512 years ago, possibly with a straight edge knife.  I had the option of cleaning up and straightening the lines, but I resisted this temptation.  This is a hand wrought work of art in it's originality, and I wanted to preserve that feel as much as possible.  These are never to be seen as flaws.  

"Christmastide" is an old term, referring to the period between Nativity to Epiphany, alternately, Heilig Drei Könige, or Three Kings Day.  It's the same as "Yuletide".  Unlike the typical American celebration of the Day, my background culture calls for the celebration of the Season.  

G. Johanson Letterpress plans to add to this edition each Christmastide, featuring a traditional woodcut typical of the Incunabula period of printing and bookmaking.  These will be limited edition, each edition limited to 200 prints.  There may be two editions per year depending upon demand.  At this point, I have printed only one edition of these cards.

If you are interested in purchasing these cards while available, (and take advantage of direct on-line payment!)  visit my new Etsy Shop by clicking here.

That's it for now.  Stay tuned for our next installment!  And the very best of the Thanksgiving Season to you all, from Gary and Staff at G. Johanson, Letterpress!