No invention over the last 600 years has had more impact on our civilisation than letterpress printing. Being essentially the same process used by Gutenberg, who in 1450 invented moveable type, letterpress printing is a craft that has survived the onslaught of technological change. We believe both Gutenberg would feel very at home in our workshop!
Although the press has evolved from the screw down hand press, through to our mechanised Heidelberg Platens “windmills”, it is a joy to be involved with a time-honoured process and skill that modern technology cannot match. The quality of the resulting printed material is entirely due to the skill of the pressman. John Sinclair, who has over thirty years of experience, heads our letterpress team.
Up until the late fifties, the majority of printing in the UK was done by letterpress and in the cities the clatter of newspaper presses added to the background noise. Since then, letterpress has been swept away by a tidal wave of technology, leaving only a few companies like Piccolo Press, to continue the craft.
