Letter Press

I don't remember when it was, but the first time I saw Richard (as I came to know him)'s rickety letter press stand at the Artists and Fleas flea market in Williamsburg I knew I would love for him to make me some business cards. Letter press is a long process - and can be expensive to have done, but Richard's prices seemed so reasonable - and how can you not just LOVE letter press.
All this to say, finally last weekend I approached Richard about making my own, very professional business cards. I originally thought that I would send him a PDF of the business cards that we designed in Digital Design class at Parsons School of Design - but shortly after starting a conversation with this man I was sitting on a little stool next to his picking out a font out of the 20 some odd he had in an old navy binder as he put ink on his press. I had to pick right now, right then. So I did! and I quite like them. It was a spontaneous choice, but in this instance it seemed all too appropriate.
They simple 10 pt. Universal type face on a white (with a subtle yellow under under tone) heavy card stock. You can feel the indentation that the metal letters made on the front and the back. They truly look like a card you would find in your Grandmas old copy of Pride and Prejudice or something.

This man is an artisan. I'm not sure if her really knows how much his craft is really worth and how big of a production he could have, but I don't really want him to know. It's too cool how he prints right then and there on the spot off a little press he holds up with a milk crate that he loads and unloads from his van everyday at varying spots around the city and it's boroughs. I love finding people like him.