Cardpress Launch

Last Thursday I was invited to the launch of the new Cardpress project by Print Club and Urban Cottage Industries (UCI). Cardpress combines Print Club London's original silkscreen printed artworks with UCI's letterpress printing which starts with hot metal casting on their newly restored Linotype type casting machines.

The evening began with a screening of Linotype:The Film which was held at the atmospheric Rio cinema on Kingsland High Street, Dalston.

I have reviewed the film in a previous blog post and I can only add that it was even better the second time around! http://justinsamazingworldatfennerpaper.blogspot.co.uk/2012/02/linotype-film.html

Me in Millers Avenue

After the film, we simply crossed the road and into Millers Avenue to the party venue at MC Motors, which is next door to Print Club. But this was a lot more than a groovy party at a great location for over 800 people! Guests were plied with mojitos, beer and freshly cooked pizza together with a DJ and a great party atmosphere ...and most importantly there was a working Linotype hot metal casting machine working. Phil, Dave,Stan and other UCI technicians demonstrated the Linotype. Partygoers were transfixed watching these beatifully crafted machines clicking, whirring and creating lead type. The following pics should give you a flavour of the evening:

Beer

Linotype Machine



Stanley Wilson founder of UCI, showing the lead ingots used for casting



Guests were invited to get their fingers inky by having their own line of linotype text, produced in front of their eyes, and then printing that line themselves on an Adana hand press.

Cardpress is a personalised greetings card business with a difference - it combines Print Club's original silkscreen printed artworks with UCI's type-casting and letterpress printing to create a retro take on the modern concept of online personalised cards. The first designs are by Pure Evil, Alice Stallard, James Joyce, Margaux Carpentier, Anthony Peters and Rose Stallard.

Kate Newbold-Higginson, director of Print Club London, said: "UCI's manual ethos is close to the way we work. It’s really exciting to combine contemporary illustrators with traditional machines. Because we work with layered files too, the process we go through translates well to their machines. Though there’s still a bit of a learning curve - they are learning our way and we are learning theirs."Cardpress customers input their line of text on the website when ordering the card; the text is then cast on a linotype machine in Metro Medium 18pt and letterpress printed to the inside of their chosen card.

Thanks for the invitation to a great party and I wish Print Club and Urban Cottage Industries the best of luck with their new Cardpress venture.

www.urbancottageindustries.com

www.printclublondon.com

Posted by Justin Hobson 22.10.2013