Hot Off The Press Podcast

October is here, which in the small business world means it’s time to get ready for the inevitable craziness of the Holiday season! Whether you’re ahead of the game or still deciding what you want to offer this year, Jillian has a 6-step plan to make sure you’re ready for your launch day. As this is the first week of PRINTMAS, we are doing a giveaway of a Hot Off The Press t-shirt design… Be sure...

Thanks to the wonderful world of social media, we’ve had the opportunity to meet so many other amazing printers, and on this episode we are thrilled to share the story of one of our faves: Cara Jo Knapp from Knapp Design Co. Cara Jo has long been interested in the world of print making, and patiently waited until the time was right for her to take the leap and buy a press of her own. We got to wit...

We’ve had some of these questions come up several times, so we KNOW you’re going to want to hear what we have to say during this Q & A episode! We’re covering:  press recommendations for someone wanting to print greetings whether or not to remix an ink that’s separated why Illustrator is SO hard when to oil your press and more! Links: We mention die cutting/die jackets, but all of our fav...

There are some terms in modern design & typography that actually originate in letterpress. Having a better understanding of these terms - and where they came from - will help you level up your designing game! Tune in to learn about points, picas, kerning, tracking and more! While you listen, be sure to browse our Instagram for the graphics to go along with this episode… We’ve got a helpful gui...

If you’ve ever mixed ink for letterpress or even LOOKED at a Pantone Formula Guide, this episode is for you! We discuss the pros & cons of the different white ink options… And tell you our favorite tips, tricks and what to look out for with both. Tune in to learn more about transparent white, opaque white, and which one to use for YOUR project!

Are you a stationer getting ready to send a file to your printer? We cover what's best for foil, letterpress and digital! Or just generally curious about the different file types and what they're used for? We cover Raster & Vector images, as well as most of the file types out there: JPEG, PNG, PDF, AI, INDD, EPS, and so many more. If this all sounds like a foreign language to you... Then tune...

After a very chaotic week in their studios, Jillian and Moriah sit down to talk about the handy little tools that can save your butt, or drive you absolutely insane when things don't go as planned. This episode is all about crop and registration marks: what they are, when to use them, and when you can lose them!  Because some of the items we discuss in this episode are extremely visual, you c...

We are so happy to have Max & Shelley from Concord Engraving join us to talk about all of the intricacies of creating polymer plates for letterpress (and offset)! As a company founded in 1933 by Max’s family, they’ve seen many changes in the letterpress world, as well as technological advancements that directly improve the platemaking experience. An incredibly fast turnaround, amazing customer...

Almost titled “perfecting your process” this episode goes over the high level planning that goes into keeping your jobs moving smoothly through your workflow, from booking to shipping, with as little error as possible. But you know us, nothing is really perfect and everything can be tweaked, so instead of focusing on perfection, we hope this episode inspires you to simply work on your workflow. Th...

In this episode, while Jillian visits her hometown, we talk to Bill Corcoran of Corcoran Printing who has a deep history and loads of experience in the printing industry. He shares some of the incredible projects and clients they’ve worked with, as well as the ups & downs of the print industry over his family’s four generations in business! Bill is an open book and patiently answers all our qu...

One of our most common conversation pieces: troubleshooting the many, many printing issues! Whether you're seeing a lack of ink/too much ink on one part of your form, a pooling of ink around the letters or artwork, you’re printing, uneven printing or any of the various issues related to inking up your press - we’ve definitely both dealt with ALL of these at some point. You’re not alone and we’re h...

If you’re a printer, you’ve probably heard varying opinions about how much impression is too much. It’s a hot debate in the letterpress community and a topic we both feel strongly about! We’ll talk about our thoughts, of course, as well as some of the conversations and opinions (both valid and just amusing) we’ve seen. How paper affects it (cotton vs. cardstock), what kind of form you’re printing...

In this very special Episode of Hot Off the Press, we chat with our dear friend and fellow stationer, Laney Ruddell from Design By Laney, about many of the resources she's created, including her on-going educational program, Stationery School. Stationery School is an online program packed with tons of content relevant to creating art, running your business and keeping your clients (and you) happy!...

New season, new favorite press AND the exciting launch of our Letterpress Supply Guide The debut episode of Season 2 is all about the wonderful wonder known as the Windmill Press. Manufactured by the German company Heidelberger Druckmaschinen, the Original Heidelberg, as its formally named, is a masterpiece of engineering. Its nickname stems from the articulating gripper arm that captures the pape...

The wait is over! Hot Off the Press is returning for Season 2 on Monday, June 13th!! Enjoy this little teaser of soundbites from our first few episodes, and make sure to check out our new website: hotoffthepresspodcast.com Follow us on socials for all the latest news: @hotoffthepresspod 

Known for her modern, unique and technically challenging designs, Britt Rohr is one hundred percent authentic and true to her own style. We discuss the value of knowing what you don’t want to make, the pros & cons of complete creative control, and the struggles we all share as creatives. Tune in to hear more about her Learn Letterpress course, what Britt has planned for the future of Swell Pre...

We’re joined by Mark and Madeline of the International Printing Museum in Carson, California in this episode. They are kind enough to share more about the museum, its history and all the things the museum has to offer - both for printers and those who have no idea what “letterpress” is! Whether you’re new to printing, an expert printer or just curious: they definitely have something you’ll get exc...

Have you ever gone to purchase paper and wondered how they figure that an 80 lb. text paper is LIGHTER than a 65 lb. cover paper?!? Different systems of measurement, different types of paper and different terms make it all very confusing… Don’t worry, we’re here to help! In this episode of Hot Off The Press we’re going to shine some light on paper weights and types! We’ll explain those different m...

In this episode we are joined by the sweet, the wonderful, Sharon of Pressed Paper + Print! She is known for her incredible range of handmade paper: every detail intentionally crafted with calligraphers, printers and stationers in mind - and available in 30+ colors! We discuss how she got started, the phases of growing her business & striving to create the perfect handmade paper over the past...

For our second Q&A episode we are answering some burning questions about what kind of fonts can be letterpressed, the process for making plates, how we sort and store the teeniest tiniest plates that we keep and more!! If you can’t tell, we LOVE answering your questions! Here’s a few ways to submit your own: Send us a DM on Instagram (you know we’re always there) @hotoffthepresspod   Send...

Digital printing (aka flat printing) is the print results from ink jet, laser or even offset printing. And even though these modern methods are what pushed letterpress off the mainstream market, they still make great companions for our pressed designs. In this episode, we discuss different ways to mix the old with the new while designing, how this can leverage your budget and even expand upon the...

For this episode, we are getting the scoop on all things ink and we’re joined by someone we consider an expert on the subject: Charley Harden! Charley and his brother, Rick, have been mixing ink since 1987 and started their own business, Southern Ink, in 2001. They’ve been supplying a special ‘hybrid’ style of ink to letterpress printers since! He reassures us that reflex blue ink does in fact get...

In today's episode we answer several questions from you - the listeners! We even had one from Sweden!!  Tune in to hear about: - Kiss vs. Bite  - How many extras we print  - Why we named our presses  - Who's still making letterpress machines - What oil we use 

We talk about it a lot, but what the heck is “photopolymer” & what does it have to do with letterpress printing? For a lot of printers, like us, this is the key ingredient for bringing designs to life! In this episode, we talk about what it is as well as the different types there are (and what we both use for our print setups). * Hot tip alert! * If you’re a designer who outsources letterpress...

If you think buying a press is the final step to becoming a printer, then we have some bad news for you… It takes a lot of bits and pieces to get ready to print! The good news is that we cover everything you’ll need in this episode. We have searched the forums, read the discussion boards and ask For those who are already printing, you might learn about some surprising tools and handy alternatives...