"Every letterpress impression is a physical record of pressure applied at a specific moment. That contact is what makes it valuable.
"KaiRenner26th of April 2026
What Modern Accessible Letterpress Is
Traditional letterpress used cast metal type locked into a chase. Modern accessible letterpress uses photopolymer plates — polymer sheets that harden under UV light to create a relief printing surface from any design you can print on transparency film. A Boxcar Press polymer plate on a Vandercook proof press or a tabletop platen press (Kelsey, Craftsmen) produces professional impressions without a type collection.
.918Inch
1to 2 Points
Expose a Photopolymer Plate
Print transparency film, expose in a UV unit, wash, and dry.
Expose a Photopolymer Plate
Print your design as solid black on transparency film from a laser printer (not inkjet — toner blocks UV more reliably). Place face down on the photopolymer plate in your UV exposure unit. Expose per the plate manufacturer's time (typically 3 to 5 minutes under a UV lamp). Wash in a plate-washing unit or by hand with a soft brush under running water. Dry and post-expose for hardness.
Mount the Plate and Lock Up the Chase
Mount the plate on a base block and lock into the press chase.
Mount the Plate and Lock Up the Chase
Adhere the photopolymer plate to a polymer plate base of the correct height to bring the plate surface to type high (.918 inch). Most commercial bases use a repositionable adhesive. Place the base and plate in the press chase and lock with quoins. The plate must be completely immovable — any shift during printing produces double images.
Ink the Press and Take Impression Pulls
Roll ink onto the plate, run paper through, and adjust impression.
Ink the Press and Take Impression Pulls
Apply a thin, even layer of oil-based or rubber-based letterpress ink to the ink disc. Roll the ink disc to work the ink to an even consistency. Feed a sheet of dampened or standard paper and take a pull. Examine the impression: ink coverage should be even and complete. Impression depth (the kiss or deboss into the paper) is adjusted by raising or lowering the platen.
What You Need to Start
Tabletop platen press (Kelsey Excelsior, FAG, or similar)
Photopolymer plate and polymer plate base
UV exposure unit or strong UV lamp
Plate washing equipment
Oil-based or rubber-based letterpress ink
Brayer for ink distribution
Cotton rag or dampened papers for impression
Ink Temperature Affects Tack Cold oil-based ink is stiff and tacky — it picks up paper fiber and prints unevenly. Warm it slightly by working it on the ink disc before printing. Humidity also matters: damp paper takes ink more readily and produces sharper impression. Keep ink temperature consistent between pulls for consistent results across a print run.
"Each sheet is numbered by the hand that fed it in. Letterpress is never entirely mechanical.
"KaiRenner26th of April 2026