Welcome to the Xx!#*! Cranky Pressman Blog where we fuss and fret over work in shop, the glamorous world of letterpress printing, graphic design, type, art and that damn squirrel at the window.
Back in the day artists and designers kept files of pictures they swiped from magazines. They were called Morgues. Feel free to rummage through our found references below.
It's been non-stop work around the letterpress shop for a some time now. Not one to complain (okay maybe sometimes) but all these jobs make the caring-sharing that an old guy's obliged to do these days more difficult to get done.
Don't worry though, all our hard work will not stop us from showing off all your hard work. We have many good-looking print samples photographed and are diligently preparing them for posting. They will not just be used to release our supressed feelings of appreciation but also to demonstrate interesting use of letterpress printing.
In the meantime here are few classy pieces to get a load of:
Apart from advancements in photomechanical dies and platemaking, modern letterpress technology has largely remained stuck in the past somewhere between the 1920's and mid 1960's. This has left letterpress a slow and laborious process.
Frustrated, the aproned team at Cranky Pressman set out to change all this. Introducing computer enhanced letterpress, bringing the speed and precision of digital devices to letterpress capabilities and thus bringing letterpress firmly into the late 20th Century!
Because of the continued tough economic conditions and stressful times, we made the decision last month not to produce a 2013 Cranky Pressman promotional wall calendar. This was not a choice taken lightly but one we believed best for all parties.
There are however those who do not respect authority and take matters into their own hands despite potential consequences. Our pressman Jason Vaughn was one such person.
Last week, the aforementioned worker was caught printing the letterpress calendar shown above on company time and without management's knowledge. This is strictly against policy and left no other choice but to immediately terminate his employment.
Apparently, 2013 is the Chinese Year of the Snake. This somehow made it acceptable in Jason's mind to use valuable paper stock and ink materials for his hand-set wood and metal type serpentine creation. He even used a perfectly good sheet of linoleum to carve the slithering varmint. All this could have been better used for a paying customer's project.
It is quite clear the only real snake in this case was Jason himself.
Last year we had the pleasure of working on a book project with Lark, an imprint of Sterling Publishing, and are happy to say it is now out! PUSH Print discovers the passion of 30+ contemporary print artists pushing the limits with their innovative work. Letterpress, screenprinting, xylography, lithography, and etching, as well as multimedia and digital approaches to print are included in this dirverse survey complied by us, Jamie and Keith Berger, the Cranky Brothers. It is a visual feast that will pique your curiosity and spark your imagination by illustrating the scope and power of printmaking art today.
Carry on after the break for more images of the book and a chance to win a copy!
Once again, like a bad case of hives, I return after a long spell away. I know this is no way to run the blogging machine and dislike excuses more than anything. So I (Jamie the older and crankier one) am doing this very quick post to say I am not only back online but have completed a move, with my long suffering wife Marina, from Chicago to Salem, Ohio. We return here to my homeland, after 30ish years away, to be closer to the letterpress shop where we can annoy Keith and his crew face to wrinkly face.
Stand by for some new posts and interesting announcements very soon. This is no lie.
