This is it folks! Crooked Spoke Press is up and running!For those of you who don’t know, Dan and I embarked on a hare-brained scheme about a year ago. We decided to create a small business to make money “on the side”, as you 20th-century Americans put it.
After much talking, and a little more talking, we decided that it would be fun to get an antique printing press and make cards and invitations. I would do the graphic designing part, and Dan would do the customer service and computer parts. We would both run the press, of course, at least until Dan almost loses a finger. Then I would run it.
Why a printing press? Well, when we were getting married, I totally was obsessed with the look and feel of letterpress invitations. I would swoon over the Martha Stewart Catalogs, with their beautiful handmade, old-fashioned invitations, the letters biting into the thick paper – I’m getting carried away here.
Anyway, we couldn’t afford them, because they were a JILLION dollars. Seriously, like $2.50 to $6 PER invitation, not counting response cards, etc. That’s CRAZY, folks. The paper costs like 50 cents, tops. With the response cards, it added up to like ten dollars a person for the cheapest invitations. I briefly thought about getting a tiny press and doing them myself, but I snapped out of it.
So, we bought cheap regular invitations and they were great. But the fever of getting to play with bits of paper and ink stayed with me. Dan was not so crazy about the paper aspect, but was obviously interested in the gazillion percent markup. And, it was something we could do together, so it would be either “Tons O’ Fun”, or “The Road to Bickerville”. We are banking on the former.
So, we bought a printing press. Soon we will be selling greeting cards online and at craft shows. The picture above is the very first thing we have printed that looks any good. Yes, it was made with hand-set type, by yours truly. (Bernhard Heavy Gothic 24 pt. font, to be exact)
But wait, you say. You bought a printing press? Where the hell did you get a printing press?
Stay tuned for the next installment to find out!
1 comment:
Yahoooo!
You know, I would really LOVE some personalized stationary that had some flowers, maybe a bunny and a KITTY! It would need to say:
From the desk of JENNY!
on a more serious note, do you have any plates with the 50's housewife on them? I love those. They make me want to bake casseroles. Well, they make me want my husband to bake casseroles for me to eat.
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