Wedding Blog
Letterpress for the home crafter? Could it be?
Since planning my wedding, I’ve become a HUGE fan of letterpress stationery. Letterpress note cards, greeting cards, and business cards–I love them all! I realllly want to purchase an antique letterpress machine, but Mr. Eggplant axes the idea because my craft room is already packed to the brim with stamps, die cut machines, and paper. Plus, letterpress machines and replacement parts are often hard to find and expensive, and the learning curve can be steep.
But, this week I just got a newsletter in my inbox that this fall, Lifestyle Crafts (a division of QuicKutz Inc.) will be releasing the L Letterpress, a letterpress machine for the home crafter. And the starter kit is only $149! What?! I know nothing can replace true letterpress, but this might be a fun alternative for those of us who don’t have the space or money for a real machine (kind of like an Easy-Bake Oven versus a Viking convection, yo). I’m crossing my fingers that the L Letterpress machine will allow crafters to create and use printing plates with their own designs, too.
Here is a picture tutorial from the Lifestyle Crafts website:
1. Open the L Letterpress and place an adhesive-backed printing plate on the clear lid.
2. Ink the printing plate evenly with the brayer tool.
3. Place paper in desired location on base of letterpress tool. Use registration grid and Paper Placement Guides for greater accuracy and alignment.
4. Close lid and roll L Letterpress through Epic tool. For a deeper impression, add additional packing sheets.
So, what do you think? A great invention? Or a complete miss?
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I think this could be really cool! I would like to check this out.
I think it’s a complete miss, honestly. Maybe I’m just a printing purist, but it seems hardly better than using stamps.
For those who really seriously want to have a hand in letterpress, I think the best option is having a plate made via somewhere like boxcar press ( https://boxcarpress.com/platemaking/index.jsp ), and then having it pressed at an actual studio nearby. If you’re really adventurous, you can make your own letterpress out of wood and such. There’s a fantastic Instructables on it here: http://www.instructables.com/id/Build-a-Letterpress-&-Use-It-to-Print-Things/
I can’t wait to see what the finished product looks like… If it can really reproduce that great feel of letterpress… I’m sold!!
I wish we could see what the finished product looked like. Sounds like it could be a good idea…
Eggie, this is amazing. Can I come over when you get it- I totally want one now!!
Sounds like something I could get into! While I wasn’t originally keen on the idea of the Cricut cutter, I’m now totally obsessed with it. So I could see this going the same way… if only custom plates would be available! Or… wait for it… if I could cut custom plates from my cricut to use in this machine.
I just blew your mind, didn’t I Eggie.
I really hope someone tries this out. I think it would be great—but my question would be, how much do all the little plates down the road cost? That could cost an arm/leg I’d think.
I wonder how deep an impression it makes. I’m with Fiftyfootbride, it seems like a stamp machine. BUT if it works well, that would be really fantastic!
@Mrs. Perfume- Agreed. Another drawback to this product at present is the fact that you are VERY limited when it comes to “letter” choices. After looking at the sample products on the website, so many of those that aren’t the big/standard letters or phrases are not letterpressed with that machine. I’m not sure how they did it, but it was not using any product listed on the website. (Man, I feel like such a wet towel!) Referring to the ones in the ‘wedding’ section, that small type seems like it would be too small for the system they have set up. It’s probably printed digitally or some other way. Seems like your stuck with a few standard phrases and some big/big-ish letters.
Sorry again to be a buzz-kill ladies. 
I think it definitely has potential. If you could create your own plates, and it worked…it would be golden!
I heard about this a week ago and I’m dying to try it! Even if it isn’t up to the task of making a full on wedding invitation suite I bet it could jazz up the little things like hang tags on favors that would otherwise just get run through the plain old inkjet printer.
@Miss Bear Cub: Thanks, lady. 
They [boxcar press] do a great job making plates. My fiancé is just itching to make that press! If we end up making one, I’ll be sure to chronicle that journey. lol
Actually, the roller method they use for getting an impression has the potential to produce more pressure than the antique home platen presses, so it may create a fairly deep impression. It won’t be as deep or as crisp as a commercial letterpress, but it probably isn’t flat, either. However, without knowing how it’s been calibrated, I can’t say how *even* the impression would be. Homemade platen letterpresses like the Instructables one are notoriously uneven. My husband and I made one (not the Instructibles model, but based on a similar principle), and it was SO HARD to get a good print. If this device has improved on that process at this price tag, I’d give it a try myself!
Also, just based on those pictures, you could probably use the custom plates from Boxcar that fiftyfootbride mentioned.
naangel5 posted about this a couple weeks ago. After watching the demo video, I suspect that I could use my cuttlebug and the embossing folder kit and a cricut to do the same thing. Of course I’ve had my cricuit for a couple months now and it’s still sitting in the box and I’ve taken my cuttlebug to my mom’s!
I know this fall there will at least be a Bee or two that will run out and get this… and I can’t wait for them all to tell me about it so then I can go get them. But then again, maybe if I get it right away there won’t be a discloser on a Michael’s coupon… sighhhh if it’s by QuickKutz I’m sure they’ll be on top of it!
How is this different from the cuttlebug? Looks the same to me, but just with die. I do this already with my cuttlebug - I emboss, and then I rub the embossed paper over an ink pad gently to add color.
i think it’s cool but i’d have to see and try it out for myself before i could really decide on it. but i know the last thing the boy would want to see is me bringing home yet another crafting tool. i bring them home like they’re strays!
but they just want to be loved, darling!
I’m excited what this L Letterpress can do and I like the idea it doesn’t take up too much space. I’m not familiar of how to use the old letterpress and find the find parts and shelling out $1000 of dollars. Although one thing is I would like to do is to customize my own design plates because I’m a designer. I hope this does work.
I think this is a great concept and hope is great for what it is. While I understand there may be draw backs, it could also be really good for certain projects. And man, you can’t beat the price!
Oooh I’ve been so obsessed with letterpress stationery since the wedding too! I sooo think this is a great concept, but as some of the readers have said already, I’d need to see some samples of finished projects before I can decide. I guess we’ll have to wait until later in the fall.
A girl on my month board on the knot made her own letterpress using that same Instructables directions. Her invites looked nice. She got a free plate from boxcar press.
This intrigues me. If anyone gets it, post post post!!
the stuff they’ve made on their website looks amazing! i can’t wait to hear a review from someone who uses this kit.
I think it seems like a great idea! I can’t wait to see a Bee try it out!
i wouldn’t dismiss it until i tried it! and at $149, seems like it’s worth a shot.
would be a godsend for all who like the letterpress effect but lack the budget though!
looks interesting….this site is just too much of an enabler….but, i take full responsibility for my ocd/addictive personality;=) all the gadgets look like so much fun to play with!
@fiftyfootbride: please post it if your FI makes it any time soon. i’m going to see if my FFIL would be up for making it…i know he’ll try, but….
i’d document the process, but he lives in a different state and isn’t really up for documenting anything…lol. i’ll definitely post the final product if i he can do it.
thanks so much for the links!
I’d love to try that! Not a bad price either, but my concern is the lack of creativity and few options it might have as of now. Now maybe 6 months go by and you might have more though?
You never know!
Can I use it as a regular die cut machine as well? That is what I have had a really hard time answering. I would totally buy one if it would eliminate all need in my life for a cuttlebug. Or can I just use the plates in a cuttlebug? I tried to look into this and failed…
I think it’s different from stamping because in stamping, the text or whatever becomes raised, wheras with letterpress it’s pressed down…
Wow, I would love to see how it really turns out. that would be awesome to make invitations….I want one!
@fiftyfootbride I made that letterpress from the instructibles website. If you decide to make one as well please email me gudch1 at hotmail dot com. There are a few changes that need to be made in the design that will make your life much easier!
As for the L Letterpress by Lifestyle Crafts you can use boxcar plates with this machine. Also the L Letterpress will work in most any die cut machine so you do not have to buy the whole system.
I’ve heard rumors that the plates might be compatible with cuttlebug and similar machines such as that. So if you already own one, you might just need to only purchase the other supplies which will add up to roughly $70 more or less. To me, that sounds more with it!
Looking at the technique, this is somewhat like a embossing with ink but may have a different type of “embossing” pressure.
absolutely a great invention! I love it! Can’t wait to see a bee try it out … I definitely want to see the results of this … maybe just maybe I could justify this purchase
Oooh, intriguing! Can’t wait for someone to try it out and give us a review.
This reminds me a lot of an instructables 2 part tutorial on how to turn a cuttlebug into a “letterpress” type device.
Here’s the first tutorial:
http://www.instructables.com/id/Makeshift_letterpress_with_a_cuttlebug_Part_One/
and the second:
http://www.instructables.com/id/Easy_at_Home_Letterpress_part_2/
In the second tutorial, she used a photopolymer plate like fiftyfootbride mentioned earlier.
I think that both the L Letterpress and the cuttlebug tutorial are interesting concepts, but I would want to see the results of someone else trying them first. I don’t think you’ll ever get the look of a true letterpress… but the L Letterpress might be a nice alternative to letterpress with a lower cost.
Awesome! I want one! It seems as easy to use as my cuttlebug.
We notice alot of people being really creative to save money nowadays
I would need to see some serious investigative work on the ‘bee before actually shelling out the cash for it. I think the idea is fantastic, and if it really worked, would be amazing. However, I am one of those people who believes that professionals do it for a reason, and they charge their rates, because they are professional. For now, I’d say the jury’s out.
Sounds amazing!! I am on the hunt for a DIY option to my invitations design/idea I search over all those instructables links before, seems like that homemade press can work but the images of this machine look so much better 
Hopefully you’ll get your hands on it and post about it soon Let us know if you do!!! Pretty please?
I did read on a blog that when they presented it at a CHA (Craft Hobby Association) earlier in the summer, they did say they would eventually be offering custom plates! They have a starter set that does not come with the Epic Six letterpress tool for 69.99 and I did read you can use it with similar things like the cuttlebug and Quickutz Revolution
I’d like to see how it turns out, but it looks simple, and if it is anything like actual letterpress, mmm….
I just found some more info on the machine: http://www.craftcritique.com/2009/07/cha-coverage-lifestyle-crafts.html
Check it out if you’re interested.
I’m also very interested. I actually heard about it a couple weeks ago on DIY Bride. It sounds like they will be getting it as soon as it becomes available and blogging about it.
It looks like they are using clear stamp materail for the plates, you can get the cricut cuttables stamp materail that cuts well in the cricut (use a new mat though) and that may work, I’m gonna experiment with plexiglass plates and polymer stamps and thick printmaking paper because I bet we can do this in your die cutters with stuff we have already!
couldn’t you just use any clear stamp with ink…pretty much any die cut machine and get the same results?
@Crystal:
I tried with clear and unmpunted rubber but the stamp is too soft, it distorts and won’t dent the paper, the plates they make must be ridgid, I’m gonna try stencil plastic or shrink plastic;)
So I got the L Letterpress starter kit today @ Archiver’s. They let me use my 30% off, so whatever 30% off of 69.99. It comes with 9 acrylic printing plates, the platform that rolls thru the machine, an acrylic block to roll your ink on, a brayer, 10, A2 flat letterpress papers, adhesive sheets, and black ink.
This is DEbossing, not embossing like the Cuttlebug. So the ink gets pushed into the image and is “recessed.” It looks pretty cool. So that is different than just inking something you emboss with an embossing plate, because that ends up raised.
At the demo, they ran it through the Epic 6. I just tried rolling it (without paper, ink, or printing plate) thru my Bug. It went through okay. I will test it soon and let you know how it worked!
Hi, I am the Web Developer behind the Lifestyle Crafts website (Letterpress Tool).
Just so you all know, I am currently working on implementing a feature where you can design your very own 6″x8″ custom printing plate. It’s going to be SO awesome.
I’ve seen several demos of this tool in the office, and I have to say that, even being a man who doesn’t really put much stock in making aesthetically pleasing things, just the quality of the paper and the subtle debossing was quite impressive.
I’m likely going to get this tool for my wife for Christmas!
P.S….
There is a new forum on the QuicKutz site (Lifestyle Crafts is a division of QuicKutz, Inc.) where you can discuss this new tool.
Here’s the URL: http://www.quickutz.com/qk2/forums/viewThreads.aspx?topicId=15
I’m SOOO excited about this product, I cannot wait for the custom plate design to come out!!!
I am so intrigued by this! I took a *real* letterpress course this year, and I agree with some that this can’t possibly measure up to the real thing. But for something to play around with at home it seems like it could be a really fun toy. I would trust it for escort cards, gift tags, etc, probably not whole invitation suites.
The huge question for me would be: can you use custom polymer plates on it?? I know the company won’t give a straightforward answer as they are trying to develop their own “custom plate” program. But theirs seems quite limiting. I want a tool that will let me draw something, scan it in, and have a plate made from it. I don’t want to have to choose from someone else’s designs!
I will be watching this thread like a hawk to see if some bee goes out and gets one of these. I’m dying to know if it’s worth it!
@Paperbuttons…
Me again. In response to your question about using your own design, one of the primary features of our design application will be the ability to upload your own image and add it to the design area.
So not only will you be able to use your own design, but you will also be able to possibly enhance it with flourishes and fonts provided by Lifestyle Crafts.
What a deal! Now, if I could only get these developers to move a little more quickly so we can wrap this thing up!
It’s just working out those details that takes some time. Darn details! 
I made my own letterpress unit to work with my big shot die cutter and it will work withy the lifestylecrafts plate and I made my own plates too. Instructions here: http://thefrugalcrafter.wordpress.com/2009/11/20/homemade-letterpress/
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Mrs. Eggplant, San Francisco
Age and Occupation: 28, Human Resources
Fiance's Age and Occupation: 24, Associate Marketing Manager
Engagement Date: January 19, 2007
Wedding Date: October 20, 2007
Blogging Since: May 31, 2007
Venue: Ceremony at a cement and stained glass cathedral and reception at a boutique hotel ballroom
About Me: I'm a shopping junkie who lives to discover great deals and a craft addict that loves to scrapbook and knit. My profile picture was taken on the day I got engaged which is why my smile is so huge!
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