Below is a list of our presses and descriptions of their printing capabilities:
Offset Printing Press
Letterpresses
Wide-Format Printing
RISO Digital Duplicator
Etching Press
Offset Printing Press
Heidelberg Offset Lithographic Press (GTO52)
- 14 x 20″ maximum sheet size.
- Planographic printing process: both ink receptive and rejecting areas are at the same height (plane).
- The printing plate is dampened with water and then inked with each revolution, while the plate image is “offset” onto a rubber blanket which then transfers ink to the paper. The plate is also right-reading because of this intermediate step.
- Due to the precise register offered by the GTO, this press will print both spot and process colors (Black, Cyan, Magenta, Yellow).
Letterpresses
- Heidelberg Cylinder Letterpress
- 15 x 20.5″ maximum sheet size.
- Relief printing process: area to be inked is raised above non-inked area and transfers ink received from rollers onto paper.
- This press dominated the print process from the time of Gutenberg until 1962, when offset litho eclipsed letterpress with its speed and quality.
- Our cylinder letterpress was manufactured in 1956.
- Die-cutting capability
- Heidelberg Windmill Letterpress
- 10 x 15″ maximum sheet size.
- Manufactured from 1913 until 1976, over 170,000 Windmills were made for relief printing, die-cutting, foil stamping and embossing.
- Windmill letterpresses are still widely used today.
back to top
Wide-Format Printing
Epson 9000 Photographic Dye Printer with Fiery 5100 Rip
- 44″ width by 30′ maximum sheet size
- 1140 x 720 dpi resolution
- 6 color print head
- Prints from either sheet or roll paper, fabric, transparent plastic and board up to 1/8″ thick.
- Untreated ink fade resistance is 30 years, extendable to 200 years with UV protective coating.
back to top
RISO Digital Duplicator
- Prints from top scanner (like a photocopier) or from PostScript digital computer files.
- Print process is stencil — like GOCO — in which heat from an infrared diode melts a waxy material on the stencil material to create an opening for ink to flow through.
- Spot color device: by changing print drums, different colors can be printed, one color at a time.
- RISO is easy, inexpensive, and fun! Ask us about exploring overprinting options using different colored inks onto colored papers.
- 600 dpi resolution
back to top
Etching Press
Sturges Etching Press
Along with San Francisco-based artist Jane Grossenbacher, we recently welcomed a beautiful Sturges etching press into our shop. This gorgeous press handles a wide variety of non-toxic intaglio printmaking techniques using copper plates, including polymer photogravure, freehand toner-wash printmaking and other more experimental printmaking projects!
back to top