For a letterpress printer, there's nothing more fun than seeing a Heidelberg in the papers! So Letterpress printing and the Star Tribune?! ... well... sorta! We were visited last week by a writer and photographer from the Star Tribune. They we're researching for an article that came out last Sunday. The article was in celebration of the 1st anniversary of the light rail titled "University Avenue, Hopes are High!" The article mentioned our little shop and talked some about what the light rail has meant for us. If you haven't seen the article or are just curious about the new beginnings here on University Ave, we welcome you to visit the Star Tribune and read the article for yourself! Many thanks to the Tribune and all the supporters and small biz owners here on the Ave! - also - my friends tell me this pic makes me look old. .. boo.

This is another customer submitted design which became a favorite of the season around the shop. The layout clearly observes the typical rules of invitations with things like hierarchy, balance,  weight and a gentle hand. On the other hand,  the groom and brides names are completely different fonts, there are at least 4 + different fonts being used and the card was cut to a custom size for specialty envelopes. I won't say what company the designer works for by day but I will say her work combines fashion and the outdoors on the daily. Being this was a Wisconsin wedding, It's clear this is a case of the bride and designer being a fantastic match! - reflex blue on fluorescent white single ply.

Kristen and Nicholas are super-ultimate Minnesota Wild fans.  When they approached us with the idea to turn the standard wedding invitation into something a little more edgy, the idea wheel started churning.

We thought: only a die hard fan would allow hockey tickets for their wedding invitations.  But not only were Kristen and Nicholas completely receptive to the idea--they loved it.  The gloves were off! To put it mildly, the ticket concept was uniquely them.  Few other invitations we've designed here in the letterpress shop can compare to the intensity of these. Two-color, color overlays, a little trapping and perforation along one side for that ticket stub look; These invites have all the bells and referee whistles!

We want to thank the couple for their creativity, trust and willingness to be a little more daring than the norm.  The results of this round of printing were incredible and wouldn't have been possible without their team spirit.  The popularity of this invitation has surpassed all our expectations, wildly popular among sports fans, travel aficionados and Minnesota natives.

Visit the letterpress blog for more sweet hi-sticking invitation awesomeness!

Every now and again I'll stay a little late to get us just a little ahead of the game. When the work day is through, everything is silent. Just as I was about to turn out the last light, I decided to take a quick couple of pics. The lighting was a little dramatic and after a long day of running presses, all I could think about was good my presses are to me. I love my machines.

Recently in the shop, it's been all about the silver ink on black paper!  After experimenting with various colors of ink, the silver wins out every time. The silver ink yields the sharpest results... hands down. Silver is considered to be the most opaque color available. Opaque white inks pale in comparison to the luminosity of silver ink.  White ink never prints purely white; it comes out more of a muddy gray than anything else.  So instead, we highly recommend using silver. Have a looky-loo for yourself.

Check out the letterpress blog for more in the near future.

Can you believe it!?!? It's only been a year since we arrived here in the Minneapolis, St Paul area. It's been an exciting year, with lots of growth. New presses, interns, and babies (or at least one baby). With the great year we've decided to move to somewhat larger digs. We're moving to 2500 University Ave. Unit D6. New shop features hardwood floors, twelve-foot ceiling, and five presses. Above is a pic of the space prior to our moving. We will be sure to post updated shop pics once we are all settled in. Until then, much love to all you fabulous letterpress people. Check back often for more updates.

xoxo

DJL

That's right folks. Tomorrow is our due date! At this point, we're pretty certain that the baby action will not be happening tomorrow but then again... you never know. Above I've included a picture of Natalie quietly talking to the baby. I think she's asking him if he's got plans tomorrow. I guess we'll find out. In the mean time, it's back to the wedding invitation printing for me and back to the couch for Natalie. Keep checking back if you're interested.

Oh yeah... FYI ~ I sometimes write about letterpress printing too. So... if you're into that, I promise things will be back to "letterpress awesomeness" in no time.

xo - DJL

Last Friday Dick and Jane Letterpress took a little day trip to the University of Minnesota. We received invitation to their St. Paul campus for a visit with a fine fellow by the name of James Boyd-Brent. James has been hard at work collecting an ensemble of letterpress equipment for their blossoming letterpress courses. Just a quick four block walk from our shop to McNeal Hall, the studio is simply too intriguing to pass up a visit. The walls were lined with type cabinets and the shop currently consists of a couple Vandercook Proof presses along with a hand press in AMAZING condition. We spent a hour or so discussing the shop and the many possibilities of the program. With the semester now at an end we are eagerly awaiting the fall term to begin so that we can drop in once more for additional letterpress photos and discussion. Admittedly, the photos are a little lower quality than I'd prefer but I was using the iphone camera.

enjoy!

xo - DJL

Greetings all!

With the change in weather and the ramp up to the wedding season, we're making a push to get the website updated as quickly as possible! We've noticed that the most popular pages on our site are our Gallery, Wedding Collections and of course, Pricing. Some of the things we're currently updating include the gallery and the shopping cart. A couple other items on the list for build-out include our Flickr page and of course our Blog.

Have you had something printed by Dick and Jane Letterpress recently? If so, you wedding invitiations may be posted to the updated gallery! We've collected a completely new folder of images all taken over the last couple months from recent work. Projects include coasters, record jackets, wedding invitations, save-the-dates, stationary and all kinds of other printed goodies. As mentioned above, we are updating the online shop.

Maybe you noticed a design you liked but you're just in the price shopping phase right now. No problem! We're creating a customized quote request form which asks ALL the important questions. Upon completion of the form you will receive a formal quote along with additional details and information to assist you in your invitation shopping process. Oh yeah.. all in a window of 24 hours!

Computers are awesome!

A great big THANKS to Minnesota Bride Magazine! Minnesota Bride Magazine was gracious enough to post a super awesome review of our shop and services on their blog today! What a great Friday surprise!

Click here to read.

Have you visited the Minnesota bride Magazine blog lately? Minnesota Bride magazine is a great tool for brides seacrhing for resources in the twin cities and surounding areas. Being one of the only locally operated bridal publications, their knowledge of the area and resources is priceless. Check 'em out!

xo - DJL