DIY Letterpress

What can you do with a Sizzix Big Shot, some good paper like this, or this, and the fine folks at Boxcar Press?

Print your own pandemic-era letterpress wedding invitations, that’s what! Or stationery, or rustic business cards, or birth announcements, or art prints, or anything you can imagine in two dimensions that’s around 6”x9” or smaller.

Step One: Getting Your Supplies

One important prerequisite to doing your own letterpress printing is having digital design capacity. Or you will need access to someone who does in order to get a letterpress plate made of what you want to print. Boxcar Press offers a wealth of information on how to prepare design files so they can make beautiful plates for you. In fact, they tell you everything you need to know about homemade letterpress, so just read their whole website for starters.

You’ll also need materials:

A Sizzix Big Shot Machine - This device is not made specifically for letterpress, and I don’t even understand what people use this machine for. Cutting out shapes for scrapbooking or something? But the Sizzix Big Shot can also pull an inked letterpress plate and paper “sandwich” through rollers at an even pressure to make an imprint on the paper, and that’s all I care about. (According to The Internet, there was a machine for DIY letterpress—the “Lifestyle Crafts L Letterpress Platform Kit.” But this doesn’t seem to be on the market anymore.) You’ll also need the standard platform and pair of cutting pads that should already come with the Sizzix machine when you buy it.

Masking tape - You’ll use this to make a hinge for your cutting pads to close together like a book.

A brayer and inking plate - You’ll roll the brayer in ink on your inking plate then apply to your letterpress plate. I find a smaller width brayer to be better for clean and precise application of ink to the letterpress plate.

Henry gage pins - These are super helpful guides for positioning paper in the correct spot on your Sizzix pads. Get these from Boxcar when you order your plates.

Rubber based ink - Also from Boxcar press.

Paper - Thick paper that makes a deep impression is the natural choice for letterpress. Legion Paper has a beautiful selection of letterpress papers. For my wedding invitation project, I used this handmade paper from Idyll. It didn’t showcase the letterpress impression as much as a smoother sheet would have, but it was a gorgeous combination in its own right.

Rags and solvent - You’ll need this for cleaning up. Soft cotton rags made from cut up t-shirts work well. More on solvent later.

Next Step: Printing

Come back soon for the next installment on letterpress printing.