A design + analog printing studio in Los Angeles

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design + letterpress printing in Los Angeles, California

Posts tagged presshaus LA
Ashley Donohue's Business Cards

Well done business cards are an investment and you want to get done right. Interior Designer, Ashley Donohue, first came with a handful of color swatches to choose from. Instead of choosing one scheme to print, we chose them all! The trio of colors worked so well together. Put two creatives together (imagine us on the phone going back and forth on color + finishes), and this is what happens. We couldn't decide on only one.

During production, the logo side was originally slated for white ink on colored paper. The teal colored card shows this original idea with a silver - white foil with a subtle metallic sheen. For the other cards, we selected foils in a similar tone as the paper to match the dusty rose + marigold colors. The information side of the card has both a blind debossed logo + info in the coordinating ink. Both side were mounted together to make a sturdy card, about 200#, not too thick.

We went the extra mile for Ashley and the outcome is an inseparable trio of cards.

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Oh Joy's birth announcement

Update: Feb 9,2015

You can see more about these prints on Oh Joy's site and her process of how she put them together from photography, styling, to print. Click through to her site below.



This is quite late but I waited to post this until after the holidays.

We were tapped to print a striking print for Oh Joy announcing the birth of her second daughter Coco Grace. Joy provided the layout and the idea to print an ombre split fountain of fluorescent red to fluorscent purple over a photograph of little Coco. We digitally printed the photos on 130# stock , not too thick to resist those refridgerator magnets, and then ran the prints through the letterpress machine for name and birth details.  

It was so fun to have Joy and her mini Ruby come by the studio for visits. Ruby with hands-on ink tests definitely approved of the colors for her new baby sister!

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Take a look at our Challenge press with the split fountain. It was the perfect press for the job with the hand cranked inking system to help retain the color separation.

Take a look at our Challenge press with the split fountain. It was the perfect press for the job with the hand cranked inking system to help retain the color separation.

A closeup of the neon purple to neon red gradient

A closeup of the neon purple to neon red gradient


day-of paperie

This Autumn season is filled with weddings. Not sure what it is about 2013, but this year had more wedding toward the end of the year than the usual "wedding season" in spring/early summer. For a few weddings, I've been lucky to also create matching Day-of paper goods for the wedding including namecards, signs, menus and favor tags all matching the invitation of course. 

Last week, I've been busy with ink and a calligraphy more than at the press wheeling paper through.  Here are some Day-of goods I've been working on lately.

-k

 

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calligraphy hashtag signs

calligraphy hashtag signs

Hawaiian dessert signs

Hawaiian dessert signs

Robin + Johanna's 11x17 hand-painted signs for kids to hold while marching down the aisle.

Robin + Johanna's 11x17 hand-painted signs for kids to hold while marching down the aisle.

Presshaus LA + Masunaga + #whatsyourcraft
Kristine Arellano + Masunaga

A few weeks ago I was asked to be a part of this special project hosted by Masunaga Optical, a Japanese optical company that has been creating eyewear since 1905. Yep, nineteen-o-five- before the Great Gatsby era, World War anything, but letterpress existed!
At the time, I didn't know much about the project other than their request to film me letterpress printing and other artists being tapped to do the same. Sure. Why not?

​They came into my studio with a crew of folks, lights and lots of glasses for me to try on. I must've tried on 40 frames that day! While trying them on Ron was saying that each frame was still handled with care and filed by hand. Point being there's craftsmanship in eyewear that we take for granted.

Now after seeing the fruit of the project weeks later, I'm thrilled to be a part of this elite group of artists. There are no "slouches" here!

Mark "Crash" McCreery // Creature Designer
• Melody Ehsani // Jewelry Designer
Guy Dill // Scupltor
• Leah Katz // Musician- viola
America Martin // Painter
Tim Campbell // Architect
Jeremy Fox // Chef
Matt Jones // Scupltor + Welder

Beyond a video, I had a good friend of mine call me other day telling me " I know we're overdue to hang out, but why is there a huge poster of you hanging in a window on Sunset!?" I was ecstatic! I have yet to see it with my own eyes, but I'll have to take my mom and husband to see this poster! They'll be floored. Perhaps I can ask for the poster when they're done with it to give to my mom next Mother's Day? ha!​

Need some new glasses? Take advantage!
They're giving away
FREE glasses. Instagram a pic of you and your craft with the tag #WHATSYOURCRAFT.

Thanks Masunaga + Dan Deutsch Optical + Davida + Penumbra Pictures + Justina
// xoxo