Letterpress Printing
Letterpressing, uses a technique that is evident in the word itself. Raised metal engraving types imprint words and designs on a page. This form of printing was used by Gutenberg’s printing press. It can be used in business cards, letterheads, and other forms of quick printing. Letterpressing is the oldest form of printing with equipment, and is declining. The decline is due to other quicker processing techniques, like lithography and flexography. The process involves exerting pressure on medium like flexography, but the oriented areas are raised above the non-print area. Instead of multiple cylinders sliding around, letterpressing uses a plate cylinder that travels around an impression cylinder. From here the medium is then cooled, packaged, and sent off to sell.