As a graphic design student at the University of Delaware, I was lucky enough to be introduced to the letterpress printing process. My professors strongly urged my fellow classmates and I to use Raven Press, UD’s own letterpress studio, as composing type truly teaches you to understand the importance of typography and typesetting. It was in my junior year that I first used the studio to create a poster keepsake for my a cappella group. I realized what a wonderfully unique process it was and decided to continue exploring it.

My senior year I interned at a small letterpress + design studio where I learned the business aspect of custom designed greetings and invitations. From then on, I was completely hooked. My last semester I took an independent study in Raven Press and created an artist book based on my love of mermaids. This only pushed my desire to have my own small press business, Mermade, now on its way.

After graduating from VC (the visual communications program), it became my dream to one day have my very own letterpress design studio. Of course, I knew it would take time. I mean, how the heck was I going to get a letterpress? They’re huge, heavy (they weigh an actual ton!) and I hadn’t the slightest idea where to get one. I frequented Briarpress.org from time to time, checking out cuts and caps, until one day I happened upon the classifieds for presses. After scrolling down through pages of ads for presses in California and Canada, I almost moved on until I saw a little MD at the bottom of the page. Laytonsville had a 8×12 Chandler and Price press for sale at a price I couldn’t refuse. Holy crap. And to add more fuel to my fire, they added in a Hoe Press for free. I knew that was my chance. It was a now or never situation.

After a lot of thought, I realized the situation I put myself into called for one thing; help. And luckily I knew just where to find it. There was no way I could have both presses in my posession. The Washington & Hoe press was humongous, not practical for the designs I had in mind and it weighed about 3,000 lbs. What the heck was I going to do with that? So, I called up my professors and told them the situation. I asked if they would help me move the Chandler & Price, and in return I would donate the Hoe to the Raven Press. And that’s exactly what happaned.

On a hot July day in 2007, Bill Deering, Mike Kaylor and myself hitched those presses up to Baltimore. The entire process took about 6 hours, including contemplation of movement, drilling wood planks to the bottom for stability and then actually moving them with pipes. We drove on the highway at speeds of 40mph until we reached Baltimore. Bill and Mike left me with words of wisdom (how to clean it, what I needed in terms of rollers, grips, etc.) and went on their way up the Delaware. And that’s the story of how I got my baby.

One last thing; why were there 2 random printing presses in the middle of nowhere MD? It just so happens that a man named Dennis Walston had a small printing business called Grasshopper Press. He passed away that year and left all his posessions to his family. They then had an estate sale, but no one has an interest in the presses. That’s when his brother Greg put an ad in Briarpress and I then stumbled upon it.

So now I’m walking the path to a big dream. I’ll let you know when I get there!