Jennifer, Principal Designer & Printer, She/Her
I’ve been at the press since 1996, cutting my teeth at the venerable Fireproof Press right here in the Windy City. I struck out on my own in 1999, armed with the ideals of a Luddite and ridiculous notions of keeping letterpress as old school as possible. Educated at the school of hard knocks (otherwise known as running a small business,) I’m proud that Starshaped has stayed true to the mission of preserving the tools of letterpress printing while pushing the craft forward and contributing to the vibrant print community. My work has appeared in many books, magazines and blogs, is in many private & library collections and has been exhibited all over the world.
Read a conversation with my pal Rick Griffith in Print Magazine.

Jo, Printer’s Devil, They/Them
Jo has been on press for 10 years and is responsible for cleaning the studio, sorting wood type and packing Print Club subscriptions. Jo is passionate about music and occasionally produces zines in the shop.

I’ve lectured and taught at:
Partners in Print
AIGA
American Printing History Association
Hamilton Wood Type & Printing Museum
Kalamazoo Book Arts Center
Wells College Book Arts Center
Penland School of Crafts
International Printing Museum
Signal Return
School of Visual Concepts
Pacific Lutheran University
University of Arizona
Western New York Book Arts Center
Columbia College Book & Paper Arts Center
among many more.

I was the Hamilton Wood Type & Printing Museum Visiting Artist for 2019-2022 and a Newberry Library Weinberg Fellow in 2018. My print work has won numerous awards, including multiple appearances in the STA 100, and has repeatedly been featured in How and uppercase magazines. Starshaped hosted and programmed the 2015 Amalgamated Printers' Association Wayzgoose in Chicago and has been recognized in many books, magazines and on blogs.