Sowing 19th Century Seeds

At the end of every year, I like to send out a New Year card to family, friends and Starshaped supporters. This time around, I wanted to dig into my collection of nineteenth-century type to see what I could create.

Nineteenth-century type presents a number of challenges when setting it as much of it was created prior to the development of the point system for measuring type in 1887 (shout out, Chicago!) This means working with a variety of sizes not necessarily designed to play well together as different foundries had different ideas of sizing. Imagine Tetris with individual, uniquely-sized blocks vs. uniform ones that still have to work together to advance the game.
As you can see from the form image below, the spacing (darker) material is hodgepodge all over the place to fill the gaps around odd-sized ornaments. This was as tidy as I could get it; as a rule, the less spacing you need to absolutely hold together a form correctly, the easier your lockup will be when getting ready to print.

Much of the ornament for this card was produced at Mackellar, Smiths & Jordan in Philadelphia, though some is marked ‘Johnson’, a precursor foundry affiliated with MSJ.

These specimen books are incredibly helpful for identifying small, seemingly random bits of ornament as part of systems. It’s also informative to know how they were designed to go together to create larger imagery. Most of the collections show the initial set of individual pieces in the middle with surrounding ideas of how to work with them.

My card uses a set of angled-looking ornaments that are on rectangular bases but in sections so that they can be built to whatever configuration of space needs to be filled.

The scan below is from the MSJ book, but I’ve erased the pieces I don’t have so that I can focus on digitally building forms with what’s available. I often start with rough sketches, digital mockups and then fight with the actual type to get it to work the way I want.

Combination ornaments make an appearance on the card. They’re a bit worn from use so it’s nice to see them in their original, delicate state. Wear and tear on type is common, even with newly cast type. The makeup of the metal used for casting can vary widely between foundries and some is harder than others. I find that, in general, the older the type is in the studio, the more durable it is. That said, there’s a balance between what is worn in a good, printable way and that which is beyond use. I shoot for the best print possible but allow the flaws; if a perfect print is desired, use a computer. The scars are a testament to the life of these objects.

A few corner ornaments come from this set that I acquired a few years ago (yes, even the dogs! Notice one is on his side!) Thanks to Laura at Pinwheel Press for finding this reference image. Chicago Type Foundry is otherwise known at Marder & Luse, a foundry that (just barely) survived the Great Chicago Fire in 1871, then went on to standardize the point system.

If you don’t have the access to or money to own original specimen books, I highly recommend The Handy Book of Artistic Printing for incredible samples of what letterpress printers did with metal type and ornament to compete with commercial lithography in the late 1800s. I often reference it for ideas and color combos, as well as to revel in the talents of my predecessors. Find it at your favorite indie bookshop!

The final New Year cards are 7x5” and printed on my last bit of Zerkall paper (this German papermaker ceased operation in the past few years following centuries of production). I sweated over, but was successful, at locking up the complex form to print on the 1923 Chandler & Price press in the shop.

I added a homemade chipboard extension to a gripper to help hold the paper down as it went in, given it’s a lightweight stock that wants to fly away. There are all kinds of ways to do this but my configuration was the quickest given the lockup I put together.

Here’s a bit more detail on the corners, along with the type form.

I also printed envelopes as some inevitably make their way back to the shop and it’s handy to know who didn’t receive one.

Wanting to pop the text blocks a bit, I carved a simple linoleum cut and inked it with a very pale moss green, that was, in fact, mostly transparent ink. Linoleum blocks are the easiest way to add a block of color to prints.

As the current caretaker of these materials, it’s important to me that they don’t just sit in boxes like a prize; while they have value, to me, this is represented in their staying power and ability to hold up over more than a century. Some find their way onto custom client projects and some on former Print Club pieces. At any rate, my job is to care for them, document the collections and be ready to pass them on when I’m no longer able to print. How many other printers have done just that.
I may have extra cards… if so and you’d like one, please reach out.

25 Years of Starshaped: People & Places

Starshaped may be a one-woman shop, but it would have been impossible to get the shop where it is today without the people and places that formed my ideas of print and community. In no particular order, here are a few of those relationships built over the past 25 years.

John Upchurch was the man behind Fireproof Press, the magic place where I learned how to print while finishing a design degree. Focused on music packaging and offbeat ephemera, Fireproof was ahead of its time in producing letterpress printed projects that gave visuals to a burgeoning DIY scene. The sum of knowledge about print, business and life I gained while there and after it closed can’t be measured. This ongoing friendship is one I value; seeing my kid build a relationship with John and his family makes my heart sing.

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For a few great years, we decked out our Madsen cargo bike and rode to events and Kidical Mass rides, sharing the fun of print with kids (and adults!) We started with a small Sigwalt press mounted to the back, then swapped it for two homemade galley presses. You can see more about the Press Bike here. While we have no plans to revisit the experience, it’s always a possibility for the future.

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Paul Aken and his Platen Press Museum were absolutely pivotal in my development as a printer. I met Paul the summer of 2001 at a print conference. I started visiting the museum once a week to round out my knowledge of printing and to pitch in with maintenance and type identification. Sadly, Paul died this fall and we are left with memories and a building full of history. I’ll be sharing more details and experiences with Paul, as well as the museum and its future, soon.

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The Chicago Printers Guild was assembled by a bunch of local, scrappy printmakers and has grown to encompass printers from many disciplines. With regular meetings and events, it’s an opportunity for newly arrived or young printers to find an instant community. Pieces from members are also collected and archived at the Chicago Public Library. Starshaped was there from the beginning and throughout its growth. I encourage all Chicago-based printmakers to join!

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Typeforce is a yearly local show featuring work that incorporates type in interesting or new ways. The shows always display an eclectic mix of projects, ranging from the hand drawn to elaborate digital creations. I’ve had three projects included that involved a lot of work but netted great results. You can read more about them here, here and here.

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Mr. Starshaped came into my life when the studio was a young toddler. A staunch supporter of what he called ‘the family business,’ he was instrumental in providing emotional and physical heavy lifting. A proud member of IATSE Local 2 stagehands, it was this group that made it possible to move smoothly into the current studio and recently, for Jo, now in a wheelchair, to move easily into our home. We lost Mr. S in 2016 to an aggressive cancer but his support will always be part of the history of the shop.

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In 2017, I was a Newberry Library Fellow. Given my limited experience with higher ed and not being a scholar/researcher, this was an honor. I spent a lot of time researching elements that would ultimately guide my typo-speci-memoir, The City is My Religion. It also cemented a partnership that has seen collaborations on numerous prints and a hand-drawn rendering of the mosaic floors in the library for promotional purposes.

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I spent one blissful 2019 week at John Horn’s Shooting Star Press in Little Rock, Arkansas, alongside Jo, Jessica Spring, Geri McCormick and Delita Martin. John’s shop is special to me because of how organized and accessible his thousands of typefaces and ornaments are. It’s a veritable treasure trove and I furiously created two prints over the course of the week. Our relationship has grown over time and John is a huge supporter of Starshaped. Bonus shot of superstar Jessica!

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The studio has been involved in two documentaries about hometown heroine, Ida B. Wells. The first was this one, produced for our local PBS station, and featured an actress as Ida, communicating with my pal, Ben Blount, shown here on the press. I set type to mimic Wells’ original pamphlets for Ben to print on camera. The second also featured the life and work of Richard Hunt; you can learn more about it here.

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It’s important to me to celebrate those carrying on the craft of typecasting. Whenever I see someone creating something new, I grab it (if it’s appropriate for work in the shop). Two examples are from Val Lucas and Russell Maret. Val has been learning the art of type design for casting and has produced a number of borders, ornaments and type. Russell is a well-known and accomplished book artist who has thankfully shared his type designs with the rest of us.

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While Hamilton Wood Type has been around for a very long time, the Hamilton Wood Type & Printing Museum shares their 25th anniversary with Starshaped. Between 2019-2022, I was their Visiting Artist and worked on two large-scale projects. The first was Ham at 20, a collection of prints created by printers around the country in celebration of the museum’s 20th anniversary. The second was a print installation for my final year and the first in-person wayzgoose in 2022 following pandemic restrictions. You Are Here featured buildings made from deconstructed and retooled prints made while at Hamilton. The ‘windows’ included responses to prompts by the print community. Read all about it here.

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Many fantastic and talented interns have passed through the studio. Most stay for a few weeks and one never left. Lindsay Schmittle was a short termer while finishing college and went on to start Gingerly Press. Raychel Steinbach showed up one day and hasn’t left. She has developed her own wonderful work under the name Current Location Press. I’m immensely proud of these two friends and it’s a privilege to be a small part of their journeys.

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Jo is the studio’s printers devil and a regular fixture for the past 18 years. Their first printing at 3 years old was photographed and immortalized at Paul’s Platen Press Museum. While Jo will not be continuing the ‘family business,’ they have a deep appreciation for craft, running a business and developing the kind of friendships, collaborations and projects that make the struggles worthwhile.

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Thanks for reading along and for 25 years of support!

25 Years of Starshaped: Prints & Projects

Printing with a special collection of metal and wood type has always been at the heart of what I do at Starshaped. Sharing this collection with clients and collaborators means we’re preserving the materials through production. Here are a few prints and projects that affected the direction of the studio and cemented my ideas about the kinds of pieces that should be produced.

Starshaped began not long after Fireproof Press closed, forcing me to go it alone. I took on a bunch of work that would have been printed at Fireproof, and started picking up work on my own, like these Shellac tickets made for Stormy Records. The idea of Starshaped felt like a viable pursuit when I did an interview for Punk Planet magazine. I’m still immensely proud of this experience as it aligned then and now with my approach to the craft of printing and where it fits in the larger culture.

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I’ve been able to collaborate on projects with people I deeply respect and admire. One of these great clients is the band Ida, a staple of my developing years. We created a few different posters and music packages over the years. I’ve had the pleasure to work with other favorites, such as Naomi of Damon & Naomi/Galaxie 500 and Kristen Thompson of Tsunami on personal projects.

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I’ve had multiple opportunities to design ornaments as well, for both wood and metal type. I’ve worked with Moore Wood Type to laser cut pieces for the Print Club as well as Bowerbox Press on catchwords. In 2016, I collaborated with Three Ton Bridge at the Bixler Letterfoundry to produce two collections of Chicago-inspired architectural ornaments. Read about these here.

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Passionate clients have contributed so much to the success of Starshaped. Many come back, time and again, for new projects and I’m always grateful. Often, their projects are too personal to share on the site, but Nora and Brian are happy to share; in this example, a print made their first year of marriage and their tenth. It’s an honor to be part of so many moments for so many folks.

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The first time I built a skyline of ornaments was for Reetu and William’s wedding invitations. This sparked further explorations of the concept on many, many forthcoming invitations, for cities far and wide. The City of Big Ornaments collection can be seen here.

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Another ongoing partnership is with Christy Bennett, a musician and teacher in the neighborhood. Her projects are always interesting and intricate, involving research about songs, styles and women’s roles in songwriting. On the most recent CD collaboration, I also worked with Judith Mayer, who created the fantastic illustration of Irene Higginbotham.

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Over the years, I’ve developed a handful of self-promotional pieces for the shop, some of them award-winning. Often these were designed and built to showcase collections of typefaces and styles and to celebrate the versatility of type. The 2020 promotional mailer was made in lieu of being able to have any in-person celebrations and was mailed to the usual cast of characters that came out for open houses. It looked like the building Starshaped inhabits and included a playlist, a bottle opener and tiny notebook.

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Occasionally, interesting and historic printing plates find their way to the studio, often from other printers. When possible and appropriate, I’ve printed them and rounded out their designs with additional colors. They’re important artifacts in the history of printing but also create work to sell, thereby supporting the studio.

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In 2020, I was one of a collection of nationwide letterpress printers creating cover designs for Field Notes. This project took over the shop for weeks that summer, and even Bean, a new puppy at the time, got in on the action. Check out all of the covers and more about the series.

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Around 2015, I started considering projects that would fall under the Book Arts genre. With the success of early books, I explore portfolios of prints and unique structures. I was immensely proud of my first catalog of work and the sales that came in after shopping it around to libraries and collectors. It’s the most exciting area of work for me as it’s the most challenging and thoughtful.

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CHIRP, or the Chicago Independent Radio Project, is an absolute gift of music and culture. A completely independent radio station, both over the air and streaming, its people are huge proponents of indie music and the local scene. We’ve worked together on a number of projects over the years and here are just a few.

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Whenever new type comes into the studio, I do my best to get it proofed. These proofs aren’t fancy; they’re just black and white and easy to scan. When there are 3 or more typefaces in the same family, they get their own proof card. Almost all of the ornaments are proofed as well. This has been a great project for past interns as they need to learn all of the steps to print, from typesetting to makeready on a press. Many hands have made this essential studio tool a reality!

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Thanks for reading along and for 25 years of support!

Mom Losing Trust in Medical System

Mom losing trust in medical system. I LOLed when I saw this recent note from our nurse in my kid’s file. The joke is on you, I thought. I lost trust in the medical system the night Jo was born, nearly 18 years ago.
Without sharing deeply personal details regarding health history, I’m hoping to briefly summarize what 2024 has been for myself, my child and ultimately, Starshaped.

Respiration was printed in 2019, as Jo struggled with the side effects of radiation. Read more about it here.

In 2018, Jo had chest radiation following a number of tumor resections. Radiation left a wake of disaster that, coupled with pre-existing issues and those greatly exacerbated by this toxic dump, has meant a steady decline in overall health ever since. In February of this year, Jo had a routine procedure that turned out to be anything but, leading to a massive infection and a hard drop off the cliff to which we clutched. Since then, Jo has been in the hospital more than out; when not inpatient, appointments are as frequent as 3-5 times a week. ‘Progress’ looks like two steps back, one forward, if we’re having a decent week.

Just one of many attempts at design projects in the middle of night, waiting on scans.

For those with chronic health conditions, meaning those that don’t ‘get well soon’, what I write will not be news. The quick shift of blame to the patient for a condition not obvious on tests, that requires multiple specialties to talk to each other, is as present in medicine as the ubiquitous blood pressure cuff. Throw in a teenage body assigned female at birth and it’s even worse. It has not been uncommon this year to hear: ‘It’s all in your head. Let’s get psyche involved.’ ‘Try harder!’ ‘Have you looked on the internet?’ ‘Why does a diagnosis matter?’ And nothing stings quite like ‘close the loop’ corporate speak, which serves to remind us that it’s private equity bros behind healthcare and not necessarily the Hippocratic Oath.

It's all in your head... something Jo has heard since the tender age of 11, despite having tumors so rare there's no pediatric doc in the country dealing with them.

We drag ourselves to multiple institutions as no one hospital can offer everything a chronically ill person needs; more often than not, it’s private pay clinics outside of the system that offer the most hope and help, further separating the haves and have-nots. Not every doctor is equipped to handle the nuance of a multidisciplinary approach to complex situations, and hospitals often do more harm than good. A lot of late nights are spent spiraling into Pub Med studies with a dictionary next to me, piecing together new ways to look for clarity and how to demand the help we need. How can I adequately advocate for people and places Starshaped has always supported when I can barely do so for my child? That said, remember to vote for those not actively campaigning against the freedom to read.

Printed in 2023, Tummy Ache is a print/artist book that combines what we've heard in doctor's offices in regards to GI issues, coupled with those heard by other community members. Grateful for the deeply distressing comments that were shared with us for this project.

2024 is Starshaped’s 25th year. In 2019, when the shop turned 20, I spent a considerable amount of time planning, updating marketing strategies, tweaking our online presence and scheduling events. The work paid off and it was the first lucrative year since the loss of my husband in 2016. The plans for this year were as ambitious but derailed by the steep decline in Jo’s health and the full time job of caregiving (I see your never-ending work load, caregivers of the world). Most custom jobs had to be declined or put on hold. Output has largely been limited to the Print Club and I’m eternally grateful to subscribers. A new artist book sits on galleys, waiting to be printed. I’ve turned down countless offers to speak and teach, dying a little inside every time. 2024 is substantially less celebratory but we are cautiously optimistic a few of our regularly scheduled fall events can continue, like the upcoming Ravenswood Art Walk.

I’m embarrassed by the lack of output this year. I hate feeling like the world is passing by. I miss seeing shows, movies, galleries and perusing book stores, seeing friends and having unlimited time to print, especially when it creates a sense of calm and acceptance. Jo and I share a lot of grief because my ‘medically complex child’ (system speak) is 17 and should be enjoying the independence of a young adult, not feeling like they are reliant on a parent to help them with tasks as seemingly simple as putting on shoes.

I uncomfortably write this State of the Studio, as I’m reluctant to share major bummer details when everyone is fighting something somewhere. There’s also not a lot of time to do so, between constant cleaning, yard work, schooling at home, keeping the business going and figuring out how to clear out a garage and build a wheelchair ramp on top of daily caregiving. I write to ask for grace and to thank those who have stepped up in any way, even to purchase a card or print. There is no end in sight right now for the burden of managing care at this level, but the idea of hope is never completely out of the picture, thanks in large part to our community. We hope to see you soon.

21st Century Marriage, 19th Century Style

The thing that drew me to letterpress printing nearly 25 years ago was the type. Seeing all of these disparate letters and ornaments come together to create limitless imagery and text had me hooked from Day One. It’s one of the reasons I still focus on crafting all pieces from metal and wood type, alongside the fact that centenary type still has a lot of life to live and it’s the most eco-friendly option for printing.
This spring I printed wedding invitations for a couple who also love the idea of working with historic metal types. They particularly liked the styles within the Yes We Can Can collection of invitations, given that this set focuses on 19th century type and ornament.

When starting a custom project, I chat with folks to get a sense of what they want and love, as well as the basic specs that are required. Then I look through the collection to pull ideas from the type and ornament that seem most appropriate. Here are a few of the proof cards that contain type samples from the studio that could work for this job.

Most of the type I have is printed and scanned into my computer, with a few exceptions that are easier to set specifically for a given project. I then build a digital composite that’s pretty close to what the final looks like, so that we can work quickly via pdfs to tweak what will be the final design. This is a snippet of the digital proof.

Then the type gets pulled and set. I really enjoy the physicality of this process, of getting all of the ornaments in place and the type aligned. A few non-19th century faces also made their way into the mix.You can see evidence of this throughout time, as shops added new typefaces and combined them with the old. And some newer typefaces are design with a nod to the past and ‘play well’ with their older cousins.
This invitation also features mortised initials, used for the first letter of their names. They have a long extension– the piece of type is not the standard rectangle but more L-shaped– so that they can be combined with other typefaces.

Much of this beautiful type is well over 100 years old. I have a decent collection that I keep in boxes for its protection and to easily find what I need when I need it.

Some of the ornaments used for this invitation were made by MacKellar, Smiths & Jordan, formerly of Philadelphia, though many of mine are marked ‘Johnson’, the foundry that predates but became MSJ. This means they’re likely closer to 150 years old. The specimen book I reference in the studio dates to 1890.

These beautiful pages show endless samples of border and ornament collections and are incredibly helpful when it comes to figuring out how they’re all meant to come together. They function as both a sales tool and a glorious sampling of design work at the time, or at least design work to which one could aspire.

Erica and Adam wanted an image that included hummingbirds on the back of their invitations so I started from these sources to get ideas for something that would be in keeping with the rest of the ornaments.

I sketched a number of elements from the book and retooled them to be appropriate for the project.

When absolutely necessary, I have magnesium plates made for custom imagery that’s too detailed or small for linoleum cuts. The magnesium is mounted on wood that makes it type high, or the same height as all of the other type (.918”, just shy of one inch).

I also recently cleaned up some old brass dashes that make an appearance on this invitation. Again, something that dates back a century and prints just as well today.

Here’s a close up of the front of the invitation. There’s so much detail in these old faces that’s difficult to achieve for printing today, though some are trying and succeeding, as evidenced by my pal, Val!

And… if you’re a fan of these gorgeous typefaces, I just produced a set of cards for the Print Club that are now available for everyone. These feature many of the ornamental sets in the studio, paired with funny acronyms/phrases of today.

I know a lot of designers prefer the digital world and its seemingly endless options for typefaces and ornament in their work. While the collection of physical type slowly grows in the shop, I’m learning more about the craft of creating with these pieces over time, both in terms of their original purpose as well as what can happen when they are approached with a modern sensibility. Ornament falls in and out of fashion all the time, but this type persists, patiently sitting in cases, waiting for the right moment to wow an audience.