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Kelsey Excelsior Press
Gifts for your Favorite Letterpress Printer
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Craftsman Imperial Platen Press
For every letterpress printer we know, there are friends and family who would like to give them a gift that they can use in their letterpress printing endeavors.

This is a question we often hear during the gift-giving holiday season, or prior to  a printer's birthday.

But what to get them? Unless they tell you, it's really hard to guess what they might need or want. And, it's best not to get them something they already have or may not use.

But sometimes, there are items which they may not choose to purchase themselves, but which would make a great gift. And, in case you get them something they already have or will not use, the good news is that most items purchased for letterpress printing can be easily resold at pretty much their retail cost. Just look at eBay listings to see current prices of items such as these. Of course, buying from a known supplier with a good track record does afford you much more confidence than buying from someone on eBay who might not know as much about letterpress printing as we do...

So. Here are some ideas you may find helpful in choosing a gift for your letterpress printer:

Handy things to have (even duplicates of) for any printer.
  • An new ink knife - or 3 or 4 (good for printers who mix their own colors)
  • An ink knife holder - great for keeping the work space clean
  • A Basic-colors ink mixing kit - (4 inks, 4 knives, knife holder)
  • Tympan paper for their press - a 25-job kit of packing cut precisely to fit their press.
  • A Gauge Pin Sampler kit - 3 of each of the common styles
  • A set of Extension feed guides (for presses 5x8 & larger)
  • A package of red shop towels
  • Books about printing; about presses; about type; old school textbooks. Tramp Printer Tales.
  • A nice old book - set in hand type and printed on a letterpress - pre 1900.
  • A Photo-engraving - line art is best (eBay $5-20, custom-made with your design $25 or so from any of a number of photo-engravers.
  • A Full font of Furniture
  • An Excelsior Chase-Base
And, if they follow the "old school" technique of setting type by hand:
  • A font of type (let them choose the font)
  • more leads & slugs
  • An old engraving
  • A new composing stick
  • A composing stick holder
  • A gift card for Excelsior Press or Boxcar Press, Letterpress Things or NA Graphics
  • A training session at The Excelsior Press or a local Print-Arts Center
Note: Although these are items that can be purchased through the Excelsior Press, they can also be found elsewhere as well.

Please see our Fund-Raising page and/or our Links for more information & other resources.

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last updated  12/15/2012
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