Metal type foundries used to cast their names into non-printing spacing material. When I find it in the shop I pull it aside. Barnhart Bros. & Spindler (BB&S) and Western (WTF) were Chicago-based foundries.

Happy National Pet Day to everyone, and especially astronaut Leland Melvin, who famously snuck his dogs into his official NASA photo. This poster is a combo of wood type and little metal ornament animal faces. #letterpress www.starshaped.com/postersprint...

Another hot Friday night identifying metal type ornaments and ogling my fave specimen book (Mackellar, Smiths & Jordan). #letterpress

Who wants to see itty bitty printing presses?

Happy birthday to the Chicago flag. I recreated it a few years back for a show, turning the stripes and stars into elements of the city. More here: www.starshaped.com/chicago/fiel...

Latest Print Club print. One of my favorite wonky metal typefaces in the shop. @bowerbox.com can weigh in!

Doing my best! #letterpress

Happy National Doctors Day to the docs that did not inspire my artist book, An Open Letter to Doctors, and not to those that did. Here are 4 of 10 pages of things I want them to know.

Printed for @pilsencommbooks.bsky.social years ago. No one way works.

I’m hosting a Long Distance Letterpress workshop with @partnersinprint.bsky.social May 16. I’ll be sharing ways to fine tune and improve lock ups for letterpress printing. All are welcome if printing is your thing: partnersinprint.org/event/long-d...

Next in a series called ‘one of these things will last another 100 years.’ #letterpress

Reorganized some type cases and when cleaning out this one from a homemade set bought in Western NY, I found this recycled bit. Full circle.

Absolute banger ornaments just gifted to the shop. Probably European… hearty high fives to anyone with a specimen and foundry info. #letterpress

Always a pleasure to work with @fieldnotesbrand.bsky.social. Designed a box using scans of metal type ornaments and they took it from there. #letterpress

A new print for the folks doing front line work ensuring democracy doesn’t die. $10 of each sales goes to @icirr.bsky.social www.starshaped.com/8x10prints/y...

This weekend we’ll be participating in the second annual Chicago Stationery Fest. Tix sold out faster than the average Tay Tay concert but we’re adding all the new stuff to our online shop if stationery is your thing. #letterpress

Happy International Women’s Day to everyone but the jagoffs who overturned Roe v Wade, which is when I printed this. www.starshaped.com/postersprint...

Stuff I have to do, but make it fancy. #letterpress

Desperately manifesting Kate Bush today. www.starshaped.com/8x10prints/f...

Chicago has inspired dozens of projects but my fave is this print, The City is my Religion, which features a ‘church’ built of personal, physical spaces. Multiple layers of ornaments printed are to resemble stained glass. #letterpress

19th century catchword making its debut in the shop. I have dozens of these but finding the right one to match the mood of a project and make it sing is always a challenge. This one is paired with typefaces about 40 years older. #letterpress

Disparate ornaments that play well together. #letterpress

Current Print Club postcard is a boombox made with geometric metal & wood type ornaments and printed in 3 colors. #letterpress

Arboret is a beautiful, interchangeable ornament/type combination that is thankfully built on the modern point system of measurement for quick setting. #letterpress

New Chi skyline on press. Especially pleased with a Bean made of parentheses. #letterpress

Complex new form set for a print commissioned by the @ravenswood-chicago.bsky.social. #letterpress

Community is everything and printers know that well. So @blountben.bsky.social & I are leading the charge to host WayzgooseORD (WORD) here in Chicago. It’s a new gathering for the print community to share their shops, knowledge and friendship. More info: wayzgooseord.com

Community. Metal type buildings in collaboration with a wood type foundation. #letterpress www.starshaped.com/8x10prints/c...

Made some tiny metal type bikes. #letterpress

We really like our neighbors. More details about this print here: https://www.starshaped.com/small-prints/neighbors #letterpress

Wrote about a recent, massive metal type ornament reorganization in the shop. www.starshaped.com/blog/2026/1/...

New Print Club prints feature type that says ‘hang on’ and ‘let go’. Been thinking a lot about what we hang on to and what needs to be let go of in so many ways. #letterpress

Pretty stoked about our new stickers for outgoing orders, made by @busybeaverbuttonco.bsky.social. Digital typefaces designed by @chgohoods.bsky.social. We keep it local.

This year’s New Year mailing, featuring del Toro’s response to AI art. Feels appropriate to set in 19th century type & ornament given the unbelievable (and largely lost) skill needed to design & cast items with this level of detail. #letterpress

Happy birthday, Andre de Shields. #letterpress www.starshaped.com/last-call/fa...

Cueing up some gorgeous 19th century type for printing today. #letterpress

Throwback to the city commissioning art to promote vaccines in 2021. 7-color print, all metal & wood type. More info & process here: www.starshaped.com/postersprint...

Snippet from ‘The City is my Religion’ print from a portfolio project of the same name, 2020. It’s a church of sorts, made up of local buildings with colors to mimic stained glass. Considering a reprint. #letterpress

Prize for the first type nerd who can identify this delightful set of 1- and 2-color ornaments. I believe it’s monotype. #letterpress

Undertaking a massive ornament reorganization in the shop and stumbled on the delightful name ‘colorets’ for these simple workhorses that are used all the time. Love the added suggestion for sketching colored pencil ideas. #letterpress

Cleaning day for these hometown heroes. Composing sticks for setting metal type. #letterpress

Thanks to the 200+ Print Club subscribers that have helped sustain the studio this year. The December print is mailing now… a little reminder we all have what we need if we choose it: compassion, kindness, acceptance, empathy, love. #letterpress

Used the opportunity of a clean, post-open house studio to get updated photos, which my dog photobombed in a good way. #letterpress

Join us for our annual open house tonight! Presses are running, prints and cards are for sale, and we’ve got snacks. The metal type shown here (reversed) is Pastel, designed and cast in Chicago and made popular by silent film intertitles. #letterpress

New wintry cards inspired by sweater weather and featuring some lovely ornaments. One for Chicago, too. www.starshaped.com/holiday

Handy boxes are candy for letterpress printers. Each contains a tidy little set of borders or ornaments on a theme. Recently found this one in the shop with an additional supplier sticker.

A print featuring the delightful, modular wood ornaments designed and cut by Moore Wood Type. It’s 4 colors, swapping various cuts to create 9 unique ornaments. #letterpress www.starshaped.com/holiday/moor...

Tiny Chi on press tonight. Heading to holiday cards at the open house Saturday evening. #letterpress

Looking for gift ideas for that letterpress printer? My brand new type is ONLY available from me, as I designed, engraved, and cast it myself! Order before Dec 15 for holiday shipping. www.bowerbox.com/product/new-...

Some truly spectacular metal type ornaments here, spanning 100 years of design & production at numerous foundries across the country. 6-pointed snowflakes are the newest, designed & cast by @bowerbox.com #letterpress