Fashioned a 7-color nod to the beloved Polaroid from modular metal type ornaments. Shipping now for the Print Club. #letterpress

Chicago dogs are the best dogs. Printed so many years ago before I had a saw for kerning type.

This baby got back. #letterpress

Beautiful new type cut by Virgin Wood Type (Rochester NY) that’s going to play well with old type. Building out a collection of complementary families improves design possibilities and is super satisfying; one is not better than the other. #letterpress

Working today is the most American thing to do. #letterpress

The one and only commission I’ve ever received for the Fourth, printed a few years ago. #letterpress

My kid got me the clock cleaning solution I wanted for my birthday and now every bit of brass printing rule in the studio is getting the business even if it takes a year. #letterpress

All new-to-me type and ornament coming into the shop is cleaned, identified & proofed for a visual record and so it can be put into action asap for print jobs. These are the two galleys of items ready to be proofed tomorrow. Lot of work but huge win for preservation. #letterpress

Made a window for a print out of borders cast on a Linotype, then filled it with plants. #letterpress

One of my fave quotes on a small print resting on my Chicago-made Vandercook press (c. 1962). #letterpress

‘Web’ ornaments by Barnhart Bros. & Spindler after a good lye soak and scrubbing. Almost new, 130 years later! #letterpress

I love my clients who commission work for other things I love, like the writing of @praddenkeefe.bsky.social. The prompt this time was ‘vintage typewriter’. Metal type challenge accepted. #letterpress

If ‘derp’ was a typeface. Caprice, offered by Barnhart Bros & Spindler in Chicago, around 1889ish. What would you use it for? #letterpress

Bringing this cutie to pull prints tonight at @dovetailbrewery.bsky.social. Join us. #letterpress

CTA bus driver prints are back in stock. Inspired by an absolutely wild ride on a bendy bus a few years ago. #letterpress

Got a show Friday night at @dovetailbrewery.bsky.social. Come and support three small businesses at once! #letterpress

Happy Pride, especially to my kid who says entertaining things like this all the time. #letterpress

Ida music always feels like a warm blanket to me, hence the quilt patterns on this new poster for a series of intimate shows. Two large type forms, one on an angle, two colors each. #letterpress

Custom commission for ‘made with human intelligence’ cards, this time in shiny gold ink. The ornaments are a combo of sets from Barnhart Bros. & Spindler (Chicago) and Cleveland Type Foundry and Mackellar Smiths & Jordan (Philadelphia). #letterpress

On this anniversary of the 1933 Chicago World’s Fair, here’s a look at some prints made from an original plate gifted to me by Tribune Showprint. I added two linoleum cut colors to make them pop. #letterpress

Screws & pins. #letterpress

Having a print show at @dovetailbrewery.bsky.social in collaboration with @midwestniceshop.bsky.social on June 5th. More details to follow! #letterpress

Absolute unit of a metal type form, sunning itself before my workout of getting it on press. About 12x18”.

Repurposing old time cards for new prints.

I often set forms and pull carbon paper galley proofs to see how everything looks, especially when it’s complex 19th century type like these mortised initial caps. Testing how things play together here.

Some stickers I made with the always fabulous @busybeaverbuttonco.bsky.social

Tonight is the 20th anniversary benefit for We Rock! Chicago (formerly Girls Rock! Chicago) and all are invited. This has always been a safe and supportive environment for girls & trans kids to learn instruments, form bands & rock. Just ask our @jostarshaped.bsky.social.

Happy May Day to my late husband’s union (IATSE Local 2), who stepped up in his final days 10 years ago in every imaginable way. Made a print documenting this at the time. This is a reversed snippet.

Any excuse to use this eye in print. #letterpress

Scrubbing at least 100 years of crud out of new-to-me 19th century type to get it in use again. This one is called Climax. You’re welcome. #letterpress

If I printed in 1938 this is exactly the cover I would have made. Wish I could be pals with the person who did. #letterpress

Received a box full of oddly specific cuts of various rulers and turned them into this Print Club print.

Spotted in one of my favorite bathrooms (in a print shop). A little pep talk for my fellow inky friends.

Doing a bit of writing about catchwords for letterpress printing and pulled together a collection of samples in my shop. Absolutely delightful.

Happy Titanic day to all who celebrate. This satirical print was part of a series in 2012ish showcasing my type collection at the time. The broadside is printed with type created prior to 1912, with the back side offset-printed to show a photo of the form. More: www.starshaped.com/blog/2013/01...

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...