Three presses do the work, each suited to a different kind of job. They are old machines, kept running with a good deal of oil and a standing arrangement with a machinist two blocks over.
A cylinder proof press from the 1950s. We use it for broadsides, large flat work, and for proofing every job before it goes to a platen.
A platen press built in Cleveland in 1911. The daily workhorse for cards, stationery, and invitation runs.
A small treadle platen we keep for short runs and for teaching. Slow, quiet, and forgiving of a beginner's hand.
Type
We hold about forty cases of foundry type, from six point up to a few lines of wood type for display. When a job calls for a face we do not have, or for copy that changes, we make photopolymer plates from a set file.
The mix is deliberate: metal where the text is fixed and the impression matters, polymer where the work needs to move quickly.