Letterpress Printing in San Francisco | Main | Post Due Postcard Collective
December 12, 2007
Talking Letters with Tess of Egg Press
MLP: Hi Tess! Please introduce yourself.
Egg Press: I’m an impatient woman married to a patient man, have two little boys ages one and almost four, and for the most part have a sweet little life. If I had a trust fund I’d only knit, travel and make things. No offense to Egg Press.
MLP: How did you get your start in printing? What is your training?
Egg Press: In the early 90s I got a BFA in textile design, but made books for my thesis project. Through visits to the University of Washington Special Collections Library I learned of letterpress, took a letterpress class the moment I finished school, and then apprenticed for a small shop in Seattle. Then I moved back to Portland, Oregon to work at Nike, where I learned a little about graphic design.
MLP: What inspired you to start Egg Press, and how did Egg Press get its name?
Egg Press: While not working in a corporate environment, I spent all my time in my studio, which had only two presses at the time. I very naively left Nike so I could pursue my letterpress interests. The Egg Press name is a long story...
MLP: Are you a native Portland-er? And what about Portland inspires you?
Egg Press: I’m a native Northwesterner, having spent all but 7 years in the Portland area. Although I really like the idea of living someplace else, at this point I can’t imagine leaving, as we are so rooted here. My favorite spot is my neighborhood, and the community feeling it brings us. I love that we don’t have to go far for fun. If I had the chance to get out more, I’d spend more time at Close Knit yarn store, Bolt fabric store, Grasshopper children’s store, Extracto coffee shop, and Yakuza, a beautiful Japanese restaurant. These places are all in my neighborhood! Then out of my neighborhood: Canoe, a BEAUTIFUL gift store, and right across the street, Knit Purl, who has a great selection of my favorite yarn, Koigu.
MLP: Tell us about your studio. What types of presses do you have?
Egg Press: At Egg Press we mostly use platen presses but also have one windmill press and a couple of flatbed presses. The platen presses are great for speed and the flatbed presses are perfect for printing larger areas. For us, the type of press we use is most about the image being printed.
MLP:: And you also create screen printed t-shirts for babies?
Egg Press: We print our tees in house on a small 4-color t-shirt press. We started printing the baby tees because the images on our cards lent themselves to other applications, and tees were the most accessible. Having the ability to print in-house has helped us come up with other ideas, such as our new stitch kits, which I think are pretty great.
MLP: What cards and designs do you have coming up for the holidays? Where can we find those?
Egg Press: I’m already thinking about designing Holiday 2008! My favorites for 2007 are some of our boxed die-cut cards that were inspired by vintage food packaging, a retailers list can be found on our website. If there’s something that can’t be found in stores, you can always pick up the phone and call us. [See Egg Press's 2007 Holiday cards here.]
MLP: Egg Press also does custom printing; what is that collaborative process like?
Egg Press: We have a custom wedding album in several stores throughout the U.S, and the designs in that book can be used as they are or combined or altered. We sometimes collaborate directly with clients to create invitations or announcements specific to their needs. The process is pretty simple as we are usually able to communicate so much through email and phone conversations. Kara Yanagawa, who designs with me, also manages the custom printing workflow and is brilliant in customer service.
MLP: Do you have any favorite cards and designs from your own collection?
Egg Press: My favorites right now are our die-cut Valentines that can be punched out and assembled to make little sculptures. I love that they have a life beyond card format.
MLP: Who are some of your favorite card/stationery designers?
Egg Press: I love the women at You Send Me, they’re close friends.
MLP: And lastly: are you a letter-writer?
Egg Press: I'm much more of a package-sender than letter-writer though since having children I usually feel like I’m just hucking something in a box and mailing it out. I knit a lot and even when I send hand-knit gifts the packaging details can get neglected. But it’s the thought that counts, right?
