Letterpress printing day 2

 

Day 2 in the print room saw my project progress further. As well as building the text to re-create the ticket I wanted to source the same paper. These tickets were printed on a sage green, rough textured paper. I found the texture of sugar paper (often used in schools due to it cheap and hardy qualities) felt similar to touch. The tickets were held in your hand during the long dinner queue at school, so the feeling was familiar even though it was a very long time ago!

Final artwork, one of 8 prints, A3 sugar paper with letterpress printing.

Once I was happy with the look of the ticket I started experimenting with layout, single ticket printing and long lines of printing. The tickets came off a reel of tickets so were attached to each other when you first received them. I felt it was important for the tickets to be in 5s. You always received 5 tickets, one for each day of the week. After trying various layouts I decided on the above layout, featuring 5 tickets on A3 paper.

The numbers change on each tickets so I wanted to do the same with my tickets. This means changing the hot metal number type each time you print (remember to do this each time takes some concentration!). I printed each ticket on 8 pages of A3, changed the number on the block of hot metal type then printed again on 8 pages. This process was done 5 times. It was time consuming but enjoyable, this process is part of the slowing down to create I am aiming for in my practice. I spend far too much time rushing around in the rest of my life. The numbers I chose represent the years I was at high school, 1984 - 1988.

Work in progress, the ticket proof before the number was added.

One final addition which I may add to the printing is a stamp. I have a business paper stamp from approx 100 years ago which features my name! This is was my husbands family business (a butchers shop in Bolton, NW England, the shop opened in 1876 until 1985). The family name of James Topping is on the stamp as 'J. Topping' which also fit with my name of Jilly Topping (although it says 'and sons' and I have daughters). I like the type and feel of the stamp which indents into the paper without ink. I think this fits well as a signature for my project, using printing, processes from the past and the reviving of lost skills. See below for the stamp.

Original Butchers stamp