One local artisan is combining an old school love of typography to create beautiful, bespoke ephemera.
More than a decade ago, Ian Bristow found a 1953 Heidelberg Windmill letterpress machine on eBay and he knew he had to have it. He had it shipped to Cornwall and forklifted the 2,500-pound machine into his garage. The funny thing is, he didn’t even know how to use it. A graduate of Algonquin College, Ian had studied offset printing and graphic design, but had never trained in relief printing. Through trial and error, he taught himself to use the vintage machine.
“I enjoy the process and just love the way the printing looks—the feel of it, the texture.”
Ian now produces gorgeous letterpress wedding invitations, letterhead, envelopes, business cards and other textured treasures on high-quality 100% cotton stock. But his most unique projects to date —embossed coffee bag packaging and flour sacks—are starting to create a whole new market for him apart from the usual wedding-related requests.
As his letterpress business, called We Do Printing Letterpress Studio, grows steadily, clients and designers from around the world are seeking him out to produce his artisanal goods. “Some find me on the Internet, but really I get my work through word of mouth,” he says. “I love bringing their ideas to life.”
