San Francisco–based printer Jack Stauffacher’s (1920–2017) bold experiments in letterpress expanded the ideas of wood type’s formal possibilities. Born in San Mateo, California, Stauffacher began his study of printing at the age of 16 and went on to design and print outstanding books for 80 years. He was the owner and operator of Greenwood Press, located in the San Francisco Bay Area. After receiving a box of discarded wood type in 1966, Stauffacher began playing with the mismatched letterforms as a break from his daily work. His resulting typographic experiments, often featuring bold layers of letters in black, bright blue . . . .go to book page >>

This freshly commissioned set of postcards from the Detroit-based letterpress printer Amos Paul Kennedy, Jr. (born 1948) highlights the voices of women of color in the Black arts and social justice movements, including Sojourner Truth, Audre Lorde, Coretta Scott King, Octavia Butler, Rosa Parks and others. Sista Said features 40 postcards with 20 inspiring quotes in a keepsake box.

San Francisco museum Letterform Archive boasts a curated collection of over 100,000 items related to lettering, typography, calligraphy and graphic design that spans the history of the written and printed word. Letter Love shares the collection with a full alphabet sourced from across its holdings, plus 10 numerals and four punctuation marks. Each postcard features a scene-stealing character by design favorites including Saul Bass, Seymour Chwast, Hansje van Halem, Imre Reiner, Jean Midolle, Takenobu Igarashi and Hermann Zapf. Printed with metallic ink and presented in a unique perforated booklet, the postcards tear off to reveal an illustrated catalog that shares . . . .go to book page >>

Detroit-based letterpress printer Amos Paul Kennedy, Jr. is celebrated for his type-driven messages of social justice and Black power, emblazoned in rhythmically layered and boldly inked posters made for the masses. Citizen Printer tells Kennedy’s inspiring story and contextualizes his important work—and offers readers tools for lifting their voices, too. A vital monograph on a trailblazing contemporary Black artist, Citizen Printer features 500 reproductions representing the breadth of Kennedy’s posters and prints, plus original portraiture of the artist at work, a powerful artist statement and a foreword by New York Times bestselling author Austin Kleon, all presented in a dynamic . . . .go to book page >>

In this vivid and humorous monograph-meets-memoir, Los Angeles–based lettering supremo Michael Doret shares his top-secret tricks for making mere words into iconic words-as-images for clients such as Disney, Pixar, Time, Kiss, the Knicks and more. With more than 700 images, Alphabet City traces Doret’s influences from 1950s Brooklyn to 2000s LA, showcasing his clever logo, signage and poster projects along the way. It also presents and preserves the pre-digital process of custom lettering—from initial pencil sketches to printer mechanicals to final art (plus some spurned client proposals for good measure!).
With original photo tutorials that teach all the classic lettering tricks, . . . .go to book page >>