About the Trail

Since the birth of moveable type centuries ago, letterpress printing has bedazzled and bemused onlookers who have been intrigued by the complexity and nuance of the process. There’s an allure to letterpress that can’t be duplicated by other technologies. Today our landscape is still dotted with lead type and mechanized iron beasts -  nooks and crannies in towns across the country that continue to house this technology and showcase the beautiful nature of letterpress printing. Modern letterpress shops are a varying combination of the traditional and the new; decades-old presses and well-worn type sitting right next to computer screens and photopolymer plates.
The letterpress trail becomes a reality every time someone seeks out a cool print shop or drives hours to find a spot where presses still creak and paper continues to yield. The trail becomes real in the search for places that preserve that connection to our past; a connection of ink, paper, lead and iron.

Welcome to the Letterpress Trail. Have fun on your search!