In addition to conventional printed cards, the Bayview Card collection includes cards created using letterpress printing. In letterpress printing a raised surface of movable type is covered with ink and pressed against a sheet of paper to obtain an image in reverse. Fine letterpress work is crisper than offset lithography because of the impression that letterpress printing makes on the paper. Letterpress printing creates a distinctive visual texture. The rich layer of ink combined with the impression of the image on the paper creates the breathtaking results of letterpress printing.

For letterpress printing Bayview Cards uses a 1920’s Vandercook proofing press. The Vandercook press employs the cylinder press principle. The printing elements are placed on the press bed, and the impression cylinder, grips the paper and rolls over the form applying pressure only on the points of contact between the cylinder and the form. The Bayview Cards letterpress artisan sets the foundry type and feeds paper into the press one sheet at a time.

The letterpress printing process is time consuming and requires a high degree of craftsmanship. While there are faster and cheaper printing methods, letterpress printing creates a work of art that can not be replicated by mass marketing.

Bayview Cards enhances the beauty of our letterpress cards by using handmade paper. Handmade paper has an unusual look and feel that distinguishes it from machine made paper. Handmade paper is eco-friendly and is often made from tree-free fibers such as cotton, abaca, or hemp.