DESCRIPTION Michael Faber Business Card CLIENT Self Promotion DATE July 2009 DESIGN CREDITS Michael Faber PRINT CREDITS Printing: Horse & Buggy Press Stamp: Simon's Stamps TYPE CREDITS Chaparral Pro, Clarendon, and Whomp

QUANTITY PRODUCED Business cards, 600 Notecards, 150 PRODUCTION COST Undisclosed PRODUCTION TIME 4 weeks DIMENSIONS: WIDTH × HEIGHT × DEPTH 3 in × 1.875 in PRINT METHOD Letterpress PAPER STOCK 140# Holyoke 100% Cotton Rag, Bone color NUMBER OF COLORS 2 spot inks, black and orange OTHER Rubber stamp and stamp pad with orange ink

As soon as I saw these cards, I was struck by the vibrancy of type and color, the texture of the paper, and the changing levels created by the letterpress. But then I looked closer and realized there was more going on than I first noticed, so I emailed Michael Faber hoping to get more information on how these cards came to be.

On the edging:

The edging was a technique that I noticed perusing through some other business cards on Card Observer, Beast Pieces, and FPO. I liked the way a thick stock could really pop with a bright color painted along the edge. As far as the actual execution of the technique, I really had no idea how to do it myself, but I knew I wanted to do it as cleanly as possible. I had the stamp pad already as I knew I was going to use the stamp on the reverse side of the card, so it really wasn’t difficult to put two and two together and use the stamp pad itself to edge paint the cards. The result is easy, quick-drying, and not messy at all. Plus I can just do a handful (10-20) at a time as I need them and there is no setup or cleanup for the job.

Adding a stamp to the alternate of your printed business card is a nice way of mixing professional printing with DIY, while adding a layer of technique and texture that can only be achieved by mixing processes such as these. Of course, that also helps minimize costs — just make sure your paper is thick enough that you don’t see the effects of letterpressing on both sides.

On the actual printing:

I fell in love with letterpress printing during this project. I am very grateful to Dave at Horse & Buggy for letting me join him in the studio for the day and showing me the ropes on his Vandercook press. At each step from mixing the inks to cranking out each print, he showed me how it was done and then let me do each step. Operating the press was definitely a great experience. You fall into an almost hypnotic rhythm as you are performing each repetitive task. Along with the ambient hum of the motor turning the cylinders and the regular clicks as you rotate the crank arm along the path, it’s very easy to let your mind wander and relax once you have your pattern.

Also, I used to do a bit of metal sculpture before moving into graphic design, so the combination of typography with an almost sculptural piece with a very hands-on, dirty process (a letterpressed card/note) was of course very appealing. I love giving the cards out and watching people rub their fingers over the impression and marvel that people still do this kind of thing. I handed the card to one of my coworkers recently and he asked me a really interesting question (we both work in multimedia/digital media). He said “Do you have trouble reconciling the old and the new technologies [letterpress + computer-based graphic design]?” I told him that this project has only made me realize how important the old techniques were and that because nowadays anyone can think that they are a designer if they have Photoshop, that the ‘old’ techniques may be seeing a resurgence as people try to distinguish themselves from the crowd. I think I had always known this, but it was his asking that actually prompted me to think even more deeply about graphic design as a real skill and trade with techniques and practices, as opposed to vectors and layers…

Horse & Buggy Press suggested Michael print his business cards alongside a foldable notecard, which could be fitted in the same plate. In doing so, he was able to print a second memento in which to engage his clients and future relationships.