CELEBRATING JUXTAPOSITIONS
OLD AND NEW, MECHANICAL AND HANDCRAFTED, SCIENCE AND ART.
WE BELIEVE THE PROCESS IS JUST AS FUN AS THE PRODUCT.
WE BELIEVE IN INSPIRING SURROUNDINGS: OUR COMMUNITY, OUR OCEANS AND FORESTS, AND BEING PRESENT.
ABOUT LETTERPESS PRINTING
An extremely brief and incomplete history:
Letterpress printing is basically the oldest method in the book - beginning with 10th century block-printed China texts, and eventually showing up in Europe when Johannes Gutenberg invented his famous press in the 1400s. Originally featuring metal or wood type, individual letters were arranged to form the desired print form, locked up in a frame, inked and pressed onto paper in various fashions (presses have changed a lot in a few hundred years). But when offset and digital printing made it onto the scene, letterpress was old technology - inefficient, expensive, and dated. However, the 1990s came to the rescue and letterpress rose from the grave: the wedding industry adopted it (thanks Martha Stewart). Another game changer: photopolymer plates - now artists and designers could submit their designs to platemakers for printing. A reverse negative of the design is exposed to a UV-sensitive polymer, and a type-high design is made for printing. The freedom of creativity these photopolymer plates allowed letterpress to grow exponentially - anything you can draw or design can be a plate!
HELLO FROM JUNEAU, ALASKA.
Founded by two women with a lifelong passion for both science and art, Salt Water Press was founded by Meghan Chambers and Tayler Bare. It is now exclusively owned and operated by Meghan.
Meghan, grew up in remote fish hatcheries in Southeast Alaska, the daughter of two biologists. She and her sister enjoyed a unique and magical childhood on the beaches of Southern Baranof Island, before the family made the big move north to Sitka, Alaska for their secondary education. After some travelling abroad and a few years at college in Portland, OR, Southeast Alaska was calling her home. She graduated from University of Alaska Southeast with a B.S. in Biology and a Minor in Art. Growing restless in a lab, she made the switch to the arts administration world and worked for the Juneau Arts & Humanities Council for six years. Recently, she’s transitioned again - managing a brewery taproom in Auke Bay, and creating art in her spare time (letterpress isn’t the only thing she’s obsessed with). Meghan lives next to the Mendenhall Glacier, and with her husband Lucas and their dog Meeko.
“Letterpress is a captivating mix of art and occupation. It requires attention and precision, with an eye for detail. In many ways, it feels like I’m working in a lab: making exact measurements, consulting with peers, and getting my hands dirty. Letterpress is an antique art form, and finicky to boot: it must be well-oiled before every print run, rollers get adjusted, and the platen must be specifically prepared based on each print job. But I relish this handcrafted nature - mixing the inks, hand-feeding each card into the press, and learning the rhythms of my machines. It’s a labor of love, and I’m so excited to share it with our community.”
- Meghan
