Be sure you are in CMYK mode with Black as 100% K.
1. Use the following template to setup your final 2 plate designs. [Download .ai file]
For steps 2-3, files should be named: "UMNLastnameMMDDYY.extension"
2. Save a .pdf of your final setup file for an electronic proof
3. Save an .eps (Illustrator) or .tif (Photoshop) of your final file
4. Email me the above files
5. Print a hard copy of your final file setup and give it to me
The following blog documents my journey through a 21-day traveling journal project, a great exercise in generating spontaneous (but informed) designs based on a theme. Throughout this entire project you will notice time and date stamps: this was a result of the grand focus being on the representation of time and movement. Within that larger theme, each individual book had a different focus and traded hands of each student in the class.
http://embracetheprocesses.blogspot.com/
(Tip: Look at the older posts first to better see the process unfold)
Not quite knowing where this project would take me, I took photos of each of my designs along the way. Sometimes it is necessary to continue to work with content in a variety of ways in order to see which is going to generate useful and meaningful results. I also forced myself to improve my photography skills (not sure that happened) by limiting myself to the 'first shot' . . . in other words, I did not try to perfect my photographs of each design, but rather learned from my mistakes and embraced the results regardless of their imperfections.
See thephoto documentation
When I received my completed book (with the theme of "what do you want to (re)present?"), I also documented the designs that my colleagues contributed. You can see the final version here: http://www.tc.umn.edu/~atank/journals/ Even this piece is just a starting point for another project or could be useful purely as inspiration.
So, get started brainstorming, sketching, photocopying, collaging. . . whatever it is that speaks to the theme of "-MADE"!
Despite the incredible advances in technology, fine crafts like typesetting and letterpress still hold a certain aesthetic appeal. However, because of technology, we can create digital designs that are output to polymer plates and print them in a similar process, using a type-high (0.918") form to create a relief print. This relief process is what gives letterpress printed pieces their tactile quality, an element not replicable through offset printing.
For your final project, we will be using the New York based companyBoxcar Press to make polymer plates which we will use to create prints on a Vandercook press. As with any craft, understanding and being sensitive to the process is integral to the success of the final piece. Not only should you understand the technical aspects of the process, but also consider the strengths (and weaknesses!) of the technology when conceptualizing your piece.
The main focus of this unit is rapid production– of sketches, plates, and prints! So get started familiarizing yourself with the process and technology and immerse yourself in the art of letterpress and polymer plate printing! Check out the following resources and find some inspiration and information on your own:
Boxcar Press portfolio
Design*Sponge Letterpress examples
Adventures in Letterpress: A designer's blog about letterpress process
Boxcar Press: Letterpress links