Starting in the 15th century, letterpress has been the regular printing technique until the 19th century. The process of letterpress printing demands much more work than modern techniques. The printer needs to compose and lock movable type into the bed of a press. Then ink it and press it into the card or paper.

It is a set of skills that not all workers can achieve properly nowadays (we can of course!). But it can give beautiful results.

When using wooden blocks for printing, usually chosen for larger formats like posters, the ink will often have a nice texture that gives it a handmade feeling. With metal letters, you will get a slight debossing in your paper that gives some depth to your design. In both cases, the craftsmanship that is necessary for printing will be visible on the final outcome, especially if you use some of the vast choice of papers.

After being discarded to use more modern printing techniques, letterpress has become popular again and is often used by graphic designers for smaller scale print work, such as business cards or wedding invitations.