• Here’s the part about salvaging letterpress equipment:

    People (my mom) always (whenever she feigns interest) ask me, “where do you get this stuff?” Type, cabinets, printer’s cuts, ink, chases, quoins, sticks, cutters, furniture, leads, slugs, tympan, rollers… letterpress takes up a lot more space than this tidy little laptop. I wonder if that’s one of the reasons people stopped using it? I doubt it.

    Jen and I both agreed that our favorite salvaging-situation involved a compulsive hoarder with a murder/torture-pit (alleged) in his basement. This house had it all; two commercial espresso machines:

    nera-new-2-group-rails-small-180x121nera-new-2-group-rails-small-180x121

    two Kluge Printing Presses:

    kluge-butner

    (just in case you’re wondering: TWO Kluge Printing presses are massive and would look like this if not covered in books, dvd’s, televisions, kleenex boxes, grocery bags, magazines and mail):

    SONY DSC

    a family-style restaurant booth: (this suspiciously barricaded the basement door)

    restaurant-booth-300x224

    dozens of old computers: (so sentimental)old_computer

     

    “stackable” type cabinets: (we took these)

    type-cabinets-butner-basement

    and this:

    galley-butner-basement

    and this:

    wood-type-butner-basement

    Oh, here’s a fun game:

    Can you find the treasure in this photographic vignette?:

    letterpress-library

    How about here?:pixelated-face-450x600don-butner

    °°°°

    Oh, well. Enough of the sweet, sweet memories. Here’s part of our latest salvage:cabinet-of-wood-type western-wood-type condensed-wood-type

    March 21, 2010
  • A long, long time ago there was no Tanek. Only empty space.

    I loved when Mom would get out the Scotch-tape and add my latest work to the dining room wall.

    fran-andy-dining-room-wall

    I’m not sure if one day she ran out of paper or tape – but she also let me paint right on the windows and the refrigerator.

    I spent the last 10 weeks art directing Tanek’s new website. It was very similar to painting on the refrigerator except without paints or a refrigerator. I worked on the project with my old boss. Don’t confuse this old boss with another old boss I had at the Leeann Chin in Richfield, circa 1989.

    You can go look at the new Tanek site. It’s not painted on the fridge or hanging on the dining room wall but it’s still super awesome. You can really build with the masthead blocks! … Actually, that gives me an idea… build something cool, take a screen grab and e-mail it to Zeichen Press - WHY? I’ll pick the best one, send out some fancy letterpress cards to the winner and publish it on the blog.

    HEY! This is fun!

    March 9, 2010
  • Potato-Guns and Make Magazine

    The other day, I needed to learn how to make a potato gun. It doesn’t matter why. Anyway, I made my way to the MAKE Magazine blog - If you haven’t been – I don’t know what to say. It’s not like we can’t be friends. It will just never be more than that.

    So, they are doing this Maker Business Series and I thought, “hey, I make things… I own a business…” The potato gun would just have to wait. Sorry Edmund. …I sent an e-mail to someone named Gareth (Jen keeps referring to Gareth as “her” – I don’t have the heart to correct her) and told him about Zeichen Press – he responded and then it turned into an interview and… Go read it!!

    March 5, 2010
  • Wake up call

    I try so hard. Really, I do. I try to follow the rules.

    I’m jealous of those people (is it everyone?) that climb out of bed at a respectable hour, get dressed, fuss with their hair, apply make-up, brush their teeth, read the paper, make and drink a cup of coffee…

    In high school, my morning carpool (I say “carpool” but really it was just my friends carting me around like some sort of package. A smoking, swearing package) would lay on her horn outside my house while I lay in my bed – dreaming that I was missing tests because I was laying in bed dreaming that I was missing tests.

    February 24, 2010
  • A whirly-what??

    A whirly-who?

    A metalsmithing kineticist/teacher  needed a business card and we made him this:

    whirligi-business-card-whol2-450x337 whirligig-business-card-450x337

    February 16, 2010
  • Flush

    Apparently, it’s healthy to flush your gallbladder. How? A delicious nightcap: A hearty blend of olive oil and grapefruit juice. Chilled, of course.

    In the spirit of the flush – I thought I’d flush out some old designs. These designs were rejected by clients.

    Not because they didn’t like the designs but because they are just jealous of me.caesar-line-color-bar-450x434 american-dream-diamond chef-hat-american-dream-log1 ne-factory-logo-alone ne-easel-logo1

    has-legs-technicolor

    February 15, 2010
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  • Pantone 801 Uncoated Period (Periodo Azul)

    Remember how I promised that when my painkillers wore off, I’d make a card based on The Lung Collapsing Event? It turns out that I only needed them for a couple of days and flushed the rest ~ DON’T GET ANY IDEAS ~ and then I made this breakup card:i love you like a collapsed lung.801

    September 28, 2014
  • #AmericanMadeMSL AND The Land of Counterpane

    Recovering from a collapsed lung is the perfect time to learn all about hashtags.

    Thank you, lung!Land of Counterpane

    I obsessively tweeted and nagged everyone on Facebook. I’M SORRY EVERYONE.

    Wait, #HelpMe.

    It’s been a trending/not-trending rollercoaster-week for Zeichen Press…trending 11screen grab trending 4screen grab trendingtrending.15YOU MUST REALLY BE SUFFERING!

    But may the best (wo)man (named Fran and Jen) win. Did I mention that you have to vote 6x every day through October 13th? And did I mention that my doctor told me that my other lung will collapse if we don’t win??american made finalist badge

    PS: I made a new Mother’s Day card…thankless job.period

    September 26, 2014
  • Voting is a Good Thing

    Running for student council vice president of my Freshman class was so stressful! Our platform was twofold:

    1) Instruct — and therefore unify — our class via a comprehensive Class Cheer: “Nine-tee! Nine-tee! Ninetyninetyninety nine-tee!!! YAYYYY!!”

    2) Oh, I guess it was only a onefold platform…

    NEEDLESS TO SAY, votes were cast, and I won. It was a real nail-biter.AboveAverage

    SPEAKING OF VOTING, you can finally start voting for Zeichen Press here!martha stewart american made logo 2

    And you can (and should!!) vote 6x per day! SIX TIMES. PER DAY.

    September 15, 2014
  • Attack of the Spontaneous Pneumothorax!

    Yikes! That sounds scary!

    Lungs are not supposed to collapse, but that’s what makes life so exciting! Sunday mornings could be all jejune French toast and bacon, OR they could be all ambulance and emergency surgery.collapsed lung discharge papers(I was just as stoic as the woman in the above illustration while they performed my surgery. Eyes wide open, no tears.)

    Life is so full of twists and turns!Fran lung collapse

    There is nothing like having your very own chest tube — my aunt said it was my friend. And indeed it was! My little friend with a one-way valve who caused me nothing but suffering. After just two days, the doctor pulled my friend out of my chest — and again, like the woman in the illustration: I was stoic, with eyes wide open and no tears.

    I’ll write a card about this as soon as my painkillers wear off.

    September 10, 2014
  • We want to be more than just friends with: Portobello Road and Rags

    Portobello Road and Rags -> 4 Dock Street Edgartown, Martha’s Vineyard, MA

    ANOTHER profile in that special series dedicated to bringing our readers biased reviews of shops that carry our goods.

    Great. Now I HAVE to go to Martha’s Vineyard.portobello road.rags signageBut I’ll do it for you, reader, because I’m a giver. A GIVER.

    Will residents of Martha’s Vineyard embrace Zeichen Press cards? Will they clutch them to their breast while weeping tears of joy and relief?? WILL THEY??carly simon

    Oh, Carly Simon! Let us both wear our overalls, place one of our feet delicately upon a fieldstone wall, and laugh and laugh while we read Zeichen Press cards that we (you) bought from Portobello Road!

    Yes, LET’S.portobello road interior inside portobello road

    September 6, 2014
  • American Made… FINALIST!

    Zeichen Press is a finalist for Martha Stewart’s American Made contest. 

    YOU HEARD ME.

    american made finalist badge

    The Grand Prize is $10,000 and Martha legally adopting the winner. Alexis is so tired of being an only child. Remember when I told you to SHARE the American Made Zeichen Press page on Facebook and twitter??

    WHY?

    BECAUSE I’M ACTIVATING MY SOCIAL NETWORK TO EARN A FINALIST SPOT!2014 wildcard bannerHelp!

    And don’t worry, I’ll be harassing you on Sept 15th to vote for us…

    Here’s the script they gave me: The judges have named me a 2014 @AmericanMadeMSL Awards finalist. Support & share my work to get involved! #celebratethemaker

    September 1, 2014
  • American Made!

    We make things!

    We live in America! 

    martha stewart american made logo“American Made spotlights the maker, supports the local, and celebrates the handmade. The program is made up of people and communities that have turned their passion for quality craftsmanship and well-designed goods into a way of life.”

    A WAY OF LIFE.

    BAM.

    In order for Martha to notice Zeichen Press (umm, she should really just ask Alexis about us) YOU need to SHARE our American Made nomination page with all of your Facebook friends and twitter followers:

    • Step one: Click this link.

    • Step two: Scroll down a teensy bit on that page.

    • Step three: Click button that looks like this:american made share buttons(WARNING: The above image IS NOT AN ACTUAL BUTTON, MOM)

    • Step four: Follow instructions.

    PS: I love you.

    PPS: Deadline is Friday! NO BIG DEAL.
    August 27, 2014
  • Ode to Jen

    Merry Jenmas, everyone!

    MY dog must have been confused, she left birthday presents for Jen on my living room floor last night? Oh, Millie…Millie-wearing-a-wig

    Thomas Edison’s quote is so true: Genius is one percent inspiration and ninety-nine percent spray bleach.dont step in the birthday present I made for you

    August 26, 2014
  • Adiós Diablo

    I had a pretty big realization when I was 23. This revelation came as I was drifting off to sleep and caused me to sit straight up in bed.

    CRUELLA DE VIL = CRUEL DEVIL!!!CRUELLA DE VILHow could I have been so blind for so long?!

    No matter. Here’s a card.going going going gone

    August 23, 2014
  • Oh, that old saying!

    You know what I’m talking about??

    Read the card out loud for full effect.the saw that woke the sherpas yak

    August 14, 2014
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