We live for the craft of printing
Our unique letterpress printing equipment has been extracted from dusty garages and forgotten industrial zones from New Jersey to New Orleans.
Letterpress printing exists at the crossroads of art and mass production. We print in relatively small batches, which allows us to practice obsessive attention to detail and careful control over the process. The result is stationery that is truly unique — both a valuable communication tool and a work of art.
Our enthusiasm for our process carries over to our desire to provide value for our clients. We evaluate our success on the achievement of our clients' goals, and we rely on your recommendations and word of mouth to meet new clients.
These vastly different places were united by the need for the printed page, and we exist to carry on the tradition of craft practiced by those who ran our machines in the decades before us.
Leslie Graham — Graphic Designer and Co-Founder
I helped to start Rise and Shine Letterpress because of an overwhelming desire to work with my hands. I had a job in a nice comfortable office working as a copywriter for an advertising agency.
For a while, I tried to do both letterpress and writing. Eventually that became a problem for my (very generous and understanding) employers, and they called me in for a sit down. They said I was burning the candle at both ends, and that I had to make a choice.
It was a hard decision because I loved my job and I was terrified to go off on my own. But I had no choice but to see it through. That was fifteen years ago, and I've managed to keep it going ever since. Still working on it, of course, but we've accomplished some great things and I'm excited about what's to come.
Ryan Howell — Press Operator and Co-Founder
Leslie's sister sent her a letterpress-printed birthday card. Then she showed it to Ryan. After that, life was never the same. "I wonder if I could build a printing press," he pondered.
Instead, as fate would have it, a retired printer was advertising a 1912 Chandler and Price letterpress machine on Craigslist. Before they knew it, they rented a box truck, filled it with diesel and headed for destiny. The journey was fraught with disaster. First the pallet jack fell out of the truck (Ryan forgot to close the door). Then they couldn't find the printer's house.
Finally they arrived and saw the beautiful machine in all of its rusty glory. They found an affordable studio space at Art Making Machine Studios in Philadelphia. A Sunday feature in the Philadelphia Inquirer got the word out, and they found that Philly was hot for letterpress.
Then on a visit back to her hometown of Alexandria, Louisiana, Leslie found the perfect studio space — with a storefront, plenty of room, and an apartment upstairs. They were sad to leave Philly, but Alexandria presented an opportunity that couldn't be found anywhere else. So they crated up all the machines, and filled yet another box truck with diesel and dreams.
What makes us different?
We believe that every project, regardless of its size, deserves unwavering care and meticulous attention to detail from the initial design to the finishing touches. We thrive on collaboration with creative minds to discover innovative solutions.
In essence, our goal is to create exquisite prints that celebrate the art of craft, from the big picture to the nuances of the smallest details. At our core, we are driven by a passion for bringing your creative visions to life through the medium of letterpress printing.