Pineapple Press & Design

Last week was gut wrenching. // I felt compelled to print a protest poster. The phrase “Jesus wept” surfaced. John 11:35 records the expression of Jesus sorrow at the death of his friend, Lazarus. This feels like a quiet, devastatingly accurate reaction.

What a day! I’m absolutely overwhelmed by the support, friendship, and love that filled the shop today. Thank you to everyone who stopped by #PineapplePress#AndDesign for the open house — printers, friends, #Letterpress lovers, and curious visitors alike. Seeing the presses running, hearing the chatter, and sharing this craft with so many wonderful people reminds me why I do what I do. // It means more than I can say to have such a strong community around this old craft.

Just shared a new episode of Adventures in Letterpress—ep15 Ode to the Linotype. I’m diving into the process behind the @MetroparksToledo 2025 #5Poets5Parks postcard project and sharing how I used a #Linotype machine to create the type for the prints. Instead of hand-setting individual letters, I worked with the Linotype to cast entire lines of metal type, giving the project a faster rhythm and a uniquely historic feel. There’s something incredible about using molten metal and antique technology to bring contemporary poetry to life — especially when the final prints are on custom #Handmade, wildflower-seeded paper from @PorridgePapers meant to grow and thrive! I used the Linotype font Benedictine Book and handset Venus Extended, which haven’t been digitized to showcase the antique craft. New episode is live — link in bio to watch! If you’re curious about how Linotype works, why we chose it for this project, or what it’s like to blend 19th-century technology with 21st-century design, this episode is for you. Thanks for watching and following along on my letterpress adventures! Don’t forget to like, subscribe, and leave a comment — I’d love to hear what you think.

Field trips & visitors. I am feeling filled. It was a great roadtrip with @dustinkpearson to Phil Driscoll’s Square Text Press. Dustin and I are creating a #Chapbook of his #Poetry [Platonic Love] and utilizing Phil’s Linotype, skills, and knowledge. I showed off my typesetting skills on the #Linotype finishing up a few text edits. Phil & I then problem solved my crazy #Design for the titling. I’ve wanted to push the Linotype machine to learn how to do out of the box typesetting. It worked brilliantly because Phil shared a few tricks and we have a plan of attack the next time I head up to finish the titles. // When I returned to Pineapple Press & Design, Bill Foraker was in his shop in Downtown Toledo and I encouraged him to stop by on his way home to see a few new things, one of which being the R. Hoe & Co. iron hand press that has been added since his last visit. // All in all, ample #Letterpress nerding all day long!

When you’re looking for custom #Letterpress printed #Stationery, it might take a few samples of my antique handset type to find the perfect solution for you. And that’s perfectly fine; it’s all part of the process. It’s the little details that make a big difference. // This project began as a simple “monogram to be ss.” However, my follow-up questions led us to explore traditional serif fonts with a unique twist. I initially considered a lowercase ss set in Craw Modern, 60pt. Then, we decided to experiment with handwritten styles, drawing inspiration from Pinterest. // This is where I pick up the phone and discuss using old letterpress printing equipment and the process involved. This method sets our stationery apart from other mass-produced cards. While this limits my choices to about 500 options (trust me, it’s a lot), it sparked a few options during our conversation. Grayda, Revere Script, and Hamilton No. 6218 came to mind, but Hamilton No. 6218 stood out as the most prominent choice. It’s a 24-line (4”) #Woodtype and finishing it with a period makes a statement. Trust me, this is truly unique. Then I printed it without ink and a slight deboss.

It’s #Baseball season, and my little Kingsley hot foil press is getting a workout making personalized baseball tag keychains. // #handmade #Toledo #YouWillDoBetterInToledo #Letterpress

Pic dump for the week of April 27. Highlights are beginning the process for #letterpress printing #DeclarationOfIndependence, the continual process of cleaning Big Frank, moving into the bookbinder cabinet, @sauder_village is open for the 50th season, and finishing the week typesetting at Phil Driscoll’s Square Text Press.

I’m excited to finally begin typesetting an ambitious project I’ve been designing and planning for a little while. This one of two projects I’m working on in celebration of the 250th anniversary of the United States of America. #Semiquincentennial #Toledo #YouWillDoBetterInToledo

#Letterpress printed #WeddingStationery, there’s nothing quite like it. It’s personal, there’s a feel to it, and it’s a statement not only of the big day, but of the couple. At Pineapple Press & Design, I take great pride not having a traditional book of designs to choose your style. I’ll sit down and listen to how you want your wedding suite and design it from scratch based on your swatches, Pins, pics, and verbiage. No two wedding package is the same, just like no two couple is the same. I’ve drawn inspiration from windows, gardens, wrought iron, art deco, and even the Fibonacci Sequence.

Here’s a quick update on the Vanderbough, Wells & Co. bookbinders cabinet. I wanted to share my thoughts on how preservation of #Letterpress equipment is at #PineapplePressAndDesign. // These cabinets are truly beautiful. More importantly to me is that they function. This one, in particular, is about 150 years old and still works perfectly as it was designed. It’s a bit worn, with scratches and some marks, which is perfectly fine considering its age. I want to celebrate its history and not take away from it. I want you to know that this cabinet has been around for a long time, built and put together after the Civil War. I wouldn’t want to destroy that story, but I also want to use it without fear of making it worse. I want it to be a beautiful cabinet, so I’m balancing the need to preserve it with the practicalities of its age. It won’t ever be completely pristine. I’m going to save it, stain it, and apply a protective coat to preserve it for another 150 years, and I hope it will continue to be used for the same purpose. // #419 #youwilldobetterintoledo #toledo

It’s #WoodTypeWednesday when you can take your lunch hour and make some quick prints using #WoodType in the Pineapple Press & Design collection and get back to your work day. Get out of your typical day and interject some different skills and learn about #Letterpress printing. It’s a tall order I know, but for just $35 it’s a great way to get introduced to printing right here in #UptownToledo because #YouWillDoBetterInToledo