Aardvark-on-Sea letterpress Manifesto

If you are in need of a manifesto for your life, and don't trust the politicians to come up with a credible one (and, really, no one could blame you), visit Aardvark Letterpress for some inspiration.

First of all, Kill Your TV because it rots the brain

live like Thoreau at Walden Pond

and finally (most importantly) - have a Happy Day

Clerk Ink Well letterpress

How true.

More letterpress slogan posters from Clerk Ink Well here.
This one costs £40 unframed, £85 framed.

card o' paperclips from Cowshed Press

Did you know that the species of paperclip that we use most often is called the Gem? This card by Cowshed Press is a spotters guide to some of the more rare paperclip beasties found in your stationery cupboard.   I've always like the Ideal (the 1.5in size has a 100 page capacity. wooo), but I think my new fav is the Owl. Or perhaps the McGill.

Printed in silver and cyan on smooth manilla board.
Contact Cowshed Press to find out your nearest stockist.

Typoretum letterpress

I love letterpress stationery - for a start it looks like a lot of fun for the designer / letterpress-er to create, and the end products are imaginative and beautiful works of art, using a printing method that has great history and tradition.

Typoretum, based in Colchester, make a huge range of letterpress stationery.  Greetings cards - such as this New Year card - are made using antique wooden and metal letterpress type and vegetable inks printed onto 100 percent cotton fibre.

They also make wedding stationery and personalised stationery, such as correspondence cards.

Email / texts begone, use these instead.

Mrs Osborn's favourite shops - Harrington & Squires

I'd really like to have a business card - but I think I need to be more of a ducker / diver / wheeler / dealer and a bit less of a maid-of-all-work before I splash out. Besides, I need some time to work out what info should go on my business card.

Once I've decided, I know where to go: Harrington & Squires, letterpress printers and designers.

Harrington & Spires are tucked away in Tufnell Park, in a tall thin space called The Corridor (1.2 metres wide, 3 storeys high).  They have many, many beautiful examples of business cards for inspiration, and can design one that is just right for you.

As well as bespoke business cards, wedding stationery, invitations and cards, Harrington & Squires also sell hankies, fridge magnets and calendars...

Top row: folded letter Love card £6;
Bottom row: Sneezie hankie printed with the word Sneeze, Boohoo or Atishoo £10 each

shopping list button fridge magnets -
you probably can't read the type as I didn't zoom in enough...
they have essential grocery items to remind you what to buy

top row: perforated calender
(it's long and thin and you tear off each day that goes by) £16.50;
bottom row: postcards £2.50 each

Letterpress things: SORT, New North Press, Papermash

For those that want retro stationery products and prints, there are some great letterpress goodies to be had.

SORT (the Society of Revisionist Typographers) are based at Cockpit Arts Studios, Holborn.  Fantastically handlebar moustache-esque, SORT make a range of cards and notebooks available through their Etsy webstore, and also wedding stationery (email them for a catalogue).

The New North Press based in Hoxton produces some lovely prints like this one of the Oranges and Lemons nursery rhyme - for the cockney sparrar in you.

Also check out Papermash which has a range of cards, notelets, and gift tags - when asked to 'Bring a Bottle' these tags are a good finishing touch. Nothing like a bit of honesty, eh?