The traditional printing processes of Engraving vs. Letterpress

The old world artform of Engraved and Letterpress printing are the only two methods of printing that we offer at Gryphon Stationers. We have a love for both of these exquisite crafts of printing, where the finished product is of equal caliber but the results are quite different.

Engraving is one of the oldest and most elegant processes for printing, dating back to the European Middle Ages. Historically developed as a method of producing images on paper for artwork and illustrations, engraving involves etching the text and artwork onto a copper plate. During the printing process, the plate is coated with ink that fills the space created by the etching, and then the plate with ink is compressed onto the paper, leaving the ink raised on top of the paper, and a bruise on the back of the paper from the force of the impression.

At Gryphon we love engraving because unlike other forms of printing, the ink is opaque and can be printed on any color paper stock, and can have incredible detail and true metallic

A traditional technique developed in the 1400s by John Gutenberg whom is credited with the invention of movable type printing, which used moveable raised metal letterforms that are coated with ink during the printing process and then pressed into the paper, transferring the ink and creating an impression in the paper. Later in the 20th century a single raised metal die is made of the entire form of type or artwork, which is the system used to this day for letterpress printing.

Letterpress creates a deep impression into the paper, producing an appealing texture, which is the opposite of engraving, which creates a raised texture. We love letterpress for the tactile quality of the paper and impressions the printing creates.