It's our three month anniversary of printing in New Orleans! This summer, we are offering workshops in binding and printing, selling our art at a variety of street markets, and of course, doing lots of printing for people who want to look their best on paper.

Events and happenings

Second Saturday on St. Claude

The Southern Letterpress is part of Second Saturday Art Walk in the St. Claude Arts District. The storefront & gallery are open, and there is always a free printing or binding demonstration. Come on by and then visit the other great spaces on St. Claude: Antenna Gallery, Good Children, Dancing Grounds and more!

Second Saturday in July • 7/11 from 5 to 10 p.m.

We'll be printing some revolutionary phrases in wood type, just in time for Bastille Day. Come try out printing yourself! Free and open to the public.

Summer classes

Get out of your house and into the studio with bookbinding and printing workshops at The Southern Letterpress. Get 15% off workshop tuition if you mention this newsletter! To register for a workshop, email jessica@thesouthernletterpress.com or call (504) 264-3715.

Pamphlet Happy Hour

Hey, put down that expensive moleskin notebook! You won’t need it anymore after this workshop because you’ll be making your own BETTER THAN MOLESKIN books. We’ll focus on the pamphlet structure, a fundamental part of bookbinding. We’ll explore how to use reclaimed and recycled materials for covers and innards. Each participant will leave the workshop with at least 5 pamphlets. All supplies included in the cost of the workshop. BYOB!

Wednesday, 7/22 from 6 to 9 p.m.
Wednesday, 8/26 from 6 to 9 p.m.

$65, limited to 4 participants.

PYOP (Print Your Own Postcards)

Letterpress Postcards

Learn the very basics of letterpress printing. You will set your own words in metal or wood movable type, and then print an edition on the mighty Vandercook SP-15 flatbed printing press. You’ll leave with 35 postcard-sized letterpress prints. No experience necessary. Paper, ink and other supplies included in the cost of the workshop.

Saturday, 7/18 from 10 a.m. to 1 p.m.
Sunday, 8/30 from 10 a.m. to 1 p.m.
Saturday, 9/19 from 10 a.m. to 1 p.m.

$75, limited to 4 participants.

We make photopolymer plates!

We are pleased to announce in-house photopolymer platemaking services. Polymer plates are printing plates for letterpress printing, made from digital files. See here for more information. Ask about special discounts for members of Baskerville or other book arts centers.

In the store

The Southern Letterpress is the one-stop shop to check out & purchase the work of some fantastic local letterpress printers: Small Fires Press, Planetary Magnetics Corporation, Presse Dufour, Fitzgerald Press, Studio Ippiki, Nancy Sharon Collins, Natalie Woodlock and The Southern Letterpress!

Southern Letterpress Products

We are rolling out a new line of stationery this summer, featured on LCI Paper's blog. We also re-printed some cards appropriate for getting things done in the summer heat of the south.

Art Markets Galore

The Southern Letterpress is hustling our letterpress work at various street markets. Visit us at Piety Street Market on the Second Saturday of each month, and at The Frenchmen Street Art Market with Small Fires Press (see above) from time to time.

New retail locations

The Southern Letterpress is pleased to announce that you can now purchase our unique cards, stationery and prints at The Ogden Museum Store and the most awesome Maple Street Book Shop.

What happened last month

The Grand Opening!

Thanks to everyone who helped celebrate the Grand Opening on Second Saturday in May. For the event, visitors printed and bound their own commemorative single-page book.

May Second Saturday was also the opening of an exhibit of letterpress work curated from the private collections of Jessica Peterson and Yuka Petz. This exhibition runs until September 1, and represents some of the finest letterpress work currently being made.

NOCCA Broadside Project

In May, The Southern Letterpress partnered with Small Fires Press and Planetary Magnetics Corporation to print broadsides of award-winning student poets from NOCCA, New Orleans Center for Creative Arts. The image below is from the broadside of Genevieve Lovern's poem, printed by The Southern Letterpress.

Coming soon...

Starting in September, The Southern Letterpress will sell book arts supplies! Get your tools for bookbinding and your paper for printing and bookmaking on St. Claude!

We are looking forward to being part of the AIGA conference, this October in New Orleans!

The Southern Letterpress is excited to return to Alabama in October for the Kentuck Arts Festival.