Starshaped Press

Metal type form with elaborate ornamentation around the type that says ‘stuff I have to do’.

Stuff I have to do, but make it fancy. #letterpress

Burgundy print with black illustrative clouds and silver 19th century styled text with lyrics from Kate Bush’s ‘cloudbusting’

Desperately manifesting Kate Bush today. www.starshaped.com/8x10prints/f...

Think we should all just go Nickel this while we can.

More here: www.starshaped.com/thecityismyr...

Close up of multi-colored print resembling a church made of smaller Chicago buildings with text that says ‘the city is my religion and studs Terkel is the preacher and the staple singers are the choir’.

Chicago has inspired dozens of projects but my fave is this print, The City is my Religion, which features a ‘church’ built of personal, physical spaces. Multiple layers of ornaments printed are to resemble stained glass. #letterpress

We love our membership!

Close up of metal type form inked in gold with ‘and’ catchword in the middle.

19th century catchword making its debut in the shop. I have dozens of these but finding the right one to match the mood of a project and make it sing is always a challenge. This one is paired with typefaces about 40 years older. #letterpress

Hold my coffee while I run to get this.

Please do. We need joy. And tiny books.

Looks like our notes in the kid’s medical receipts 😂

I really love these. Used them on a print this fall. Beautifully designed!

Virgin Wood Type does as well.

Close up of metal type ornaments

Disparate ornaments that play well together. #letterpress

Having a teen in my house I can say… they’re weirdly into it? He even hosted a beach rave last summer.

Never too late to start

This works for us widows too. Love it.

Three metal and wood and linoleum blocks for printing the boombox card, sitting on a galley.

And the type forms.

Chipboard postcard resting on type cases. Has a boombox made from geometric metal type and printed in shades of black and silver.

Current Print Club postcard is a boombox made with geometric metal & wood type ornaments and printed in 3 colors. #letterpress

Having seen it firsthand in my kid’s hospital, I can attest this is true. Sometimes they’re fashioned to be converse-adjacent.

In metal, it’s just straight up 72.

Digital sizing is based on the original measurements for metal type. 12 points in a pica, 6 picas in an inch. More formally established around 1878.

Close up of metal type form.

Arboret is a beautiful, interchangeable ornament/type combination that is thankfully built on the modern point system of measurement for quick setting. #letterpress

Angled image of metal type form showing buildings made from ornaments.

New Chi skyline on press. Especially pleased with a Bean made of parentheses. #letterpress

Angled close up of metal type form with the text Ravenswood.

Complex new form set for a print commissioned by the @ravenswood-chicago.bsky.social. #letterpress

Uh, yes. Definitely.

We got a lot of metal for you. No pressure. 😘

Wood type in a composing stick that says ‘WORD’ with a Chicago star. Image is reversed to be easier to read.

Community is everything and printers know that well. So @blountben.bsky.social & I are leading the charge to host WayzgooseORD (WORD) here in Chicago. It’s a new gathering for the print community to share their shops, knowledge and friendship. More info: wayzgooseord.com

Literally said this same thing to my kid a few weeks ago.

Don’t! It’s all part of meaningful conversations about how we all contribute to the push and pull forward.

…in direct support of a given cause, it may be because they’re collaborating with community on more benign, but bill-paying work. The arc of social issue printing is a long one and many of us have to balance all of the things that sustain us. And be able to sleep occasionally.