QuicKutz L Letterpress Review and Tips

As soon as I saw it, I had to have it.  You see, I have an addiction to all things paper and there's nothing like textured paper goods to send me into an (eco-friendly), tree-butchering relapse.  I do have standards, thankyouverymuch.   

So you can imagine the intense urge I had to go out and purchase the L Letterpress Tool when I first saw it.  Now, just so you don't think I have zero self control, I put it on my Christmas list and hoped my hubby would purchase it for me.  One minor detail of note was that I gave him very clear instructions not to  deviate from the list or he would not have a turkey dinner for Christmas.  Needless to say, I got my letterpress machine. 

Fast forward 6 months.  Okay so it turned out I didn't actually need to have it because I only cracked it open this weekend for the first time.  Don't judge.  I have an addiction, remember?

I knew that if I was going to try it I'd need an occasion that required multiple prints - like a triple baby shower.  Bingo!  I was co-organizing a baby shower for 3 moms at work and lucky for me, they all had girls. This was a perfect opportunity to take it out for a test-drive. So, here it is:

Ink: I got a good selection of ink.  I didn't realize it already comes with black so now I have an extra tube.  The ink is thick and tacky.  I think it's this sticky consistency that allows it to adhere to the plastic plates. 

 

Printing Plates:

I got several sets. For this project I used the Baby set.  The printing plates are actually made out of plastic and from what I've heard on the internet, they are not very durable - word is they actually flatten and crack with each use.  Bummer.  I didn't notice any of this at all during my trial.  

In the photo below, I'm setting up the layout I want for the cards.  Each printing plate set comes with double-sided sticky adhesive sheets.  You can't reuse them but you get 6 sheets with each set, so they'll last a while.  I've also heard that using regular double-sided tape works just as well.  In this photo I've actually placed the plate upside down (sticky side up) where I want it to go and then closed the lid to 'pick up' the plate. 

See those little black foamy things?  You stick those on the edges so you can easily place the next piece of paper in the same spot.  Worked really well. 

Time to ink!  I put just over a pea size ink blob on the plate.  It was a little more than I need for the amount of printing I was doing but covered nicely.  No more than this is needed for this size of plate. 

Next you wanna roll it out evenly.  I spent a good minute rolling and spreading it out thinly and evenly with the brayer provided.  I've heard that the one provided is sub par.  The advice is that you should just chuck it out and  get a better quality one.  I noticed that it didn't roll properly sometimes. 

Once the ink was spread, I was ready to ink the plate.  You want to keep an even pressure and try not to apply too much ink.  There is a fine balance between too much and not enough ink.  I think inking will take some practice. 

Time to press!

Ohhhhhhhh!  Almost perfect ink application, if-I-do-say-so-myself!  You can see I wasn't totally steady and applied some ink to the edge.  Boooo. 

Clean-up:

I used my stampin' up mist + a Q-tip to clean off those pesky smudges.  It helped but I never really got it off the edges completely. 

Time to clean up.  I'd heard online that this part was messy but it didn't take long at all.  L makes a cleaning wipe that some people compare to baby wipes but they weren't included in my kit.  I simply used dry paper towels and a little elbow grease. 

The brayer was a little trickier to clean but I first rolled off as much ink as possible on a scrap paper. 

Then I used my trusty stampin' up mist and scrubbing pads to make it squeaky clean. 

Color #2

I repeated the steps to spread the new ink color. 

Repeat the previous steps and voila!

It's a girl!

The finished products. 

One of my boo-boos.  Too much ink and too sloppy.

Things I wish I'd known sooner 

1. I actually purchased the Combo Kit which included the parts necessary to make it a die cutting machine too.  Bummer.  I already have a die cutter and totally didn't need this.  Would'a saved half the price!

2.  Cleaning clothes - they don't come with the kit but would probably be helpful.  L should supply a few with the kit.

3.  You must use thick, cotton paper if you want to get a deep impression.  Regular cardstock just won't cut it.  You receive a few flat note card sheet with your purchase but that didn't help me when I wanted to make folded cards.  Now I need to find this special letterpress paper. 

Overall, I loved the process.  Granted, this won't replace a professional letterpress machine but for the home crafter who wants to spread some letterpress love without breaking the bank, it's a fun alternative.  

For some great tips from a professional letterpresser (that's a word, right?) who used the QuicKutz Letterpress, check out this post from Boxcar Press. 

Comments

[Tasha Ruegsegger]

Do you have to ink the plate each time?

[Priscilla Locke]

Yes, I inked the plates each time I ran it through the press because I wanted a dark, crisp look.

[Jeanne Hammerstrom]

Love your cards! What type of die cutter do you use?

[Priscilla Locke]

Thanks Jeanne!

I have 3! I have an Epic 6, Big Shot and my electric die cutter is the Creative Cutter Inspiration by Pazzles.

[A Le]

Hi!
I stumbled on your blog while looking into diy letterpress. Have you used the Letterpress L since this post? I'm curious if the Letterpress holds up after time, esp. reading about other users' experiences with Quickutz's plates. Thanks!!!

[Priscilla Locke]

The machine itself is very durable and I haven't had any problems with my plates like other users have. But I did come across this post by Box Car Press that recommends getting rid of the plates that come with it and purchasing custom photopolymer plates. I think this makes a huge difference in the quality of the imprint. Good luck!

http://boxcarpress.com/us/blog/2009/11/24/l-letterpress-printing-techniques-from-boxcar-press/

[Anne Schwenker]

I've only seen demo videos on youtube,

it seems rather time consuming to make multiple cards, did you find this or does it go faster once you've gotten into a groove?

[Priscilla Locke]

Its definitely a labor of love but I once you get in the groove of things it goes faster.  It would be very time consuming if you only wanted to make 1 design each time. 

[Elle Gould]

I love this review! I bought my letterpress over the summer when I found it on sale at Hobby Lobby. I've used it twice since then. I did have problems with my plates cracking but I think that happened because the ones I bought were already slightly bent out of the box - seems like the cracks happened because they weren't flat plates and the machine flattened them. Does that make sense?

I would like to order my own plates but I'm not gifted in the design department so I have no idea where to even begin in designing my own plates.

I'm definitely inspired to break out my letterpress again and give it another go. Thanks!

[Emily Robinson]

Hi Priscilla,

Wondering how to go about printing on folded cards. Had you ended up doing that at all? Would you just need to rotate the plate 90 degrees, and print on the card laying flat? Guessing that you'd not be able to print on a 5" x 7" folded card due to the size of the machine? What would be the largest folded card size you can print? Thank you!!

Emily