Master printer Martin Clark

Day 2 of H.art, the Herefordshire Art Week, and we visited Tilley Printing in Ledbury, where master printer Martin Clark works in a wonderful warren of a workshop, the home of letterpress printing since 1875. Packed floor to ceiling with metal type in countless typefaces (even Martin doesn't know how many), several printing presses, and with the oily aroma of printing inks in the air, it's little changed over the decades, yet still a busy workshop. The letterpress is having a bit of a comeback as people appreciate the 'handmade' quality of the finished item, compared to the bland uniformity of word processor lay out, multi coloured, ink jet printed things which anyone can knock out.
Martin said 1000 handmade letterpress cards can cost only £100, which seems an utter bargain when you see how unique they are. I certainly know who's printing my new business cards.

See more about the press at www.tilleyprinting.co.uk