This springtime letterpress birthday card features a hand-drawn image of the blowing of a dandelion puff ball into the wind with the text, "it's your birthday, make a wish." A heartfelt handmade birthday card featuring a whimsical dandelion design. Cheerful, fun, delightful, and age positive.

This unique greeting card was printed with love using an antique letterpress machine. Read more about the letterpress process below.

CARD
100% Cotton Crane Lettra paper
Pearl White
Folded A6 (4.625 x 6.25)
Blank interior

ENVELOPE
Green
A6 (4.75 x 6.5)
Rectangular flap

INK
Custom colors mixed by hand
VanSon rubber based ink

PACKAGING
Clear plastic sleeve

SHIPPING
When ordered alone, this card ships flat in an envelope with a USPS Forever Stamp and without tracking. If you would like upgraded shipping (USPS Priority or Express), please message me. All our cards are eligible for free shipping when part of an order of $35 or more.

PROCESS
This card begins with physical pen & ink drawings. I scan these onto my computer and then digitally tweak and manipulate in Photoshop and Illustrator. After designing the card layout in InDesign, I order a photo polymer plate. Once the plate arrives in the mail, I adhere it to my base on the bed of my Vandercook #4 letterpress machine and I'm ready to print!

Next, I decide on a color palette and pick out a variety of cans of colored rubber-based ink. Scraping bits of ink from each of the cans, I hand-mix my own colors using a palette knife on a thick sheet of glass. Once the colors are mixed, I apply a thin layer to the printing rollers and turn on the press to get the rollers rolling, which distributes the ink evenly and maintains the ideal consistency. Using scrap paper, I start proofing to check the inking (too little is too faint, too much is clumpy), the impression (to achieve that lovely letterpress feel), and the alignment (making sure the text is printing on the desired spot of my paper).

After a few rounds of proofing and adjustments, the first color is ready for printing. I gently feed each card one-at-a-time through the press, keeping an eye on quality control. After about 40 cards, a small bit of new ink needs to be applied. When all of the cards have been printed with the first color, I clean the press by wiping the ink off of each roller and removing the first text block. The entire process is repeated for the next color.

The last step is the packaging process. Each card is individually folded, matched with an envelope, stuffed in a clear plastic sleeve, and stored.

Please contact me with questions or for information about bulk or wholesale orders. Thanks for your interest!