Dec

15

DIY Bride L Letterpress Review

Though I haven’t had much of a chance to really play with my newly acquired L Letterpress Kit, I wanted to give my first impressions since a lot of you have been asking about it. Plate Quality Issues First off, I can attest that there is a problem with breaking plates. The first plate I used snapped on the very first run. This pretty much made that plate as unusable. Not good.

DSC 3115 300x200 DIY Bride L Letterpress Review

You can see where the plate snapped - on the first run - rendering it unusable.

Die Machine Compatibility There have been mixed reports about whether the L Let can be used in other die cutting machines. Yes, it can. I report that it works in my Cuttlebug (Provo Craft) and others have reported it works great in the Big Shot (Sizzix). There’s absolutely no wiggle room, width-wise, in the Cuttlebug but it ran right through. Inks
DSC 3118 300x200 DIY Bride L Letterpress Review

L Letterpress Gold & Silver Inks

  • The gold and silver inks are really pretty.
  • Clean up of the plates, lid, and packing mats is really easy. I used baby wipes (having a 10 month old is paying off!) and the ink came up with minimal scrubbing. FWIW: Pampers Natural Aloe Unscented wipes were used. Please thank Zion for his contribution to this experiment.
  • The inks are oil-based. Work in a well-ventilated area. The odor can be overpowering in confined spaces.

Ease of UseThe machine is very, very easy to use.

  • The grid system on the lid and mat is tremendously helpful for accurate placement.
  • If you’ve ever used a die cutting machine before, this will be super intuitive. If you haven’t, don’t worry! It’ll likely take newbies just a few minutes to get up and running.

Notes

  • Definitely check out the L Letterpress tips over at Boxcar Press. As Harold mentions, get a better brayer (the roller that applies ink). I happened to have a soft roller from Speedball (around $13.00) and it’s much better than the one supplied by Lifestyle Crafts. A good roller will make a world of difference in ink application.
  • Paper is also important. Regular cardstock won’t take an impression – or a very good one. Get proper uncoated cotton paper. See my list here of paper resources.
  • An unexpected use of the L Letterpress kit: use it with unmounted acrylic or rubber stamps for perfect stamping placement each time. Stick the stamp to the lid and the paper on the base like you would for a letterpress run, ink your stamp, press the top plate onto the paper (manually or through the machine). Stamps won’t deboss but they will leave a perfectly placed image behind.



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Dec

01

L Letterpress Tips from Boxcar Press

As I mentioned in the DIY Letterpress Resources post, Boxcar Press makes custom plates for the L Letterpress. Boxcar also has a great post about the their first-hand experience with the L Letterpress that includes some really great tips for getting good prints. Find it on the Boxcar Press blog here.



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Nov

23

L Letterpress Quality Issues

Hey DIYers,

I’ve heard from 3 different DIY Bride readers over the last few days that the L Letterpress is having some quality issues with the plates. Apparently they’re cracking too easily.  Some stores are pulling the plates (Paper Source has been mentioned specifically). If your plate cracks, please contact the store where you bought the plates to get a replacement.

I hope Quickutz/Lifestyle Crafts issues a statement soon.

{Edit to add: Users at the QK forums (mother company of Lifestyle Crafts) are reporting problems, too.}



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Nov

23

DIY Letterpress, Pt. 1

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Courtesy of Lindsay Weirich

Hey DIYers, As the L Letterpress has captured our attention, Lindsay Weirich at The Frugal Crafter blog has come up with a way to make similar debossing/letterpress set-up using her Big Shot die cutting machine, some masonite board, and duct tape.  Ummm, can you all say ‘super smart’?! Thought so.

letterpresscards1 300x193 DIY Letterpress, Pt. 1

Courtesy of Lindsay Weirich

This is a neat idea for those who already have a die cutting machine and aren’t looking to add another with the Lifestyle Crafts machine or starter kit.

From Lindsay: When I saw the home letterpress kit from Lifestyle Crafts I was intrigued but I wasnt about to spent $150 on a whim especially since I had a die cutter and zillions of rubber stamps already, they also have a starter kit that has the contraption that you use the printing plates with, ink and paper for $70 but that is still a lot of money in my book. So I took an old plexiglass cutting pad from my Big Shot, a piece of Masonite and some duck tape and made this:

printinghowto1 DIY Letterpress, Pt. 1

Lindsay's How-To Shots of her DIY Letterpress

To see exactly how Lindsay did it, please hop on over to her blog post. Please do give her a hello and a thanks for sharing her talents with us!



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Nov

17

More on the L Letterpress

The L Letterpress is now shipping;  I have not yet received mine. A girlfriend of mine found hers in store at one of the big box craft stores – and used a coupon. Rock on!

Here’s a video demonstration of the L Letterpress in action:

Stay tuned for my tutorial on making your own plates! I’ve made plates for custom embossing and polymer clay projects. I’m just waiting for my supplies to come in so I can shoot step-by-step instrux.



Posted by | 33 comments
Nov

09

L Letterpress Update

Tony, the webmaster from Lifestyle Crafts, updated us today on a few questions our readers had about the machine

Lisa asked what printing plates the machine comes with:

@Lisa – I’m looking at the Letterpress packaging right now, and seeing that the printing plates include 3 shapes: two of which are kind of flower-like, and the other is kind of a thin, border-type flourish.

It also contains 5 phrases: “Happy Birthday” in a cursive font, “Thank You” in a sans-serif font, “I Love You” in a slightly serif font, “for you” in a bolder cursive, and “Hello” in the same font as “Thank You”.

Tonya wanted to know if the machine would be available at her favorite big box stores:

@Tonya – I have heard all three of these names tossed around the office quite a bit in Letterpress-relevant discussions. I would imagine that eventually all 3 will be carrying the tool, as it is planned to be available in large chain stores, although I don’t know what the plans are for it when it first is released.

And, finally, Tony volunteered the scoop on the delivery status:

The tool was delayed somewhat by the overseas manufacturer, but is scheduled to arrive here VERY soon, so be looking for this as a potential Christmas gift. I know I am strongly considering it for my wife.



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