DIY Bride L Letterpress Review

Posted by Khris in Crafter's Toolbox

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.

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

• 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 Use

The 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.

L Letterpress Tips from Boxcar Press

Posted by Khris in Crafter's Toolbox

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.

L Letterpress Quality Issues

Posted by Khris in Crafter's Toolbox

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.}

DIY Letterpress, Pt. 1

Posted by Khris in DIY Projects & Tutorials, Invitations, Programs, + Stationery

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.

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:

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!

More on the L Letterpress

Posted by Khris in Crafter's Toolbox

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.