Swallow Letterpress Greeting Card

The Swallow Letterpress Greeting Card is printed in Glasgow by The Passenger Press, on paper milled in the UK, as part of their 1895 collection, a series of cards made from prints and images found tucked away in an archive.

Rhian Nicholas, a Fine Art graduate of Glasgow School of Art, prints the swallows by hand in small batches on one of her two vintage letterpresses, a Vandercook proofing press and a 1930s Autovic, in her studio and shop in Glasgow.

The hand-inking gives each card small variations in colour, and the image sits slightly into the paper. It comes with a brown kraft envelope and works for a birthday, a thank you or a note to a friend.

We stock it because swallows have long been a sign of return and of summer on its way, which makes it a lovely card to send to someone far from home.

Caring for Letterpress

Store the card flat so the pressed image keeps its crispness, and keep it in its envelope to protect it from marks. Once it is on show, keep it out of strong sun so the colours stay bright.

Details

• Size: A6 (10.5 x 14.8 cm)
• Printing: letterpress, in small batches
• Paper: milled in the UK
• Envelope: brown kraft
• Made in: Glasgow, Scotland