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Letterpress printing can be described as "the process of using a press for relief printing from metal type or raised surfaces formed from wood, metal, or linoleum." Relief printing means that the printing surface (the black areas of the print) is raised above the non-printing surface (the white areas of the print) on the printing plate, block, or type. See figure 1

The raised surface can be obtained by cutting away the white areas with hand tools (as in block printing or wood-engraving), by acid etching of metal (as in photoengraving), by light-hardening a photo-emulsion (photo-polymer plates), or by casting from a carved or punched matrix (as in metal type). There are other methods for creating the a raised surface, but most letterpress techniques tend to fall under the above categories.

Once a relief surface has been prepared it is put in the press. A roller (or sometimes a dauber ) is used to place ink on the type or block, which is then pressed against paper. Multiple blocks are used to create images with more than one color.

Reprinted with permission by the author, Matthew McClintock.

Above: Collage of work by Licher Art & Design including
1985 photo of band Savage Republic (Bruce at right on guitar).

ock-and-roll has long defined Sedona-based printer Bruce Licher. In the 80s it meant music for the one-time Savage Republic bass player. Today, in a more abstract sense, rock-and-roll describes a place and passion. The “rock” is that which surrounds his adopted home in central Arizona—exquisite formations and towering cliffs that have inspired artists and outdoor enthusiasts from the world over. The “roll” refers to the machinations of his three vintage presses—rare pieces of equipment that provide just one creative outlet for the musician-turned-pressman.

Licher (pronounced Lye-sure) is the owner of Licher Art & Design, formerly known as Independent Project Records & Press, Inc. As a specialty printer he has managed to set himself apart in an industry notorious for high volume, impersonal offset printing, offshore dumping, and cutthroat sales tactics. In his studio couched in the scenic splendor of Arizona’s redrock country, he plies his craft for an eclectic clientele that ranges from an upscale hotel looking for a custom letterhead, to an all-cardboard CD packaging for the rock group R.E.M. The latter, which Bruce refers to as a Discfolio, has emerged as his bread-and-butter product, attracting both the major record labels and independent artists. His innovative approach even earned him two Grammy nominations in the category “Best Album Package.”

He came by his favored-son status in the recording industry honestly, for it was through music that he first dabbled in print. “Originally I was doing music with some friends (the band that would become Savage Republic) that I had met at UCLA. We began to record an album’s worth of material in the early eighties. I had already made a couple of records and I was interested in creating an art record—one that would be packaged in a way that would have the feel of a limited-edition art project.” To this end he enrolled in a letterpress printing class offered at the university. Using leftover “chipboard” from a nighttime job in a computer room, Bruce soon had both the materials and skills to "push the envelope" for the first of many times.

Printing has always been in the L.A. native’s blood. He had two uncles in the biz, and it was his father’s mimeograph machine that gave a ten-year-old Bruce the means to complete his fledgling project—a custom newspaper for his neighborhood pals.

Thirty-four years later Bruce is equipped with three machines including a flatbed Vandercook, and two Chandler & Price platen presses. When in need of a spare part, the local hardware store is of little help; he’s on the phone to a custom metal works company in Silverton, Colorado, that has rare blueprints for these 1930s-vintage workhorses. The first time I met Bruce in 1998, he was working with his Vandercook — a press which employs a process similar to a rubber stamp whereby a surface is inked and pressed onto paper. After slapping a dollop of thick ink onto the baby smooth steel surface of the press, he zipped through a few dozen custom pieces with clockwork precision. A turn of the handle and the hypnotic rhythm of the letterpress was quickly re-established. This repetition, combined with the pleasant handling of a well-engineered tool made for a mildly intoxicating experience (or was it simply the paint and cleanser fumes?) .

Bruce confides that it is in this semi-mechanized state that he does some of his best visioning. “The act of standing there hand-feeding a thousand pieces of something through [the press] can put you in this place where you just start brainstorming about other projects.” For aspiring printers keeping score at home, an ideal print run in Bruce’s world is 500-1000 pieces. Typical jobs fall in the 1000-2000 piece range, with thirty-thousand standing as the record to date. Besides the intimacy of the process, Bruce favors the letterpress for other reasons as well—namely the less toxic inks utilized, and the “cleaner” look to the finished product. As for his application of the craft, Bruce prides himself on pushing boundaries with the medium by juxtaposing a variety of graphics on unusual substrates. “That’s what I’ve done all along, taking the old and the new technology, the high and the low, and mesh them together.” Asked if he felt his trade might be left behind in the digital age, Bruce responded “As things get more computerized and slick, many people are looking for something with more human feeling. There’s always someone looking for something different. Just as there’s always someone looking for something cheap, you know? Take the music industry. With the changes in the industry in terms of downloading, they’ve been hit pretty hard in terms of what they’re spending on promotional items. They’re all trying to do things as cheaply as they can. It seems like its more the independent sector where you have individual artists who have a vision of what they want, and they really like what I can offer.”

As for marketing? “I don’t use an agent. I let the work market itself. It ebbs and flows. It’s not always busy and I don’t always want it to be since I have many other projects—like my own music.” A recent pursuit that blended both his passions was designing and printing the packaging for a re-issue, four-CD package of the Savage Republic’s 1980s work. The band then decided to get together briefly for the first time in more than a decade to promote the package. If, as Bruce modestly admits, he had to relearn the bass guitar after not playing for some thirteen years, he fooled the critics. The band received great reviews in Rolling Stone and Spin magazines, and found the re-release of their music in the USA Today's box set gift guide. “Things were suddenly snowballing in a very interesting way.” If Bruce’s track record for pushing boundaries is any indicator, this snowball can only pick up speed.

© 2003 Mike Buchheit

Note: Bruce's current music group, Scenic, has a new CD called "The Acid Gospel Experience," released on Hidden Agenda Records. The CD is packaged in a new style Discfolio and can be purchased at www.parasol.com.

Bruce Licher's work has appeared in numerous publications iincluding, EMIGRE #16 (1990), HOW Graphic Design Magazine (1991), U & lc Graphic Design Magazine, 1995 ECO DESIGN, STEP-BY-STEP GRAPHICS Magazine, RAYGUN Magazine. Bruce is currently accepting new clients. Contact him at the following address to discuss your project needs:
Licher Art & Design—45 Castle Rock Road, Suite 3, Sedona, AZ 86351; phone/fax 928.284.1282 email land@esedona.net

More "In the Spotlight" articles from the archives:
Getting Down to Business with Paul Howalt, by Mike Buchheit
The Pen is Mightier as a Sword: Talking with Ralph Steadman, by Mike Buchheit
Baseman's World: Interview with Gary Baseman, by Mike Buchheit
Nigel Holmes: Simplifying the Complex, by Mike Buchheit
Just Making Art: An Interview with Artist/Illustrator Joe Sorren, by Mike Buchheit
Wit's All in a Day's Work — Talking Shop with Von Glitschka, by Mike Buchheit
Doodling in the Margins: A Day in the Life of Editorial Cartoonist Gary Markstein, by Mike Buchheit
Pressing Business: A Conversation with Letterpress Guru Bruce Licher, by Mike Buchheit

Mike Buchheit is a writer, photographer, conservationist, and avid outdoorsman living in Grand Canyon National Park. His freelance articles and Southwest images highlight the transformative quality of wild places, and the aesthetic beauty and social importance of the arts. When not directing one of the country's leading outdoor education programs, Mike enjoys discovering what makes some of the design world's most creative minds tick.

You can view and purchase Mike Buchheit's Grand Canyon photography at: www.GrandCanyonPrints.com