Letterpress Printing Process with a Heidelberg Windmill

[aprintperson]

obviously letterpress can be learned. it is easier than litho in there is no ink and water balance. there are other challenges. pressure, proper inking, feeding, all the things of printing are common to both, with different solutions.

[wisnerma]

Are you saying a off-set guy could not learn to run one of these? I would be depressed because I want one and think it's super cool. I run a 12 unit 6 over 6 Heidelberg right now..do you think I could handle it? I'm not joking either..I want one in my basement.

[ajalonprinting]

We totally agree, everyone. There's nothing like letterpress!

[snookerado]

I operated a Heidelberg platen, then a cylinder before moving on to Lithography. I can confirm there is no comparison between the skills of a Letterpress printer and a lithographer..

A letterpress printer can do lithography but a lithographic printer would not have a clue how to do letterpress. It was truly magical times!!

[solefthanded2]

I preferred working on a Platen and the Cylinder than working on our Thomson litho anyway.

[travisbird]

great video guys very informative

[ijk240695]

I cut my teeth on one of these in about 1981, this and a Vertical Miehle. I agree that they were harder to get a good result from then Offset but a good Letterpress Printer could create stunningly beautiful 4 colour prints from wooden blocks.

Letterpress could achieve a greater depth than offset can achieve however the process was far slower and technology and the powers that be need mass production.

I now operate an 8 colour Komori at speeds of 12000iph printed 4 colours both sides, pretty sad.

[AssyrianAtheist]

i miss working on this.

[andydino1920]

I served my time as a Letterpress Machine Minder, later renamed by the NGA Union as a Manager, as the word Minder was a bit lower class for what the operator actually did. Letterpress guys were retrained on Litho presses because they were so much easier to transform to, rather than going from Litho to Letterpress. Letterpress was a far more complex way of printing, performing what is known as "make ready", that is using Underlays, Overlays and Interlays, so as to get the print surfaces to print

[mathowlett]

I used to work at a place years ago with one of these. Used to scare the crap out of me !!

[aaroncittograf]

cool as a work with a miehle vertical!!!!

[johng122]

Checkout the web site HEIDELBERG REPAIR for help and friends.....