Our Top 5 Reasons For Using Metal Type
Posted by ashley mcneill on
Ever wonder why, with today's technology, we still use vintage, hand-set, metal type?
Well, there are a few reasons:
1. Metal type is unique. Like an old typewriter that might have a letter or two that are slightly off, but adds tremendously to the character and charm of the typed page, metal type sometimes does that, too.
2. It prints beautifully! Polymer plates are great, but metal type just adds a crispness that is incomparable.
3. It's environmental friendly. Our plate-makers can no longer accept returns for recycling. They, like other plastics recyclers, are having issues because no one is buying our plastics. Metal type, however, needs no recycling because once the job is completed, it can be disassembled and put back in the drawer. No trash, no unwanted recyclables.
4. It's fun. It really is. Sure, it can be frustrating and challenging, but also relaxing and zen-like, pulling all characters from a font, setting it, locking it up, pulling a proof, adjusting the spacing and kerning... It's a process I really enjoy doing.
5. It keeps history alive. Some of our fonts are old. (And one of them was born last year, in Canada. Amazing!) Since Vera the Press was born in 1951, a baby in the printing world, I would wager that most of our type is also from the 50s, but some is definitely older. And it's a great tradition to keep going. Think of all the other people who used the type, and all the other invitations, stationery, and advertisements that they were used for!
While we most often use metal type on personalized stationery pieces, we can also use it for wedding invitations and announcements, and poetry broadsides.
Shop our current personalized stationery options and we'll get started setting your type! (Got a larger project in mind, like a poetry broadside? Email us to get the discussion started.)
