You may have heard of the Open Press Project, who started a Kickstarter fundraiser five years ago for their Open Etching Press, a small printing press which utilizes intaglio and relief printing techniques so that individuals can create tiny paper prints at home.
That first project was an overwhelming success with 1,485 backers pledging a total of €121,661 out of their original goal of raising €1,000. Seeing the interest and demand of the market for this type of accessible printmaking, the Open Press team has now launched a new campaign.
With the Etching Press, one can print up to a maximum size of 7.5 x 23 cm, or about 3 x 9 inches. But people have been asking whether there was a possibility of having a printing press for larger sizes. So, they came up with a press for postcards.
As explained by Martin Schneider in their Kickstarter video, they had to redesign the structure of the press and use different metal parts as simply making the Etching Press larger wasn't sufficient to scale up the size of what it can print. The Postcard Printing Press uses the same printing techniques as the previous one but can print on a larger surface, with a size of about 4 x 9 inches.
The project launched on August 1 and will continue until August 31. So far, it has 593 backers and amassed pledges amounting to $168,563, which is about eight times the original goal of $20,000. Early bird reward tiers are all gone, and two tiers remain, one for about $256 and another for $290. Check out the Kickstarter campaign here.
(Video credit: Open Press Project/Youtube)