When Alischa Herrmann discovered an antique printing press in the early 2000s, she fell in love. Manufactured in 1893, the cast-iron, clamshell-style Chandler & Price letterpress machine was an epitome of contemporary American printing craftsmanship. Its charm captured the Australian graphic designer, who decided to give the old machine a new life.
Where It All Began
It was in her timber home by the sea, north of Brisbane, where Bespoke Letterpress was born. There, Herrman learned the almost lost art of operating the self-inking jobbing press, which involves running the 500kg jobber with her foot and feeding each sheet of paper by hand. It was “definitely a hard and laborious role,” said Herrman, noting that mastering the craft requires strength, endurance and commitment.
The 115-year-old machinery leaves little room for negligence. Even slight deviations in pressure or the roller’s angle will create visible marks. The typesetting process is a test of patience, as each letter must be assembled manually, using tiny metal pieces called movable type. If there’s a typo, the operator must stop the press, replace the incorrect letter with the correct one, then re-ink and test print again. Miscalculated timing can result in smashed papers or worse, injured fingers.
Luxury Stationery Products
It was a one-woman show, but Herrman kept going. Her first creation was letterpress wedding invitations. The learning process paid off, giving rise to something beautiful: the distinctive ink-stained impression of letters and forms. They are crisp, elegant, and hard to replicate by digital printers. The brand soon caught attention.
Herrman then introduced her stationery and lifestyle range, featuring artist illustrations with a touch of luxury. Floral planners with linen-bound covers and gold-gilded edges. Journals with satin markers and heavyweight pages printed on pure wood fibre paper. Gold ribbon bookmark made from solid brass and silk. Soft flax linen tablecloth with refined hygrandea patterns.
The brand also has its own sticker sheet collections. Featuring gold foil accents, each pack contains one page of stickers (122 x 179mm) printed on clear adhesive stock. They come in daily themes such as travelling, coffee lover, baking, gardening and everyday planning, bringing beauty and joy to your journals. They also have an opaque base behind the colours so that your designs stand out with vibrant clarity.
Lessons On Success
Bespoke Letterpress now has store locations in Bowral, Sydney CBD, Melbourne, Canberra and Brisbane. It’s also an award winner of the Australian Post’s best small independent retailer of the year.
And the secret to scaling into an internationally recognised stationery business?
“Believe in yourself,” said Herrman, “Don’t try to follow the footsteps of others. Do what feels true to you and follow your passion. If you try to jump on a bandwagon, follow a trend, or lose yourself in what others are doing around you, you will never give yourself the space to shine.”
“I never set out with any great intentions,” she noted, “I simply wanted to make pretty print things for people, which is still at my core.”
Or, maybe it was the magic of the one-century-old letterpress machine. Maybe it’s the human touch behind handcrafted arts. Maybe it’s a sign that despite the arts industry’s increasingly automated trajectory, we’re still craving something authentic, something timeless, something irreplaceable.
Contact Info:
Flagship Store Address: Shop 2B, 310-312 Bong Bong Street, Mittagong NSW 2575, Australia
Phone: +61 2 4862 4535
Email: hello@bespokepress.com.au
Website: bespokepress.com.au
Photos: Bespoke Letterpress
Words by: Nina Nguyen
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