A little bit about me…
Pugmark Press is a tiny letterpress print shop and illustration studio run by me, Summer Makovkin. My fascination with printmaking grew out of a desire to make multiples of my illustrations. I used to print under the name “Maiden Hand” but I scrapped that to start something new. Making new tracks. Starting from scratch. One woman. One press. One pug.
The intention is to play at work and share the results, celebrating the beauty of analog printing and handmade goods. I believe I have found my community in Richmond, Virginia. Along with Vinny, my beloved steadfast pug dog companion, I am eager to see what happens next. More will be revealed as cover new ground and make new tracks.
What is a Pugmark? you ask…
The dictionary definition of Pugmark is: Footprint. The term is used to refer to the footprint of a wild mammal. Every individual animal species has a distinct pugmark. I felt this word reflected the impression aspect of letterpress printing and the wild forest that the studio sits in. A footprint. An impression on the earth like an impression on paper. And it contains the word “pug” which feels like a nod to my beloved pug dog companion.
A little bit about letterpress…
What is Letterpress?
Letterpress printing is a technique of relief printing using a printing press, a process by which many copies are produced by repeated direct impression of an inked, raised surface against sheets or a continuous roll of paper. (Wikipedia)
The press you see in the photo is my new-to-me 100 year old C&P Platen Press. In order to print my illustrations, photopolymer plates of the images must be made. Once the photopolymer plate is made, it is then positioned on a base, which is locked into a chase, which then locks into the printing press. The rollers on the press then ink the plate and, by the mechanics of the press, the paper is pressed against the inked plate and…voila! A beautiful pint with a lovely impression.
Sounds complicated? Here, watch this video:
C&P Platen Press …and this Video