Starshaped Press in Ravenswood is part business, part museum.
During this year’s Small Business Saturday, patrons not only perused greeting cards, prints and posters in the studio, but viewed the 100-year-old machines used to create them.
As part of the letterpress printing craft, ink is placed on engraved metal or wood blocks referred to as “type,” which is then pressed on paper. Most impressive in the shop was the electric-powered platen press that is operated in part by spinning a giant rubber wheel.
Another draw are the job cases: wooden boxes of “movable type,” or individual letters neatly housed in drawers.
Sure, Starshaped Press owner Jen Farrell could create her products digitally, but she said she enjoys the tactile nature of the work. And she is passionate about keeping a historically significant practice alive. For 25 years, she has been serving Chicago-area residents and organizations using the original tools of the trade.
“I feel like 95% of the people that email or call want something because of the process,” said Farrell, 48, who lives in Albany Park. “We’re preserving a craft that’s hundreds of years old.”
Though Johannes Gutenberg is credited with the development of letterpress printing during the 1400s in present-day Germany, movable type has origins in Asia. Farrell said the craft has seen a resurgence over the last couple of decades, and she is part of a community of people printing for a living in the Chicago area.
Farrell’s interest in the process was sparked in college. She originally studied set design at DePaul University before transferring to Columbia College Chicago, where she graduated with a degree in graphic design.
“When I was in school, everything was web design,” she said. “And I’m like, ‘I kind of hate this. I want something tangible.’”
She gained experience in letterpress printing at Fireproof Press in Bucktown, where she produced music packaging, posters and stationery. When the business closed, she struck out on her own, amassing a collection of old equipment over the years.
“A lot of people would be like, ‘You can have the press, you just have to move it somewhere,’” she said, laughing. “It’s still a common refrain.”
Starshaped Press doesn’t operate as a traditional storefront, but customers can go to the studio to pick up orders placed online at starshaped.com. People can also get a peek inside during the Holiday Open House on Dec. 14.
In addition to creating, Farrell also has taught others the craft. She said she has especially enjoyed preparing women to work in the male-dominated field.
“We’ve had some really great people come through and work here and then go on to set up their own shops,” she said.
One of those former trainees is Raychel Steinbach, owner of Current Location Press, who is currently setting up a new studio in Hyde Park.
“She’s just extremely generous with her time and her skills and her experience,” Steinbach said of Farrell. “Jen’s always said, ‘There is enough space for all of the printers to be making and contributing to the culture of our communities.’”
Farrell has supported local communities by creating materials for small businesses like Spoken Cafe on Montrose Avenue. She designed a poster for the restaurant when it was rebranding. She also created wedding invitations for Sidonie Gaude, who owns the eatery with her husband.
“We are big fans of history,” Gaude said of her and her husband. “And we are both former design students, so we really appreciate when people have a craft that they are really good at. And that’s one of the reasons why we worked with Jen. We just love the aesthetic of what she does, as well as her thoroughness. And she’s just a lovely person to work with.”
Customer Susan Snyder also praised Starshaped Press.
“Supporting local businesses is really so important for Chicago,” said Snyder, of Roscoe Village, who came into the studio on Saturday to buy greeting cards and graph paper. “But also, I just love typography as an art form. It just speaks to me.”
Farrell said she has been able to sustain a living through letterpress printing, even though it’s not the most lucrative career choice.
“But it’s comfortable,” she said. “And I love coming here. I’d rather be happy every day than make more money at a job I hate.”