Spotlight: E & D Letterpress
by Nora m. Davis (HBCA)—May 2009
Dave Moody, owner of E & D Letterpress
Walk into E & D Letterpress and revel in this blast from the past! Posters of Elvis, James Dean and the Blues Brothers adorn the walls, along with posters of vintage '55 & '57 Chevys. Three Heidelberg Presses line the walls: a 1955 model, a ’66 and the newest model from 1976. This is truly a print shop!
Owner Dave Moody looks the part of a printer—proudly wearing his Heidelberg work apron. I asked Dave how he got involved in the printing business and he explained he was the third generation in the business. His grandfather owned a newspaper, his dad a print shop—so he grew up in the business. "Printing is in my blood," he said, "and I didn’t want this special art to disappear. People need to know about fine, quality printing." The Heidelberg presses in Dave’s shop are specialized, yet simple pieces of equipment. No circuit boards—just moving parts that require oil on a regular basis.
(Confused about letterpress vs. photo copy printing? Letterpress is the printing process in which ink is applied to the top surface of a raised image area, and then pressed against paper to transfer the image.)
Dave’s background includes foil stamping/embossing wine labels for California wine country. The arrival of three girls to Dave and wife Ellen determined for them it was time to move from California, and they headed first to Vermont, then later to Minnesota—at that time the fifth largest printing center in the United States. He's worked as a graphic arts head hunter, and owned Moody Letterpress & Finishing until 2003. He opened E & D Letterpress in late 2003.
E & D Letterpress is a specialty printer—producing one of a kind, unique printed pieces. Looking for a special wedding invitation? Birth announcement? Party or special event invitation? Printed napkins or placemats? Business cards? Give Dave a call. He’ll also do die cutting (think cutting paper to a certain shape—a pumpkin, teddy bear, etc.), embossing (raised impression on the surface of paper) and scoring. And now he’s working on a new “cold foil” process—producing elegant images on silver and gold foil, with four color overprint. Gorgeous.
As I left that day I noted yet another printing press stored outside his door. I soon found out that Dave’s dream is to create a museum with working presses. He’s carrying on the tradition of sharing the appreciation for fine printing—his grandfather and father would be proud.
For more information, or a tour, contact Dave at 952-746-5005. E & D Letterpress is located at 155 Jackson Avenue North, Suite 2.
