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Local letterpress printer Emma Swartz knows that newer technology exists for her craft. But her company Squeezebox Press (503-553-9699, squeezeboxpress.com) relies on pretty much the same process Johannes Gutenberg pioneered in the 1400s: a heavy cast-iron machine and metal type (although Swartz now puts her illustrations on plastic plates rather than traditional metal ones because it means using fewer chemicals).
At a recent First Thursday craft fair, Swartz, 31, sold an assortment of stationery and greeting cards, including her bestselling solar system–themed birthday card. She had a small tabletop press on hand to show customers. (Machines are not hard to come by, she says. “People just want them out of their garages.”)
Swartz also runs free monthly letter-writing socials at Broadway Books (1714 NE Broadway, 503-284-1726, broadwaybooks.net) to commune with other aficionados of the handwritten word. And she’s never been tempted to switch over to inkjet printing or long emails.
“I think my whole ethos is pretty old fashioned.”
See the rest of Willamette Week’s Best of Portland 2025 here!
