Paper Pounder Press: Making Its Print on Beijing

Letterpress printing is the earliest form of printing text on paper, originating in the mid-15th century. The process is as follows: use a movable type press in which a reversed raised surface is inked, and then press it into a sheet of paper. If done right, the result is a pretty piece of work that you can touch and feel.

Our Arts & Culture Editor first clued us into the fact that people are trying to bring this tradition back in the US (or the Bay Area, at least). Apparently, it has become the hip “new” thing to get your wedding invitations letterpress-printed. It was only a matter of time before it came to Beijing.

Paper Pounder Press just moved into the China View complex in July, right next to Gung Ho! Pizza. The store specializes in all-things-letterpress-printed, from stationery to business cards and menus. Letterpress-printed art is tacked all over the walls, in order to give readers an idea of what they can do. Bulky antique paper printers occupy both sides of the shop, ready to do the owners’ bidding.

The business is run by a husband-and-wife pair – Josh Durham hails from Louisville, Kentucky, and his wife from China, but they met in college. He does the printing, while she takes care of the business side. They share a vision for doing something meaningful (“We’re keeping history alive”) and fulfilling (“We make everything by hand”).

You can either come in with a specific design in mind, or choose from their templates. Prices aren’t cheap – business cards (100) start from RMB 888, stationary (50 sheets) from RMB 15 and large prints (50 copies) from RMB 20.

Obviously, there are plenty of other thriftier options, but here, Josh points out the value of the human touch. “You can watch me printing from the window,” he says. And of course, one of the main perks is the tactile quality of the products. “Look, you can feel the impression,” he said, urging me to touch.

For now, they’re just getting started, with plans to get on Taobao and find retailers to stock their products in the near future. Will letterpress printing take off like cupcakes in Beijing? We'll just have to wait and see.

Paper Pounder Press. Mon-Fri 10am-6pm. Bldg 2, China View, 2 Gongti Donglu, Chaoyang District (138 1123 0049) 朝阳区工体东路中国红街2号楼

Photos: Paper Pounder Press