All good things must come to an end. As always, it's been a whirlwind. Anyone else returning from the National Stationery Show need some tunes while you head home? Our top two priorities for the road? Unwind and stay awake! Just press play. And don't forget a bathroom break! And maybe even a dollar cone on the road from Micky D’s.
Haley is hands down the most sweet-natured of all of the Smudge Ink crew. I'm not entirely sure how she puts up with our antics but she always has a friendly and calm demeanor no matter how wacky things get. In between working on wholesale orders and interning in the press room here and managing the floral display over at Whole Foods, she is a talented hand lettering artist with a strong affinity for chalkboards. I've definitely been guilty of asking her to address important snail mail so it'll make an impression! Haley generously agreed to share a bit more about her passion for modern calligraphy and lettering, including one of her favorite quotes that has helped her along the way …
Can you tell us a little about how you got started in calligraphy and lettering? What first got you interested?
I first started developing my lettering skills as a Signmaker at Whole Foods Market. It's not something that I had previously put much thought into, but once I started learning the art of signage and making chalkboards I was hooked. I was a Signmaker for about 5 years, and even though I am now steering in the direction of calligraphy, I still really love to make chalkboards! It wasn't until I got engaged that I discovered calligraphy. As I started planning the wedding and designing our invitations, I bought a book and taught myself as much as I could so I could address our wedding envelopes.
How would you describe your style?
I'm not sure if I have a particular style yet! I definitely feel like I still have a lot to learn and consistency is something that takes a long time to achieve with any type of hand lettering. The fun part about modern calligraphy is that there are loose guidelines which allows a lot of room to play. Classic calligraphy is so impressive, and I would love to make it there someday but at the moment I love to play around with different styles.
What is the most memorable or challenging project you’ve taken on?
I have made a few invitations suites now and I really love working on them. Wedding invitations can be so personal, and it's fun to learn about a couple and brainstorm ideas that are completely unique to them. The process of designing a custom suite from start to finish is lengthy but a custom cohesive suite is so special!
Where and when are you the most creative?
I usually feel creative at the most inconvenient times (like on the train during my commute to work) so I always keep a notebook and a pen with me to write notes down or sketch out an idea that I'm likely to forget. I really love to work in the morning—I find that after I eat dinner I rarely do anything productive so I usually wait until the morning to start new projects! 
Which calligraphers and/or artists have inspired you the most?
A couple of my favorite calligraphers are Ann Robin and and Ashley Buzzy. They are both so skilled that their work seems effortless. I hope with more and more practice I can achieve that same muscle memory!
What is your favorite quote or mantra?
“You are never too old to set another goal, or to dream a new dream.” ― C.S. Lewis
I really love this quote! I think everyone can relate to the fear of starting something new or switching gears. In the past year I've really tried to develop my own little business and initially I was really nervous about whether or not I could make it work. I still have a lot to learn and lots of goals I'd like to reach but I have been so much happier and inspired since I've started putting my work out there and collaborating with new people.
Thanks, Haley! If you'd like to see more of Haley's incredible work head over here and be sure to follow her here!
(photo credits: Haley Tyson)
Trunk full of foldable plywood walls and greeting cards? Driver and passenger seat teaming with contained excitement, anticipation, and anxiety? Well, turn on that ignition and step on it (safely, of course) because the National Stationery Show awaits. Let this playlist happily take you to NYC. Javits Center, ready or not, here we come!
A blind impression is an inkless impression. In other words, it occurs when you run the press with an un-inked plate. Instead of color, you see an image simply through texture and shadow created by the impression in the paper.
Oftentimes, we’ll choose to use a gloss varnish or a transparent white ink to amplify the contrast and legibility of the imprint. Though technically no longer inkless, the varnish or tint catches more light and heightens the effect of a true blind impression. Similarly, another option is to run an extremely light tint of a color or, more accurately, a “dirty" tint.
(image: example of blind impression on a wedding invitation)
It is important not to confuse a blind letterpress impression with a blind deboss. Though done on the same machines, the impression created by letterpress printing is incorrectly referred to as a deboss by many people. While (contemporary) letterpress printing does impress the text or image into the paper, the impression is essentially single-sided. There may be some minor bruising or show-through on the backside of the sheet but the intent is not to have a perfectly mirrored image of the print on the opposite side.
With debossing, the image is impressed into the paper by a two-piece die that essentially molds the paper from both sides. There is a raised “male” die and recessed “female” die which together form a crisp, three-dimensional image. To see what I mean, Publicide has some great images that show both sides of a deboss here. Embossing is the same process as debossing, but the final image is raised rather than impressed. Like letterpress, embossing and debossing can both be done blind (inkless).
To recap: a blind impression of any sort is an impression without ink. Being single sided, it is different than a blind deboss. Something to note is that a blind impression is priced the same as if you were using an ink because it requires its own press setup.
Do you have any letterpress-related questions for George? Please email him at info[AT]smudgeink.mom!
If you’ve ever been to Boston, chances are you’ve had the pleasure of shopping at one of the quirky yet quaint Black Ink shops. We could spend all day browsing Susan’s selection of unique and fun gifts, handy housewares, and pretty stationery and supplies all beautifully stacked from floor to ceiling. Don’t say we didn’t forewarn you, you’ll be hard pressed not to find several items that you just have to have! Though Black Ink has been a longtime customer of ours, we realized we knew little about the shop’s beginnings. Fortunately, Susan kindly offered to give us the scoop …
(image: Susan stocking shelves)
When did Black Ink open? What was the inspiration or motivation behind the opening of a brick and mortar store? Is there a story behind the name?
Black Ink was formed/created in 1994 at 101 Charles Street in Boston’s Beacon Hill neighborhood, back in the day when there were no on-line stores! Initially inspired by images from our collection of vintage books and ephemera, we designed and made thousands of rubber stamps from these detailed images to sell along with ink and stationery to stamp on. As black was my favorite ink color to rubber stamp with we named the store Black Ink, eventually becoming Black Ink, Inc.
(image: Black Ink's Beacon Hill storefront)
When I look back on photos of the newly opened store I laugh at how sparse it was! Still we were determined to build up our inventory and along the way we played and experimented with adding many new categories and unusual items. Over years of trial and error we designed our floor to ceiling green shelves to display our ever changing merchandise and our greeting card “islands” to stock an ever expanding assortment of cards. In 2002 we had an opportunity to join the Harvard Square community, and we opened our second Black Ink at 5 Brattle Street in Cambridge (our hometown).
(image: Rory and Finn, then and now!)
Do you have a fun fact about Black Ink that most people wouldn’t know?
Many people do not know that Black Ink is truly a family business. It was founded by my late husband Tim and myself, and we were soon joined by our first child, Rory, in 1995. She came to work with us as an infant and grew up “playing store.” Our son Finn was born in 1999 and has many memories of playing hide and seek in the store basements and making change as an eight year old at the cash register. Today both kids work part-time at the stores, so we’ve come full circle! 
(image: Black Ink's Harvard Square storefront)
What do you love about your shop’s neighborhood?
We are lucky to be part of two iconic neighborhoods, Beacon Hill and Harvard Square. Both neighborhoods are destinations for travelers worldwide and have very active residential and business communities. We love seeing our “regulars” and also meeting new students and residents as they arrive each year. Many customers (and former staff members) come back to visit us whenever they are in town, as many have scattered around the world.
What’s the most memorable thing that has happened in your store?
So many memories, hard to say what would be my favorite. Each day unfolds differently; to me it’s like an interactive installation—ever-changing, but always consistently participatory.
(image: Black Ink shelves)
What’s your favorite Smudge Ink product?
The “local” Smudge Boston & Cambridge cards and canvas bags are classics. There’s lots of pride in our communities and our visiting customers love to take something truly local home with them.
What song or album is playing in your shop right now?
Much to my younger staff’s amusement/horror, I choose the playlists and they are a bit heavy on classic yet eclectic artists like Wilco, Van Morrison, Leonard Cohen, Joni Mitchell …
Thanks, Susan! We love that Black Ink is a true family business. If you've become a shop fan like us, keep up with Black Ink here, here, and here.
(image sources: Black Ink)
