About the Shop
(so, there.) started as an outlet for my interest in letterpress, upcycling, and all paper goods. Situated in Issaquah, Washington (under a giant White Cedar) the tiny shop is packed full of materials, tools, and ideas. It opened in Winter 2009 with a variety of letterpressed greeting cards and holiday cards and tags, and will soon sail into uncharted territories of paper goods. (dum dum dum!)
New items will be coming all the time, including surprise products that feature recycled and repurposed materials that I just couldn't throw away.

About Alison Lang
I am a graphic designer with a background in product design and print. I graduated from the University of Texas with a BFA in Design, and moved to the Seattle area in 2004. After a few years in the art department of a local tableware company, I decided to take my designs home and pursue my real passion- paper.
Now I am designer, production person, and slave to the press. I feature my adventures, inspirations and rants on my blog, which is always a window into my life.
Samples of my other design work can be found at alisonlang.net.

About the Designs
Most of the designs are hand-drawn, then moved to the computer and eventually to the press (more details below.) The hand drawn designs bring a whimsy to the designs and to the press. (And a whimsical press is a happy press.)
Some cards have an added element of vintage wood (example photo to the left) or lead type. These were the original means for transfering type onto paper with a press.
Ideas for the designs come from looking at a variety of sources, including antique wood typefaces, vintage fabric patterns, and all kinds of product and interior design. All of this visual candy gets mixed up in my head, and comes back out at sketches and eventually a design.
Check out the shop descriptions for more information about each individual design. I get really excited about the subject, and would love to answer any question you have! Send me an email anytime.

About the Method
The designs are placed on the press in a variety of ways- polymer plates, hand carved linoleum blocks, lead or wood type. These are inked by two rollers and pressed into the paper with the selected impression.
(so, there.) uses a Craftsman Imperial platen press, which gives me the chance to produce small intimate pieces. Size is always an important factor in any design, and small cards offer a tactile experience that a larger card can lack.
The designs are printed on a paper that will take the impression and the ink well, Most often this is 100% cotton paper with a soft texture.