Thanks.

Vandercooks, Heidelbergs kick platen press ass for impression strength and inking ability – cylinder presses are best suited for larger forms. They put down a single line of pressure as the cylinder and bed of the the press print the form. A platen press has to do a whole form in one big bang with its clamshell action. The pressure a cylinder press can produce is much greater and even.

The struggle is still most definately consistency of color through ink density. Even on a cylinder press, letterpress just does not produce the consistent color coverage that offset printing does. And even with an ink fountain on our Heidelberg, there is a constant struggle to maintain an acceptable range of ink density over the run. This difficulty is compounded with a heavy cover weight stock with feeding difficulties that makes the press stop often. So yes, the cylinder press is why the coverage and impression look great. However, it is not a magical letterpress bullet. There is still ink density variation within the print run that is inherent to printing a large solid color area with letterpress.

I would buy one of these posters if you’d let me.