COME BY. STAY AWHILE.
Porchlight Press is more than a studio
It’s a place to connect with craft, with process, with each other.
OUR STORY
The Light Is Always On
Porchlight Press is so named because it evokes an inviting place where anyone and everyone is welcome, at any time: the light is always on. That vibe inspired our new East Van studio, which includes a little retail storefront where you can pick up some cards for your people, or some treats for yourself! It's where ideas take shape and where people are invited into the process. You’ll find presses in motion, shelves of carefully chosen paper, and a small storefront with goods made in-house.
Stay a little. Watch the rhythm of the machines. Sit on the porch swing. If the timing’s right, you might even catch us mid-print, ink on rollers, hands at work, the press doing what it’s done for generations.
We’re part of a neighbourhood that values making, and we’re proud to contribute to that energy, alongside good ice cream, coffee, good company, and a shared appreciation for things done well.
OUR CRAFT
From Then to Now
Once upon a time, all printing was letterpress. In fact, there was nothing but movable type, ink and paper. But as always, technology intervened, and by the mid-20th century, letterpress was eclipsed by offset and digital printing.
Letterpress print shops fell by the wayside, machines were abandoned or sent to the dump and much of the craft was lost. That is, until relatively recently, when a small army of makers decided to bring it back. Neglected and junked machines were retrieved and restored to their former glory, and a new generation fell in love with the wonderfully tactile quality of paper products made with love by people who care.
Porchlight Press is proud to be part of this tradition, not just of letterpress, but of craft. The way we see it, the letterpress renaissance is part of a greater movement to get back in touch with how things are made, and to value things made by living, breathing humans. Of course, though humans are the driving force behind letterpress, our machines are our beloved workhorses. Meet them here.
OUR PRESSES
Rescued Presses, Working Stories
Porchlight is like the SPCA for abandoned letterpress machines. Our founder Heather Braun can’t stand to see these beautiful pieces of history thrown away, so she rescues as many as she can, giving them a loving home in the Porchlight studio-museum-shop.
Some are operational, some more ornamental, like our storied Intertype, one of the great heroes of old letterpress, which you can see on display in our shop. Each one of our machines has its own personality and quirks that we've had to learn how to work with over the years – just like a human colleague.
OUR MANIFESTO
Craft, Care, Love
We love what we do. A lot. Please bear with us while we get a little cheesy
We love the tangible quality of letterpress, that our stationery encourages real human connection. We don’t know anyone who doesn’t get excited to receive a letter or card in the mail; there’s a bit of magic in a note from your faraway loved one - something you’ve read so many times the edges are frayed. We print to share our passion for written communication, and hopefully to inspire people to communicate for real, by hand, with a pen rather than through a device
We love working closely with our clients. Getting to know them and taking the time to understand what they need is important to us. At the end of the day we’re here to create materials that authentically reflect who they are, what they do, and help them stand out from their competition. The answer might not always be letterpress. We love to make one-of-a-kind pieces by using multiple printing techniques, offset, digital. We’ve got the ideas and the team to pull that off
We love design. And we know design. From fashion to landscape architecture to graphic design, all of which inspire and inform what and how we create. Like many designers, we’re a bit obsessive compulsive. Our built-in press check would satisfy the most discerning eyes (we’re talking to you, fellow designers).
And paper! We’re pretty crazy about that too. We’ve curated a collection of gorgeous papers that are beautiful for letterpress printing.
We love our machines. Oh, how we love our machines, the way a mechanic loves a classic car. More than that, we respect them and steward them. There will never be more like these, and we love and appreciate them all the more for it
We love to share our love. We get endless satisfaction out of hosting workshops, encouraging people to come in see what an incredible experience it is to make a form and print it themselves. Their reaction to what they’re created? Love it, every time
And we love that after decades of decline, letterpress has made a comeback. Thanks to people like you, who share our appreciation for any opportunity in this too-fast, too-digital time to slow down and appreciate the beautiful and the tactile. Thank you for being part of the revival of letterpress. Let’s make something together, shall we?
