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Kissing-Bug Press is a small letterpress and design studio atop a foothill overlooking the beautiful Snoqualmie Valley in Duvall, WA. Owned and operated by Courtney Peters.

I love clean, simple designs, refreshing colors and whimsical vintage images. I am inspired by nature, history, humor, and everyday life. Utilizing vintage letterpress equipment combined with modern photopolymer technology allows me to hand-set type, or design digitally, delivering a product that is charming, high quality and unique.

Every single item that makes its way out of the studio is 100% handcrafted with great care and attention to detail. I print the traditional way using iron, ink, wood, and lead, lots of lead!

Each piece is an original work with warmth and life, qualities that cannot be reproduced by

modern printing methods.

Letterpress printing began in the 14th century as an alternative to laborious calligraphy. Invented by Johann Gutenberg, Letterpress is a form of relief printing in which the raised surface of text and or image is inked and then pressed into soft paper creating a beautiful depression that can be both seen and felt.  This highly tactile quality is one of the most charming and unique characteristics of letterpress.

Letterpress printing requires a lot of time, skill, and patience. Setting up the press for a job can be a tedious experience, as every minor adjustment can make a huge difference in the way a print looks. Each sheet of paper is hand-fed into the press. Pressure, registration, and ink coverage are closely monitored to ensure print quality. Colors are printed one at a time.

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