Please introduce yourself and tell us a little about your shop.
My name is Lisa Hasegawa and I am ilfant press. ilfant press began as an imprint for my artist’s books, but I have been focusing more and more on letterpress since I bought my press and started teaching in 2005. I mostly print postcards (I am also part of a postcard exchange that began in 2001) but also make stationery, notepads, blank books, and a few other related items. My Etsy shop has some of my artist’s books and prints, but for the most part I try to separate the fine art from the retail.
How do you develop the designs for your letterpress products? Many of your designs appear to be inspired by old office and school supplies. Do you happen to collect vintage ephemera?
I have been hoarding paper for many, many years. I love old office forms, library cards, children’s writing paper, Chinese and Japanese writing paper, old flash cards, file folders, old notebooks (the little ones with company logos on them), old postcards, and paperclips. I have a ridiculous paperclip collection. My postcards are definitely inspired by different papers I’ve collected – some of the old ruled accounting papers are so beautiful the way the colored lines are set up, a thin purple line tucked tightly between two blue lines… things like that. My designs are not done on the computer, they are set by hand with actual lead rule, and I set them using the papers as inspiration and play around until it feels right.
My favorite product of yours is the Sketchbook filled with a mix of new and vintage office papers. Do you have a favorite product of yours, either past or present?
Thank you - I also love the sketchbooks! I don’t think I can choose one favorite, because I love different things for different reasons. I love the notepads partly because the padding glue is tinted to match the printing, and that excites the print nerd in me. I love the stationery, especially the French style, because the envelopes are printed on the inside and that really excites the print nerd in me. My newest favorite is something I created for myself; it’s like the sketchbook with the repurposed file folder cover, but the inside is lined, similar to the stationery. I use this for taking notes when I meet with clients. Working things out on paper helps me to organize my thoughts better.
Your work was featured in the book Good Mail Day – an awesome book filled with lots of mail art and postal ephemera. Have do you like to add charm to the mail you send?
Fantastic and beautiful book! I am ashamed to say I am not as good a mail correspondent as I used to be. When I AM a good correspondent I like to embellish using old office rubber stamps, graphic tape (it comes in various thicknesses and colors – eee!!!), Letraset type, stencil letters, one of my typewriters, and washi tape. I also sometimes use something from my ridiculous paper collection for the letter paper and/or envelope.
You seem to be a big fan of paper, like myself! What are you top three paper favorites right now - particular products, favorites shops or lines, trends, projects, creative people...
(1) I love onion skin paper – the old typing paper that has that wonderful crinkle sound to it.
(2) SCRAP (http://scrappdx.org/) - this is where I go to buy old papers, office materials, and especially file folders. I think there’s also one in Oakland and I went a little crazy there.
(3) I also LOVE carbon paper, especially what Allyson Strafella does with it: http://www.allysonstrafella.info/html/drawings/01_drawing.htm
[Scrap, entry by Allyson Strafella]
Lisa's work is the perfect marriage of two of my favorite things - letterpress and vintage ephemera. If you are a fellow letterpress and vintage ephemera lover, check out Lisa's work at her website and Etsy shop.
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