Printing Coffee Bags

In the printing trade, one of the letterpress’s unique superpowers is the ability to print on irregularly-shaped things. Like coffee bags. And so, after picking up and afternoon coffee at Youngfolk & The Kettle Black every afternoon this winter, eventually the conversation was bound to come around to “so, what about printing up some coffee bags for us.” So I gave it a try.

It’s a tricky job because the folds in the coffee bag create a limited area of “flatness” and I need to accommodate room for the 3-times-fold and seal, so I’m left with a relatively small area to print on, and even within that area some folds I need to work around. I’m only halfway through right now: it’s a two-colour job, and I’ve only printed the black. But here’s what it’s looking like:

In red, between COF and FEE, will be some variation on Y&TKB or Youngfolk & The Kettle Black. Still working out the details. But I’ve got to wait for 150 coffee bags to dry, so I’ve got time.