Amy said their friend wanted someone to pick up where they left off. So we took a chance and purchased our first Heidelberg Windmill from a friend and a colleague who were both retiring and did not want to sell their press to a large commercial printer.” By 2010, both our positions had shifted to reflect the economic change and we were not doing near as much of what we loved anymore. “We spent most of our time working together on high-end, complex event invitations until the financial crash in 2008. “We both worked for clients like The Palms Casino and MGM Resorts International,” Pienta says. Mitch was a sales rep for a large commercial printer and Amy worked as a freelance designer. It also doesn’t hurt, she added, that Metal Magic is a certified green supplier, powered by 100% solar and wind energy, and a Zero Discharge manufacturing plant.Īmy, a printer’s daughter from northeast Pennsylvania, and Mitch, a print salesman, worked together in Las Vegas. “We have been working with them for eight and appreciate and rely on their wealth of knowledge and expertise.” “They have been making copper and brass dies for over 30 years,” Pienta says. Photograph courtesy of Somersault Letterpress. Pienta said Metal Magic is a great fit for Somersault.Ĭopper letterpress plate created and used by Somersault Letterpress. “To me, the designer, the copper dies themselves resemble works of art,” Pienta says.Īll of their copper dies are manufactured for them through Metal Magic, an engraver headquartered in Phoenix, Arizona that makes premium brass and copper dies for everything from stationery to wine labels, commercial packaging to annual reports, trading cards to book covers. The photo etching process is calculated the same regardless of the image so we can accurately figure out cost per piece. The hardness of the metal allows us to use the right amount of pressure to flatten out the paper in order to achieve smooth foil lay-down and crisp detail.”Ĭopper also conducts heat so heat passes from the machine and through the etched copper die to activate the foil and allow for the perfect release. “Copper dies are a great choice because of their strength. “When we foil on press, we are using heat and pressure,” Pienta says. Hansen’s expert execution of Pienta's designs is found in the precision afforded by the dies. “Hot foil is a great way to bring a lighter color in to darker paper or just the right amount of shine when using metallic foils.” “We tend to use many different, colored paper stocks and because our inks for letterpress printing are translucent,” says Pienta. Somersault Letterpress is an award-winning letterpress serving luxury and business marketing clients across the country from Jim Thorpe, PA where the couple are testing the edges of their craft. Somersault Letterpress Co-owner Mitch Hansen using their 1963 Heidelberg Windmill platen press.
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