About us

Inspired by the greats of the twentieth century typographic revival, presses like Curwen and Shenval in the UK, and Riverside and Stinehour in the US, Hand & Eye aims to provide the best in letterpress printing.

We started in 1985 as jobbing printers, and now print books and record sleeves that find their way to a world-wide audience. We print illustrated limited editions for some of the finest contemporary private presses, as well as publishing our own titles.

We operate two fully-refurbished, large-format Heidelberg presses, a facility that, to the best of our knowledge, is unique in the UK. We also have a FAG Control 525 proof press, used mainly for short-runs and editioning prints.

Although we have an extensive collection of wood and metal type, we generally print from photopolymer plates. As they are made in-house, we have full control over the process, helping us to print great type, vector images and half-tones. 

Plates are the point where digital and analogue meet. We make negatives from digital artwork, reproducing whatever fonts are in the file, so customers can use any font they wish. The negatives are exposed to a light-sensitive plastic, which is hardened where the light falls on it. The areas under the black part of the negative remain soft, and are washed out with water and brushes, leaving an analogue, relief printing surface.

Our focus is always on our customers - we do our best to provide friendly, reliable and knowledgable service.