all about ruthie + oliver letterpress

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I’m Erica!

I’m the owner, designer, the presswoman & social media manager here at Ruthie and Oliver Letterpress Design Studio. I guess you can say, I wear a lot of hats! I absolutely love beautiful paper and the way it feels to run your fingers across the soft texture of thick cotton paper. I’ve always had a passion for paper, postage & books. This passion really started back when I used to create handmade invitations for friends in the early days after college. These days, I still love working with my hands, and creating actual art every time I put something on the press.

When my husband Jeremy and I purchased my first press back in 2016, I had no prior knowledge of how to even use it; everything I know has been completely self taught through lots of trial and error. I graduated from the University of Tennessee, Knoxville but did not major in graphic design.

In saying all that, it’s only right to say the Lord has his hand in my business for sure! I contribute all my growth to him, and try my best to glorify him in the type of work I create, and the life that I live.

In addition to letterpress and design, I’m also a full time stay-at-home mom to my son, Oliver. He’s four, and also the quality control manager around here (jk!)

Other than letterpress, my passions are hiking & running. Salida, Colorado is my family’s home away from home (where my husband and I eloped)! I enjoy historical fiction, collecting vintage postage & vintage turquoise.

I also have a passion for finding tiny/rural post offices. I have been snapping photos of post offices throughout my travels for several years, and I have quite the collection of photos (and memories) to say the least! I’ll be sharing these every so often on my instagram - and would love to one day publish a book of my photo collection! Stay tuned.

The Press

My main workhorse is a Golding Pearl Letterpress, circa 1909. It is a floor standing platen press with a manual foot treadle. Golding Pearl presses were last manufactured in 1927. Letterpress is the oldest form of printing, dating back to the late 1800s. Letterpress printing is a form of relief printing, where the text or image is on a raised surface, similar to a rubber stamp. Ink is applied to the raised surface and then paper is pressed directly against it to transfer the text/image. Printing is done by hand, one at a time.

Our second press is the Golding Official No. 4. This was manufactured between 1881 and 1893. We have restored this press for Oliver to use in the near future (stay tuned!).

My most recent purchase was a Vandercook SP-15. I’m not currently using this press at the moment; Sadly, it’s in storage for the time being. (I need more studio space…!)