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MADE IN PORTLAND
July 25, 2013
LARK PRESS
By KYLIE WRAY
The Tribune
A
Portland press is making it easier
for a Portlander to show their love
for someone as well as their city.
Nothing says I love you Portland
like a tiny print of the Hawthorne Bridge or
the Portland skyline.
Lark Press Letterpress is a printing studio
and store that creates in custom wedding in-
vitations, announcements and business
cards. It also prints its own line of greeting
cards and other products containing the
Lark Press name and Portland-themed de-
signs.
After graduating with a degree in graphic
design and taking
printing classes about
eight years ago, Jean
Sammis started Lark
Press. Sammis felt like
starting this business
would be a good way to
combine the two, “Plus
I didn’t want to sit at a
computer all day,” said
Sammis.
According to its web-
site the letterpress is
“dedicated to beautiful
design, excellent crafts-
manship and providing a stress-free experi-
ence for all our customers.”
Lark Press’ shop on North Williams Ave-
nue between Pix Patisserie and Hub’s Bike
Bar houses not only a collection of cards and
gifts, made by them and others, but also the
century old letterpresses. The Chandler and
Price presses were brought to Portland from
Ohio. Lark Press keeps them at the back of
the shop where much of the shop’s invento-
ry is produced.
Larkpress sells its cards, coasters and de-
signs on Etsy as well as dozens of stores in
20 different states across the country and in
Canada.
Etsy customers have praised the beauty of
the cards, saying that they may not be able
to actually give them to anyone.
Sammis’ favorite products are the custom
greeting cards that Lark Press creates. “I
love to create a new greeting card,” she said.
“It’s very exciting to see a design you’ve
worked on for awhile become a letterpress
creation.”
Lark Press also sells cards and prints by
other designers in the area, such as Egg
Press, Night owl and lots more. The com-
plete works of local artist Sarah Landwehr
are also available at Lark Press. According
to the Lark Press Website, Landwehr’s
“screenprints and etchings evoke a sense of
romance, mystery and sweetness.”
Creativity and sweetness are cards in small Portland press’ deck
“It’s very exciting to see a design you’ve worked on
for a while become a letterpress creation.”
—
Jean
Sammis
Lark Press
Letterpress
3901 N.
Williams Ave,
Portland 97227
PHONE:
503-546-9930
info@lark press.
com
larkpress.com
COURTESY OF LARK PRESS LETTERPRESS
Lark Press cards, notes and other products combine the talents of local artists and the old-style letterpress. The small shop prints its own line of
greeting cards, letterpress poems, notebooks, notecards, recipe cards, prints and tags.