iiinova — where your digital self keeps evolving

Val Lucas - Bowerbox Press @bowerbox.com · 20/09/2026

Got myself a little treat yesterday, a 10-line wood type font. Can't wait to print with this super slabby face #woodtype #letterpress

Dirty but useful wood type, a portion of the alphabet showing A, E, F, I, J,, M, N, Q, R, U,X, And Y

Two pieces of wood type A's, the top one is dirty and the bottom one has been cleaned but still looks old

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Val Lucas - Bowerbox Press @bowerbox.com · 14/09/2026

Happy New Tympan Day! I changed the packing on my press for the printing of the ATF Newsletter cover so I have a fresh surface for perfect prints from the newly cast type. So satisfying. #letterpress #newtympanday

Above shot of the fresh tympan packing on the Vandercook press.

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Val Lucas - Bowerbox Press @bowerbox.com · 27/08/2026

First classes, first demos, tributes to two greats. Wood type set up in the Vandercook press. #letterpress

A printed wood type poster in purple, reading let's do the time warp again

A wood type poster printed in hot pink, reading dream so big it scares people, rip dolly

The wood type in the press for the dolly poster, inked up in hot pink

The wood type for the time warp poster in the press, inked in purple

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Val Lucas - Bowerbox Press @bowerbox.com · 18/08/2026

Hot off the press, a short run of these posters is available—printed by hand in 3 sizes of wood type. Declare your space an AI-free zone! www.bowerbox.com/product/ai-f...

A letterpress printed poster sitting in the press bed, reading "this is an AI free zone in 3 sizes of wood type

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Val Lucas - Bowerbox Press @bowerbox.com · 16/08/2026

Printing up some of these for my classroom this semester, as I encourage my students to go fully analog and work with their hands and their brains. I might run some in blue tomorrow. 3 sizes of wood type, including a hand-carved replacement "I". #letterpress #analog #woodtype

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Val Lucas - Bowerbox Press @bowerbox.com · 02/08/2026

Cheese type and Bellflower Borders are ready! What do you want to print with them? Grab a set at bowerbox.com #letterpress #typecasting

2 printed specimens of my new designs, Bellflower Border in purple and cheese squares in yellow!

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Val Lucas - Bowerbox Press @bowerbox.com · 17/07/2026

Oh fuck I just looked at the air quality map - you in the dark purple blob there?

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Val Lucas - Bowerbox Press @bowerbox.com · 11/07/2026

I learned another machine: the Benton engraver, used at ATF to engrave matrices for casting letterpress type. Only 6 still exist. It's amazingly smooth and does the job almost perfectly every time. It works very differently from the arm-style pantograph I've been using. #typefoundry #letterpress

A smiling lady sits in front of a 140 year old machine, used for engraving brass matrices

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Val Lucas - Bowerbox Press @bowerbox.com · 09/07/2026

Here's the Bellflower Border, first proof! I'm really happy with this. Minor adjustments were made and I've cast 22 sticks of type today- that's about 2112 sorts so far. #letterpress #typecasting

A black and white printed proof of my new border design, held above the type itself

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Val Lucas - Bowerbox Press @bowerbox.com · 08/07/2026

Cheese! Who needs a little snack for their press? Coming as soon as I get a specimen printed and bite-sized sets packed up. #letterpress #cheesetype

A grid of freshly cast type in the shape of Swiss cheese slices

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Val Lucas - Bowerbox Press @bowerbox.com · 02/07/2026

Third time's the cheese? This is the first mat I've engraved at my own studio so it's very exciting. I'll test cast it next week. This cheese is ever so slightly smaller than the previous cheese. I hope you will want to print with it! #letterpress #typecasting

My fingers hold a brass mat locked in a machinist vise, it has a slice of holey cheese engraved on the mat. This is used for casting letterpress type

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Val Lucas - Bowerbox Press @bowerbox.com · 30/06/2026

I'm planning my next letterpress type offering- a border piece for Bellflower, to go with the existing corner piece. I've got the design mostly finalized and will work on the mat next. If you'd like some to print with, chime in so I know how much to cast! #letterpress #typecasting

A printout of a new type design held by my fingers, showing a small border design in purple. It's flowerlike with extra swirls.

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Val Lucas - Bowerbox Press @bowerbox.com · 11/06/2026

I finally have a matching #birdoftheday for #nesting, here's a lady catbird ripping off the best strips of bark from the grapevine for nesting material. She's been at it all morning

A catbird with strips of grapevine bark in her beak

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Val Lucas - Bowerbox Press @bowerbox.com · 08/06/2026

I set up a new machine in the shop- the Preis engraver, for making new matrices for typecasting. I'm excited to be able to work on new mats more often and spend my foundry time casting from them! #typecasting #letterpress

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Val Lucas - Bowerbox Press @bowerbox.com · 03/06/2026

Inking up. Took some adjustments to get a good rainbow but this never gets old. #letterpress

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Val Lucas - Bowerbox Press @bowerbox.com · 03/06/2026

Installed my tight worm gear tonight so I could print a fancy rainbow. Happy Pride! #letterpress

Close up of the end of a Vandercook oscillator, with the pin for the tight worm gear standing in place due to Vaseline

A rainbow colored print in wood type that reads FIND YOUR PEOPLE AND LOVE THEM

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Val Lucas - Bowerbox Press @bowerbox.com · 02/06/2026

I'm on a podcast! I talked to Ann Shafer of Platemark podcast about my shift from painting at MICA to typecasting in Massachusetts. Find it at platemarkpodcast.com or wherever you listen, and jump into the world of printmaking, collecting, and curating. #letterpress #typecasting

Platemark podcast image showing me, the artist, for an episode of the show

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Val Lucas - Bowerbox Press @bowerbox.com · 01/06/2026

Messing around with big type too- I'm playing with ideas for the cover for the next issue of the ATF Newsletter, using type cast from original ATF matrices (these are 60pt Bradley Modern Initials)

A jumbled specimen of Bradley Modern Initials, set in 5 horizontal lines with the words OLD TYPES LIVE embedded in the random letters

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Val Lucas - Bowerbox Press @bowerbox.com · 01/06/2026

Packing up some more Amanita border sets, trying to make some space here in my tiny print shop. If you've ever wanted to print with mushrooms, here's your chance! #letterpress #typefoundry

Boxes of newly cast type in a mushroom design, bring packed up and labeled

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Val Lucas - Bowerbox Press @bowerbox.com · 31/05/2026

Wow, ok, the strong vinegar really does work. I only sprayed this patch of dock an hour ago. (Stupidly let a big dock plant go to seed last year, that was a mistake)

A patch of dock that's been sprayed with strong vinegar, drying up and dying already

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Val Lucas - Bowerbox Press @bowerbox.com · 28/05/2026

Printing coasters, one at a time on my trusty old C&P platen press. It's a workout but it gets the job done! I love that this hundred year old press still works great, and no AI required. Coasters are ready to go at bowerbox.com #letterpress

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Val Lucas - Bowerbox Press @bowerbox.com · 28/05/2026

Now that I'm back from a wonderful trip, I have new cards and coasters ready. It's flower season, so grab a set of new coasters or cards. I carved these from wood and linoleum, and printed each by hand on one of my letterpresses. Find them at bowerbox.com #letterpress

3 letterpress printed flower cards, showing Pipsissewa, pink lady's slipper, and Virginia Saxifrage

Set of 4 letterpress printed coasters sitting on top of the platen press used to print them. They are flower designs in yellow, orange, blue, and purple.

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Val Lucas - Bowerbox Press @bowerbox.com · 27/05/2026

I'm just back from Norway and Iceland which were both amazing but I think this flyover of Greenland on the way home was maybe even cooler? Just look at these glaciers!

A huge glacier meeting the fjord, Greenland

A bay filled with icebergs and a huge glacier

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Val Lucas - Bowerbox Press @bowerbox.com · 04/05/2026

My bluebird has white eggs this year. Apparently not unusual! I need to put a plastic skirt on the tree to keep snakes out, we lost last year's nest that way.

A birds nest made out of pine needles with 5 white eggs

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Val Lucas - Bowerbox Press @bowerbox.com · 29/04/2026

All the flowers are printed! Next up, packaging (my work is never done) #letterpress

Four flower design coasters on the feedboard of a letterpress, the orange block for the poppy is locked up in the press behind them

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Val Lucas - Bowerbox Press @bowerbox.com · 27/04/2026

Quality Control showed up to supervise printing (and then popped on the floor)

A brown chicken and a speckled Grey chicken stand in my print shop in front of galleys of letterpress type

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Val Lucas - Bowerbox Press @bowerbox.com · 27/04/2026

New coasters in the works. This will be part of a set of 4 inspired by early 1900s printers ornaments. Printed from a linocut on my trusty C&P (I regret going to the gym earlier today as it's treadle-powered)

Am overhead shot of a freshly printed round coaster, with a chrysanthemum design in yellow, held next to the carved linoleum block it was printed from

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Val Lucas - Bowerbox Press @bowerbox.com · 25/04/2026

All of the woodblocks I printed in the last two weeks. These will become 2 sets of 3 card designs, featuring local spring ephemeral flowers. Almost there... #woodcut #letterpress

8 carved woodblocks of spring flowers sitting on top of the printing press

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Val Lucas - Bowerbox Press @bowerbox.com · 19/04/2026

I printed the last of my batch of 6 cards, the purple layer of the hepatica card, today. I'm beat. Now to score and fold.

A series showing the printing of the hepatica card, top left is the green print, top right is the purple print, bottom left post the finished print with both layers, and to the bottom right is is green block. It's a 6 petaled purple flower with mottled leaves.

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Val Lucas - Bowerbox Press @bowerbox.com · 19/04/2026

I finished carving this today and got a run of cards printed. Virginia Saxifrage, seen on a hike a few years ago. It's a woodcut printed on my Vandercook letterpress, and I love the honeycomb base system used to lock it up- I can swap out my 1/4" thick woodblocks in a few seconds.

A hand holds a printed card with an image of a Saxifrage flower printed in green, next to the carved block it was printed from, in front of the printing press.

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Val Lucas - Bowerbox Press @bowerbox.com · 17/04/2026

A new wildflower on press tonight- Pipsissewa! I loved finding this in the woods at my childhood home. It has such delicate drooping flowers. #woodcut #letterpress

A woodcut of a pipsissewa plant, locked up in a letterpress and printing in green ink

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Val Lucas - Bowerbox Press @bowerbox.com · 05/04/2026

Working on some new flowers for spring (as I sniffle my way through pollen season.) I've carved the key block for this Ladyslipper and transferred the image to the second block for pink. #woodcut #letterpress

Two woodblocks, one carved with a pink ladyslipper orchid and one with the image transferred to it

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Val Lucas - Bowerbox Press @bowerbox.com · 03/04/2026

This was cast by making the letters out of "pixels" and electrodepositing the mats from the grids.

A close up of the Homespun type, showing the pixel grid of metal bars used to make the font.

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Val Lucas - Bowerbox Press @bowerbox.com · 01/04/2026

First harvest of stinging nettles from the garden. I'll dry some for tea, chop some to add to cornbread, saute and eat the rest. Also good in soup. Very yum

A hand holds a plastic container of stinging melted above the patch of green plants

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Val Lucas - Bowerbox Press @bowerbox.com · 28/03/2026

I'm sick and won't be taking my terrible head cold to the protests today, but I'll be there in spirit

Posters on teal paper that say NO KINGS in chunky wood type

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Val Lucas - Bowerbox Press @bowerbox.com · 18/03/2026

Well, we all know that some cheese is better aged- that goes for the cheese type too. This is a little big in the body and would require a lot of time finishing, so I'll re-engrave the mat a little smaller and try again! #letterpress #typecasting #typefoundry

A toy mouse looking at a piece of cheese-shaped letterpress type

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Val Lucas - Bowerbox Press @bowerbox.com · 15/03/2026

Engraved a new mat today. Fancy some cheese type? #letterpress #typecasting

A newly engraved brass mat for casting printing type, in the shape of a slice of Swiss cheese

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Val Lucas - Bowerbox Press @bowerbox.com · 22/02/2026

Here's a proof of the circular form. Still a few spacing tweaks to make but I'm pleased. If you would like your own Bellflower ornaments to print with, they're ready to ship on my site, bowerbox.com #letterpress #typecasting #typefoundry

A print in purple ink of the circular form, 2 rounds of ornamental flowers and a text round reading CHANGE IS GROWTH IS and a diamond of the same flowers in the middle

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Val Lucas - Bowerbox Press @bowerbox.com · 20/02/2026

Setting up some #daredeviltypesetting today, with my own Bellflower ornaments and some Greco Bold. Lots of careful spreading to get everything sitting nicely in the circles. I'm planning to print this in 2 colors on a printed silver background. #letterpress

Metal letterpress type in a flower ornament design and Greco Bold reading GROWTH IS CHANGE IS set in a circle so it will read continuously

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Val Lucas - Bowerbox Press @bowerbox.com · 01/02/2026

Finally had a bit of energy to get on press today This is some of my biggest wood type, a very old 25 line octagon style with wood rule above and below. #letterpress

A long poster reading A B O L I S H I C E in very old wood type with a fun little border above abs below

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Val Lucas - Bowerbox Press @bowerbox.com · 08/01/2026

I'm home from my foundry trip, and working on the snowflake type. Each piece has two little points that hang over the side, so I have to run them across the file. Slowly, fonts are being assembled! #typecasting #typefoundry #letterpress

An overhead view of my workstation at the press, with new type on the left, a file set up in a brass galley in the middle, and fonts being assembled in another brass galley in the right.

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Val Lucas - Bowerbox Press @bowerbox.com · 04/01/2026

After switching over to the 24 point mold, I made 2 versions of the larger snowflake. I had to re-seat the mold 3 times to get a good seal with no water leaks. Tomorrow I'll change again, to 14 point. (Hopefully.) #typecasting #letterpress

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Val Lucas - Bowerbox Press @bowerbox.com · 03/01/2026

Better! After cleaning the pump, nozzle, and piston, and cleaning the mold, and discovering that the temperature control all the sudden was reading 200° too low, and restarting everything- it's better. I redid all of the first batch that was only barely acceptable.

A piece of type cut in half, showing only very tiny air bubbles, distributed evenly through the body. It's better than the earlier piece.

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Val Lucas - Bowerbox Press @bowerbox.com · 02/01/2026

Not off to a great start. This machine hasn't run since July, when it was working great, but today there are temperature issues (pot was too hot, the temp control wasn't turning it off at temp) and I'm not getting a good solid piece of type. More troubleshooting after lunch...

A close up of a piece of type that has been cut in half, it looks like Swiss cheese while it should be mostly solid.

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Val Lucas - Bowerbox Press @bowerbox.com · 02/01/2026

I am at the type foundry at my mentor's house. I am about to live like a 92 year old man for a week, and also make some new letterpress type. Can I get any more analog and/or obsolete? I love this crazy old machine.

A smiling woman (me) in a knitted hat and striped sweater standing at a complicated typecasting machine. ANALOG FOREVER, FUCK GEN-AI

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