Saturn Press

Printed on presses built between 1840 and 1910, Saturn Press letterpress cards began on Swan's Island, Maine in 1986 and are now printed in Kent, Connecticut.

About Saturn Press

Based in
Kent, Connecticut
Founded
1986
Known for
letterpress greeting cards

Saturn Press was founded in 1986 on Swan's Island, off the coast of Maine, and printed greeting cards there for decades. In 2024 James Anderson and Deirdre Keogh-Anderson took over the business and moved it to Kent, Connecticut, into a restored 1821 church.

The cards are printed on antique letterpress machines dating from 1840 to 1910, each weighing between 2,500 and 3,500 pounds. Letterpress prints from a raised, inked surface pressed into the paper, so the design sits slightly below the surface and you can feel it with a fingertip.

Saturn Press questions

Where do Saturn Press card designs come from?

Many start from forgotten 19th-century illustrations or old postage stamps. The team strips away detail and specifics so each image suits many occasions and the sender can bring their own message to it. Saturn Press now has more than 120 designs and prints 250,000 cards a year.

What is letterpress printing?

Letterpress is relief printing: a raised surface of type or a plate is inked and pressed straight into the paper. It was the standard way to print from Gutenberg's time until offset printing replaced it in the second half of the 20th century. Old printers aimed for type that barely kissed the page, but today a visible, touchable impression is the point. Most presses print one color at a time, so each extra color means another careful pass.

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