A conversation about Achu Press.

Achu Press is a letterpress studio by Maatru Bhoomi, creating tactile, thoughtfully made paper pieces through traditional printing and finishing.

"Achu" comes from the Tamil word "அச்சு", meaning a press or an impression. It is also the root of "அச்சகம்", the Tamil word for a printing press. The word also has an onomatopoeic quality, evoking the physical act of pressing and leaving an impression.

For anyone who appreciates good paper and thoughtful printing. But especially for those looking for something beyond simply getting something printed - something made to be experienced and remembered.

Achu Press is a part of Maatru Bhoomi, created to focus specifically on letterpress and the craft of making tactile, thoughtfully printed pieces.

Digital printing has its place, especially for short runs and certain applications. We choose letterpress when the print itself needs to become part of the experience, through the depth, texture, and impression it leaves on paper.

Letterpress is an art form, much like painting, drawing, or sculpture. It is not simply a way of putting ink on paper. The choice of paper, colour, pressure, composition, and the physical impression all become part of the finished piece.

We work mainly with cotton-based papers because they are well suited to letterpress inks and take the impression beautifully. We also work with coloured boards, both handmade and otherwise, as well as other papers depending on the project and the result we want to achieve.

A good letterpress design is clean, crisp, and gives the elements enough room to breathe. Simple forms, clear details, and thoughtful use of space allow the paper and the impression to speak for themselves.

Letterpress works beautifully with solid colours, and we can run multiple colours in the same piece. Its limitation is with gradients, shading, and continuous-tone imagery, which are better suited to other printing processes.

Finishing depends on the product, paper, and desired result. We can explore options such as foiling, die-punching, corner rounding, and more, depending on what the piece calls for.

Our pre-printing process begins with preparing the artwork and making the plates required for printing. We then select the paper and mix the inks by hand before setting up the press and printing, carefully checking registration when multiple colours are involved.