“Make-ready includes everything necessary to prepare a form for printing–literally to make it ready.”*

Although the definition of make-ready is fairly simple, to me, the word holds a deeper and more significant meaning.

To break it down further:

A make-ready is a piece of scrap paper that printmakers use to prepare their final print. This paper is often printed over many times to perfect the colors, registration, impression, and design before you begin printing on your final, clean paper.

As an artist and small business owner, I’ve learned that 95% of the work happens in the ‘make-ready’ phase. To most outsiders, the final products I create on Instagram might seem effortless, but in reality, it took a lot of time, effort, research, and patience.

To me, the beauty of letterpress lies in the process, which is what 'make-ready' represents.

Mastering this art form is challenging, and I've definitely spent more time making mistakes than creating good prints. The more I make, the more I experiment, the more I print, the better I get. One of my favorite videos on the creative process is all about this:

A few of my favorite make-ready pieces:

Now go forth and make-ready!

Now that you know what a make-ready is, it’s time to create! Don’t be afraid to experiment with letterpress and see what results you can get; you never know what will happen.

Want to learn how to letterpress print?

Check out my course, Makeready, that teaches the foundations of letterpress printing.

Using my experience from over 13 years behind the printing press, I will teach you all the tools and techniques you need to know to create beautiful art with letterpress.

~ LEARN MORE ~

*From Letterpress Now by Jessica C. White