letterpress

[let-er-pres]

noun

the process of printing from letters or type in relief, rather than from intaglio plates or planographically.
matter printed in such a manner.
Chiefly British. printed text or reading matter, as distinguished from illustrations.

adverb

by letterpress: The circular should be printed letterpress, not offset.

adjective

set in letterpress: letterpress work.

Origin of letterpress

First recorded in 1750–60; letter¹ + press¹

Dictionary.com Unabridged Based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2018

Examples from the Web for letterpress

Contemporary Examples of letterpress

When we got engaged three years ago, talk of caterers and florists and letterpress invitations occupied us at these gatherings.
When Did "Married Without Children" Become Gauche?
Rachel Shukert
November 15, 2008

Historical Examples of letterpress

There will be twenty-four pages of letterpress in each part.
Great Men and Famous Women, Vol. 8 (of 8)
Various
Indeed, he remembered that he had forgotten to consult the letterpress as to which it represented.
Devil's Ford
Bret Harte
Dick quoted from Torpenhow's letterpress in the Nungapunga Book.
The Works of Rudyard Kipling: One Volume Edition
Rudyard Kipling
There are nearly 6000 pages of letterpress, relating to 16,000 species.
Makers of British Botany; a collection of biographies by living botanists
Various
The letterpress, too, is extraordinarily full and elaborate.
The Kingdom of the Yellow Robe
Ernest Young

British Dictionary definitions for letterpress

letterpress

noun

1. a method of printing in which ink is transferred from raised surfaces to paper by pressure; relief printing
2. matter so printed
text matter as distinct from illustrations

Collins English Dictionary - Complete & Unabridged 2012 Digital Edition © William Collins Sons & Co. Ltd. 1979, 1986 © HarperCollins Publishers 1998, 2000, 2003, 2005, 2006, 2007, 2009, 2012