My ex-colleague is fascinated by the craftsmanship and the heritage behind letterpress, though it is a printing method rarely seen in Hong Kong. Now, I always recall his excitement when I see the tiny individual blocks of ‘moveable type’ involved in the letterpress process. The tactile experience created by the transfer of ink and impression on the paper via the type is completely unique.
In hands with the Hong Kong Heritage Museum, ditto ditto is showcasing their letterpress productions and the process of letterpress printing at the “Pictures between words – Hong Kong’s Printing Legacy” (roughly translated name of「字裡圖間 ─ 香港印藝傳奇」) feature video and exhibition.
The young sister duo, P.S. Chan and P.Y. Chan, founded ditto ditto back in 2011. The boutique stationery brand and design studio create paper products with the letterpress technique, resulting in handmade and unique works.
“Our name, ditto ditto, symbolizes the repetition that is present in our daily lives. It also represents the miracles that we find in our everyday routines, and reminds us to share these little discoveries and ordinary miracles with you.”
– P.S. Chan
Apart from using this traditional technique to create innovative designs, the duo also strives to keep the printing method’s heritage alive. They have purchased a Heidelberg windmill letterpress machine and two antique hand-cranked mirror printing machines, and they will be demonstrating how the latter is used at the exhibition.
