Strawberry Sorbet

MEET THE LETTERPRESS
GEEKS DREAM TEAM

Andrew and Sarah under wedding confetti

THE PEOPLE

You know the story; love letters, long romantic dates, walks in the park, wining and dining. Making invitations.
OK, that bit doesn’t usually feature in a love story, but from this, Strawberry Sorbet was born!

Our passion for stationery extends beyond our day job, and we can often be found in stationery departments, running our fingers over print and sniffing ink.
Yes, yes, we are used to the odd looks we receive! Apart from hoarding paper goods, we have a love of cocktails, delicious wine and fabulous food.

Since Andrew and I started Strawberry Sorbet in 2009 (how it was so long ago, I can’t understand!) we have expanded our small, but perfectly formed team from just the two of us, to include the lovely Emma and Nick. They’re the icing on our metaphorical cake.

ANDREW

the boy

I’m Andrew – the one who gets his hands dirty, printer extraordinaire and the technical support department! I single handedly took apart a letterpress and put it back together, blindfolded with only the use of my feet. And I can weigh out and mix ink using the power of thought alone…

Okay, okay, those are mostly big fibs. However, apart from loving letterpress and vintage printing machines, I have a penchant for architecture, craft beer (although I haven’t quite managed to brew it yet) and anything involving the sea, water or a beach.

QUICK FIRE

Q. Go to karaoke song?
I don’t do singing in public. I got arrested last time.
Q. What are you having for dinner?
I’m not sure. This is one of the few times I haven’t planned that far.
I’m getting quite worried now!
Q. Favourite app?
Probably Spotify or watching letterpress videos on You Tube, although I shouldn’t admit to such geekery.
Andrew from Strawberry Sorbet

SARAH

the girl

I’m Sarah and I’m the designer of our stationery ship. I’m fuelled by copious amounts of tea, have an unhealthy obsession with Pinterest, and have to fight the Pat Butcher side of me that adores big earrings and leopard print.

In a previous life, I was a textile designer and even further back (all the way back to my uni days!) worked as a bridal consultant for a wedding dress boutique – I like to think these two roles helped to bring me to where I am now!

If you contact Strawberry Sorbet HQ, it’ll be me you chat to – as well as being the designer, I’m chief emailer/phone chatterer and spreadsheet aficionado.

QUICK FIRE

Q. Go to karaoke song?
With my voice of an angel, I can sing anything!
Q. Favourite drink?
Right now? I could drink an ice-cold glass of Provencal rose.
But as it’s only 11am, I suppose I’ll take a perfectly brewed cup of builders please.
Q. What are you having for dinner?
Gah! Currently nothing. We’ve failed at the food shop for weeks. Very bad adulting!
Sarah from Strawberry Sorbet

EMMA

the ginger one

I’m Emma and I like to think of myself as the glamorous assistant (any excuse to wear sequins) to Sarah and Andrew’s wizardry. I am proud to be the squib of Strawberry Sorbet!

I am the wrapper, packer and prettyfier and can be found in the finishing department, in fact, I am the finishing department. Essentially I get to do all the fun bits and steer clear of anything technical or computer related.

Outside the studio I enjoy rummaging in junk shops, a bit of upcycling, binge reading, all things kitsch and like Sarah I am a lover of leopard print and anything sparkly, embrace the inner magpie!

QUICK FIRE

Q. Favourite app?
What’s an app?
Q. iPhone or Android?
Erm… (Nokia 3210?)
Q. Best part of the day?
Cocktail hour.
Emma from Strawberry Sorbet

NICK

the bearded one

I’m Nick and I make up the other half of the printing department alongside Andrew. I love everything and anything letterpress and foil stamped, and try to find the high quality ‘CRISP LOOK’ with every job I get my inky mitts on!

With my 20/20 vision (or so I like to think!) I get to chop down the lovely printed jobs on our super sharp guillotine, before handing them over to Emma.

When I’m forced to step away from the presses, I like to relax and unwind with some stargazing through my telescope and a nice strong black coffee… basically trying to match the amount of tea Sarah gets through in a day! Outside of SS-HQ, I can be found tending to my veggie patch, lawn and pruning my bushes… or watching a conspiracy theory documentary about outer space on Netflix!

QUICK FIRE

Q. If you could play any instrument, what would it be?
The harmonica – I always wanted to learn the Free Willy theme tune!
Q. Grease 1 or Grease 2?
Grease 1 all day! I was an excellent Kenickie in a school play back in the day!
Q. Do you have a daily ritual?
Check the lights and presses are turned off before leaving work… about 3 times!
Nick from Strawberry Sorbet

THE PRESSES

Heidelberg letterpress and foiling machine

OUR BEAUTIFUL BEASTS
love at first sight

The Strawberry Sorbet team is made up of more than just people. Without our beautiful presses, we wouldn’t be of much use to anyone.

They’re beautiful beasts, each with its own quirks and personalities. They make the most amazing noises. Honestly, whenever I walk into the studio the hissing, whooshing and clinking noises brighten up my day. So, it’s only fair they get their own introductions.

CHARLOTTE

No. 1 Cropperette

Charlotte was our baby step in to the world of letterpress. Before this, our stationery adventure had been all about digital printing. She’s a beauty, but paper is hand fed into her, a single sheet at a time whilst you power her with your foot. This all seems fine and dandy until you trap a finger. We quickly learnt that while she is beautiful, Charlotte wasn’t going to allow us to give our customers exceptional quality items, every single time whilst keeping all of our fingers intact. So, we had to explore other options. And this is where we stumbled across her big brother!

Charlotte letterpress machine gripper detail

FRANK

Heidelberg Platen
10 x 15

And that was Frank, the second press brought into our fold. This was where Strawberry Sorbet really found its feet and got into its groove! It took quite some time for Andrew to get the little guy up and running – he had been a little unloved and needed a fair bit of TLC to bring him back to his best. Many late nights were spent taking him apart and then lovingly restoring him, and now he’s as good as new. Frank is predominantly used for letterpress printing, with a dash of die-cutting thrown in.

Frank Heidelberg Platen ink duct

BETTY

Heidelberg Platen
10 x 15

Betty was the third press to join our gang, and is currently the foil workhorse of the group. She’s coming up to her 60th birthday, but she has no plans to collect her state pension just yet. She’s quite happy living out her retirement, slowly and carefully printing beautiful foil stamped goodies with a little bit of letterpress thrown in. It’s a far cry from her younger days as a commercial press, churning out around 5000 prints an hour, 24/7. I know, she looks pretty good for it, doesn’t she? All down to an excellent beauty regime, and daily precision oiling.

Betty Heidelberg Platen sign detail