Royal Oak, Mich. – ArborOakland Group of Royal Oak, Michigan, in partnership with Signal-Return, AIGA Detroit and The Printing Plant, is pleased to present a screening of PRESSING ON: The Letterpress Film in the historic Eastern Market of Detroit, Michigan on April 18th.

ArborOakland Group and its presenting co-sponsors will join viewers as they collectively watch the filmmakers and featured printers answer the question: why has letterpress survived in a digital age?

Letterpress is a printing process that all but died decades ago as newer forms of printing and more recently, technology, began to dominate the industry. Letterpress is a slow, inefficient, and analog production process compared with modern printing which is fast, efficient and digital. Andy Harrison, Marketing Director at ArborOakland Group said “In a day and age of digital marketing and social platforms, it seems counter-intuitive to dedicate energy towards old-fashion production processes but the growth of the “Makers” movement and desire for quality products made locally and by hand, are all part of the history, beauty, and attraction of letterpress that make it a valuable and important part of our company’s story.”

Don Kirkland, President of ArborOakland Group commented “Over the previous year we have invested in the product and service offering to better meet our clients’ needs. Included in the growth strategy has been a large investment in the latest in digital printing technology and interestingly, a beautiful and fully-functioning letterpress studio. We wanted to make a strategic yet bold statement that ArborOakand Group is willing to offer its clients the widest range of printing capabilities available. We felt that locating the studio across the aisle from the latest in digital printing, would demonstrate that visually. As a result, we’re confident we have one of the most unique printing spaces in Michigan.”

Harrison added “Admittedly, sponsoring a film screening seems like an odd thing for a printing company to do but when the opportunity came to sponsor PRESSING ON: The Letterpress Film in downtown Detroit, we jumped on it and look forward to sharing this beautiful film with all who attend.”

In addition to the April 18th film screening at Signal-Return in Detroit’s Eastern Market, the following week on Thursday, April 26th, ArborOakland Group is opening its studio for a letterpress experience. Guests are invited to design their own custom stationery using decades-old wood fonts and then watch a master craftsman produce a complimentary set to take home. Additional information and tickets are available at https://spring18letterpress.eventbrite.com.