Wild about print

Marley Press is a modern analogue print studio, specialising in traditional letterpress and hotfoil print methods. The studio was born out of my love for simple honest design, beautifully crafted paper and the art of hand-printing.

 

The Founder: Maggie Marley

A graduate of graphic and textile design from Edinburgh College of Art, Maggie has been working as a designer and printmaker for over 20 years gaining a name in the business for her attention to detail, knowledge, expertise and creative flair. She has worked with brands, producers, designers, couples and businesses in Ireland and beyond, working hard to surprise and delight clients, paying attention to the fine detail that will make their stationery stand out.

 

A native of Donegal, it was a childhood of crafting on her Granny Mamie’s farm that inspired her love of making and printmaking. Granny taught me to bake, to forage, to knit and to dye fabrics with natural plant dyes. It was a simple life, very much self-sustainable where people respected the land and the animals they kept.

"I think there’s still that element of my childhood that fuels me; nostalgia draws me to the past for my design inspiration and I surround myself with cherished vintage objects, books and furniture. I have a deep rooted respect and curiosity for the craftsmanship of handmade objects and an admiration for minimal design, less is more." 

Letterpress & Hotfoil Printing

When I returned from Scotland to Donegal I made a small investment and bought my first 1950’s Adana table top press in 2012 and my bespoke stationery business was born. After a few years this pet project became my full time job. To this day I still operate three vintage 'small but mighty' hand presses in my garden studio, two Adana letterpress machines and a  hotfoil press. 

 “As an artisan printer, creating and making can be messy and I always have inky hands but its honest work and the tactile results are always worth the effort”.
 

Sustainability

Little steps make a difference

Being a small creative business allows designing to be more mindful of the product lifecycle. For me it’s about respect for each other, for the land and for the animals we share the planet with. That humble experience of life with my grandmother has never left me and it influences my work today. I’m part of the Slow Print movement and I specialise in small batch production. I’m constantly refining products, services and practices so the business has minimal impact on the planet using materials and packaging that is fully recyclable with no single-use plastics. I admire craftsmanship and like sharing and passing on my skills to other designers and letterpress printers. As a long term project I’m currently researching the planting of natural woodlands in Donegal.

 

Our sustainable ethos:

• Specialise in small batch production and print to order, this eliminates waste and excess
• Uses FSC, recycled and 100% cotton (tree-free) papers
• Sticker packaging on single cards (naked card)
• Plant based cello wraps on card packs and prints
• Print our letterpress cards by hand using environmentally-friendly inks
• Packaging is kept to a minimal and is functional, reusable and recyclable
• Design dateless planners and diaries, so they can be used any month or year
• Mindful of using less paper and encourage my clients to reflect also