Mounting a plate

For those who don’t know, I grew up in a print shop. I have never not known printing as a family business and I am sure it has fed every visual pursuit that I have had as well as shaped every interest and business decision as a freelancer. Most people know offset printing and fine art letterpress printing, but few can tell you what flexography is. Funny thing is we see it every day, everywhere. I got a chance to draw this past week as my father, still printing after 40 plus years, worked away. He was half tempted to yell at me to clean up the press but he knew why I was there. It has been quite some time since I have worked at his side (always cleaning up, these presses require a lot of skill), but I fell right back to the sounds and smells of the shop and I would have jumped right in if I didn’t have my own ink all over me.—Dominick