A Visual Guide to Grafting Letterpress Poster

Apple Magic

The first grafted tree I remember seeing was at my grandfather's. He had a pear tree on the side of his garage that produced three different kinds of pears. Sorcery! Someone somewhere had grafted some Bartlett and Anjou and Bosc onto a base tree, creating a self-fertile tree, and a kind of fruity magic trick.

A magician never reveals his secrets, of course, but the story behind that particular tree trick is a simple one: grafting.

Grafting is the gardener's art of combining trees - taking a stick, or "scion," from one tree, and adding it to a recipient tree (aka "stock."). That's how you can make a franken-tree like my grandfather's, or an orchard-full of thousands of genetically identical trees.

Time-Tested Tree Techniques, Told in Ink

This poster showcases twelve different grafting techniques in a colorful and informative letterpress print, from the super-common whip-and-tongue to more advanced ones like strap and inlay grafts. It makes the perfect gift for the ahem ... budding orchardist in your life, or hang one on the wall in your potting shed, cidery, barn or bar.

Add Your Own Frame, or ...

A Visual Guide to Grafting is an easily-frameable* 12 x 18 inch (30 x 45 cm) print - a very common size. Off-the-shelf frames are available at Target, IKEA, or even better - your friendly neighborhood frame shop! 

... Buy Yours Barrel-Finished

This print is available in a bespoke frame manufactured by yours truly from upcycled whiskey and/or wine barrels. Each one is a bit different, and makes for a great conversation starte. With this option, prints are matted and secured behind an archival, USA-made mat and backerboard and postman-proof, UV-resistant acrylic sheet.

Please note that barrel frames cannot be shipped to Australia or New Zealand due to import restrictions on wood products.

Fresh-Pressed in Portland

This open-edition print was printed by hand, with love, on  a gluten-powered, hand-fed 1909 Chandler & Price letterpress using soy-based inks. Each color on this print used requires a separate trip through the press. This print uses two inks: red, and green. Green is printed first, and the print is finished with red. Areas of overlap create a darker red color - the magic of overprinting. 

American-made French Paper

The poster is printed on 100% recycled (30% PCW), chlorine-free French brand paper, made in Niles, Michigan. If you're as big a paper nerd as you are an apple nerd, you'll want to know that it's 125# Muscletone in Starch White Cover Stock. 

* Frame not included, unless you buy the framed one, in which case a frame is included.